But does that mean we should shun yoga altogether? After all, any exercise can cause injury and perhaps Broad was ridiculously naive to think that spinal twists, headstands, and back arches would never harm.
“I’ve actually hurt my shoulder washing the dishes,’’ said David Magone, a yoga instructor who teaches workshops at Exhale in Boston. But, he added, he’s seen his fair share of yoga injuries in both beginners as well as in experienced practitioners who push their bodies beyond their limits.
Avoiding these five common mistakes can go a long way, Magone said, to preventing yoga injuries.
Mistake No. 1: Practicing yoga every day. Yoga is a strength-building activity, Magone said, so you need to give your muscles a chance to recuperate and recover from those microtears that occur after every workout. “I recommend doing yoga every other day and supplementing with a cardiovascular workout [running, biking, swimming] on days you don’t do yoga,’’ said Magone. “Otherwise your muscles will be exhausted and you’re likely to get sloppy and injure yourself.’’
Mistake No. 2: Pushing too far too fast. “Never push to the point of pain - especially in your joints, lower back, or shoulders. It’s possible to get your flexibility back, but you need to go slowly and do the stretches three times a week,’’ Magone said.
Mistake No. 3: Not warming up properly. Under a time crunch, you may be tempted to skip some warm-up moves and go directly into a complicated posture, but that’s sure to increase your risk of injury.
“It takes a full 20 minutes to warm your body up to the point where it’s safe to go into those serious poses that require a deeper level of strength, balance, and flexibility,’’ said Magone. A yoga class should involve getting your heart rate up with those initial simple poses - often sun salutations that begin from a standing position - that might get you a little sweaty.
(High temperatures in hot Bikram yoga classes will also loosen muscles, but you still need to do warm-up moves, said Magone.)
