Yoga has a zen reputation. But that’s not the whole story.
Most of the yoga people do beyond India, yoga’s birthplace, is physical. Any physical activity carries risk. Yoga is no different.
Practicing yoga can be even riskier because of how it’s administered and the misunderstandings that surround it.
Yoga teachers can lead dangerous classes
Yoga teachers are not doctors or physical therapists. Still, many practitioners approach us as if we are.
Anyone can teach yoga — literally. No licensing board regulates yoga instructors. There’s no certification, in the true sense of the word, either.
Instead, teaching aspirants might attend a “yoga teacher training.” These trainings, which started just a few decades ago, are simply registered with Yoga Alliance, a nonprofit organization that maintains a list of standards to which yoga trainings should adhere.
Meeting those standards is entirely an act of self-reporting; no one audits yoga training programs. The result: Trainings vary wildly and so does their quality. Consider this: Some of the most skilled instructors have never taken a “yoga teacher training” of the variety your neighborhood studio markets. Instead, they studied with yoga masters long before YTT was a thing.
Yoga styles vary in danger level
Yoga isn’t monolithic. There are many styles, and not all are appropriate for everyone.
Some styles barely beckon movement. Restorative yoga and yoga nidra come to mind. These are terrific alternatives to meditation and great styles for inducing calm. They’d be safe for someone undergoing cancer treatment, for example.
Other styles push athleticism and ambient conditions to levels that border on brutal. Think Bikram and hot yoga, both of which happen in oppressive heat (105 degrees Fahrenheit for Bikram).
Even if you’re physically capable of working out in high heat, you can get dehydrated. And the deceptive heat makes movement more accessible, potentially straining your muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons.
Contraindications can make yoga dangerous
Yoga moves that won’t harm one person might land someone else in the ER. That means you’ll do well to research whether contraindications exist for your health circumstances. If you’re attending a class, the yoga teacher might know what to warn you against — or not, depending on their expertise and how unique your health condition is.
Your physician can likely rule out specific movements or shapes. But don’t ask them if it’s okay to “do yoga.” Not all physicians understand that yoga runs the gamut in intensity. Yoga students with contraindications have come to physically intense classes I teach, saying their doctor told them it was okay to “do yoga.” Reader, it was not okay for them to do what the class involved.
Common yoga poses with the greatest danger
Lotus pose
Yoga’s quintessential posture, Lotus Pose (Padmasana) is also one its most dangerous. It demands considerable external hip rotation. Unless you’re someone who can naturally tuck your feet on top of your thighs while sitting cross-legged, Lotus Pose is a path to destroying your knees and ankles.
I have practiced yoga for 25 years, and I’m no closer to achieving this shape than I was when I started. Here’s why: The anatomy of my hips encourages inward rotation. Lotus Pose will never happen for me — and it might not for you.
Safer way: Sit cross-legged in Easy Pose (Sukhasana).
Any shape that severely drops your head back
Your cervical spine, which is in your neck, is the most flexible section of your spinal column. Poses such as Fish (Matsyasana) can reduce blood flow to your brain, causing a stroke, especially if you’re elderly, given arteries lose flexibility with age.
But you don’t have to do a particular posture for your neck to be at a dangerous angle. You might drop your head back as part of neck warm-ups, for example.
Safer way: Rest your head on a block or blanket while in Fish. For neck opening, lift the crown of your head then raise your chin slightly.
Shoulderstand and plow
If you tilt your head forward severely, that can cause stroke too (see above). Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) and Plow (Halasana) provide the clearest examples of this. Your chin presses toward your chest in these postures, compressing your vertebral arteries. The shapes also put a tremendous amount of pressure on your cervical vertebrae.
Safer way: Practice the postures while resting your shoulder blades on a stack of blankets or mats. This increases the angle at the front of your neck and shifts weight to your shoulders and away from your cervical spine. Even safer: Keep your back on the ground then lift your legs and rest your heels on a wall.
Headstand
We’re still talking neck vertebrae! Headstand is a misnomer — unless you want to risk damaging your cervical spine.
If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma or a detached retina (any eye condition that increases pressure) don’t do any variation of Headstand or any shape that puts your head below your heart.
Safer way: In order to properly do Headstand, someone should be able to slide a piece of paper under your head while you hold the posture. In other words, there’s almost no weight on your head; most is in your forearms. If you can’t hold Headstand this way, do Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana) instead.
Common yoga poses that can be dangerous
Cat-cow
Extreme spinal flexion (Cat, Marjaryasana) and extreme spinal extension (Cow, Bitilasana) can be dangerous to certain spinal conditions.
If you have bulging, slipped or protruding disks, flexion can worsen them. Flexion also is contraindicated for osteoporosis and severe osteopenia. Spinal extension is contraindicated for anyone with spinal stenosis.
Safer way: Child’s Pose (Balasana) creates gentle spinal flexion, on the order of getting a pleasant back stretch. An alternative to extension is maintaining your spine’s natural curves.
Twists
Extreme twists are dangerous if you have osteoporosis or severe osteopenia. Vertebrae are already compromised if you have low bone density, and jamming them into a twist can make matters worse.
Safer way: Make sure you lengthen your spine first. Then twist gently and barely, much as you would to relieve stiffness after sitting.
Plank
Plank is common in yoga. It’s also terrible for carpal tunnel syndrome and can worsen the condition because it narrows the carpal tunnel.
Safer way: Grip props that have handles, or place your hands on wedges. Both relieve pressure in your wrists. Alternatively, do Forearm Plank.
Mitra Malek is a former Yoga Journal editor and has taught yoga since 2005. She can attest firsthand to the unpleasant aftereffects of compressing your cervical spine in Shoulderstand.
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