Dear yogis and yoginis;
There is an effect that has crept into modern day yoga that I feel should not be happening. My greatest concern is for the people who are suffering injuries and the reputation of the quality discipline that is Yoga. Evidence shows that there are more and more younger people experiencing horrific injuries due to them feeling that they have to exhibit a more extreme version of an asana than is safe for their body to do, whether this is by physical contortion, or choosing a ridiculously unsafe location for their exhibition.
“Alexa Terrazas, 23, was pictured hanging upside down on a balcony in Mexico Monday. Moments later, she survived a 25-metre fall that resulted in 110 broken bones.” - Global News
Read more here…. https://globalnews.ca/news/5824341/woman-fall-extreme-yoga/
My advice is, can we please stop this nonsense, yoga should be for your own personal advancement, not an ego boosting demonstration to be peacocked on social media. And not just on social media, generally, many of the pictures I see are not anatomically beneficial to the individual performing them and with the use of programs like Photoshop, give false hope to those who think they can do these poses in a short period of time.
“A Maryland woman had a stroke from performing a physically demanding yoga movement back in late 2017 and she is still recovering from chronic pain nearly 18 months on” – The Epoch Times.
More information can be found here...
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/video/instagram-star-suffers-stroke-yoga-move-61947092
When the body feels strong there can be a misconception of invincibility, which comes with youth, and the continuous misinformation from the thing that is the modern misperception that you can have anything now. However, many of us entering the middle chapter of our lives know that it takes years of practice and hard work in order to achieve the combination of strength and flexibility before approaching advanced poses, we have wised up to the realization that it is (and always was), very unsafe not to take the time necessary for this progression. If you are currently awed by the extreme acrobatic displays of yoga on social media please take a few moments to reflect on the aftermath this type of yoga has brought.
“A couple of years ago, my body started telling me it was exhausted and didn’t want to do long practices or extreme poses. Did I listen? No. I had big plans, work to do, classes to film, and bills to pay.” – Laura Burkhart
Read more here…
https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/10-ways-to-get-real-about-your-bodys-limitations-avoid-yoga-injuries
Things to be considered when you are viewing yoga on social media:
There will always be an abundance of 18 to 40 year-olds selling fitness products and plans. On the heels of a massive boom in 200hr yoga teacher trainee graduates, there are now even more that believe they have been given the knowledge and experience they need to be experts within a physical or nutritional field, not realizing they were not taught ¾ of the knowledge they still need to acquire.
Meanwhile, mother natures’ glossy veneer of youth inspires and motivates them to change the world. Since they don’t realize, or even choose to ignore, that so many things change with time, not many will keep pursuing their original plan as middle age sets in. For young, impressionable souls, under the guise that the system they are learning is indefinitely beneficial, when the stark reality of the flaws in the system come to their attention it can prove too late. Irene Pappas even wrote a blog post titled, “Why I stopped practicing contortion.”
Read more here…http://www.fitqueenirene.com/blog/
So many things change with time; goals and interests, energy levels, hormones, not to mention bodies!
I remember buying a particular fitness magazine in my 20's that I thought gave decent information, however I was rather dismayed to see that this same magazine, 20 years later, hadn’t changed its content one bit. I suppose it was never marketing to the over 40’s crowd, but looking back, had I known what I know now I would have never bought it to begin with. Almost every page is full of promises that:
1. Won’t last
2. Aren’t true
3. Have dangerous consequences
The mainstream yoga community has recently been rocked by the fall from grace of some very prominent names and lineages, for ultimately, the reasons listed above. I am extremely grateful that my yoga and movement education took place in circumstances far removed from this and am angered and saddened for the victims who were cheated out of a genuine, healing and wholesome relationship with yoga. The misuse of yoga has likely caused many practitioners to have to re-evaluate the gurus, the methodology and indeed the entire premise upon which they were practicing those methods in the first place.
How could someone like K. Pattabhi Jois who popularized and made elusive claims to being ashtanga yoga’s creator, expect prospective teachers to understand the implications of the extreme method he practiced and yet grant them certification to teach within 6-months-time of their arrival? It almost indicates that KPJ didn’t want them to fully understand what they were being ‘qualified’ to do, or, KPJ did not have sufficient education in anatomy and physiology to understand the implications himself. There are many senior ashtanga teachers now speaking out regarding this, Gregor Maehle and Guy Donahaye have done much to expose Jois’ inappropriate actions, and Matthew Remski has written extensively on the abuse covered up for decades within ashtanga yoga in his book “Practice and All is Coming.”
It is worth noting that it was not only the ashtanga branch that was taught with little regard for the longevity of bodily integrity. Many teacher training programs were emerging out of this push more be more, yoga mentality. Yet as William J. Broad points out in his book “The Science of Yoga,”
(in the context of injuries) “Few yoga books ever spoke of the danger – or looked into the medical literature – and the grim topic seldom made the upbeat pages of yoga magazines. Now a major survey done by yoga professionals had documented the threat. It was an honest first. Another surprise centered on judgements about what explained the injuries. The choices for survey takers included such factors as large classes, too much effort, and expanded ranks of students. A vast majority of the respondents – 68 percent – pointed to ‘inadequate teacher training.’ That was remarkable because most were teachers. In effect, they were criticizing themselves and their peers. The candor went to an inconspicuous deficiency in modern yoga – that teacher training varies enormously in quantity and quality from slapdash to rigorous. You can get certified as an instructor with as little as 100 hours of training and even do the course entirely online, putting in no time whatsoever in a classroom and getting no supervision from an experienced teacher.”
There is hope however, there are other methods of practice heavily integrated in anatomy and physiology, which completely nullify potential for horrific injuries so commonly endured when practicing a style of yoga which toes the line with gymnastics.
My education came from a western anatomical and physiological practice and I only ventured my first tentative steps into teaching, almost 20 years ago, after over 4,500 hours of practical education in the subject. Since then, I have worked extremely hard to build on that foundation of knowledge and have the all the skills and knowledge I need to enjoy a robust athletic asana practice and yet keep the integrity of my physical body well into old age. I am fortunate enough to comfortably enjoy the best of both worlds in this sense, something that is rare among a traditional vigorous asana practice. My work in this area continues to be intense and nonstop because I am passionate about showing people that there is another way. For those who have the anatomical and physiological knowledge, the photographs on this website will speak volumes. For those who do not yet have this knowledge, there is teacher training at the studio that will educate prospective teachers to a new standard.
I would like to sincerely thank my teachers for the depth and accuracy I was exposed to at such an early stage.
I will be forever humbled by your kindness, wisdom and support, for you have given me an invaluable gift that no amount of money could ever buy. I have been doing my best ever since to make this world a better place thanks to your timeless knowledge and will continue to carry the torch for all of us, healing as many as possible.
Love and Light, xox
About the Author.
Jill Little started teaching yoga in 2002, she was taught both in the U.S. and U.K. She is the owner / director at Mind Yoga and Rehab Studio and Mind Yoga Teaching Academy. Her style of yoga has developed from traditional Hatha, Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga with a mind to a safe effective and functional practice for all her students. Due to her intents, education into anatomy and physiology, and years of personal development in her own yoga practice she is now considered to be one of the U.K.’s finest yoga teachers.
There is an effect that has crept into modern day yoga that I feel should not be happening. My greatest concern is for the people who are suffering injuries and the reputation of the quality discipline that is Yoga. Evidence shows that there are more and more younger people experiencing horrific injuries due to them feeling that they have to exhibit a more extreme version of an asana than is safe for their body to do, whether this is by physical contortion, or choosing a ridiculously unsafe location for their exhibition.
“Alexa Terrazas, 23, was pictured hanging upside down on a balcony in Mexico Monday. Moments later, she survived a 25-metre fall that resulted in 110 broken bones.” - Global News
Read more here…. https://globalnews.ca/news/5824341/woman-fall-extreme-yoga/
My advice is, can we please stop this nonsense, yoga should be for your own personal advancement, not an ego boosting demonstration to be peacocked on social media. And not just on social media, generally, many of the pictures I see are not anatomically beneficial to the individual performing them and with the use of programs like Photoshop, give false hope to those who think they can do these poses in a short period of time.
“A Maryland woman had a stroke from performing a physically demanding yoga movement back in late 2017 and she is still recovering from chronic pain nearly 18 months on” – The Epoch Times.
More information can be found here...
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/video/instagram-star-suffers-stroke-yoga-move-61947092
When the body feels strong there can be a misconception of invincibility, which comes with youth, and the continuous misinformation from the thing that is the modern misperception that you can have anything now. However, many of us entering the middle chapter of our lives know that it takes years of practice and hard work in order to achieve the combination of strength and flexibility before approaching advanced poses, we have wised up to the realization that it is (and always was), very unsafe not to take the time necessary for this progression. If you are currently awed by the extreme acrobatic displays of yoga on social media please take a few moments to reflect on the aftermath this type of yoga has brought.
“A couple of years ago, my body started telling me it was exhausted and didn’t want to do long practices or extreme poses. Did I listen? No. I had big plans, work to do, classes to film, and bills to pay.” – Laura Burkhart
Read more here…
https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/10-ways-to-get-real-about-your-bodys-limitations-avoid-yoga-injuries
Things to be considered when you are viewing yoga on social media:
- Is the person(s) you're viewing somewhere around the ages of 18 to 40?
- How many of them have sustained a major injury?
- If they are over the age of 35 and are still doing a very strong asana practice and are injury free, how many variables would you expect might exist that would allow them to do so?
There will always be an abundance of 18 to 40 year-olds selling fitness products and plans. On the heels of a massive boom in 200hr yoga teacher trainee graduates, there are now even more that believe they have been given the knowledge and experience they need to be experts within a physical or nutritional field, not realizing they were not taught ¾ of the knowledge they still need to acquire.
Meanwhile, mother natures’ glossy veneer of youth inspires and motivates them to change the world. Since they don’t realize, or even choose to ignore, that so many things change with time, not many will keep pursuing their original plan as middle age sets in. For young, impressionable souls, under the guise that the system they are learning is indefinitely beneficial, when the stark reality of the flaws in the system come to their attention it can prove too late. Irene Pappas even wrote a blog post titled, “Why I stopped practicing contortion.”
Read more here…http://www.fitqueenirene.com/blog/
So many things change with time; goals and interests, energy levels, hormones, not to mention bodies!
I remember buying a particular fitness magazine in my 20's that I thought gave decent information, however I was rather dismayed to see that this same magazine, 20 years later, hadn’t changed its content one bit. I suppose it was never marketing to the over 40’s crowd, but looking back, had I known what I know now I would have never bought it to begin with. Almost every page is full of promises that:
1. Won’t last
2. Aren’t true
3. Have dangerous consequences
The mainstream yoga community has recently been rocked by the fall from grace of some very prominent names and lineages, for ultimately, the reasons listed above. I am extremely grateful that my yoga and movement education took place in circumstances far removed from this and am angered and saddened for the victims who were cheated out of a genuine, healing and wholesome relationship with yoga. The misuse of yoga has likely caused many practitioners to have to re-evaluate the gurus, the methodology and indeed the entire premise upon which they were practicing those methods in the first place.
How could someone like K. Pattabhi Jois who popularized and made elusive claims to being ashtanga yoga’s creator, expect prospective teachers to understand the implications of the extreme method he practiced and yet grant them certification to teach within 6-months-time of their arrival? It almost indicates that KPJ didn’t want them to fully understand what they were being ‘qualified’ to do, or, KPJ did not have sufficient education in anatomy and physiology to understand the implications himself. There are many senior ashtanga teachers now speaking out regarding this, Gregor Maehle and Guy Donahaye have done much to expose Jois’ inappropriate actions, and Matthew Remski has written extensively on the abuse covered up for decades within ashtanga yoga in his book “Practice and All is Coming.”
It is worth noting that it was not only the ashtanga branch that was taught with little regard for the longevity of bodily integrity. Many teacher training programs were emerging out of this push more be more, yoga mentality. Yet as William J. Broad points out in his book “The Science of Yoga,”
(in the context of injuries) “Few yoga books ever spoke of the danger – or looked into the medical literature – and the grim topic seldom made the upbeat pages of yoga magazines. Now a major survey done by yoga professionals had documented the threat. It was an honest first. Another surprise centered on judgements about what explained the injuries. The choices for survey takers included such factors as large classes, too much effort, and expanded ranks of students. A vast majority of the respondents – 68 percent – pointed to ‘inadequate teacher training.’ That was remarkable because most were teachers. In effect, they were criticizing themselves and their peers. The candor went to an inconspicuous deficiency in modern yoga – that teacher training varies enormously in quantity and quality from slapdash to rigorous. You can get certified as an instructor with as little as 100 hours of training and even do the course entirely online, putting in no time whatsoever in a classroom and getting no supervision from an experienced teacher.”
There is hope however, there are other methods of practice heavily integrated in anatomy and physiology, which completely nullify potential for horrific injuries so commonly endured when practicing a style of yoga which toes the line with gymnastics.
My education came from a western anatomical and physiological practice and I only ventured my first tentative steps into teaching, almost 20 years ago, after over 4,500 hours of practical education in the subject. Since then, I have worked extremely hard to build on that foundation of knowledge and have the all the skills and knowledge I need to enjoy a robust athletic asana practice and yet keep the integrity of my physical body well into old age. I am fortunate enough to comfortably enjoy the best of both worlds in this sense, something that is rare among a traditional vigorous asana practice. My work in this area continues to be intense and nonstop because I am passionate about showing people that there is another way. For those who have the anatomical and physiological knowledge, the photographs on this website will speak volumes. For those who do not yet have this knowledge, there is teacher training at the studio that will educate prospective teachers to a new standard.
I would like to sincerely thank my teachers for the depth and accuracy I was exposed to at such an early stage.
I will be forever humbled by your kindness, wisdom and support, for you have given me an invaluable gift that no amount of money could ever buy. I have been doing my best ever since to make this world a better place thanks to your timeless knowledge and will continue to carry the torch for all of us, healing as many as possible.
Love and Light, xox
About the Author.
Jill Little started teaching yoga in 2002, she was taught both in the U.S. and U.K. She is the owner / director at Mind Yoga and Rehab Studio and Mind Yoga Teaching Academy. Her style of yoga has developed from traditional Hatha, Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga with a mind to a safe effective and functional practice for all her students. Due to her intents, education into anatomy and physiology, and years of personal development in her own yoga practice she is now considered to be one of the U.K.’s finest yoga teachers.
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