“Frank and Jane, thank you again for an amazing five days. Frank, you are a truly empathic
teacher, and Jane your food and garden are as nourishing as the yoga. Being able to sit on your
verandah and stare at the mountains (or better yet walk on them) is a perfect way to reflect on
the learnings from the yoga and digest the delicious meals. I encourage everyone to treat
themselves to this amazing experience“. KiminaHow yoga heals:
Fundamental
considerations
Numerous scientific studies have
demonstrated the positive effects yoga
can have on muscle flexibility, reducing
chronic pain, increasing strength and
improving the mobility of our joints. In
my experience, the benefits of yoga far
outweigh any of its injury-causing
possibilities. The two key philosophies to
staying injury and pain-free in yoga are
ahimsaandalignment. Ahimsa — be
kind to your body by practicing at your
level. Whilst backbends and other
advanced yoga poses look great in
pictures, your body may not be ready for
them yet. By all means, use these poses
as a form of inspiration, but use yoga to
make your body feel better, not worse.
Alignment for both teachers and
students should be the focus of every
pose, not just to ensure free movement
of energy and the breath but also to
ensure you stay pain-free. Teachers,
watch your students closely; look at
the position of their joints and make
sure they are aligned correctly and
not loading one joint or muscle more
than another. Try to minimise the size
of your classes so that each person gets
the greatest benefit out of a class and so
you can get around to each of your
students and ensure they all feel
comfortable within their practice. I am
a strong advocate for smaller yoga
classes andteach a maximum of 10
students at a time.
Think of your body as a set of dinner
plates in a dishwasher. When you line
the plates up perfectly — in their correct
slot, with enough room between each
plate — they come out clean at the
end. Think of the joints of your body
like this, stack them properly, and theend result is a stronger pose that delivers
you the greatest benefit.
If you do happen to experience pain
or an injury, look for a physiotherapist
who is trained in or has a special interest
in yoga. This ensures they will
understand the practice and be able to
offer alternative poses whilst your body
heals, so that you can continue your
practice.Felicity Dan is a physiotherapist, yoga teacher
and pilates instructor in Newcastle. She owns
a clinic, The Physio&Pilates Co., that provides
physiotherapy, clinical yoga and clinical
pilates classes. Her clinical yoga classes
focus on pain reduction, improving flexibility
and mobility and increasing strength of the
trunk muscles. Her classes are individualised
to each student based on their injury and
medical history so that each student receives
specialised care and attention.
http://www.thephysioandpilatesco.com“In my experience, the benefits of yoga far outweigh any of its injury-causing possibilities.
The two key philosophies to staying injury and pain-free in yoga are ahimsa and alignment.”