Marie Claire Australia — December 2017

marieclaire.com.au 187

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES. TEXT BY

HANNA MARTON.

IS

YOGA

ALL

PA I N,

no gain?

Think yoga is just

heavy breathing and

stretches? Think again.

It’s no safer than most

sports, say researchers

PLAY IT SAFE

Prevent pain with

these tips from

neurosurgeon and

back-pain expert

Dr Richard Parkinson

Start slow and easy.

Leave the downward dog

until you’ve strengthened

your core and increased

endurance.

Mix it up. Combining

yoga with aerobic exercise

and light weights will help

build endurance, strength

and flexibility – minimising

the risk of injury.

If it hurts, stop. Particularly

when it comes to neck or

back pain. Your body is

giving you a warning.

D

ownward dog is a pain in the

... arms. A recent study by

the University of Sydney and

Mercy College, New York,

found that yoga caused musculoskeletal

pain (of the bones, muscles and joints) in

10.7 per cent of participants. It also

made existing pain worse in 21 per cent

of cases – contrary to the belief that yoga

is 100 per cent good for you.

THE LOWDOWN

More than 350 yoga students, mostly

women, attending a studio in New York

were given questionnaires at the start

and end of a 12-month period. Four per

cent of students who experienced pain

caused by yoga missed “participation

time”, which puts yoga in line with the

average rate of injury across all sports,

says Sydney-based lead researcher

Associate Professor Evangelos Pappas.

“Yoga is a lot safer than high-

risk sports but, when compared to very

safe sports such as volleyball and swim-

ming, yoga is in the middle,” says Prof

Pappas. “The rate of ‘new’ pain, 10 per

cent, was higher than we thought it

would be.” The sites of most pain, he

added, were the wrist, elbow and shoul-

ders. “They are not designed to support

a lot of weight.”

OM POINT

It’s not all bad news for yogis. More than

70 per cent of students reported that

yoga, in fact, alleviated existing pain.

“Overall, yoga is safe and I encourage

people to practise yoga,” says Prof Pap-

pas. “We found that yoga has different

impacts depending on the site of the

pain. It was largely beneficial for back

and neck pain.”

Yoga Australia CEO Shyamala

Benakovic is not surprised by the find-

ings. “Like any physical activity, you

have to take into account the condition

of your body,” she says. “When used cor-

rectly, yoga is beneficial, but some poses,

even breathing techniques, could be

contraindicating for pre-existing symp-

toms.” Check your teacher is qualified

by visiting yogaaustralia.com.au, she

advises, and discuss any existing pain

with the teacher before your first class.

“This study is by no means defini-

tive,” says Prof Pappas. “It was on partic-

ipants from just one yoga studio ... We’re

aware that this is the beginning of the

discussion rather than a conclusion.”

WELLNESS