Is Yoga Dangerous?
A response from Jill Johnson, MS, PT, RYT

Importance of teacher training

An October 15, 2007 article in Time magazine entitled “When Yoga Hurts” cites a 136% increase in yoga-related injuries (as reported by orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and chiropractors) since 2000. Thankfully, this article also points out that of the 70,000 yoga instructors in the United States, only 16,168 of them have completed at least 200 hours of yoga teacher training.

Rest assured that all instructors at AHA have had extensive teacher training, well beyond the 200 hours. All of us continue to study on a weekly basis and some of us travel as far as India to get it.

Focus on injury prevention

The article also mentioned the increase in yoga classes at fitness centers where variations in classes can include anything from hip-hop yoga to disco yoga. These classes can incite people to push themselves in ways that they are not accustomed to.

Our studio focuses on Classical Yoga with careful attention to preventing injuries.

Keys to Safe Yoga

It’s unfortunate that yoga has become so popular that Fitness Centers are attempting to use yoga as another means for a vigorous workout. One thing I liked about the article was that it listed Five Keys to Safe Yoga which I would like to share, along with my own comments (in bold face).

• Ask an instructor for credentials. Beware of those who have been certified in a weekend training course.

• Alert your instructor to your condition. We want to know if you have any chronic conditions, new injuries, if you’re pregnant or menstruating.

• Beware of stationary instructors. They should be roaming around, making adjustments for those who need them.

• Avoid positions prone to cause injury. The instructors at AHA carefully sequence their classes to build up to more difficult poses.

• Stop if it hurts. Let the instructor know, in the moment, what is hurting.

I was dismayed to hear of the high number of yoga-related injuries and want to assure you that safety and careful instruction with highly skilled instructors is a top priority at AHA. Thank you for your continued support.

Namaste, Jill