This is a response to, When Stretching Is Not the Answer which is an article by Yoga Journal. The article is about handling yoga injuries. I saw some flaws in it. I address them below.
Please stop blaming your injuries on yoga poses. It is you doing yoga poses wrong or doing poses that you have no business doing that is the problem. The statement is not, "Chatarunga hurt my shoulder" or "I hurt myself doing Lotus, Power Yoga, Ashtanga etc". The statement is, "I was doing chatarunga wrong, so I hurt myself". "My body was not open enough for Lotus, so I hurt myself". Lets stop demonizing yoga poses and styles.
Yoga is Therapy. There are absolutely injuries that call for abstinence from practice to heal properly. However, that is not the case for everything. Doctors often assign physical therapy for their patients. Yoga is a form of physical therapy. Talk to your yoga teacher about what is going on. No, we are not doctors and you take the advice at your own risk(I have to legally say this. However, Doctors know alot about diagnosis, symptom management and surgery but little about true healing. Just my opinion).
Let Your Frick'n Ego Go and Modify Your Practice. People really hate to modify their practice. Most would rather stop practicing all together then to not be able to do everything. That is all ego. I know this personally. As a long time practitioner, I struggle with having to pull back sometimes when I have tweaked something. I feel that I have to be an example or that people will think that I don't practice. I feel that others may think that I can't take the heat because I have to stop or that I really cannot do the pose. And you know what, everyone may be thinking these things, but it is not my problem. None of them will pay my medical bills or take care of me if my body breaks down completely. I have a bigger picture that I am working toward and the set back is temporary. I remind myself of that and I keep practicing.
Video of the Day: More Iyengar(name spelled wrong on video)
