Read this! I am a yoga injury survivor. It is what makes me a better teacher. It is why I do not teach headstand in general classes. And it is why I do not allow shoulder stand without blankets. It is why I sometimes raise my voice in class. It is why i give challenging feedback to teachers who teach at Yoga Birds. Its not because i have more training or experience, it is because i have been severely HURT by inappropriate yoga practice. Student-oriented teaching– meaning it’s not about me when I am teaching, it is about the safety of every student who comes to a yoga class under the roof and on the floor of which I insure. Safety FIRST. This responsibly does rest with teachers but also with students. Be a responsible yogi! The asana (poses) are meant to SERVE the student, the student is not meant to conform and contort beyond safety and into pain and injury to ‘get’ the pose. The benefits of yoga outweigh the negatives. That is why I am still doing this–practicing, teaching, running a studio, and marketing the hell out of yoga. But it is only with GREAT RESPONSIBILITY that I or you should endeavor in yoga. Yoga asana must be practiced and especially taught responsibly with skill, awareness, and utmost attention to the feedback from the PRISTINE INFINITE WISDOM of the inner teacher. That is our essence, our guide, our Light. Yoga holds great power…positive & negative. We must respect the negative to experience the positive. Yoga can often be challenging, BUT yoga should never hurt. I will shout this from rooftops until the day I die. -Melanie Buffett, January 3, 2012
Full NYT Article is Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html