Yoga & injuries

should yoga teachers ask their students about injuries?

There’s a bit of a debate amongst yoga teachers about whether or not they should ask their students about injuries. One camp says, absolutely of course you should, the other argues that it’s the student’s responsibility to do what’s right for them. 

Back before I was a teacher myself I was an inspired and, to be honest, embarrassingly naive, student. The studio where I fell in love with yoga had incredible teachers who so effortlessly led incredible flows, to wonderful playlists while seamlessly weaving philosophy into their classes and they ALWAYS asked about injuries. As a student I assumed that these teachers must have a near equivalent to medical training the way people would share their injuries and the teachers would ask such informed and thoughtful questions. 

Fast forward to my own teacher training I realised two very important things: 

1. Yoga teacher trainings, while great on anatomy, are nowhere near equivalent to medical training.

2. Most students have absolutely no idea how to adapt poses for their injuries and many succumb to the pressure of wanting to do what everyone else is doing at the expense of what’s actually best for their body. 

Right around the time of my initial teacher training an explosive article in the New York Times highlighted all the ways yoga can cause injuries leading people to swing from hoping yoga can cure everything to fearing yoga would hurt them. As ever the reality is a grey area in the middle. When practiced mindfully and safely yoga can and should be wonderful for body and mind. When practiced like a competitive sport driven by ego it can absolutely run the risk of injury. 

As a new teacher the injury conundrum weighed heavily on me. I was clear that I had zero medical training, and the anatomy I learned absolutely hadn’t made me an expert on injuries. At the same time it was deeply important to me that I provided a safe environment for my students to learn yoga with as minimal risk to injury as possible. 

Early on I was asked to cover a class for a well established and popular teacher at my studio. The class was called “Detox Flow” and the class description was a powerful, dynamic class with lots of twists and core work. I worked for hours on a class plan, creating a sequence that fit the description, practiced it, wrote it out and had my notes with me ready to go. 

The first student walks in, I introduce myself as the cover teacher and ask if she has any aches or injuries I should know about. She let me know she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis and this is her first class back in over 6 months. Her doctors advised her to avoid any quick forward folds as her bones were  so brittle they could easily break. She and I got to work making an alternative version of a sun salutation that would work with her doctor's advice. 

The second student walks in, I introduce myself and quietly inquire if she has any aches, injuries or is pregnant- she tells me she is only 3 months pregnant and hasn’t told people yet. Most teacher trainings only gloss over general advice when it comes to pregnancy but the two things they always say is no twists, no core- the two things this class is meant to be focused on. So I explained to her it’s best for her to avoid twists and core work and showed her some pregnancy-friendly alternatives. 

The third student walked in with a wrist brace. I introduce myself and say to her, “I see you are injured-” and she says “Yes! My lower back has been playing up so much lately!” I listened to what was going on with her back and asked about her wrist as well. Again, we talked through ways to avoid unnecessary pressure on her wrists and I made a mental note to incorporate some stretches and exercises that were beneficial for alleviating mild lower back pain. 

I shrugged my shoulders and metaphorically threw my class plan out the window because almost every bit of my sequence would have been harmful to the students in the room that day. We still had a wonderful practice AND one that was as safe as possible for the whole group. 

Years later living in a new city I began teaching at a different yoga studio. I asked the studio manager what their best practice was in terms of asking students about injuries to which they replied- “We don’t ask, it’s the student’s responsibility to do what’s best for them.” I was shocked by this dismissive approach and remembered how little I knew about yoga as a student. The way I used to put pressure on myself to keep up with everyone else. How few variations I was aware of. How I half thought yoga was solely about movement and perhaps followed the “no pain, no gain” ideology. Back then I’d have never known better to ignore my teacher and do what felt right for me. Needless to say I didn’t stay a teacher there for very long and felt much more in integrity with myself being able to ask my students about how they were doing and offer ways to make yoga as pain free as possible for them. 

All teachers will have their own approach when it comes to injuries and their own reasons for doing what they do.

my approach to asking about injuries

• Check in with students quietly one to one, ask how they were feeling, do they have any aches, any injuries, are they pregnant?

• Listen to their response

• If they do have any injuries ask them more questions: how do they find certain movements work for them? Have they seen a doctor or physio? What was the professionals' advice? 

• Provide alternatives to common poses that give them the benefits of the pose with as little pressure on their injury as possible. 

• Make it clear I’m not asking to offer medical advice or to “heal” the injury. Rather I’m asking so that I can avoid making it worse, and provide options to help them get the most out of their yoga practice time. 

• End the conversation imploring them to PLEASE ignore me when needed and to be sure they moved in ways that felt right for them. 

• Mentally make a note to adapt the class in a way that avoids potential pain triggers for the injuries in the room. If possible add movements that will benefit their pain points.

The longer I teach the more I’ve fallen in love with yoga beyond the poses. The philosophy, the ways to apply the lessons of yoga off the mat in our daily lives. The opportunities to slow down and make space for yourself. To rest. To be present. That’s why half of my weekly classes are barely about movement at all! Yoga School is a weekly class where we sign on and talk about yoga philosophy aka life! No prior yoga knowledge is required. It’s a place for us to come together, chat and learn together. Sleepy Yoga is a class done entirely seated and lying down using pillows, cushions, blankets and furniture for deep relaxation. 

Whether you are nursing an injury or feeling fully fit, yoga is a practice for you. It’s an opportunity to learn about yourself and to grow. I hope wherever you practice and however you practice that you do it safely and you remember the real golden rule when it comes to physical yoga “No pain, no pain!”