By fshih March 15, 2017 in Yoga 1 Comment

4 Things NOT to Do If You Struggle in Yoga Class

The body and mind are ever-changing and some days you just can’t even. Know the feeling? There are various reasons why we struggle some days more than others; a bad night’s sleep, a challenging day at work, or an injury, for example. Perhaps the body (and mind) are not prepared for the asanas being taught, or you simply need some modifications or props to help you into the pose. There’s nothing worse that wandering into a yoga class full of people breezily practicing Pincha Mayurasana when Dolphin pose feels like your limit.

If that sounds like you, here are the worst things you can do if you struggle in yoga class.

1. Force Yourself to Push Through and Risk Injury

Just don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Take your practice to your personal limit, where ever that is on any given day, and leave it there. Always speak up if you don’t want any hands-on adjustments to help you go deeper into a pose, and be ready to ask for modifications and use props to enter into variations.

“Most injuries in yoga are brought about by ambition or inattention – usually both. Ambition in a posture takes many forms: holding it a prescribed length of time, trying to stretch as far as someone else, unconsciously reaching for remembered levels of flexibility, or trying to achieve or reproduce psychic states.” – Joel Kramer