Greetings, dear readers!
The peculiarities of modern life with its physical inactivity, constant stress, chronic fatigue, weakened immunity or poor nutrition force many people to turn to health-improving practitioners
The most popular of these recently is yoga. Practicing it is not like active sports training. However, their result allows smoothly, without heavy loads, improve health, stabilize all body systems, balance the psycho-emotional state of both adults and children.
Of course, the potential of yoga today is so great that it is recommended as an effective addition to treatment according to the standards of medical protocols. However, like any positive phenomenon, it has back side medals.
When people, due to ignorance of their health problems, conceal a number of positions from the instructor, this can cause them significant harm. And if at a young age this can somehow be stabilized by the strong condition of the body, then in older people such opportunities are not expected, but the risk of serious complications increases a lot.
Therefore, in this article I will focus on what contraindications for yoga practice are identified by experts. After all, knowledge of this issue allows the instructor to build a person correct individual plan activities in accordance with his health problems, whether they are obvious or hidden. And for readers to specifically understand whether they can do yoga to get maximum benefits for their body.
Specifics of Eastern practices
Almost most people can do yoga taking into account individual condition of their body, correction and correct selection of exercises.
Most safe its system is . All of her exercises can be adapted to suit your health condition. It is suitable for all beginners and physically unprepared people, including pregnant women and children.
As for the most popular hatha yoga or kundalini yoga, then there are extensive contraindications associated with:
- Exacerbation of various chronic diseases;
- Postoperative conditions;
- Organic heart defects;
- Intellectual failure of a man or woman.
At the same time, specialists, with restrictions prohibitions practicing oriental practices, they are classified into several subtypes.
Permanent bans
- Mental illnesses;
- Epilepsy;
- Acute pancreatitis, cholecystitis or appendicitis;
- Hypertension 2 or 3 degrees;
- Paroxysmal tachycardia;
- Staircase displacement of the vertebrae;
- Atrial fibrillation;
- Uncompensated heart disease;
- Inguinal hernia;
- Reactive arthritis;
- Aortic aneurysm;
- Malignant neoplasms;
- Blood diseases, traumatic brain or spinal injuries;
- Coxarthrosis.
Temporary bans
Temporary restrictions on conducting classes may apply to women during their menstrual periods and after childbirth, if three months have not passed.
Here you can add from them:
- Uteroplacental insufficiency;
- Vaginal bleeding;
- Hypertonicity;
- Late toxicosis;
- Threat of miscarriage.
Besides, small break until vital health indicators stabilize back to normal, this can be done for people who have suffered infectious diseases, taken a large number of pharmacological drugs, six months after a heart attack or stroke, as well as with:
- Overheating or hypothermia;
- Violation of the vestibular apparatus;
- Serious overwork;
- Increased intraocular, arterial or intracranial pressure.
Those who decide to take up yoga for the first time need to be sure that they have a sufficiently healthy bone system. If you have sore joints or spine, you should definitely consult your doctor or specialist.
For those who have undergone simple operations or those who have minor spinal hernias, you should pay attention to performing simple exercises without requiring much effort. People with sore legs and varicose veins should avoid exercises performed while standing.
It is better not to engage in pregnant women:
- Tilts;
- Prone positions.
Adapted classes with correction for a strictly therapeutic focus can be performed by women during menstruation, taking into account if they do not engage in:
- Power asanas;
- Standing poses;
- Performing intense crunches;
- Bend backwards.
People with vegetative-vascular dystonia I would recommend a morning standing practice including inverted poses. What about people with the syndrome? chronic fatigue, then it is better for them to choose soft exercises with.
Everyone else should adhere to these rules:
- Do not practice on a full stomach.
- In summer it is useful to exercise outdoors, but not in direct sunlight. And in winter, in a room where the air temperature will be 20-22 degrees.
- The approach to performing exercises should be reasonable so as not to stretch the muscles or harm your ligaments or joints.
- Constantly listen to your body in order to stop in time.
- For classes, wear clothes made from natural linen or cotton fabrics.
- Exercises should be performed barefoot.
- Before class, you need to blow your nose and go to the toilet.
That's probably all now. I wish everyone good health and good mood!
Good luck with your practice! See you!
In addition to the individual characteristics of the body, which can determine the specifics of the practice for each individual yogi, there are a number of general temporary and permanent contraindications, after reading which you will understand whether yoga can be practiced for you personally. And if so - with what restrictions.
It is a most effective method that promotes a harmonious and healthy lifestyle; it fills the practitioner with amazing spiritual sensations and experiences, while forming physical discipline of the body.
Modern people are increasingly turning their attention to spiritual practices, unable to resist the aggressive world around them, which has a negative impact not only on the mental sphere, but also on physical health.
The potential of yoga as a “tool” for healing ailments is almost limitless, this fact has been confirmed countless times by scientific research and the personal experience of thousands of people. That is why its popularity increases exponentially every year.
But this positive phenomenon also has a downside - the demand for yoga has caused the emergence of incompetent instructors without sufficient practice experience. We have already written that at a young age, practitioners can partly compensate for a teacher’s mistakes with their health, but an older person no longer has this opportunity. People with health problems and serious injuries in the past also do not have it. In this case, the danger of harming yourself increases significantly.
Therefore, before you sign up for your first lesson, you need to consult with an experienced instructor and tell him about all your problems. According to statistics, 90% of people who decide to take up yoga have hidden or obvious health problems, according to which the practice is built, so a competent teacher Necessarily must ask the future student to fill out a special questionnaire in which he describes a list of existing diseases. If the teacher was inattentive to the presence of any ailments, you are better off looking for another yoga center.
Please note that in case of serious illnesses and health problems, classes in a group, even a small one, are unacceptable! The program must be built individually, and in this case the master is obliged to strictly monitor safety precautions while working with you individually.
Permanent contraindications for yoga
- Borderline mental states, mental disorders and epilepsy
- Organic heart lesions
- Malignant tumors
- Blood diseases
- Infectious lesions of the musculoskeletal system
- Severe spinal injuries and recent traumatic brain injuries
Temporary contraindications for yoga
- Period of exacerbation of chronic diseases
- Overheating and hypothermia, as well as body temperature above 37 and below 36.2 degrees
- Period of taking a large number of medications
- Postoperative period
- Serious fatigue
- Increased intraocular and intracranial pressure
- Neuroinfections
- Vestibular disorders
You should also not do yoga if you:
- Less than four hours ago you were in a sauna or steam room
- Ate less than two hours before class
- You are in a generally severe or weakened state in which rest is prescribed.
- At the same time, you are involved in professional sports
Adapted yoga classes are possible for the following conditions:
For the purpose of healing, the practice of traditional yoga is applicable in the following cases:
- Problems with the spine, including osteochondrosis, scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, herniated discs;
- Arthritis and arthrosis of the joints;
- Chronic fatigue syndrome; Anxiety; Insomnia and poor sleep; Persistent internal tension; Psychosomatic consequences of prolonged stress;
- Asthenia;
- Vegetovascular dystonia;
- Functional disorders of internal organs;
- Chronic problems with internal organs, etc.
- well, of course, if you are just a person and have a body))
General contraindications for yoga:
PERMANENT CONTRAINDICATIONS:
- the general severity of the condition, when no action is practically possible, since it only leads to deterioration;
- mental disorders;
- borderline mental states;
- organic heart lesions – uncompensated defects; paroxysmal tachycardia; atrial fibrillation; aortic aneurysm, myocardial dystrophy;
- blood diseases;
- infectious lesions of the musculoskeletal system;
- severe traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries with unsatisfactory compensation;
- neuroinfections;
- severe disturbances in the body diagram;
- malignant neoplasms;
- gallstones.
TEMPORARY CONTRAINDICATIONS:
- systematically taking a large number of medications;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- postoperative period;
- severe physical fatigue;
- overheating and hypothermia;
- body temperature is above 37 and below 36.2 degrees;
- hard physical work;
- professional or fairly large-scale sports activities;
- full stomach;
- a course of deep massage, “Zhen-Jiu” therapy;
- staying in a steam room or sauna is permissible no earlier than six to eight hours after practicing asanas, or four hours before it.
About admission to classes at the Ashtanga Yoga School:
Due to possible undesirable health effects, we do not accept people with the following medical conditions:
- Cardiovascular. Namely – hypertension with constant upper pressure from 135 mmHg; heart defects, etc. (small mitral valve prolapse is not a contraindication);
- Ulcer and acute forms of gastritis of the stomach and duodenum. For mild chronic forms of gastritis, some exercises are contraindicated;
- Inflammation of the pelvic organs. If there are other gynecological problems and recent surgeries, you should first consult with the teacher;
- Infectious diseases;
- Pathological forms of weakness of bone and cartilage tissue of the legs and pelvis. If you have weak wrists, you need to warn the teacher; some exercises are contraindicated;
- Warn about scoliosis of more than 1 degree, but this is not a contraindication;
- Warn about all “complex” health problems, as well as frequent dizziness.
PERIOD for women they are not a contraindication to exercise.
It’s just that during these periods the practice should be even softer. During menstruation, women are prohibited from all power and “standing” poses, intense twisting and bending back; it is not recommended to overexert the abdominal muscles, perform hand balances and inverted poses. Shallow bends, practices in a lying position without straining the abdominal muscles, light backbends and meditation are shown.. Let there be a minimum of asanas, but, what is very important, by repeating them two or three times, you maintain a systematic practice and a positive attitude.
In addition, each woman has her own body characteristics. If your periods are heavy and painful, it is better to stop the practice, especially in the first days. Experience shows that regular yoga helps overcome PMS and reduces pain. But for this, practice must be regular and long-lasting.
If you experience critical days quite easily, then you can continue to study in a group, excluding the first 2–4 days, or study very moderately.
Today, healthy people can be counted on one hand. This is why most people decide to take up professional yoga. Indeed, its reserves are simply limitless. But there are some nuances here, because each person must find for himself a unique path to restoring his psychological and physical state.
The main thing is to adhere to the golden rule - “do no harm.” Experts have formulated basic precautions that people planning to practice yoga must take into account. What yoga gives, contraindications for classes and much more can be discovered in these recommendations.
What is injury?
When considering the main contraindications, it is necessary to pay attention to existing warnings. Most literary publications are accompanied by photographs, where the first picture shows the starting position, and the second shows the position of the body during a specific asana. People who do not have obvious physical training do not even think about how to start doing it all correctly. They may even do exercises right after they wake up, and this is their main mistake. After all, before any physical activity you need to warm up, otherwise you can get injured.
To avoid this, before starting, you should do 10 minutes of fairly simple exercises to warm up the body (bends, squats, swings, turns) . The laziest or sleepiest people can remember school physical education lessons. The same rule applies to those who practice yoga at a later time, after work. After all, not everyone is engaged in active work; most people sit in offices or at computers. Therefore, a working day behind you does not mean that your muscles are warmed up and your joints are prepared for exercise.
It is advisable to start practicing yoga with an instructor, since any independence can have far from positive results. Yoga has a significant impact on the internal organs and nervous system of a person. For example, inverted asanas can lead to dizziness and darkening of the eyes. And any incorrect bending or twisting often becomes the basis for joint damage. That is why experts in this field do not recommend starting to get acquainted with yoga from special books.
Yoga and previous surgeries
First of all, beginners pay attention to the set of asanas that are suggested to be done while standing. During the execution, the body alternately tilts in each direction. For example, Trikonasana or Ardhachandrasana, when from the “feet shoulder-width apart” position, a person slowly makes smooth bends towards the left and right legs. This is the very beginning, then there will be even more complex twisting and power loads. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately stop the process if the slightest pain appears. If you have had previous surgery or a hernia, it is important to contact an experienced doctor in advance. He will give advice and recommendations on whether you can do yoga.
The problem of varicose veins and contraindications for yoga
Standing poses are often used in yoga, especially those during which you need to learn to maintain balance. For example, Vrikshasana, which requires maintaining balance on one leg, or Virabhadrasana, which is complicated by additional tasks. Both systems involve the use of heavy physical activity. People who suffer from varicose veins should be attentive to such asanas and measure their well-being. This also applies to those people who have repeatedly experienced dizziness.
For more information about which asanas can be practiced, and which ones are even necessary for varicose veins, read the article:
Diseases of the digestive system and spine
In yoga, asanas are widely practiced, during which the body must be tilted very strongly as low as possible towards the legs. This applies, for example, to Padahastasana or Paschimottanasana. There are also headstands and strong twisting - all this may not be safe for certain spinal injuries.
Strong twisting is also dangerous for people who have an exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system, including peptic ulcers. They are also contraindicated for women during pregnancy.
Thyroid diseases
A large set of asanas involves bending the body backwards. For example, Bhujangasana or Shalabhasana are absolutely contraindicated for people with thyroid problems and diseases of the cardiac system. Also, those who have increased functions of the endocrine glands should be very careful. That is why these asanas are not recommended to be performed at a young age, when a person’s glands are in a state of high activity.
Heart and related diseases
The usefulness of inverted asanas has been proven for a long time. Salamba sarvangasana (shoulderstand) and Shirshasana (headstand) are especially popular. But people who suffer from a systematic increase in blood pressure must be very careful in each position so as not to cause intentional harm to their health. In addition, before this there must be a long stage of preparatory asanas.
Pregnant girls are allowed to perform these asanas, but only if their health condition allows it. Those who have very low blood pressure are recommended to do such asanas not at the very beginning, but at the end of the entire complex.
Nowadays it is almost impossible to find a completely healthy person. Therefore, 99% of people who decide to take up yoga have some hidden or obvious health problems. The potential of yoga as a way to heal the body is truly limitless, but this is the problem: each person in this vast ocean needs to find an individual path to their own health. The main rule when carrying out any health procedures is to do no harm. So today we’ll talk about precautions for beginners in yoga.
Before considering obvious contraindications, we will focus on one very important caveat. In most modern books on yoga, the description of asanas is given in this format: in the first photo - the starting position, in the second photo - the position of the body during and an indication of the time required to complete the exercise. A person who has never done physical exercise before, without hesitation, does everything as described. In the morning, barely waking up (muscles and joints are not yet stretched and are in a state of sleep), he gets into the starting position and begins to perform the asana. This is where the main problem lies.
Performing even the simplest asana without preparation, we use a large number of muscles and joints, but since the muscles and joints are not yet stretched in the morning, it is very easy to get a minor injury (muscle strain, slight dislocation). After this, a person may have the opinion that this asana is bad and that yoga in general is not for him.
Before performing asanas (even the simplest ones), you need to perform basic physical exercises for 5–10 minutes. This can be swinging your arms and legs, squats and lunges, rotating your torso, and so on. Think back to high school gym class. This rule must also be observed by those who do yoga in the evenings.
Now let's look at the obvious contraindications and restrictions that must be observed when doing yoga.
There are a number of asanas that are performed from a standing position, with the body bending first to one side and then to the other. For example, Trikonasana (triangle pose). To put it simply, from a standing position (legs wider than shoulders), with arms straightened and parallel to the floor, bends are made to the left and right legs. Or Ardhachandrasana (Crescent Moon Pose). These and similar asanas should be stopped if abdominal pain occurs. If you have a hernia or have undergone abdominal surgery, you must first consult with your doctor. Women can perform these asanas until the second month.
Very widely used in yoga standing poses where you need to maintain balance on one or two legs. For example, Vrikshasana (tree pose), during which you need to maintain balance on one leg. An even more difficult version of the standing asana is Virabhadrasana (Hero Pose). All these and similar poses require great physical effort, so the time spent in them must be increased very slowly. Those who have varicose veins (and especially if, after performing the asana, they feel heaviness or discomfort in their legs), should exclude these asanas from their practice or, after performing them, lie down with a soft cushion under their feet. Those who experience unexpected dizziness should also be very careful.
Used in yoga a series of asanas, during which it is necessary to tilt the torso towards the legs from a standing or sitting position. This is, first of all, Padahastasana and Paschimottanasana (forward bend pose). These asanas must be performed very carefully by those who have had vertebral displacement; when doing so, avoid sudden movements, especially with the head in the last phase of the movement. If you have had surgery on the abdominal organs or have diseases of the abdominal organs, you should definitely consult a doctor. Women can perform similar asanas until the second month of pregnancy.
Asanas that involve twisting the body and squeezing the abdominal area(For example, Udarakrasasna - abdominal contraction pose - or Marigiasana - sitting pose with spinal twisting), should be excluded for those people who have an exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system, as well as with peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum. These asanas are also contraindicated for women during pregnancy. Maximum caution should be exercised by those who have a weak heart and those who have recently had an exacerbation.
Doing the Whole a number of asanas involves bending the body back. For example, Bhujangasana (snake pose), during which you need to lift your upper body from a lying position on your stomach with your hands, or Shalabhasana (grasshopper pose)– from a lying position on your stomach, without using your hands, you need to simultaneously raise your legs and upper body. Such asanas are contraindicated for people with an enlarged thyroid gland, pregnant women and those with heart disease. People who have increased function of any endocrine gland should be very careful. For this reason, these asanas are contraindicated in adolescence (during this period of a person’s life, the endocrine glands are already overly active).
The so-called inverted poses. Here are a few of them as an example. Salamba sarvangasana (candle pose or birch tree)- This is a stand on the shoulders, legs straightened and directed upward, hands supporting the torso in the lumbar region. Or Sirsasana (headstand). In case of serious heart diseases, such asanas are generally contraindicated; if high blood pressure is observed, then inverted asanas must be performed very carefully, after lengthy preliminary preparation. Pregnant women can perform these asanas until the second month of pregnancy. If the pressure is low, you cannot perform inverted asanas at the beginning of classes - they must end the training.
