Yoga is quite popular around the world, where instructors mostly mention its countless benefits to one’s health. However, with popularity comes fair criticism and skepticism as well. A lot of articles have been published exploring the surge of casualties through practicing yoga. According to a recent article, 13,000 of the 14 million people who practice Hatha Yoga are getting injured. At first sight, 13,000 may seem like a huge number; however, if you carefully analyze, it is merely less than 1 percent of the total practitioners. 

It reinforces the benefits of practicing yoga even more often. If you analyze any other physical sport, the percentage would be relatively higher; therefore, these statistics reflect on how safe it is to practice yoga. Another factor we must take into account is the individual mistakes while performing yoga. People tend to overestimate themselves occasionally, and in hopes of achieving perfection, they hurt themselves and even wind up in the hospital. 

It’s imperative to understand the worth of practicing yoga; you should consult with a professional with years of experience rather than formulating an opinion out of thin air. The experts would also tell you that they have faced injuries while being a bit overzealous. You need to respect the state of your body at the present moment and don’t overdo a particular pose. Injuries are inevitable, but the spectrum of fault is as wide as the injuries themselves. 

Rajas – our tendency towards extreme stimulation and activity is the main reason why a majority of people hurt themselves during yoga. Injuries also occur when an improperly trained instructor makes inappropriate adjustments. Experts agree that yoga practices need to be more regulated as it is an overly invasive profession. To become a renowned yoga instructor, it isn’t essential to merely completing thousands of courses and training, but instead, having proper knowledge of the safety requirements is essential. 

For all the instructors, they need to understand that they should approach each student in their class individually. You can’t alter the experience of a student’s asana just because you’ve acquired multiple tools and skills to do so. Focus primarily on the benefits of the pose rather than perfecting it for the observer. With deep sense about the utility and meaning of yoga, we can maximize the experience for the practitioner. 

Nonetheless, we need to be aware of the environment as practitioners, instructors, and students about yoga injuries. If need be, reevaluate your priorities during the practice to have a better understanding of our individual selves. As students, focus on getting a qualified instructor that may guide you through your poses slowly and is experienced to deal with any tense situations. Don’t go for a yoga class that was an aerobics class a month back and is being taught by the same instructor. 

Lastly, critics proclaim that yoga doesn’t have any comprehensive benefits of getting fit. However, recent studies have shown that Hatha Yoga drastically decreases your stress hormones. Therefore reducing stress helps in the reduction of various diseases associated with it, allowing you to live a blissful life.