What yoga does to the body. Developing flexibility: what happens to the body during yoga and how to use it correctly

“When the mind has curbed maya (illusion),
When your self has become motionless and stable,
When the feelings finally fell silent and the mind threw off these shackles,
Then “I” and “you” are already one and the same..."
Adi Shankaracharya(Yogataravali)

The preliminary goal of Nidra is to relax the body and mind. The second goal is to separate yourself from the body and mind. We constantly identify ourselves with the body and mind, which give us so much worry, tension, stress and grief. However, at night, when a person falls into deep sleep, his separation from the body and mind occurs automatically: you are called - you do not hear, they come close to you - you do not see, the bad smell does not bother you, in a dream you forget your name, you are turned off from external life, you are not in reality. In the same way, you are absent when you go into the deep relaxation of Yoga Nidra, but here you need to consciously separate yourself from the body and mind.

5 kosh

While modern psychologists distinguish 3 layers in the nature of the human mind (consciousness, subconscious and unconscious), we, based on the teachings of Vedanta and the philosophy of Yoga, discover in the human personality gross, subtle and causal essences, which are divided into 5 koshas (or forms) - from the grossest to the most subtle manifestations of life:

• - blood, bones, fat, skin, that is, the pasture of feelings, the roughest level of manifestation.
• - a deeply hidden energy network in which prana circulates ( life force or protoplasm).
• - activity of the mind.
• Vigyanamaya kosha (astral or soul body)- the sphere of our individual personality, manifested on the astral level, during sleep, that is, various mental phenomena.
• - the transcendental sphere of the human personality, freed from attachment and aversion. The condition is very important, but difficult to explain.

Word "ananda" often misinterpreted as “holiday”, “joy” or “bliss”, because this is really a special state when joy-sorrow, pleasure-suffering, poverty-wealth, etc. are not realized. Yet in this state one experiences universal awareness known as anandamaya. For an ordinary person, pain or pleasure causes anxiety, his mind becomes unbalanced. This means that pain or pleasure is a touchstone, a test for a person, but in anandamaya a person does not experience anything like that because his consciousness is transformed and he has transcended past experiences. Yoga Nidra in the final phase leads precisely to this state, when the vibrations of the unconscious are no longer capable of modification and the absolute unconscious manifests itself as the blissful body of anandamaya.

Table: 5 koshas represent 3 modifications of psychic phenomena

Experience of subtle bodies

As interest in the gross koshas fades, the subtle koshas begin to awaken. If the gross bodies (koshas) consist of physical organs (lungs, heart, intestines, etc.), in which physiological processes breathing, blood circulation and digestion, the subtle bodies also have their own structure and characteristics. In the branched system of nadis and chakras (psychic centers), pranic and psychic energies circulate, which form the energy infrastructure that determines the physical body. Word "nadi" translates as “flow, stream, passage or channel.” Yogic texts number more than 72,000 nadis, of which 3 are the most important: ida, pingala and sushumna. They function within the spinal column: the ida rules the left side and controls mental energy ( manas shakti), the entire range of human mental and psychic capabilities; Pingala Nadi is responsible for the right side, governing vital energy ( prana shakti), on which the state of the physical body and all processes occurring in it depends; Sushumna - the most important nadi - begins to function in the middle passage of the spinal column if a person awakens an active interest in spiritual life. Yogic texts speak of sushumna as a dormant hidden force that controls spiritual energy ( atma shakti). Ida, pingala and sushumna originate in muladhara, the psychic center located at the base of the spine in the perineum. Creative energy lives here, which seems to instantly erupt from here at the moment of its awakening, forming a person’s self-awareness. This power symbolizes the snake kundalini shakti, sleeping and rolled into 3.5 rings. In the male body, the muladhara chakra is located in the perineum between the urinary canal and the rectum, and in the female body - in the cervix. Ida and Pingala begin from the 2 points of the muladhara chakra and then rise upward, crossing each other along the central and spinal column in the 4 intermediate chakras and finally meeting at the ajna chakra (“third eye”), at the top of the spinal column, behind the brow center. The 4 intermediate chakras are: svadhisthana (in the tailbone area), manipura (behind the navel), anahata (in the center of the chest, behind the heart), vishuddha (in the pharynx area).

Sushumna nadi is a direct highway between muladhara and ajna, a kind of staircase connecting earth with heaven. Unlike ida and pingala, which function in each of us, the sushumna channel and spiritual energy needs to be awakened. This “narrow gate”, “narrow path” and “razor blade” can be awakened by Yoga. This awakening is the most important event in a person's life.

Penetration into the unconscious

If a person is aware of his physical body, he can become aware of his other bodies - pranic, mental, psychic and unconscious. This process of expanding consciousness is offered to you by Yoga Nidra. When you delve into the depths of your being during Yoga Nidra, you cannot help but notice the different levels of insight.

At first the sphere of the conscious mind is limited to the range between the physical and pranic realms, but if consciousness penetrates further into the region between the pranic and mental realms, it will mean that you have entered the realm of sleep and subconsciousness in such a way that the thread of awareness is not broken, although all your senses, except hearing, are distracted. Here the penetration of consciousness into oneself or the process of forming self-awareness, comprehension of the phenomena of the mind, sleep and dreams, as well as the sharpening of memory occurs. The further transition from mental to psychic awareness mobilizes all astral and psychic experience, the practitioner begins to perceive more sublime impulses and contemplate other perspectives. It is at this level that phenomena such as astral projections and the exit of the body into the astral plane occur.

Although Yoga Nidra identifies and develops such abilities, they are not the goal of Yoga Nidra. Rather, it's just side effects. However, there are no prohibitions or restrictions - from a spiritual point of view, all this is unimportant and such astral phenomena can enchant us, just as a child is enchanted by a new toy... In the light of the rising dawn of self-realization, all this soon dims and disappears, like twinkling stars disappear at the rise of a radiant star .

The source of the final decline in interest in astral phenomena lies in the sphere of transition from the psychic to homogeneous (homogeneous) awareness, when the sphere of the unconscious is exposed, where there is no place for mental fluctuations and ideas, where everything is permeated with the all-consuming rhythm of the unconscious-superconscious Universe, which reigns, not limited by space , neither by time, nor by the individual properties of any person.

The highest goal of Yoga Nidra has been achieved - the luminous unconscious is discovered with the help of the blazing superconscious.

Everyone has heard the word “yoga” at least once in their life. But will everyone be able to clearly explain what it is? Yoga is an amazing practice that came to the world from mysterious India, bringing health to the body and soul of a person. Yoga will teach you how to breathe and relax correctly, improve your blood pressure, and help you forget about insomnia.

If we talk about yoga in the full meaning of the word, then it is a special way of life that helps to achieve enlightenment. This is the oldest philosophical doctrine about the essence of human life.

Anyone who decides to seriously engage in yoga must be aware that living according to the new canons will require a lot of time for this serious hobby, and it will be necessary to give up some of the benefits of civilization.

Yoga will make you rethink your life principles and habits. It will require immediate renunciation of everything harmful and bad. A person must instill control over his feelings, acquire mental and physical balance. Independence from one’s feelings, the ability to meditate and fully concentrate one’s attention lead to the achievement of perfection of the human soul.

If you perceive yoga as a set of asanas (special poses), then it will become just gymnastics, nothing more. But it will not bring the desired effect. In this case, yoga is a set of various exercises to improve health, normalize the functioning of individual organs, and form a perfect figure.

How did it appear?

The history of yoga is long and rich. Even on Indian seals dating back to the 2nd-3rd centuries BC. e., there are images of figures in yoga meditation poses. This concept is found in the Rig Veda - in the ancient Upanishad, which scientists date back to the 10th century BC. e. The basic concept of yoga is outlined in the “middle” Upanishads of the 6th century BC. e. These are the Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita and also the Yoga Sutra.

The earliest school was called "Raja Yoga". It is also called “Mind Control Yoga”. The Yoga Sutra defines “Ashtanga Yoga” - the eight steps of “Raja Yoga”.

These steps are divided into two main parts:

• the four lowest stages are “Hatha Yoga”;
• the four highest stages are “Raja Yoga” itself.

It is “Hatha Yoga”, which is focused on cleansing the body and mind of a person, increasing vital energy, that has become widespread in the world.

The benefits of yoga

The beneficial effects of yoga on health can be fully felt by anyone who regularly devotes several hours to it every week. Even two months is enough to feel positive changes. Exercises help you forget about chronic pain in all sections of the spine. Most asanas are aimed specifically at maintaining its proper functioning.

The practice treats all body systems: cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, etc. When performing asanas, all internal organs responsible for the normal functioning of the body are massaged. Regular classes Yoga makes the body flexible and flexible. Correcting incorrect posture eliminates the causes of joint pain and makes your gait more graceful and smooth.

Meditation in asanas increases the ability of the immune system to resist disease and reduces the risk of heart disease. Yoga classes fill a person vital energy, help to gain self-confidence, make a person calmer and less prone to stress than usual.

Are there any contraindications?

Anyone can do yoga. But, like any gymnastics, yoga classes have their contraindications. Without consulting a doctor, you cannot start performing asanas if:

• mental disorders, especially schizophrenia;
• the presence of inguinal hernias;
• high blood or intracranial pressure;
• heart disease, especially after a heart attack;
• any exacerbations of diseases of internal organs;
• in the first year after a stroke;
• joint diseases, spinal injuries;
• oncology;
• immediately after any operations;
• colds or flu, as well as any increase in body temperature;
• For women, classes are prohibited during critical days, as well as during pregnancy more than 3 months.

Yoga classes should be interrupted if your health worsens after training. In such cases, medical advice is needed.

Rules for beginners

Before you start practicing, you need to understand a few main points that will help you practice yoga for the benefit of your body and mind:

1. Since yoga classes require systematicity.
2. It is necessary to immediately decide on the time of classes. It is believed that every morning you need to set aside a couple of hours for yoga. At this time, the body is more flexible and asanas are easier to perform.
3. If your workday is too busy, it is better to set aside at least 15 minutes each day rather than try to catch up in one day.
4. You need to exercise with an empty stomach or a few hours after eating.
5. Perform the exercises on any non-slip mat or floor.
6. Classes are conducted barefoot.
7. The practice requires complete silence and concentration, so all external sound sources must be turned off.
8. While performing the exercise, you need to concentrate on your body and, at the same time, completely relax. Asanas must be performed slowly and very smoothly, feeling every inhalation and every exhalation. Only correct breathing You can completely relax your body and calm your mind. This is where the effectiveness of yoga lies.

What not to do?

Yoga has always been considered a fairly calm, safe activity that will only help cope with constant stress, improve your figure and strengthen your immune system. All this is true. But at the same time you need to perform each exercise correctly, focused and smoothly. It is necessary to take care of the spine when performing asanas; you should not allow discomfort or even pain in its area.

If such sensations appear, then it is better not to do such exercises. You need to consult a trainer or doctor. You cannot force the development of complex movements and asanas. Possible sprains. If knee pain occurs when performing poses such as “lotus”, you should Special attention concentrate on smoothness and correctness of movements. And then injury can be avoided.

Initial asanas (exercises)

You can start the first asanas even without an instructor. They will only bring benefits, even if their implementation is not entirely accurate or correct. But these simple asanas will prepare you for a better understanding of your body and give direction for development. There's no need to rush. You just need to tune in to the sensations of your body.

The most simple exercises for beginners:

Stand up straight. Relax. With our right hand we help to place the heel right leg on the inner thigh of the left lower limb.

We spread our arms to the sides, bringing them together with our palms at chest level. As you inhale, raise your arms as high as possible. We hold our position.

We move our arms back, opening chest. Then you can change your leg if you wish. Make the movement slowly.

This asana will give you graceful posture and strengthen the spinal column. It can be done at the very beginning of yoga; it will allow the body to tune into the right mood.

Child

Slowly lean forward, lower your buttocks onto your heels. Your stomach should rest on your thighs, your head touching the floor, and your arms stretched forward.

Stay in this position, relax and maintain calm breathing. Carry out 5-7 breathing cycles. Next, lift your body and return to the starting position.

This asana will gently relax tight back muscles and relieve tension from the neck.

Downward Facing Dog Pose

Place your hands under your shoulders, spread your fingers wide, and press your palms to the floor. Feet stand hip-width apart, parallel to each other. Curl your toes and push your hips up as you rise from your knees.

Relax your neck. Your hands remain in place, and try to place your heels on the floor without lifting your toes from it.

Watch your fingers and palms, they should rest on the mat and not move. The weight should be evenly distributed between the palms and feet.

In this case, the back should not be rounded; the spine should be stretched. Begin to transfer the load to your arms, as if you are trying to move the floor as you inhale, and as you exhale, try to place your heels on the floor. This asana will do slender legs and relieve tension from shoulder girdle and backs.

Stork

We stand at shoulder width, bend over, rest our hands first on our hips, then on our knees. Bend your knees and stretch your lower back even more. We continue to bend our knees until you can step on your palms with your feet.

The heel should be placed between the middle and index fingers, and the toes should be on top of the wrists. We move our elbows to the sides (if flexibility allows). We press our chin to our chest as hard as possible and gather our shoulder blades together.

We reach to the knees, bringing the shoulder blades together as much as possible. Then you need to push off from your feet and stretch your back. This should allow for maximum stretching. back surface bodies.

A development of this pose is Kundalasana, in which the legs are initially placed slightly wider than the shoulders, and at the end point the shoulders are placed behind the legs (as indicated in the picture). This asana will give flexibility to the legs and tone the body.

Onion

Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms along your body. Spread your legs slightly apart, there is no need to close them. Bend your knees and clasp your ankles on the inside with your hands.

Slowly raise your head and upper body. Try to lift your hips off the floor, stretching like a bow. Hold for 7-10 breathing cycles and return to the starting position.

This asana will make your back straight, your arms slender, and strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Yoga trains the body and mind. All yoga exercises for beginners are designed to train all muscles. The workout will take only 30 minutes of your time, will help the body gain flexibility, relieve pain and give peace.

The result is a balanced and healthy body, beautiful appearance muscles, lower risk of injury. These workouts for beginners increase energy levels and are great when the body feels tired, stressed, or depressed.

Beginners want to cope with daily stress, relax and give rest to a tired body.

The Sivananda Yoga program is based on five principles that improve physical fitness, develop flexibility and mental well-being through:

• regular classes;
• deep breathing;
• relaxation;
• healthy eating;
• meditation and positive thoughts.

Lesson for Beginners

The various yoga poses and the specific order in which they are performed are so beautifully designed that the body gets rid of stress and the muscles and joints gain mobility and flexibility.

Asanas systematically work to stretch and contract the muscles of the body, relieve tension and lead to a deep sense of relaxation.

Introduction to Yoga

Below are the elements of a yoga class for beginners, including the health benefits of each exercise. It is best for beginners to learn yoga asanas under guidance experienced teacher. When training your body at home, the book “Yoga. A Guide for Beginners and Experts" (edited by Sivananda Yoga Center), which will provide valuable assistance in home practice. Yoga according to the book takes approximately 30 minutes. It is important to remember that in yoga you do not need to compare your flexibility with the ballerina working next to you; in it, the first place is not the ideal execution of the pose, but:

• feeling of stretching;
• deep breaths;
• feeling of balance and rejuvenation.

Pre-relaxation

Beginners lie on their back in a relaxation position (Shavasana) and breathe deeply. Then they begin active rest, in which they either tense or relax individual parts of the body. It helps:

• calm the mind;
• relieve body tension.

The optimal start to every yoga session.

Forward bends

The pose is stretching bottom part back and hamstrings. This is done for a minimum of 30 seconds, a maximum of 3 minutes. When returning to tadasana, straighten up slowly to avoid dizziness.

1. Stand up straight. Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent for a more stable position, and slowly tilt your upper body until your knees rest.
2. You can touch the floor with your hands or grab opposite elbows.
3. Once your body becomes more flexible, you will be able to straighten your knees, but remember to always start and finish the exercise calmly.

1. Lie face down on the floor, place your palms hip-width apart, fingers facing forward.
2. Knees and feet shoulder-width apart, top part feet lie on the floor.
3. Using the strength of your arms, lift your hips off the floor, lifting your torso and extending it upward. Press your heels to the floor.
4. Look straight ahead or look slightly upward.
5. Hold in this position for 30 seconds and lie down on the floor.

1. Lie down on the mat. Place your palms in front of you.
2. Raise your buttocks up until your knees leave the ground. Legs remain straight.
3. The torso and arms form a straight line.
4. Hold the position for 30 seconds to stretch the muscles in your hips and shoulders.

1. Stand up straight with your knees slightly bent so that you can see your toes.
2. Arch your back and stretch right hand down beyond the left ankle or as low as possible.
3. Extend your left arm straight towards the ceiling and try to keep your shoulders in line with your left arm.
4. Look up and gently stretch along with your left arm.
5. This exercise opens the chest and collarbones.
6. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

1. Stand in Tadasana.
2. Place your arms along your body.
3. Gently lean forward, keeping your back straight and bringing your hands closer to your toes.
4. Hold the position for 30 seconds.

This is a great yoga position for adding flexibility to your torso and back. One of the benefits of yoga is that it helps relieve back pain. Camel pose is perfect for this.

1. Get on your knees, hands along your hips.
2. With your right hand, grab your right ankle. The thighs are perpendicular to the floor, the lower leg lies on the floor.
3. Arch your back and move your torso forward slightly to reach and grasp your left ankle.
4. Tighten your buttocks and round your back again to open up your chest more.
5. Hold the pose for 30 seconds (or less if you feel your back is straining too much).

Rest

Between yoga exercises, beginners should rest on their back, in the so-called “corpse pose,” breathe deeply and feel positive effect from previously completed positions.

This yoga exercise stretches the entire back of the body and increases flexibility. lumbar region spine and improves posture in general. In 30 minutes a day, beginners increase the flexibility of all muscles. This asana provides a complete massage of the internal organs and helps eliminate diseases such as constipation.

Final rest

Reward for beginners at the end of 30 minutes of yoga. The fullness of the exercises is felt in 10-15 minutes of rest at the end of classes, by active rest(muscle contraction and relaxation), deep breathing and visualization.

I hear this question quite often. And I usually try to answer it evasively, because NORMAL body, mobile, without excess fat deposits, able to bend over, rise, etc. - this is just a consequence of the NORMAL work of the mind, which chooses for itself a NORMAL lifestyle with NORMAL loads. Everything should just be in balance, and bodily balance is taken from mental balance.

However, yogic practice can be quite rigorous. And there are times when sitting, blissfully folding your hands on your stomach, and waiting for the mind to balance is not enough for this very balancing. It happens that a person’s life is hard, and therefore he needs to work harder, he needs to move, sweat and change in order to change his life.

Two and a half years ago, when our first training session with Olga took place, I experienced a feeling that was least expected from me, and a feeling that should not be experienced in any relationship, even a coaching one - pity. She tried very hard, but an ordinary daytime lesson for a zero-level group, which lasted an hour and a half, was incredibly difficult for her. Olka tried to impress, laughed and made jokes throughout the entire lesson, but I saw how difficult and painful it was for her. And she herself understood this. Moreover, at that moment Olina’s back was twisted to such an extent that she could not really look straight, but only to the right: this now sounds like a joke, but even so she managed to drive the car, sitting somehow sideways. At the same time, she could not sit still, because it seemed that everything good was certainly located somewhere in a place where she needed to get to, not nearby. Something had to be done about it.
It became clear that only a hard “reboot” would help here. Exactly on physical level. We started practicing and I was amazed at the results.

We needed tough (I would say even cruel) practice at that stage in order to “reflash” this mind first of all.

This was a lyrical digression on the topic of the initial motivation for mastering these difficult power elements.
For some, this type of yoga can indeed be the key to their dream figure. I do not argue. This will happen too.

Today we had an hour-long individual lesson of a high (as for Olga) level of difficulty. During the lesson, I noted some points.

For those in whom I am confident, I sometimes suggest doing handstands at the very beginning of the lesson. To develop the skills necessary to master this difficult asana, start the class when the body is still relaxed after breathing exercises and at the same time full of energy - the optimal time.

As I said earlier - try it right in the middle of the hall. The main thing is no sudden movements. Everything is smooth and easy.

These balances are not so difficult when you understand how to breathe correctly, relax everything unnecessary and maintain balance. Need trained wrists. If there is discomfort, I recommend using a bandage made of elastic bandage. Not exactly “yoga” equipment, but it’s more reliable.

Bakasana, although considered the simplest hand balance, has its own variations. In particular, there is a “high” Bakasana, which is done with straight arms. It's more difficult.

At first glance, there is nothing difficult in this pose. But this is static and maintaining such a certain period of time is not an easy task.

The same can be said about Garudasana:

I spoke earlier about the powerful athletic properties of Dandayamana Dhanurasana. Stay like this for 1 minute. It's only 60 seconds, but it can seem very long.

This version of Trikonasana, where the hand does not touch the floor, is also not easy when it comes to static movements of 30 seconds or more.

To relax a little and cheer up, I suggest deflections:

And mandatory compensation:

Same good poses. The main thing is that the result comes quickly - just stand there and breathe. And, in general, no more simulators are needed.

And at the very end, before the final Shavasna, something shockingly difficult happens:

This is one of the most awkward positions to stand in, quite frankly.

And the final touch is to stretch the legs a little. When they are so well heated, it’s a sin not not to pull.

In a word, how much more difficult or interesting it might be than a rocking chair is not for us to judge. But an alternative way, in general, exists. The main thing here is that someone is closer, more pleasant, more accessible.

Of course, as always, I think that the main thing in general is to work wisely :)

How Yoga Can Destroy Your Body ( )

Today, yoga classes are closely associated in society with in a healthy way life. This is usually exactly what numerous healthy lifestyle experts say - “start eating right, do yoga, exercise, etc.”

In Moscow fitness clubs, again, yoga classes are almost always present. Not to mention the countless sections/circles. This is a very popular way of healing, especially among women. Among my female friends, most have done or are doing yoga. Yes, I myself was once into this for about two months, a long time ago, in my youth. There were no consequences, negative or positive. But over time, I formed a sharply negative opinion about this “physical education” (hereinafter we're talking about specifically about the “gymnastic” aspect of classical yoga).

Firstly, I found out that yogis do not shine with health and longevity (as if not the other way around). Secondly, official medicine has not adopted this healing technique, obviously because there has been no consensus on any significant positive effects.

Of course, I have come across people (usually women) in my life with stories of miraculous healings. But it was all from the series - “we went to grandma, she did some magic and everything resolved.” Yoga in their stories can be successfully replaced by wearing a magnetic bracelet, drinking charged water and similar magical nonsense.

And recently in The Times I came across interesting article about the dangers of yoga, which has finally dotted the i’s.
The text is very long, I will freely paraphrase in places, skip in others, and translate exactly where it is important.

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body
By: William J. Broad

The author of the article is a 30-year-old journalist who injured an intervertebral disc in his lower back, tried to recover with yoga and failed. Then he turned to a famous New York yoga instructor, who is known for specializing in injuries suffered by yogis and knows all about not only the advantages of these classes, but also can tell a lot about the downside. His name is Glenn Black, he studied yoga in India, then practiced for many years, has an extensive clientele among stars and even yoga trainers themselves, conducting master classes for them.

At such a master class, the journalist was able to talk with Black and hear a lot of discouraging information from him.
The first thing he least expected to hear from a man who had dedicated his entire life to yoga was when he said that he had come to the conclusion that the vast majority of practitioners should stop practicing it. Fully. It's simply too dangerous for their health. Black said that not only beginners, but even famous instructors often cause serious harm to themselves, and instead of yoga they need physiotherapy or even treatment. Yoga is only suitable for people in excellent physical shape, it is not for everyone.

According to Black, various factors can increase the risk for the average person. First of all, this is that the technique was developed by Indian practitioners for whom sitting, for example, with crossed legs, is a daily habit. And yoga asanas became only a development of the poses familiar to Indians. Modern office workers, after sitting in a chair all day, come to the gym a couple of times a week and try to twist into a position for which they have neither flexibility nor health.

All this is aggravated by the explosive growth in the popularity of yoga (in the United States the number of practitioners grew from 4 million in 2001 to 20 million in 2011), which is why the number of inexperienced instructors who teach classes simply without understanding how they can harm their students has increased.
Many people put physical and moral pressure on students to take certain poses, “I can’t do it.”

When such unfortunate instructors come to Black with serious injuries, he simply tells them - “Quit yoga!” They look at him like he's crazy, but Black is sure that this is their only way to recover.

The author asked what the worst injuries he'd seen as a yoga teacher were, and Black said he knew of several "celebrities" who injured their Achilles tendons by overdoing a basic pose like downward-facing dog pose.
How Yoga Can Destroy Your Body - Downward Facing Dog
He also saw completely “killed” thighs. One of the most famous American yoga teachers simply lost her mobility in hip joints, she needed to undergo surgery to implant prostheses. At the same time, she continued to teach!
And many instructors have such bad back problems that they are forced to teach lessons while lying down!
*************

Among yoga practitioners, from gurus to their assistants, there is a widespread belief in its miraculous healing powers.
They say that yoga calms, heals, raises energy and strengthens. Indeed, these activities can lower blood pressure, produce natural antidepressants, or even improve sex life.

But the yoga community has long remained silent about the staggering pain it can cause.

Jagannath Ganesh Gun, one of those who brought yoga to modern times, did not leave a hint about possible injuries in his magazine “Yoga Mimamsa” or his book “Asanas” (1931). Indra Devi avoided such references in her bestseller Forever Young, Forever Healthy (1953), as did B.K.S. Iyengar in his work “Light on Yoga,” published in 1965. Assurances about the complete safety of yoga are contained in self-instructions by such authors as Swami Sivananda, Pattabhi Jois and Bikram Chowdhury. “Real yoga is as safe as mother's milk,” proclaimed Sivananda, the great guru who made 10 world tours and founded several ashrams on several continents.

But a growing body of medical evidence supports Glenn Black's view that for many people, the practice of commonly practiced poses carries inherent health risks.

The first observations of “yoga diseases” appeared several decades ago and were published in respected medical journals, including Neurology, the British Medical Journal, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. The problems described ranged from minor health impairment to permanent disability.

How Yoga Can Destroy Your Body - Vajrasana In one case, a college student who had been practicing yoga for more than a year, after intensive practice of vajrasana (sitting on his knees), discovered that his legs were hard to control, he had difficulty walking, climbing stairs and running.

Doctors discovered that he had a problem with the branch of the sciatic nerve that runs under his knees. Sitting on one's knees reduced the blood supply to this nerve, causing it to become dysfunctional. As soon as the student abandoned this position, he quickly began to recover.

Clinicians have already noted a sufficiently large number of such cases to even introduce a special term:
"yoga foot drop"

More ominous messages followed later. In 1972, prominent Oxford neuroscientist Rich Russell published an article in the British Medical Journal arguing that, although extremely rare, some yoga poses could cause stroke in relatively young, healthy people. Russell discovered that brain damage can be caused not only by direct trauma to the skull, but also by rapid movements of the neck, as well as excessive bending of the neck that occurs in some yoga poses.
The fact is that normally the neck can bend 75 degrees back, 40 degrees forward, 45 degrees to the sides and rotate 50 degrees left and right. Yoga practitioners usually significantly exceed these capabilities. The average student can turn their head as much as 90 degrees, which is twice the normal range. And such superflexibility of the neck is encouraged by teachers! Iyengar emphasizes that in the cobra pose the head should lean back as far as possible, and in the shoulder stand the head pressed to the chest should form a right angle with the body. And he calls this position (supposedly stimulating the thyroid gland) “one of the most valuable gifts from wise ancestors.”

How yoga can destroy your body - Iyengar in Sarvangasana
Russell warns that these extreme head and neck positions can injure the vertebral arteries, leading to blood clots or compression, with subsequent brain damage. After all, these arteries connect to form the basilar artery, which supplies the most important parts of the brain responsible for coordination, breathing, eye movement and other vital functions.

It is known that a decrease in blood flow through the basal artery leads to strokes, which are rarely accompanied by speech impairment or lead to loss of consciousness, but damage the basic mechanisms and can even be fatal.
Most patients with this type of stroke regain basic function, but sometimes headaches, dizziness and problems with coordination can continue for years.

Russell is also concerned that yoga as a cause of stroke may be hidden from doctors because brain damage may occur with a long delay (up to several hours), perhaps only at night, and another possible cause may come to the doctor's attention.

How Yoga Can Destroy Your Body - The BridgeIn 1973, a year after Russell's work was published, Willibald Nagler, a renowned rehabilitation specialist at Cornwall University Medical College, published an article about a strange case.

A healthy 28-year-old woman suffered a stroke while performing the “wheel” asana while doing yoga. When she took this position, at some point she was balancing on her head thrown back and suddenly experienced a severe headache. She could no longer get up on her own, nor could she walk.
The woman was taken to the hospital - her right side of her body had lost sensation, left hand and the leg also didn’t obey well. Eyes squinted to the left.

How Yoga Can Destroy Your Body - Neck Blood Vessels Doctors discovered that her left...