Health

There Is Such a Thing As Too Much Yoga

Years of reporting shows lots of people get injured from doing too much; at the risk of being too bold, maybe do… less?
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Photo by Shutterstock/fizkes

From not stress-eating entire tubes of unbaked crescent roll dough, to only smoking like one or two cigarettes, and only when you’re drunk, and only every two or three weeks, the key to living a healthy lifestyle lies in practicing moderation. The same goes for yoga, if this latest news is to be believed: A British physiotherapist named Benoy Matthews told BBC News that he has seen a rise in serious hip problems among yoga instructors. The problem lies with people pushing themselves too hard in an effort to achieve all the “prescribed” poses, even when your body is screaming “NO PLEASE NOT THE TRIPLE HEADSTAND WITH LOTUS LEGS I HAVE A WIFE AND KIDS” because it literally can’t stretch that far.

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Various outlets and sources have been reporting for years that 2 Much 2 Yoga can cause serious injury, with the associated risks often differentiating by gender. Men often let minor injuries build up until they have to hit up the emergency room for something way more serious because they’re too concerned about seeming brave and invulnerable, while women, who tend to be more flexible, can put wear and tear on their hip joints and other parts of the body if they don’t give their increased flexibility the proper support.

"What's achievable for one might not be achievable for others," Matthews said to the BBC. "People tend to do the same set positions, rather than what's achievable for them."

In the worst case scenarios, Matthews warns of keyhole surgeries and even total hip replacements.

"We all know about the health benefits of yoga—I practice it myself," he said. "But, like anything, it can cause injury. We can't put it on a pedestal.”

The Cut seems to think that this rise in yogi hip injuries has something to do with Instagram—that we’re all trying to do impossible poses that push our bodies beyond their limits for the sake of likes and posi comments. That’s-a spicy take-a-ball! But also a somewhat reachy take-a-ball, since not everyone who does yoga is doing yoga on Instagram.

It's not clear why we lean so hard on new health activities, especially low-impact ones, that we crush all the life out of it. But what we need instead of "more yoga than a body can possibly bear" is to do things in moderation. You like yoga? Do yoga, but not so much yoga that you hurt yourself. If you feel pain, stop, maybe seek help, and/or rest up. If part of your yoga practice is to put yourself more in touch with your body, why not start by listening to her horrible screams of agony?

“You have to know your limits," Matthews said. “I don't want to denounce yoga, after all it's been going for thousands of years. But you have to understand yourself."

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