or taking the stairs at the entrance of a
restaurant.
Yet, when it comes to yoga, many students
believe that an experienced teacher can save
them from injuries. As rational as it may
sound, relying even on a very knowledgeable
teacher can’t guarantee that nothing happens
to us during the class. Instead, most of the
injuries I’ve heard of occurred during group
classes and not when people were practicing at
home.
It happens for various reasons. Sometimes the
teacher can really lack the experience and
push you to do things beyond your level. At
times even a good teacher can overestimate
your ability to perform an asana. The teacher
may judge based on your physical conditions,
observe the way you do other asanas and think
that our arms are strong enough to go for a
Headstand. But maybe today you aren’t at your
best psychologically to go for something new.
Also, during a group practice, it’s not possible
to see what all students are doing, so there’s
an assumption that the practitioners don’t go
crazy and tackle things that are too complex
for their current level. But, in fact, seeing