Amrita 6: Asana through the ages - Magazine - Page 45
Interview
AM Last year there was a lot of discussion in the media
about the high rate of injuries in yoga teachers and practitioners. What are your thoughts about this?
AM It is my understanding that a lot of these discussions stem
from anecdotal evidence. I don’t want to take away from anyone’s personal experience, but I think it is also important to
zoom out and look at the bigger picture. It is obviously going
to depend on many different factors such as the style of yoga
being practiced, but in general practicing yoga asana is a lowrisk activity. Injuries tend to be more associated with activities
that involve speed and external forces or loads. There is some
interesting research that has been done looking at yoga-related injuries. In a study by Bueno et al (2018) the authors report that the injury prevalence of yoga was less than 1% when
compared to 38% among soccer players, 19% among runners
and 9% among subjects participating in strength training. In
a national cross-sectional survey in Germany by Cramer et
al (2019) an average of 0.60 injuries per 1000 hours of yoga
practice were reported. Based on this, the authors stated that
yoga appears to be as safe
or safer when compared to
“My focus is all about making anatomy and
other exercise types. They
commented that adverse
physiology practical, accessible, inclusive,
events were more comevidence-based and fun”
mon in participants with a
pre-existing medical condition and among participants who did yoga on their own
without prior or current supervision by a teacher. In a study
by Wiese et al (2019) the authors state that the number of
injuries reported by yoga participants per years of practice
exposure was low and the occurrence of serious injuries in
yoga were infrequent compared to other physical activities,
suggesting that yoga is not a high-risk physical activity. A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature by Cramer et al
(2015) suggests that yoga is as safe as other forms of physical
activity.
AM Do you think the move to more online classes and
courses will impact student performance?
AM I think there are positives and negatives to come from
practicing online. As I have just mentioned, there is some
evidence to suggest that adverse events are more common
amongst students who practise yoga on their own without
prior or current supervision by a teacher. However, I would
also argue that by practicing more on their own or with less
close supervision, many students will actually have a better
chance at improving their own awareness of their bodies and
will become better at making the choices that are right for
them in a given moment. To me, improving awareness is the
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AMRITA Issue 6 / Spring 2021 43
