Heads up to yoga teachers: yoga injuries are on the rise. 2014, for example, saw twice as many yoga-related injuries as 2001. Participation in yoga has only grown since then. As a yoga teacher, this means the risk you face on the job has increased—a rise in yoga-related injuries means that a rise in yoga-related lawsuits is sure to follow. One of the first things you can take to protect yourself against one of these lawsuits is to get covered by a yoga teacher insurance policy.
In addition to the protection yoga teacher insurance can provide, you can also take measures to pre-empt any injuries as you work. You need to be more mindful than ever of your clients’ abilities and limitations.
If you are a yoga teacher, here are the 4 most common yoga injuries that you should watch out for:
1. Lower Back Injuries
Forward bends can lead to bulging discs and lower back injuries, especially among clients with limited training and/or flexibility. Help clients by offering props when necessary and making sure their legs aren’t too straight, especially for beginners. When you’re working with newcomers, make sure they’re cognizant of their legs and back; the learned movements you take for granted may be completely foreign to them.2. Wrist Strains
Many common poses place strain on wrists, especially for people with previous injuries or carpal tunnel. Reduce strain on your clients’ wrists in the following ways:- Making sure they keep their fingers spread
- Making sure they keep their fingers spread
- If problems persist, you can even try rolling a towel and put it underneath the wrists, so that the hand is on a downward slant
3. Repeated Stress Injuries
Repeated stress or strain injuries (RSIs) can happen to anybody. While often incurred in the shoulders or elbow from practicing the chaturanga or vinyasa over long periods of time, these injuries can also strike more quickly in relative newcomers who may be practicing the pose incorrectly. Encourage your clients to not get too repetitive in their routine, and above all else, to listen to their bodies. If a client is feeling fatigued, remind them to not risk injury by over-exerting themselves on a difficult pose. The more tired you are, the more likely it is that your form will suffer, causing an injury.4. Neck Injuries
Any position that requires the participant to put significant strain on the neck or head, such as a shoulder or headstand, can do severe damage to the neck. This often happens when inexperienced yogis rest their weight on their heads as they try to keep their balance while working into a pose or transitioning into a new pose. One of the first rules to learn about yoga is to ease into each position. Make sure each of your clients remember this. Often, people simply aren’t ready for poses that would put this type of strain on their bodies. As you work with clients, make sure they know that the purpose of yoga is not to necessarily to achieve a certain pose. Rather, clients should be working to achieve a better understanding of their body and to gain a higher level of awareness in general.
