Common Mistakes Made in Yoga and How to Prevent Them
Even the most advanced yoga professionals make mistakes when perfecting their craft. Most mistakes are practically unnoticeable but can cause unnecessary strains, aches, and pains. Yoga is intended to increase flexibility and strengthen your muscles, not harm your body. It is normal to feel sore after a yoga class-- however, it is not normal to pull a muscle or sprain your wrists or ankles. Here are three commons mistakes made in yoga and how you can prevent them:
Not breathing
Not breathing while performing yoga poses is potentially the most common mistake. Holding your breath while doing physical activity is universal to all forms of exercise. Holding your breath while doing a yoga pose causes temporarily increased core strength, allowing you to hold the pose for longer and in better form. Since you aren't breathing, your body is building up carbon dioxide that causes fatigue. You can prevent this by, you guessed it, breathing. The whole point of yoga is to relax; make sure you take deep, long breaths while holding poses.
Resting on Toes or Fingertips
Another common mistake while doing yoga is holding poses with your fingertips or on your toes. Some poses do require holding it on your toes, but this will be made explicitly clear by the instructor. If it is not directly said, stay off your toes or the tips of your fingers. Holding downward or upward dog with your fingertips can cause unnecessary strain on your fingers, hands, and wrists. Make sure when performing a pose that requires your hands on the ground, they are flat to prevent injury.
Lunging with your knee angled outward or inward
The third most common mistake in yoga is extending your knee inwards or outwards instead of directly above your ankle. It can also be called a "bow leg." Having bowlegs while holding a lunging pose causes pressure on your knee that does not need to occur. When your knee is not above your ankle during a pose, it not only causes you to be unstable, but it also directs your body weight to the knee and will almost always cause an injury.
Even seasoned professionals make these mistakes; don't be too hard on yourself if you catch yourself doing any of these! As you correct yourself more often, it will become second nature to avoid these common mistakes in yoga. At Falls Yoga and Barre, instructors will guide you to being a yoga master and help unteach these mistakes and bad habits that you may not even notice.
