Some students equate a good yoga class with a fast one, but moving too quickly can lead to injuries. Here, three signs it's time to slow down.
It's somewhat taboo to say you want to get a good "workout" from your yoga class, but let's face it, a lot of people do. "People do want to work out. We call it a 'work in,'" says Eddie Modestini, a longtime student of K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar, who will lead Yoga Journal's upcoming online course, Vinyasa 101: The Fundamentals of Flow.
However, some students equate a good workout with a fast one, and that doesn't have to be the case, Modestini says. Plus, moving too quickly can lead to injuries.
3 Signs Your Yoga Practice Is Too Fast
1. You're moving faster than your breath.
"You can't move faster than your breath," he explains. "The rate of the breath is the rate of the movement. If the movement is faster than the breath, inhalation or exhalation, then you're not connecting the mind to the body and the body to the breath."
The best way to make sure you're not moving too fast? Focus on the breath. "When a teacher says, 'Inhale, lift your arms up,' a more complete cue would be, 'Inhale, lift your arms at the rate of your slow, smooth, even inhale,'" he says. "If you inhale so fast, you're going to injure yourself. Doing it at the rate of your breath is safer. People get hurt when they move without breathing." Each inhalation and exhalation during your yoga practice should be slow, smooth, and even.
2. You're trying to keep up with the person next to you.
Another thing that leads to excess speed -- and injuries: Trying to keep up with the practitioner standing next to you. "You can't compare yourself to somebody else in the class, who maybe practiced ballet for 7 hours a day for 14 years," Modestini warns.
3. You're building too much heat.
Speed isn't always the culprit when it comes to injuries. Heat may limit your ability to be sensitive to yourself, Modestini says. "Heat expands your threshold. You can go deeper, longer, and faster with the heat, and that can hide your restrictions and your level of flexibility. Getting really hot once a week and really pushing it is more dangerous than building a little heat every day and practicing regularly."
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.