Yoga Asana Safety for the Human Machine - Yoga Practice Blog

Yoga Asana Safety for the Human Machine

teaching yoga asana safetyBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Yoga asana safety, during practice and classes, is very important. The human machine is designed to move, flex, and bend in very specific ways. If you move against that specific design, injury is likely to occur. As the practice of Yoga moves into the mainstream, Yoga classes are taught in a variety of settings to different groups of practitioners.

Yoga Student Diversity

Teaching Yoga asana safety, to these different populations, takes concrete knowledge of human anatomy, as well as sensitivity and awareness of each individual student’s needs. Some of the settings for Yoga classes are traditional studios, schools, and hospitals. Each setting will require a specialized set of skills, with knowledge of how to lead students in and out of Yoga asanas safely and enjoyably.

Many Yoga classes are taught in professional studios. The students, who attend classes at Yoga schools, may be beginning practitioners or seasoned Yoga practitioners. With such a wide diversity of Yogic aptitudes, a Yoga instructor at a studio must be able to guide both new students and veteran students, in and out of the asanas, in a safe and efficient manner. Special attention must be given to students who may be healing from an illness or injury. A firm knowledge of human anatomy, in addition to an awareness of the particular student’s capabilities and limitations, is crucial to teaching a safe and enjoyable class at a professional Yoga studio.

Yoga in Schools

Currently, the practice of Yoga is entering into the public school system. It is becoming well-documented that the practice of Yoga helps students to cope with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, concentration, and supports their general physical wellbeing. With so many benefits, there are Yoga teacher training programs that specifically prepare aspiring instructors to work with students from pre-school through college. These preparatory programs teach Yoga instructors how to lead students through a sequence of Yoga asanas in a safe, fun, and entertaining way. A six year old child must have fun during Yoga class or all bets are off!

Therapeutic Application of Yoga

The benefits of practicing Yoga asana safety are also becoming apparent to administrators of hospitals and rehabilitation facility settings. A Yoga instructor, who is teaching classes in these facilities, must be especially careful to teach the asanas in a very safe manner that honors the design, capabilities, and limitations of the human machine. Hospital patients, and patients who are recovering from a serious injury or illness, in a rehabilitation facility, can benefit tremendously from engaging in an appropriate sequence of Yoga techniques.

© Copyright Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Please feel free to share our posts with your friends, colleagues, and favorite social media networks.

See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about our selection of online yoga teacher training intensive courses.

To see our complete selection of affordable yoga instructor certification programs, please click on the courses and products button in the navigation bar in the upper left section of this page.

If you are a yoga teacher, yoga studio owner, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

2 thoughts on “Yoga Asana Safety for the Human Machine”

  1. A Yoga instructor must be careful to teach the asanas in a very safe manner that honors the design, capabilities, and limitations of the human machine. Thanks for this informative post.

  2. Each Yoga Class setting require a specialized instructor with set of skills and knowledge of how to lead students in and out about Yoga asanas safely and enjoyably. Thanks for nice posting.

Leave a Comment

Your Cart