In the past year, I have heard a lot of people complain to me that they have taken yoga with bad experiences. They got injured during the class or received no benefit because they could not follow the instructor. This experience left them with not only an injury, but a bad impression of the benefit of yoga.

Yoga was invented to help everyone, no matter what their physical ailments are. The word yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning joining. It was developed to join the body, mind and spirit of an individual into an integrated human being. When we are integrated, we are more able to interface with the outside world. We become more harmonious and more effective in all of our interactions. Our productivity improves.

So, why do we get hurt at yoga class? A community yoga class instructor may not have knowledge about special populations. They may not be able to look carefully at each and every student. In addition, the instructor may not be aware that some asanas or poses should not be carried out by some people with physical limitations.

For example, if you have had back surgery, then there are many asanas that are detrimental for you. Such a person would need to seek an educated yoga instructor who has the necessary expertise and background to guide them appropriately. Yoga is beneficial to people with back ailments, as long as you know the correct method of practising it. It is important to look for a yoga instructor who has a physiologically based yoga degree. If the instructor has a degree from the prestigious Yoga Institute in India, for example, you can be sure their understanding and instructing of yoga will be beneficial and safe for the student to practice.

I recently had a client with a facet joint injury. She could not attend any traditional fitness class for fear that the instructor may not have sufficient physiological knowledge to guide her to health. She hired a qualified yoga instructor to do one-on-one sessions with her. Those sessions consisted of asanas that were not detrimental to those with lower back injuries. After these sessions, her ability to stand and walk improved. Her tension from pain was decreased enabling her to work more effectively during the day.