Finding your edge in yoga

January 4, 10:50 AMTampa Yoga ExaminerDanielle Hope Hier

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Chattaranga

When is enough, enough?  Or, when is it too much.

Years ago I worked with a woman who had sciatica and a number of other related conditions that left her with chronic pain, so much so that when I asked her, "Do you feel a stretch, or do you feel pain?"  Her response was, "I don't know. What do you mean?" 

She was someone who was very empathic and could tell you definitively how she was feeling emotionally (and probably everyone else in the room as well); but was so used to being in pain and finding ways to disconnect from it, that she could not determine what was a healthy stretch, and what was too much.

In yoga, we find our "edge", that place where we're growing stronger by challenging ourselves, without taking our practice to the point of injury. 

So, how do you know when you've gone far enough?

1)  Breathing - If you're holding your breath, it's your instant cue that you're struggling, and should modify the pose.

Follow the old exercise rule:  You should be able to talk but not sing. 

Sometimes, people don't realize they are holding their breath, until I make them answer questions. "Are you breathing?"  I ask.  If they're turning red and saying "Yes" as if they're choking out the word, I follow up with. "Can you describe to me where you're feeling the stretch?"  If they're where they should be, they can easily tell you.  If they come out of pose like a "There, are you satisfied?  All you're talking made me break pose?" Then, you can guide them back into a modified form where they are breathing freely.

For your own practice, take note of your breath always.

2)  Burning - Imagine how you feel standing in Warrior Pose where the front of your thigh feels that slight "burn" as the muscle begins to tire.  Feeling a small amount of that sensation while the quad muscle is active is normal.  However, imagine going from that pose into Frog or Pose of the Dancer, where you're stretching that same muscle.  If you feel that same burning or fire sensation, you are risking injury.  Back out of the pose. 

3)  Shaking - Ever do a stretch where your leg starts shaking violently for no apparent reason?  That's your body creating heat (much like you shake when you're cold) to soften the muscle for stretching, so that it is less likely to tear.  A light tremble in your legs during a stretch is just at the edge. Violent shaking means STOP, you are overstretching the muscle.

Tip:  In order to cultivate awareness in your practice, take your breath into the area you're stretching or strengthening. 

Therefore, if you feel tension in that front leg during Warrior, breath into that muscle.  It will not only help you work through challenging poses, but help you focus on exactly what you're feeling (a stretch? pain?). 

And finally, take one full breath to come into and out of poses.  That way, you're less likely to rush into a position that could potentially cause injury.