FITNESS. FASHION. FOOD.
Watch that cobra!
Yoga has become one of the biggest fitness trends amongst women, but the urge to copy those Instagram poses can lead to some serious injuries…
By Silvia Cerisara 19 April 2018
Ever wondered what a yoga class sounds like?! Here is your chance to experience its mood...
@silviacerisara
@silviacerisara
Yoga is a practice that has various benefits, including reducing stress, improving body strength and helping with relaxation, but a recent study suggests that many women are jumping on the trend of yoga in the hopes of recreating the difficult poses they see online.
A study conducted by the Central Queensland University revealed that injuries caused by yoga are skyrocketing in women between 20 and 39 years of age, and 10 percent of the recorded injury cases required hospital admission.
The explanation behind these alarming numbers can be found not only in the growing popularity of this sport, but also in the influence that Instagrammers and other social media influencers sharing impressing poses on their accounts play on people. This may inspire women to push themselves too hard in order to try and replicate a pose they’ve seen online and is far past their capabilities, causing the risk of ending up with a serious injury.
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Images source: @creativecommons
“Most importantly I think we have forgotten how to be gentle with our bodies. So much of our focus is on pushing ourselves hard to achieve results - the 'no pain, no gain' attitude! - or we want to look good in front of others and that becomes more important that taking care of ourselves. Social media certainly seems to fuel this at times,” said yoga teacher Anna Jones, who does agree on the negative impact of social media, but also shed the light on the importance of slowing down and giving our bodies the time needed, a philosophy that doesn’t quite resonate with the London lifestyle.
“When we really listen to our bodies (and respond accordingly!) it is very hard for injuries to happen. This is what yoga is actually all about - becoming present in the moment, paying attention and treating ourselves with compassion. The word yoga means 'union' of mind, body and soul. A bossy mind, pushing a body beyond its limits, is the opposite of a true yogic approach,” continued Jones.
Someone who has actually experienced a minor injury while practicing yoga is business student Katelyn Lee, 28, who has been practicing yoga for a few years now. “I love yoga because it’s very gentle and you work out without actually feeling exhausted after. And although I have been doing it for a while, at the beginning there was an episode where I actually did the cobra and stretched my lower back too hard so that the next morning I was struggling to walk. I did go to the doctor and it was my fault for pushing too hard, but I did learn my lesson and since then I have continued to practice it and fell in love with it.”
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It seems like not underestimating the sport and learning to listen to the body are the key elements in preventing those bad injuries from happening. And it does help to look away from social media, because no one wants to break their neck while on a mission to achieve the perfect cobra pose.
@silviacerisara