Yoga tends to be seen as safe by default, but you can get hurt on the mat too, usually by rushing or trying to match a picture. A few simple rules remove most of the risk. Below is the app's text with general principles and a list of conditions that call for a doctor's advice.
After it, we go through how to read the contraindications on the pose pages and where extra caution is needed.
Yoga is safe when you practice with respect for your body. Here are a few rules that matter more than any advanced technique.
General principles:
— There should be no pain. A sense of stretching, working muscles, or the mild discomfort of a new position is fine. Sharp, shooting, or stabbing pain is a signal to come out of the pose right away.
— Your breath is the gauge. If it becomes ragged or you catch yourself holding it, the effort is too much: choose an easier variation of the pose.
— Warming up is a must. Deep backbends, twists, and inversions are only for a warmed-up body.
— Knees and neck need special care. Your knee always points the same way as your toes. In inversions, don't turn your head.
— Come out of poses as slowly as you went into them.
When you shouldn't practice or need to see a doctor first: a flare-up of any chronic condition, recent surgery or injury, uncontrolled hypertension, heart disease, herniated spinal discs in the acute phase, glaucoma or retinal detachment (for inversions and forward folds), pregnancy (a specialized practice is needed).
Each pose and pranayama card in the app lists its contraindications. Review them, especially for poses that are new to you. The app does not replace a doctor: if you have any doubts about whether practice is compatible with your health, consult a specialist.
How to Read Contraindications
Every pose, pranayama and shatkarma on this site has a block of contraindications taken from the app. They come in two kinds. Some mean you should skip the pose: with a neck injury, for example, you don't do Shoulder Stand.
Others tell you how to adjust the technique: with a wrist injury, Plank Pose moves onto your forearms; if you get dizzy, Tree Pose is done next to a wall; with a lumbar disc herniation, you bend your knees in Standing Forward Fold.
Where Extra Caution Is Needed
- Inversions. Shoulder Stand, Plow Pose and Headstand share one list: pregnancy, menstruation, neck injuries, glaucoma and high blood pressure. Headstand should be learned only with a teacher.
- Deep backbends: Camel Pose, Bow Pose and Wheel Pose. Wheel is never done without a warm-up.
- Pranayamas with breath holds, and the more forceful techniques. In box breathing the holds are removed if you're expecting a baby or have high blood pressure, and kapalabhati carries one of the longest lists of contraindications.
How to Start If You Have Limitations
If your doctor has cleared you to practice, begin with beginner-level sequences. First Practice and Healthy Back skip inversions and deep backbends altogether. Add new poses one at a time and read their contraindications before the session, not after it.
A doctor can assess a specific list of named poses far more easily than the general word "yoga," so bring such a list to your appointment. If numbness, tingling or sharp pain appears during a pose, come out of it right away, even if the timer is still running.
Questions
Can I do yoga with a herniated disc? In the acute phase, the app puts disc herniations among the conditions where a doctor comes first. Outside a flare-up, that call is also your doctor's. Herniations appear in the contraindications of 41 poses in the app, including backbends, twists, forward folds and ab work. Decide together with your doctor which of these suit you and in what version.
Can a beginner practice hatha yoga at home? Yes. In the app, 76 of the 182 poses are beginner level, and most beginner sequences run 10 to 15 minutes. Keep two guidelines in mind: there should be no sharp pain, and your breath should stay even. The First Practice sequence is a convenient starting point.
Is yoga safe during pregnancy? The app has no dedicated pregnancy sequence, and pregnancy is listed among the contraindications of 48 poses. Practice during this time should be planned with a prenatal yoga specialist and with your doctor's approval.
Hatha Yoga