I twist my body, contort it in a shape that easily looks like I am going to snap a body part, breathe noisily and grunt softy. I think I got it.. They call it a ‘pigeon pose’ but nothing birdlike about the way I look. They say it opens the hip but nothing about cracking one’s knees. Here’s my not-so-fun adventure with the highly marketed, aptly relevant exercise regime of today: “Yoga”.

Until two years ago, I used to perceive yoga as a boring exercise, often confusing it with meditation. I always associated it as an exercise for people with patience. I mean how else would you be able to sit quietly focusing on your breath as you twist and turn your body amidst a spa’s background music. With time, I learned (read & heard) that it has umpteen benefits and helps in building strength and flexibility. Not sure, how many of you all are aware but the day you cross 30, your body is no more the body you thought it would be. The bones and muscles decide to degenerate (even your body realizes, “girl your good years are over”) and it demands a strong conscious effort from your end to make sure it doesn’t worsen. Hence, the lookout for exercises to make sure it doesn’t worsen. This is just to stop the worsening; if you want to build muscles and get a better bod, there’s a whole other bunch of routines for that (we’ll talk about it another time). So, it turns out, yoga is one of the best exercises to get your rusty joints worked up and be flexible like a gymnast (aspiration, much?). 

I slowly incorporated yoga into my not-so-regular workout regimen. I did not go for classes instead let multiple apps guide me through simple yoga routines. Poses looked challenging and I went with it. Well, of course, I was not silly to go for the intermediate or expert ones but turns out, the beginner itself was damaging in a silent way. I experienced all sorts of pain in different parts of my body and assumed that it’s normal to feel that way when you start a new form of workout. I even thought the pain might have been caused due to some other activity. I continued practising one to two times a week. With time, I developed a right wrist pain which I ignored and within a span of a few months it radiated up my hand and developed into a tennis elbow. Soon the left elbow started showing weakness. My lower back gave some hiccups in between and assumed that it’s because I was adopting a right sitting posture as opposed to my previous incorrect ones (I love how I research my pain). I again continued and suffered through the pain. I then started developing knee pain when I completely folded my legs and sat on the floor or folded it backwards and sat on my heels. Here’s why I was a numb-nut and why I should have stopped. I’ve had a ligament injury on one knee and a cartilage injury on the other (occurred in the  last 6 years). I had recovered from it (or so I believed) but in fact some exercises were still prohibited for my knee condition. You see, I didn’t know this until I ruined it. In no time, on a fine day, all of a sudden, the ligament-injured knee decided to not take it anymore. I developed extreme pain and I couldn’t walk. My flashbacks of my old injury resurfaced so did the trouble. That was the day, I finally called it quits.

However, I was still not convinced that yoga brought me down a path of pain. I still assumed my injuries might have been associated with other activities because never have i heard of anyone complaining because of yoga. With a bit of search,I finally found articles talking about injuries related to yoga! I was overjoyed to know that I was not alone and even more happy to know that I was not a weakling. I read about all the different forms of pain and damages caused due to this workout for many. It could be due to wrong form, posture, your body’s anatomy, strength or previous injuries. Reasons are plenty and yes,they were real. I even heard of cases where a person attained spinal injury that led to a paralysis due to incorrect yoga.

Before I start sounding like an anti-yoga advocate, I want to clarify that exercise in any form, it could be age-old or modern, if done incorrectly can lead to severe injuries. The reason I chose yoga is because it looks like a harmless exercise but is not and with the way it is heavily advertised by every fourth-person I have met and almost every ‘woke’ person on social media, I just wanted to put out a cautionary certificate. When I researched, I realized how people spoke less about yoga injuries as opposed to other workout injuries.

You must assess your body for its weaknesses before starting any form of workout. Never, ever go by what others suggest. What works for one may be disastrous for another. Your body is a humble abode that has its own tolerance levels. Understand it and treat it accordingly. Don’t ignore any red flags because of your predefined mistaken conceptions. In my case, all my past injuries were related to activities that were performed without proper preparation (ignoring my limits). I regret them but it has helped me understand my capabilities and strength. I don’t blindly follow workout videos or regimens suggested through umpteen lifestyle and wellness articles rather follow what’s comfortable and safe for my body. It may not lead to jaw-dropping results but it’s not bad. So, after a lower back screw-up, two elbows, a wrist and a knee disaster, I have finally bid adieu to yoga and I can happily admit that I and my body don’t miss it one bit!

** This blog is purely an author’s perspective of her experience with yoga.**