I want to share a video that I just watch on YouTube on the safety of practicing yoga.

And OMG! I love this yoga teacher! He is addressing the elephant in the yoga community room and says it like it is: practicing Ashtanga yoga and Iyengar yoga to the letter can and will eventually hurt your body! In this first video, he focuses on the common issues regarding flexibility, hypermobility, and joints.

We all know teachers and committed teachers who have badly strained their body or who had to have surgery at some point. The danger is that younger yogis may think they are not affected because often, damages happen slowly and progressively till it is too late and crisis strike.

The truth is that we need more teachers sharing those truths to prevent new yoga teachers and new students to injure themselves at some point or another. Teachers in training and yoga students need to be educated about the fact that being comfortable with the uncomfortable is totally a misunderstanding of yoga when it comes to asana practice.

Although we come from a different perspective, what Anthony says in his video goes right along with what I teach to the teachers and yoga students in my free masterclass or local and online courses. Namely, always remember the yoga principle of Ahimsa: do no harm to yourself or others. And to respect that, you better know that strain is delayed pain!

What he says in this video aligns with what I write about in my book The Wise Way to Yoga where I offer a new and very practical way to prevent injury and enhance performance. This approach supports the healthy evolution of modern yoga, away from the misunderstandings and misconceptions that currently permeate modern yoga teaching.

I reached out to him as I sense we could do great work together, along with other like-minded teachers and mind/body practitioners. We all have an important piece of the puzzle and together we can do more than each on our own. This is called forward thinking. It is called a win/win scenario. And I am all for it!

My piece of this puzzle is my awareness and expertise with the postural mechanism, an unknown aspect in the mind of most yoga teachers or fitness trainer. And yet, we all agree how good posture is so critical for enjoying efficient movement on and off the mat (or gym).

Let’s yoga practice be safe once and for all by being aware of some not spoken about truths. Kudos to him for starting this video series. Will be checking the following ones!:)

Cecile Raynor has been teaching the Alexander Technique for over 25 years out of which came her Body Intelligence Activation Process™ (B.I.A. Process) to assist yogis in enhancing their practice towards best performance with optimal safety. She is also a Thai Yoga Massage Therapist and a Reiki Practitioner. Faculty at Akasha Yoga Teacher Training, she runs a 12 months Mastermind for Yoga Teachers with a Vision, and a 90 Day Live Online Program for trainees, new teachers and committed yoga practitioners interested in using their body more efficiently on and off the mat in a way not taught in regular training courses. She is also the author of a June 2018 publication called THE WISE WAY TO YOGA which is available on Amazon or from Cecile if you are local to Boston!