Yoga instructor Roger Cole has reportedly said that if you don't "force" things, you're going to prevent 99 percent of yoga injuries." I agree completely. To date, after 4 decades of yoga practice, I have yet to suffer an yoga-related injury. I follow the rules that "no pain is all gain" and that "slow and steady" is essential. As Dr. Timothy McCall says in his book, Yoga as Medicine, "Build up what you do over time and be patient."
Dr. McCall also explains that "due to anatomical variations, yoga poses readily done by some people are simply impossible for others..." and that "Some people unnecessarily torture themselves over the inability to perform certain asanas without realizing that it's something inherent in their body proportions or shape." Great! Now I don't have to feel inferior because I can't do some of the challenging yoga poses that 92-year young Porchon Lynch can do with ease!
The key to success and an injury-free yoga practice is always to tune yourself into your body. At first, you may find this challenging and not feel competent in interpreting your body's signals. With consistent yoga practice over time, however, you'll find yourself better able to innately know what your body can and cannot handle. A good tip that Dr. McCall includes in his book is that you should pay special attention to your transitions entering and exiting postures to avoid injury. This is where I notice that at least on many youtube videos I have watched, many instructors seem to move rather quickly (too quickly, in my opinion) into and out of poses.
Two days ago, I slept late and a total of over 10 hours in one night - a rare treat for me. Except the major disadvantage is that after having slept so long, I awakened a bit stiff. In addition to that, I felt some pain in my right knee as I eased into the half-lotus pose. I had no idea why. My knee felt slightly bruised but more importantly, I felt considerable discomfort when I tried to enter the half-lotus. So - that day, I backed off and refrained from sitting into the half-lotus. At the same time, I extended the hold for other poses (for example the child pose) that made my right knee feel good. Two days later and all the knee pain is gone. So the lesson here is simple - you can enjoy an injury-free yoga practice if you don't "try too hard."
Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach