You may have seen the 5 January 2012 article in the New York Times by William J Broad (or the story on TV) about yoga teacher Glenn Black’s claim that yoga can wreck your body and that most people should NOT have a practice. He has some valid points: injuries can happen, especially if you push yourself too much, try to mimic the 20 year old athlete next to you or ignore the subtle warning signs your body sends your way.

What is missing in the current discussion is that we are smart enough to be the captain of our own ship and only we can correctly determine – through intuition and self-awareness – what is safe for ourselves and what might create injury. If something does not feel right, don’t do it; if someone seems ‘off’, don’t engage; if someplace gives you the creeps, leave.

Most of us have freedom of choice and the wisdom to know when to exercise it: don’t be a sheep blindly following the flock; be your own shepard and carve your own path, and without harm, do what is best for your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual self.

Kripalu has that wonderful five word phrase developed by Stephen Cope: Breathe Relax Feel Watch Allow. I would suggest you add Modify between Watch and Allow. At any point in your practice, always feel free to encourage yourself to MODIFY: make a pose stronger if it feels right; don’t do it at all if it feels wrong; seek the middle way if that works best for you. As I have said in my class about the CC’s, PP’s and DD’s: avoid Complacent Comfort, avoid Paralyzing Pain, and seek Desirable Discomfort.

Modification of body positions = Good; Rigidity of mind = Usually problematic.

We are all different and we should all feel free to uniquely express ourselves, be it in thought, word or action. Breathe. Relax. Feel. Watch. Modify. Allow. Be at peace and don’t make mountains out of molehills (or subluxations out of slight strains).