Creative ways to adapt your yoga practice if you're injured
Updated: Feb 22
Many moons ago, before I became a physical therapist assistant, I had wrist and elbow tendonitis that lasted about 4 months - some days it was an excruciating 10/10 pain. During the worst of my pain, I felt like I was never going to be able to practice yoga again - I'm a little dramatic, I know ;) Luckily, after 12 visits of physical therapy, I developed more strength in my shoulders and my wrist/elbow pain slowly subsided. I will never forget the sadness I felt after realizing I was unable to practice yoga asana the same way I was used to practicing. Luckily, I had some amazing yoga teachers show me ways to modify my practice. I could do vinyasa flows with a yoga chair, instead of placing my hands all the way to the floor. I would also use yoga blocks to decrease the pressure in my wrists in certain poses. I was amazed that I could still experience the benefits and sensations of a yoga practice and not flare up my wrist pain. This injury, and learning to modify my practice, reminded me of an internal struggle I’ve always had… letting go of perfection. Perfection does NOT exist. There's no perfect yoga pose, perfect way to breathe, perfect way to meditate. Learning how to adapt my practice was revolutionary and helped me work on that challenging inner-critic. I found new ways to move and experience yoga and that alone was groundbreaking. Looking back on that experience, it redirected my career and inspired me to start a business helping others navigate their yoga practice while dealing with injuries. Life sure has a jarring way of teaching you lessons. There’s nothing quite as defeating as not being able to do the thing that you love doing. But luckily, there is always a way to modify, adapt, and rise to the challenge. No matter our level of injury, we can always access a variety of yoga practices - from conscious movement to deep inner-listening. We just have to find the right way for us and get a little support in the process. Here are 4 ways to adapt your yoga practice to your unique and amazing self!
Check out my video on 6 different ways to modify downward facing dog.
Develop a better understanding of body mechanics - learn about your anatomy and the way your body likes to move. Check out DoctorYogi's Anatomy Courses on Instagram until I create my own ;)
Get creative and inspired! Think of different ways to do a pose. Try the pose lying down, sitting, or standing.
Attend my free workshop on how to adapt your yoga practice if you are dealing with an injury Friday, February 24 at 10am on Instagram Live. Email me personally with any questions you might have!
Rooting for you as always,
Caroline