I have been reading and watching videos lately on the body's biomechanics. If I am remembering correctly, I think that Katy Bowman said something to the effect that "there are no unhealthy movements." (I will have to see if I can find the exact quote.) For me that is a freeing thought.....until I come to my hamstring tear.
Of course, that tear at the origin of my hamstring took many years to perfect. Only when my Yoga teacher, Judith H. Lasater, pointed it out and taught me how to not hurt myself (while in Prasarita Padottanasana) at workshop in Dallas, did I start to feel pain. When I backed off, used my muscles more instead of hanging on my connective tissues, did the pain and healing begin. Luckily, the workshop was "Moving from the Organs" which taught me how to keep that particular injury safe in forward folds. Not only did I learn that I am hypermobile in my joints but that I need to do the poses 50 % less.
What was really fascinating about discovering an injury I caused and then doing less because of the injury, was that the mind is constantly goading me on. I know I can do more and yet I must back off. I love, love, love the cooling effect of forward folds (I am Pitta/Vata dosha) and I am naturally good at them. Actually, too good. So my Pitta mind gets angry, even if it is just internal dialogue, and I become frustrated. Maybe if I wasn't a teacher, I might have just given up. Or maybe not. What I did do was slow down and back off. I listened to my teacher's advice and then incorporated it into my practice.
I feel like one of the luckier ones. Although I do have injuries due to my hypermobility (and most are not because of Yoga asana), I am healing. I have learned enough to then pass on this knowledge to my students.
So what Katy said may have been correct in a body that isn't hypermobile. I would love to think that all movement is healthy. We all know that we need to move more and sit less. I think the next step within the Yoga asana community at large is to address the idea of asana injuries and being proactive in keeping students and teachers safe in and out of the classroom.
Namaste`
