Dong Hua, 54, joined a yoga class last year at a newly opened fitness center in her community in Dalian, Liaoning province.
The class had about 30 to 40 students, mostly middle-aged women. The teachers encouraged them all to adopt classic asana again and again, including headstands, shoulder stands, and downward-facing dog, in which the body forms an inverted V.
One day Dong felt a sharp pain in her shoulder while doing a headstand. The pain persisted and she decided to call her daughter, Tang.
"I was shocked to hear that her teachers had asked her to copy their stances, and that her fellow students had urged each other on.
"This was utterly different from what my yoga instructors teach me, that you do the asana as much as you can, but do not do it with ego or obsession, and do not strain yourself," Tang says.
In the end, Dong stopped her yoga classes for two months until her pain went away.
Zhou Qinlu, the fitness expert, says to avoid yoga injuries, the most important thing is to listen to your own body, not the teacher.
"Yoga is good, but your yoga teacher may not necessarily be good," Zhou says. "There is no government-authorized yoga instructor assessment system in China, and for novice learners, sudden high-intensity yoga exercise without good direction will definitely invite injury.
"When your body does not feel right, there will be signals, such as muscle twitches, spasms and sharp pain. Listen to your body and stop immediately. Otherwise, you will get hurt."
At a glance
Classic yoga is a holistic traditional yogic path that includes disciplines, personal observance, breathing, body postures and meditation. It emphasizes the link between breath, body and mind, as well as the detachment of the inner world from the outer world.
Hatha yoga is traditionally the preparatory stage for higher meditation, and is based on asana and breathing techniques. Hatha yoga became popular in the second half of 20th century, but many people focus more on its physical aspects rather than the meditation.
Hot yoga refers to yoga exercises performed under hot and humid conditions. Some people believe hot yoga can replicate the heat and humidity of India where yoga originated, and the heat can help increase a yogi's flexibility and energy flow in body poses.
Prenatal yoga, much like other types of childbirth-preparation classes, is very popular nowadays. The exercise is believed to benefit both the expectant mothers and their babies. It is said to be able to encourage stretching, mental centering and focused breathing, so as to improve sleep, reduce anxiety and pain, and help with labor and delivery. But experts caution that pregnant women should take a light to moderate approach to exercise and they should always check with their doctors first.
Baby yoga is yoga for mothers and babies. Generally, baby yoga is intended for babies old enough to hold their heads up. Advocates claim that when mothers do yoga with newborns, they bond better, and the babies will experience increased physical and emotional development. Baby yoga can also help mothers keep fit. But mothers must be very careful they do not make their babies do dramatic and unnatural movements.
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