A recent New York Times Magazine article rocked the yoga world by
reporting that, despite its popularity, yoga may be too high-risk for
most people. When instructors get overly persistent and extreme poses
are held for too long, yoga can cause a wide range of skeletal and
muscular injuries, like nerve damage or torn cartilage.
Now that an estimated 20 million Americans practice yoga, many
critics are pointing to training programs that prematurely graduate
their instructors without proper training in injury prevention. Such
instructors could easily teach students proper technique, but often fail
to recognize when their students' bodies have gone too far.
So exactly how risky is the practice of yoga? And how can one prevent
injuries and determine their own physical limits when doing yoga?
Dr. Sandra Doman -- of the Miami Sports Chiropractic & Yoga Center (drdoman.com)
-- has answers. A chiropractic physician, she has worked with a variety
of professional athletes, including over 100 NFL players. Her
progressive approach to rehabilitation and patient care led her to
develop "Dr. Doman's Guide to Working with Injuries", an education
certification program for yoga teachers. She is also an adjunct
instructor of Anatomy & Physiology for the Yoga Alliance, the
largest yoga teacher certification body in the world. "As a chiropractor
and yoga teacher, I specialize not only in treating spine pain but also
in teaching yoga teachers about how to work with people who have
injuries," says Dr. Doman. "It's my attempt at bridging the gap between
yoga and medicine."
-- How common are yoga injuries
-- What are the benefits of yoga when it is properly practiced
-- How can those who practice yoga recognize their own physical limits
-- Why it's important for yoga instructors to be trained in injury prevention
-- How to treat common yoga injuries and ailments
Dr. Sandra Doman is currently President of the Dade County
Chiropractic Society, founder of Miami Sports Chiropractic & Yoga
Center, and is a adjunct faculty member at both the Yoga Alliance and
the National University of Health Sciences. She has a Doctor of
Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic and a B.S. in
marketing from Lehigh University.
Will Bower
will@allenmediastrategies.com
