How to Manage Pain During or After Yoga

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Pain can be common during or after yoga practice. Let’s examine whether or not it is safe—and what you can do about any pain or injuries resulting from your practice.

Yoga pain is any type of pain that is experienced during or after a yoga practice. It can range from mild muscle soreness to severe pain that prevents you from continuing your practice.

A study by Bekhradi et al. (2018) found that the overall injury incidence is 1.18 per 1,000 yoga hours. Another study by Cramer et al. (2019) found that one in five adult yoga practitioners had at least one acute adverse effect from their yoga practice and that one in ten had at least one chronic adverse effect. This certainly seems alarming, but the context should also be considered. Their findings claim that “based on the overall injury rate per 1000 practice hours, yoga appears to be as safe or safer when compared to other exercise types.”

Those practicing power yoga had the highest reported adverse effect rate and “seem to be mainly associated with hand-, shoulder- and head stands; and with yoga self-study without supervision…. Self-study is an important part of yoga practice, and is often promoted in clinical trials to increase the total practice frequency. However, there is also a plethora of self-practice DVDs and videos, or online courses available for those who want to learn and practice yoga by themselves. Physically demanding yoga postures and motion sequences may require surveillance by experienced instructors to ensure correct execution. Self-practicing individuals may execute postures incorrectly, or push themselves too hard to follow the instructors, thus increasing the risk for injuries.” (Cramer et al. 2019)

There are a number of reasons why you might get hurt doing yoga. Some of the most common causes include

  • Overexertion. Yoga is a physically demanding activity and it relies on you listening to your body. If you try to do too much, you risk injuring yourself.

  • Incorrect alignment. It is important to practice yoga with proper alignment in order to avoid injury. As the Cramer et al. study shows, self-study leads to more incidence of injury. If you are not sure how to do a pose correctly, ask a qualified yoga instructor for help.

  • Lack of flexibility or strength. If you are not very flexible or strong (reasons to practice yoga), you may be more likely to injure yourself doing yoga by pushing your muscles or joints too far. It is important to warm up properly before practicing and to avoid poses that put too much stress on your joints.

  • Pre-existing medical conditions. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, such as arthritis or osteoporosis, talk to your doctor before starting yoga. They can advise you on which poses to avoid and perhaps guide you to exercises and yoga teachers who can help. Tell your instructor about the conditions you may have, so they can help you modify the poses to best fit your needs.

Here are some tips to help you avoid injury while doing yoga:

  • Start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your practice.

  • Listen to your body, and either stop practicing or reduce the intensity or range of motion if you feel any pain.

  • Learn and use proper alignment in all poses.

  • Warm up properly before practicing.

  • If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, talk to your doctor before starting yoga and let your yoga instructor know.

  • Avoid poses that aren’t appropriate for you.

  • Self-study is an important component of yoga, but having more in-person guidance from a qualified instructor can help you reduce your chance of injury.

If you do experience an injury while doing yoga, here are some tips to help you recover:

  • Rest and good sleep will allow your body and muscles to heal.

  • Ice the affected area for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day to reduce inflammation and pain.

  • Gentle stretches and massage can also help reduce muscle tension, improve circulation, and reduce pain.

  • Avoid activities that could aggravate the injury.

  • If pain persists, see a doctor or physical therapist to get help with your recovery.

It is important to note that everyone is different and some people may be more prone to soreness after yoga than others. If you are new to yoga, talk to your doctor first and start slowly, gradually increasing the intensity and duration of your practice. It is also important to listen to your body and stop practicing if you feel any pain.

The problem with discussing yoga-induced pain is that many people come to yoga with pain and medical conditions. It is hard to separate pre-existing conditions, health and fitness level, age, style of yoga, teacher’s familiarity with your conditions, and your desire to try something new. As with any exercise regime, your muscles can fatigue, you can overexert yourself, you can aggravate a condition you didn’t know you had, or you can just make a mistake and move in the wrong way. The point of yoga is not pushing yourself into certain body positions (though there can be strengthening and stretching benefits to poses), the goal is for you to become aware of your body and where it is at that moment. So even if you do push too far one day, you can learn and respect your limits the next.