Health

Why Yoga Isn’t for Everyone: Find the Movement for Your Body

Health Team Health Team
Share Share Share Share Share

While deep breathing, positive thoughts, and shavasana might be pleasant and relaxing to just about everyone, certain people may be at risk of injury from the poses of vigorous yoga classes or the hyperextension of deep stretching. It all depends on knowing your unique body profile, and what kinds of movement are best for your physical build.

For certain body profiles prone to back pain or joint injury, yoga could actually exacerbate the chance of injury by putting excess strain on the spine and joints. And for those with a tendency towards hyperextension, the boundless flexibility that some yoga classes encourage may be quite detrimental if not countered by effective strengthening. So for all the focus on alignment your yoga teacher might preach, and no matter how well stacked your bones may be, your body simply may not be suited to this form of exercise.

One of the best ways to determine the exercise best for you is to go right to your body’s source—your DNA. Epigenetics is the study of the influence of the environment on the way genes are expressed, and exercise is an important environmental factor in gene expression. Each body is unique, and ideally everyone should follow a personalized fitness program that takes into account body structure and epigenetic demands.

Just as some athletes are built for speed and agility, some for delicacy and flow, and some for power and brute force, we are all built for specialized kinds of movement. The exercises that will be most effective for you are those that specifically target your individual body profile and allow your innate strengths to be expressed. Similarly, the way that your muscles recover from an intense workout and heal from strain and injury needs to be personalized in order to be effective.

So if your yoga practice is leaving you with strained, hyperextended joints and an achy back, consider exploring other forms of exercise that may be better suited for you. ph360’s powerful FITNESS dashboard can provide much-needed insight about the types of movement that will naturally strengthen and balance your body, rather than injure it. Don’t miss out on ph360’s limited time offer of a Lifetime Membership for only $97—start on the right path to fitness today.




Related Posts

Also in Health