Our Response to NYT
Last week, the New York Times posted an article entitled “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.” Not surprisingly, this article has raised some eyebrows, not just in the CCY community, but throughout the yoga world in general. Kim penned a response to set yogis’ minds at ease.
Dear Teachers and Students,
I wanted to write a response to the NYT article featuring yoga teacher Glenn Black. Although, at the end of the article he blames his stenosis on “40 years of extreme backbends and twists” I would contend, and I am sure he would agree, that during that time of grasping and achieving, he was not practicing yoga.
Having healed myself through the practice of yoga I, 47 years young, have enjoyed 25 years of consistent practice. I also enjoy a pain free life with good range of motion, good muscle tone, and a strong fit body. Although I came to the practice with partial paralysis in one leg and seven fused vertebrae, along with all the mental baggage that goes along with an 18 year old girl who would throw herself out a window; I was lucky enough to have teachers who were steeped in the tradition of non harm. Black contends that there is a culture of no pain- no gain out there in yoga and I am sure these teaching exist. On the other hand, you will not find that approach to the practice at Charm City Yoga. Although teachers use language which encourage students to explore their edge and move into sensation; compassion, friendliness and loving kindness are mantras I hear in class all the time. Many of our teachers have completed 1,000′s of hours of training and practice; their curiosity about anatomy, alignment, and energy have taken the overall message of the practice from physical accomplishment to spiritual journey.
I have had in the past and still have on occasion the desire to achieve, go deeper, and get “better” in my practice, but I also recognize the voice inside that says, it’s enough, relax, breath, soften. I think I will always have both voices, this is the sun and the moon of the practice, this is the hatha.
What I mostly got from the article was that as teachers and students we must take care to be honest in our practice, recognizing that, for example, twisting the spine generates a squeeze in the internal organs and sooths the nervous system but twisting it even further does not necessarily do more. We must do what we can to practice with love and compassion, which is what Glenn Black is implying.
Furthermore, I have questions about the article. For instance, was there an underlying disease when the practitioner’s ribs went pop pop pop? How do injuries from a yoga practice compare to injuries from other practices including martial arts, running or biking? Would those hips have been replaced, those shoulders frozen and backs hurt if the practitioners were not practicing yoga? There are 30,000 hip replacements in America each year and in 2001, there were 122,00 spinal stenosis surgeries indicating that these conditions are fairly prevalent in the population at large. I recently had a cactus thorn removed from my hand by a specialized hand surgeon. This center was extremely busy, there were mobs of people in line to have their surgery that day ….wrist, shoulder, elbow arm. It is unclear that there is greater prevalence of the conditions that Black mentions as compared to the total population. That said, the body breaks down, the body gets injured and these are opportunities for us to reflect, rest and heal.
Black prescribes precise movements to strengthen weak parts of the body. I can see his point, but this does not exclude a yoga practice as a path to wholeness. My sense is that Black is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
I do think you should be careful in your choice of teachers and styles in yoga. Some styles are extremely difficult and very goal oriented with the mastery of one posture leading to the next. Other styles offer so many variations that it can be very difficult for a student with little experience to make safe choices. On the other hand, as Richard Freeman teaches that if you sit back in the place of pleasure and safety all the time, you will never experience the fire of transformation, growth and change. It is in this space that yoga helps students learn how to explore their bodies in a way that creates deeper knowledge and understanding, entering into that delicate balance between striving for depth (which does not necessarily mean most “advanced” expression of the pose) and recognizing limitations.
In my opinion the number of injuries associated with yoga in this article were very low, although one is too many. I agree that students and teachers need to take full responsibility for creating and maintaining a safe, accepting yoga environment. But I don’t want you to be scared to move your body. I don’t want you to contract because you are afraid of injury, though that is never the goal. Life is full of experiences, some pleasant, some painful, but with the wisdom garnered by a long uninterrupted yoga practice you will be able to recognize and fully experience all of life with the eyes and heart wide open.
Sincerely,
Kim Manfredi
Thanks to Heather Hax for her support and help in responding to this article.
18 Responses to «Our Response to NYT»
Thank you for responding to this Kim. The article was written myopically; thank you for putting into perspective. God bless you and God bless Charm City Yoga!
Thank you for sharing your experience and outlook on the article.
Aaaah, what a relief to read your compassionate and thoughtful words! Your support of safety and wisdom as well as mindfulness while allowing personal exploration to go deeper is not only comforting, but inspiring. Namaste!
I began my yoga journey nine years ago after I waz diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 43. Although up to then I had considered myself immune to the toxicity of the world sinnce I excerised daily,did not engage in smoking,drinking,rec drhgs,etc. I am only too aware of how you can soak up negative energy despite your good intentions. Stop defending yourself out of fear thrown upon you by others. Don’t get tied up in defending the life enhancements that the yoga breath has granted to You! If you drive with hot coffee cups wedged between your inner thjghs you will get burned in very private places. I suggest that we all take responsibility for own fears and through compassion guided bh our teachers gtow to kmow that fear is merely ignorance. Thanks to all your dedicated teachers. Namasde.
Beginning Yoga yesterday with Micheal Bovard, he offered alternatives to head stands, but no explaination why. Afterwards discussed NYTimes artical. I like quote from Nikos Kazenzakie’s Zorba the Greek: Life is trouble, so cinch in your belt and enjoy!
Thanks Kim! The NYT article induced good discussion about practicing mindfully and safely. For that we can all be grateful. Peace,
Linda Howard
When I saw the article and the ridiculous photos accompanying it, I turned the page. The NY Times article is not about yoga. It’s hyping a provocative book trying to make money in the shadows of Eat Love Pray. Yuk, but we will welcome this visitor as Rumi teaches.
Charm City Yoga is different. Maybe it’s because many CCY yogis and yoginis are artists who studied life drawing which both demystifies how one sees one’s body and brings the focus to anatomy over beauty. Also CCY is different because Kim Manfredi came to the mat to live without pain, not get an awesome body or win accolades (even though she has both despite body limitations). A good friend and belly dancer dragged me to Kim’s studio when I couldn’t recover from a car crash a year previous. Migraines, painful neck and shoulder damage that as a lawyer I was ignoring while typing 10 hours a day. Kim’s warmth, psychic ability to guide classto address students’ pain and guidance to protect my neck and shoulders was exactly what I needed. Almost 10 years later at 49, I’m stronger, more flexible than at 20, but still careful. Kim’s admonition that your body changes from practice to practice and to approach each pose with inner knowledge still echos in my mind each practice.
CCY is now a large community with several studios across Baltimore, but still excellent and safe because CCY teacher training is based on Kim’s focus on anatomy, proper positioning, breath as a guide and her “one pose at a time” approach to yoga.
My neighbor who sees me walking every morning to Rise and Shine yoga sent this article to me. It was a little scarey so I really appreciate your response. I am sure the individuals who developed problems had underlying pathologies. I do know that every teacher I have had a CCY has addressed testing the limits but also stressed the practice of “ahimsa” – non-violence and particularly non-violence to oneself in the practice of yoga.
I have studied yoga for a decade in different cities, and have a strong practice. Often the classes at Charm City are fun, and the teachers are always enthusiastic. But after an intro month at Charm City, and giving many different teachers a try, I will not be back. Not a single teacher, even in the intro classes, asked about any injuries, and I was on the receiving end of some unpleasant and even dangerous adjustments. One teacher that I approached before class and informed that my neck was vulnerable later actually lifted me up into fish pose, a pose I cannot practice! I have found the intermediate/advanced teachers at Charm City to be reckless in their stressing of ambitious poses without offering alternatives or modifications. Inversions in particular are dangerously taught–e.g., with no attention to the risks of the pose, or to the space in which the pose is being taught, or any mention of who should not be practicing these poses…I have actually seen clocks get knocked off walls, and people tumbling out of headstand in the center of the room. Never do teachers use of blankets in shoulderstand and plough. Be careful out there!
I’ve experienced many teachers at many different studios over the years that have taught in a pressuring and rushed way that made me feel very unsafe. Being introduced to yoga like that made me pretty wary about continuing my practice, and I didn’t try again for years, but I realize now that once you find that right instructor and that safe place, THAT’S when you’re really practicing yoga, and you can take that mental foundation with you throughout each class. The friendly, encouraging, and gentle atmosphere at CCY is exactly why I’ve stuck with yoga longer than I ever have in the past. I’m still a beginner, and have a lot of strength and flexibility to gain, and of course there are poses I just can’t achieve yet, but I never feel pressured at Charm City to attempt something I’m not ready for, and I never feel awkward about that. It’s an understanding CCY makes a point of imparting and I appreciate that attitude immensely. I can confidently say I’ll never hear “no pain-no gain”, but I often hear Jill say, “appreciate that burn!” and I really do!
If someone started a class by asking what my injuries were, and I was expected to answer in front of everyone, that would make me pretty uncomfortable. I don’t want everyone to know that I have, to quote the Office: “Flesh-eating bacteria, hot dog fingers, or government created killer nano robot infections.” I think it is the responsibility of the student to make these known to the teacher in private, and I respect that the teachers respect my privacy in front of students. Just my two cents. I’ve only been to a few CCY classes, and have never gone to another studio… mostly because I know (and have read from numerous local magazines/reviews) that I’ve already found the best yoga in Baltimore.
I have been practicing yoga 47 years and it has been all good for me, leading me back to health when systems failed, and it has lived up to my expectations of what age 60 had to offer. this article was a negative tirade by a novice cynic.
This NYT article was the subject of discussion a friend’s facebook page and I was glad to have been able to dispel some thoughts on the ‘non’-safety of yoga. Oddly, this article reminds me of the large debate that surrounds running and how ‘all runners get injured’. Over the holidays, I received and had the privilege to read ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDougall. I feel similarly about yoga… our bodies are made to take poses and postures, but not when they hurt/when we do them wrong! If we just listen, our body tells us so much. Thanks for this thoughtful response, Kim!
While I appreciate Kim’s response, I think there were some truths in the NYT article. I think it would be hard for Kim and others to take a look at yoga with new eyes or how a beginner would see things since this is their life. It’s easy to differentiate “true” yoga from what most people practice if that’s your life and you’ve been doing it for years. The truth is that yoga is very much a trend that most people seek for the physical aspect. The difficulty is for newbies to figure out what the correct alignment is or what isn’t safe when they are in a class full of people and just starting out. It’s tough for them to know what questions to ask. Having myself been sucked into yoga and been injured in the process, I only now am more aware of what to do and not do in class. But I have to say that as a beginner, there was not a lot of direction during class. I had to take it upon myself to pay attention and ask lots of questions. I have seen many people with really bad alignment, especially in some of the intro classes with older people, and have been surprised that the teacher never adjusted them or gave more directions on alignment. I found it very difficult not to say anything. So while I do enjoy CCY, I also think that there are probably plenty of injuries due to yoga as well. I think it is important to realize that yoga is not a lifestyle but exercise for many people who go to yoga studios. The trick is to give them enough guidance and attention so that they don’t injure themselves.
I think the NYT article is inflammatory. The possibility of injury goes along with any exercise. This just seems so obvious.
The problem may be that people hear “everyone can do yoga” and translate that into “everyone can do advanced poses” and then try, or are encouraged to try, a pose beyond their ability. I have never been encouraged to do a pose that I am not comfortable doing at CCY, or anywhere else.
I do agree that, as westerners, competition and the drive to be the “best” are so ingrained in us that we sometimes push too hard. I admit that I have been guilty of checking out my neighbor and trying to push a little harder if I feel that they are doing the pose “better” than me. When I catch myself doing that I try to push the idea out of my mind and just pay attention to my breath, as the teachers instruct us to do.
In fact, I have been going to CCY for around a year, and we are reminded in every class that yoga is not a competition, and not to push past the edge, etc. Most of the time teachers also warn about not turning the head in shoulder stand because of possible neck injury.
I think pointing out that not everyone can or should do advanced poses is a positive thing- just because it is yoga and not marathon training doesn’t mean that you can’t get hurt. But I think the article was a bit melodramatic.
Kudos to Kim’s comments about the need to be honest and acknowledge our egos in our practices! After doing yoga at CCY for the last two and a half years, I went on hiatus to try out bikram yoga. The difference between the two schools was shocking–CCY instructors always stressed the need to respect our bodies’ limits, while every bikram instructor (I tried out 4 or 5) at the bikram place urged us to push harder, farther, longer past the point of pain and into the realm of unconsciousness. I would intentionally do poses the “wrong” way (avoiding locked knees, keeping the knee behind the ankle, etc.) just so I could be safer, and I got called out for it several times. So, absolutely, yoga can harm when you don’t heed your body’s warnings; on the other hand, learning to back off means you know your body that bit better while being mature and confident enough to say, “Okay, not today.”
As for shoulder stands, I started off doing them the wrong way (neck on ground), and it took me a while to figure out the shoulder blades should be simultaneously pushed in while the torso curled up. Discovering that lessened the discomfort greatly, and it felt like a tangible revelation in my practice!
[...] Last weekend, the New York Times published a story called “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,” which pointed out that yoga-related emergency room visits more than doubled between 2001 and 2002. From 20 to 46. Yawn. (Read Baltimore’s popular yoga studio Charm City Yoga’s rebuttal to the article here.) [...]
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