People get hurt, even doing their favorite activity. That includes yoga too, yes, I said it. There is one glaringly obvious sign that shows up when you’re a little too vigorous with your chosen physical activity.
PAIN
Duh. If there is pain, don’t do it. There are many ways that people can interpret what they consider pain. When it comes to fitness, I like to think of pain as being the signal of, “there is something wrong“.
The “something wrong” can be mean something is extremely wrong, like a muscle being torn or breaking a bone. Or it can even be the simple thought of, “Hmmm, something feels like it just ain’t right”.
Pain is not limited to those thoughts, but includes everything in between, and can be very dependent on someone’s pain threshold.
But here’s my personal bottom line. If it’s causing you pain, it’s definitely not healthy for you. Instinctively, most people know when there is something wrong with their body. They start to feel sensation in a a certain area, or maybe the area goes numb. Maybe it’s only a little twinge when you perform a certain motion or move a certain joint.
These little signs are actually signals designed to tell you to slow down, or heck, even stop. Pain is the precursor to something going more wrong than it already is. Ignoring the sign of pain is not a healthy habit, because a healthy person keeps their body safe and whole to the best of their ability.
My advice is to LISTEN to what your body is telling you. Pain doesn’t always mean progress. Sometimes pain just means, well, pain.