Does yoga really 'wreck your body'?

It does, according to a New York Times report. Are millions of yoga junkies doing themselves more harm than good?

Your limbering yoga routine may be more risky than you thought, according The New York Times, which suggests many Americans should ditch their yoga practice.
(Image credit: Luca Tettoni/Corbis)

Uh-Om. A report on the dangers of yoga in The New York Times magazine is causing quite a stir. In the article, William J. Broad examines how people in both the medical and yoga communities believe that a number of common yoga poses are "inherently risky." These days, Broad writes, "urbanites who sit in chairs all day walk into a studio a couple of times a week and strain to twist themselves into ever-more-difficult postures despite their lack of flexibility and other physical problems." The result, he says, is that yoga can actually "wreck your body," causing a number of painful ailments, from hip degeneration to stroke. Really?

Sadly, yes: The "vast majority of people" shouldn't practice yoga, veteran yoga teacher Glenn Black tells The New York Times. "Yoga is for people in good physical condition." It's not for the general public. Many ordinary folks have physical weaknesses or other problems that put them at great risk of injury. And it's hard for a teacher to handle a yoga class filled with all sorts of people with all sort of problems — especially when too many instructors and schools focus on pushing people to dangerous limits.

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