Yoga Journal Colorado Conference Day 3 Part I

On day 3 I attended lectures on the Hip Joint by Judith Hanson Lasater, and The 4 Stages of Healing by T.K.V. Desikachar. On this blog we'll cover the session on the Hip Joint.

Hip Joint: The goal of this workshop was to look at ways in which common yoga practice puts stress on the hip joint and try to "unlearn" the mistakes typically taught in classes. The main reason being that hip replacement surgery has grown tremendously, including amongst yoga teachers. It is therefore our duty, as well educated teachers, to ensure we minimize stress and create greater stability in this key joint. The best way to keep the hip joint healthy is to ensure that you include postures that help move the joint in various directions, but never force a position - NO PUSHING!!! As Judith highlighted during the workshop, "the hip joint is a very individual joint. It varies by gender and culture." Due to this fact, it is important to know that a student may never do the "classical" pose because of the "structure" of their hip joint. If I may just go back to the principal of viniyoga, we should never have the "goal" of necessarily doing the "classical" posture as we always must prioritize the needs and limitations of the individual above all things.

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