Benefits vs Risks
- Michelle Rae Sobi
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Finding the balance in your yoga practice
🧘 BENEFITS & CONTRAINDICATIONS OF YOGA — KNOWLEDGE BASE MODULE
Grounded in the Benefits & Contraindications section on page 103 of the Edge Handbook 2026.
🌿 Overview
The Benefits & Contraindications page appears in the handbook as a safety-awareness anchor for teachers. It sits in the section describing posture families and how to create balanced, safe, and accessible classes. This module summarizes what teachers must keep in mind when preparing sequences and supporting students.
🌱 BENEFITS OF YOGA
1. Energizing & Circulatory Support
Yoga can help energize the body and improve circulation, especially when a practice includes a balance of forward bends, backbends, twists, side bends, and inversions.
2. Balanced Movement Across Planes
The handbook notes that each posture family contributes to a complete practice. A class that blends flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral movement offers the most balanced physical benefit.
3. Body Awareness & Breath Connection
Although covered in other parts of your manual, this page reinforces that yoga supports mindful awareness and helps students connect movement with breath — foundational to safe teaching and self-regulation.
⚠️ CONTRAINDICATIONS OF YOGA
Your handbook emphasizes safety before depth. Teachers are encouraged to observe, respond, and adapt with care.
1. Inversions Require Special Consideration
The handbook explicitly cautions:
Do not hold inversions too long.
Avoid inversions for students with high blood pressure or vertigo.
If a student experiences dizziness or discomfort, guide them out slowly and calmly.
2. Balance Each Class
Too much of one category (e.g., excessive twisting or repeated backbends) may lead to strain. Classes should be structured with all posture families represented when possible.
3. Individual Conditions Vary
Students may need varied expressions due to:
joint sensitivity
spinal concerns
mobility limitations
energy fluctuations
nervous-system needs
Teachers should provide options without drawing attention to individual limitations.
🧩 HOW TO USE THIS IN CLASS DESIGN
When building your sequences:
Start with awareness of who is in the room.
Choose postures from multiple families to support balance.
Use modifications as standard teaching tools, not exceptions.
Offer variations proactively rather than reactively.
Prioritize safety, clarity, and nervous-system regulation.
This aligns directly with the Edge teaching model: simple, safe, trauma-informed, accessible.
🪴 STUDENT PRACTICE EXERCISE
Choose one posture family:
Forward bends
Backbends
Twists
Side bends
Inversions
Then complete:
One benefit of that posture family
One contraindication based on your handbook
One modification that supports safety
Upload the three answers to Slack with a screenshot or typed reflection.
Students enrolled in our program may send a Slack DM to Michelle or those interested in enrolling are invited to send a CHAT to begin a conversation.
