September 29, 2025 • 13 mins
Not all yoga injuries happen in a single moment. Many develop slowly, over time, from repeated movements or sustained positions. These are known as repetitive stress injuries, and they are some of the most common injuries students have because of their yoga practice.
In this episode, you'll hear why repetitive stress injuries are not always known to you or the student. I'll also remind you why adding variety to your sequencing matters, and how you can adapt your classes to support students without stepping outside your scope of practice.
Finally, we’ll explore how important your language is, how these injuries affect nervous system regulation, and how prop usage can help students feel safe and supported while continuing to practice in a group setting.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Monica (00:00):
From the outside.
These injuries can seem minorbecause they don't always stop
someone in their tracks.
A student may still be able topractice, but what they're
experiencing inside isdifferent.
In this episode, we'll discusswhy repetitive stress injuries
occur, what you should be on thelookout for, and how you can
(00:20):
help students who are dealingwith them.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
(00:42):
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
(01:04):
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(01:25):
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here we talk about the anatomy,the injuries, the nervous system
insights, plus all the real lifeknowledge you wish had been
included in your yoga teachertraining.
(01:48):
When we think about injuries inyoga, many people imagine
something sudden like a pulledhamstring or a twisted ankle,
but the truth is, most injuriesthat show up in your students
don't come from a singleincident.
They build slowly over timethrough repeated stress on a
joint, a muscle or attendant,these are called repetitive
(02:11):
stress injuries, and they'reincredibly common both in life
off the mat and in a student'syoga practice.
So what exactly are we talkingabout when we say repetitive
stress injuries?
These include conditions liketendinopathy, bursitis, carpal
tunnel syndrome, rotator cuffissues, And even things like
(02:34):
shin splints or stress fracturesthat emerge from cumulative
loading instead of being causedby one big moment, these
injuries happen because ofsmall, repeated movements or
sustained positions thatgradually.
Irritate tissues in yoga.
This might look like repeatedweightbearing in the wrists from
(02:56):
vinyasa, transitions, strain inthe shoulders from constant ANGs
or discomfort in the hips fromalways moving into deep external
rotation without balancing withsome strength or joint stability
work from the outside.
These injuries can seem minorbecause they don't always stop
(03:16):
someone in their tracks.
A student may still be able topractice, but what they're
experiencing on the inside isdifferent.
Repetitive stress injuries cancreate persistent discomfort,
sensitivity, or even weakness ina specific area of their bodies.
However, they often flare up inpredictable ways pain presents
(03:39):
during or after certain poses,or when a student repeats a
particular movement multipletimes.
And this can affect a student'syoga experience.
Instead of feeling safe,supported, and expansive in
their practice, they might beginassociating certain poses or
even yoga itself with pain.
(04:02):
One of the least talked aboutimpacts of repetitive stress
injuries is how they affectproprioceptive feedback.
The body has to constantlyrecalibrate when there is
irritation or inflammation inthe tissues.
For example, a student withtendinopathy in the wrist may
(04:23):
unconsciously offload weightinto their outer hand, which
alters not just their experiencein downward facing dog or plank
or any other weightbearing pose,but also the feedback loop to
their brain about how they feelabout balancing and how
supported they feel.
Their nervous system begins tosee the area as vulnerable, and
(04:48):
that heightened sense ofprotection can lead to movement,
hesitancy, guardedness, or evencompensatory patterns elsewhere
in the body.
This is why you might seesomeone with wrist pain begin to
tense their shoulders Or griptheir jaw.
Their whole system is adaptingto what their body perceives as
(05:09):
a threat.
For yoga teachers, this means weneed to look at repetitive
stress injuries, not just aslocal issues, but as whole body
experiences.
A repetitive stress injury inthe hip is not just a hip
problem.
It changes how the pelvisstabilizes, how the feet ground,
and how safe the student feels.
(05:31):
In dynamic transitions,Similarly, a repetitive strain
in the shoulder doesn't justaffect weightbearing poses.
It changes how a studentbreathes, how they carry
themselves in standing poses,and even how they emotionally
relate to their practice.
One of the challenges withrepetitive stress injuries is
(05:54):
that they're not always visible,unlike a broken bone or a major
injury that keeps someone out oftheir practice entirely.
Many students with repetitivestress injuries will continue
showing up, doing poses thatactually irritate the issue
often because they don't realizewhat's happening or they don't
(06:14):
wanna feel limited.
This means as teachers, we needto pay attention to the signs.
When you see a student avoidingcertain transitions, constantly
adjusting their wrists or theirankles, or looking uneasy and
opposed, they used to do withease.
That's often a clue.
(06:35):
Something repetitive might bebrewing under the surface.
Now let's talk about what we canactually do as teachers.
First, it's important toremember that we're not here to
diagnose or fix injuries.
That's out of our scope forsure.
But what we can do is createsupportive environments that
(06:55):
minimize repetitive stress andgive students a variety of
options.
For example, if you're teachinga Vinyasa class.
Notice how many times you'reasking students to move through
Torana.
Could you offer an alternativethat spares the wrist and
shoulders?
If you're sequencing a hipopening practice, are you just
(07:19):
including one type of hipopening, or are you taking the
hip in various different ranges,and are you offering strength
work to support the tissuesinstead of just lengthening it
time after time?
This is where variety becomesessential.
Repetitive stress injuries don'tjust come from one pose.
(07:42):
They come from the accumulationof doing the same movement again
and again without enoughvariability.
So a thoughtful teacher cancreate sequences that build
balance into the practice, notjust physically, but
proprioceptively as well.
Giving students different waysto experience loading their
(08:04):
joints and their tissues, ordifferent ways to experience
balance and movements that helptheir nervous system stay
adaptable and resilient.
Another key piece is languageyou are queuing when we only
talk about the full expressionof a pose or give alignment cues
that don't allow for individualvariation.
(08:27):
We unintentionally encouragestudents to repeat the same
exact movement pattern over andover, even if it doesn't feel
good.
Instead, invite exploration.
You could say, notice howshifting your weight slightly
changes your experience, or tryplacing your hand further
(08:50):
forward and see if your riskfeels more supported.
These variations empowerstudents to listen to their
bodies, practice variousalignments which might suit them
better, and possibly makeadjustments before stress
accumulates.
We should also remember thepsychological.
(09:11):
Of repetitive stress injuries,students may feel frustrated
because these injuries developslowly and linger for a long
time.
They might even feel like theirbody is failing them or that
they're doing something wrong intheir practice.
As yoga teachers, part of ourrole is to normalize this
(09:31):
experience and remind studentsthat injury is not a reflection
of their worth or their effort,but often a natural result of
repetitive load.
Offering compassion and supportrather than fear or blame, is
critical in helping studentsstay connected to their practice
while navigating thesechallenges.
(09:54):
It's also important to addresshow recovery strategies fit into
yoga.
Simple things like reducing loadon the affected area.
Using props creatively orshifting to a slower, more
mindful practice can make yogamore accessible to someone with
a repetitive stress injury.
Beyond the physical practiceslike pranayama and meditation
(10:18):
can be especially supportive forstudents dealing with pain
because they help regulate thenervous system, reduce stress,
and interrupt the painprotection cycle that often
prolongs repetitive stressinjuries.
Ultimately, repetitive stressinjuries remind us that the yoga
practice isn't just about Asana.
(10:41):
It's about the adaptability,awareness, and support you can
provide your students byrecognizing the signs, offering
variety, supportingproprioceptive feedback, and
acknowledging the emotionalweight of injury, we can make
yoga a safe and healing spacefor students navigating
(11:02):
repetitive stress injuries.
So the next time you plan asequence, ask yourself, am I
giving students the same patternover and over, or am I offering
enough variety to keep theirbodies resilient?
And when a student shows up witha repetitive stress injury, how
(11:22):
can I guide them towards optionsthat build confidence and ease
rather than reinforcing pain?
These questions will help yougrow as a teacher and serve your
students in ways that trulymatter.
And remember to always be askingyour students questions about
how they're feeling physicallyand psychologically.
(11:45):
You can get some great insightin these conversations.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you help your students.
If you've been enjoying theseepisodes, I know that you're a
yoga teacher who's ready toteach with more intention and
less fear around injuries.
(12:05):
Let's continue to raise the barfor how yoga supports real
bodies in real life.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment and
abilities Come to your classesand you can serve all of them.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life,
(12:27):
and it's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
Subscribe to the podcast soyou're always in the know when a
new episode drops, and share itwith another yoga teacher who
you think would love to be in onthese conversations.
And finally, thank you forhelping to spread the word
about.
This podcast.
(12:49):
Alright.
Thank you for listening.
That's it for now.
Bye.
From the outside.
These injuries can seem minorbecause they don't always stop
someone in their tracks.
A student may still be able topractice, but what they're
experiencing inside isdifferent.
In this episode, we'll discusswhy repetitive stress injuries
occur, what you should be on thelookout for, and how you can
(00:20):
help students who are dealingwith them.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
(00:42):
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
(01:04):
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(01:25):
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here we talk about the anatomy,the injuries, the nervous system
insights, plus all the real lifeknowledge you wish had been
included in your yoga teachertraining.
(01:48):
When we think about injuries inyoga, many people imagine
something sudden like a pulledhamstring or a twisted ankle,
but the truth is, most injuriesthat show up in your students
don't come from a singleincident.
They build slowly over timethrough repeated stress on a
joint, a muscle or attendant,these are called repetitive
(02:11):
stress injuries, and they'reincredibly common both in life
off the mat and in a student'syoga practice.
So what exactly are we talkingabout when we say repetitive
stress injuries?
These include conditions liketendinopathy, bursitis, carpal
tunnel syndrome, rotator cuffissues, And even things like
(02:34):
shin splints or stress fracturesthat emerge from cumulative
loading instead of being causedby one big moment, these
injuries happen because ofsmall, repeated movements or
sustained positions thatgradually.
Irritate tissues in yoga.
This might look like repeatedweightbearing in the wrists from
(02:56):
vinyasa, transitions, strain inthe shoulders from constant ANGs
or discomfort in the hips fromalways moving into deep external
rotation without balancing withsome strength or joint stability
work from the outside.
These injuries can seem minorbecause they don't always stop
(03:16):
someone in their tracks.
A student may still be able topractice, but what they're
experiencing on the inside isdifferent.
Repetitive stress injuries cancreate persistent discomfort,
sensitivity, or even weakness ina specific area of their bodies.
However, they often flare up inpredictable ways pain presents
(03:39):
during or after certain poses,or when a student repeats a
particular movement multipletimes.
And this can affect a student'syoga experience.
Instead of feeling safe,supported, and expansive in
their practice, they might beginassociating certain poses or
even yoga itself with pain.
(04:02):
One of the least talked aboutimpacts of repetitive stress
injuries is how they affectproprioceptive feedback.
The body has to constantlyrecalibrate when there is
irritation or inflammation inthe tissues.
For example, a student withtendinopathy in the wrist may
(04:23):
unconsciously offload weightinto their outer hand, which
alters not just their experiencein downward facing dog or plank
or any other weightbearing pose,but also the feedback loop to
their brain about how they feelabout balancing and how
supported they feel.
Their nervous system begins tosee the area as vulnerable, and
(04:48):
that heightened sense ofprotection can lead to movement,
hesitancy, guardedness, or evencompensatory patterns elsewhere
in the body.
This is why you might seesomeone with wrist pain begin to
tense their shoulders Or griptheir jaw.
Their whole system is adaptingto what their body perceives as
(05:09):
a threat.
For yoga teachers, this means weneed to look at repetitive
stress injuries, not just aslocal issues, but as whole body
experiences.
A repetitive stress injury inthe hip is not just a hip
problem.
It changes how the pelvisstabilizes, how the feet ground,
and how safe the student feels.
(05:31):
In dynamic transitions,Similarly, a repetitive strain
in the shoulder doesn't justaffect weightbearing poses.
It changes how a studentbreathes, how they carry
themselves in standing poses,and even how they emotionally
relate to their practice.
One of the challenges withrepetitive stress injuries is
(05:54):
that they're not always visible,unlike a broken bone or a major
injury that keeps someone out oftheir practice entirely.
Many students with repetitivestress injuries will continue
showing up, doing poses thatactually irritate the issue
often because they don't realizewhat's happening or they don't
(06:14):
wanna feel limited.
This means as teachers, we needto pay attention to the signs.
When you see a student avoidingcertain transitions, constantly
adjusting their wrists or theirankles, or looking uneasy and
opposed, they used to do withease.
That's often a clue.
(06:35):
Something repetitive might bebrewing under the surface.
Now let's talk about what we canactually do as teachers.
First, it's important toremember that we're not here to
diagnose or fix injuries.
That's out of our scope forsure.
But what we can do is createsupportive environments that
(06:55):
minimize repetitive stress andgive students a variety of
options.
For example, if you're teachinga Vinyasa class.
Notice how many times you'reasking students to move through
Torana.
Could you offer an alternativethat spares the wrist and
shoulders?
If you're sequencing a hipopening practice, are you just
(07:19):
including one type of hipopening, or are you taking the
hip in various different ranges,and are you offering strength
work to support the tissuesinstead of just lengthening it
time after time?
This is where variety becomesessential.
Repetitive stress injuries don'tjust come from one pose.
(07:42):
They come from the accumulationof doing the same movement again
and again without enoughvariability.
So a thoughtful teacher cancreate sequences that build
balance into the practice, notjust physically, but
proprioceptively as well.
Giving students different waysto experience loading their
(08:04):
joints and their tissues, ordifferent ways to experience
balance and movements that helptheir nervous system stay
adaptable and resilient.
Another key piece is languageyou are queuing when we only
talk about the full expressionof a pose or give alignment cues
that don't allow for individualvariation.
(08:27):
We unintentionally encouragestudents to repeat the same
exact movement pattern over andover, even if it doesn't feel
good.
Instead, invite exploration.
You could say, notice howshifting your weight slightly
changes your experience, or tryplacing your hand further
(08:50):
forward and see if your riskfeels more supported.
These variations empowerstudents to listen to their
bodies, practice variousalignments which might suit them
better, and possibly makeadjustments before stress
accumulates.
We should also remember thepsychological.
(09:11):
Of repetitive stress injuries,students may feel frustrated
because these injuries developslowly and linger for a long
time.
They might even feel like theirbody is failing them or that
they're doing something wrong intheir practice.
As yoga teachers, part of ourrole is to normalize this
(09:31):
experience and remind studentsthat injury is not a reflection
of their worth or their effort,but often a natural result of
repetitive load.
Offering compassion and supportrather than fear or blame, is
critical in helping studentsstay connected to their practice
while navigating thesechallenges.
(09:54):
It's also important to addresshow recovery strategies fit into
yoga.
Simple things like reducing loadon the affected area.
Using props creatively orshifting to a slower, more
mindful practice can make yogamore accessible to someone with
a repetitive stress injury.
Beyond the physical practiceslike pranayama and meditation
(10:18):
can be especially supportive forstudents dealing with pain
because they help regulate thenervous system, reduce stress,
and interrupt the painprotection cycle that often
prolongs repetitive stressinjuries.
Ultimately, repetitive stressinjuries remind us that the yoga
practice isn't just about Asana.
(10:41):
It's about the adaptability,awareness, and support you can
provide your students byrecognizing the signs, offering
variety, supportingproprioceptive feedback, and
acknowledging the emotionalweight of injury, we can make
yoga a safe and healing spacefor students navigating
(11:02):
repetitive stress injuries.
So the next time you plan asequence, ask yourself, am I
giving students the same patternover and over, or am I offering
enough variety to keep theirbodies resilient?
And when a student shows up witha repetitive stress injury, how
(11:22):
can I guide them towards optionsthat build confidence and ease
rather than reinforcing pain?
These questions will help yougrow as a teacher and serve your
students in ways that trulymatter.
And remember to always be askingyour students questions about
how they're feeling physicallyand psychologically.
(11:45):
You can get some great insightin these conversations.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you help your students.
If you've been enjoying theseepisodes, I know that you're a
yoga teacher who's ready toteach with more intention and
less fear around injuries.
(12:05):
Let's continue to raise the barfor how yoga supports real
bodies in real life.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment and
abilities Come to your classesand you can serve all of them.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life,
(12:27):
and it's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
Subscribe to the podcast soyou're always in the know when a
new episode drops, and share itwith another yoga teacher who
you think would love to be in onthese conversations.
And finally, thank you forhelping to spread the word
about.
This podcast.
(12:49):
Alright.
Thank you for listening.
That's it for now.
Bye.
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