Yoga Therapy Training 

 A to Z Yoga Therapy Precautions As Eye-catching Illustrated Cards


Your yoga class will have students with all sorts of pains, conditions, infections, problems and ailments. No matter how long you’ve been teaching yoga, it’s always a good idea to brush up on your yoga therapy precautions.

An A4 Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet, with the 30 precautions that you can see below, comes as a bonus within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.

You can get the full set of these 30 artistic yoga therapy precaution cards as a bonus within my Yoga Therapy Lesson Plan Bundle. They are unbranded (my website URL has been taken out) and come in A4, A5, and A6 sizes. You can download the 30 cards as JPGs, PNGs, or a PDF. You can easily edit the cards if you want to. 

Arthritis

Stiff, non-inflamed joints benefit from yoga.
Hot, inflamed joints need rest.
Do not put weight on the joints if there is any pain.

Arthritis Yoga Therapy

Back Pain (Lumbago)

Take care with all back movements.

Back pain lumbago yoga therapy

Chest Pain

Emphasise exhalation.
Breathing exercises may be beneficial if there is no stress involved.
Take care with strong chest openers (e.g. Bridge Pose).

Chest Pain Yoga Therapy

Cold & Flu

No Yoga!

cold and flu yoga therapy

Contraceptive Coil

No abdominal lift (don’t suck your abdominal wall in and up).

Contraceptive Coil Yoga Therapy

Depression

Take care with some visualisations.
Focus on open-hearted postures such as Bridge, Cobra, and Upward Facing Dog.

Depression Yoga Therapy

Ear Infection

Don’t have your head lower than your heart in any Yoga asana
(e.g. Standing Forward Bend).

Ear Infection Yoga Therapy

Epilepsy

No inversions.
Take care with balance poses.
Take care with breathing exercises.
Take care with candle gazing.

Yoga Therapy Epilepsy

Eyes (detached retina, glaucoma)

No asanas with the head lower than the heart.

Eyes Glaucoma Yoga Therapy

Hearing Problems

Take care with balance postures.
Ask students with poor hearing to put their mats closer to you.

Hearing Problems Yoga Therapy

Heart Problems

No inversions.
No breath retention.
Take care with strong backbends with arms overhead. 

Heart Problems Yoga Therapy Precautions

Hiatus Hernia

No inversions (e.g Shoulderstand).
No abdominal lifts (don’t suck your abdominal wall in and up). 

Take care with strong backbends.
Take care with forward folds.
Take care with twists.

Hiatus Hernia Yoga Therapy Precautions

High Blood Pressure

No inversions (e.g standing forward bend).
Take care with deep backbends.
No breath retention.

High Blood Pressure Yoga Therapy Precautions

Hyper Flexibility

Take care with flexing too much.
Strengthening asanas are beneficial.

Hyper Flexibility Yoga Therapy Precautions

Hyperactive Thyroid

Take care with strong head-back poses (e.g. Camel and Cobra Pose).
Take care with Shoulderstand pose.

Hyperactive Thyroid Yoga Therapy Precautions

Knee Pain

Take care with kneeling (use padding).
Take care with Lunges.

Knee Pain Yoga Therapy Precautions

ME

Take care with overexertion.

ME Yoga Therapy Precautions

Menstruation

No inversions.
No abdominal lifts.

Menstruation Yoga Therapy Precautions.

Migraine

Take care with candle gazing.

Migraine Yoga Therapy Precautions

Neck Pain

No Shoulderstand pose, Plough pose or deep backbends.

Neck Pain Yoga Therapy Precautions

Osteoporosis

Take care with putting too much weight on your wrists.
Yoga poses are usually beneficial for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Yoga Therapy Precautions.

Panic Attacks

Take care with breathing exercises.
Take care with visualisations.

Panic Attacks Yoga Therapy Precautions

Post Operation

Yoga should not be practised for up to 6 months for some operations.

Post Operation Yoga Therapy Precautions

Pregnancy

No yoga until after 16 weeks.
No inversion or postures involving abdominal strain.
No lying on the abdomen when the bump shows.
No lying on the back for relaxation. 

Pregnancy Yoga Therapy Precautions

Prolapsed Disc & Sciatica

Take care with forward and side bends.
Take care with shoulder stands.
Benefit from backbends.

Prolapsed Disc Sciatica Yoga Therapy

Sacroiliac Issues

Take care with asymmetrical backends
(e.g. Splits. King Pigeon pose).

Sacroiliac Issues Yoga Therapy Precautions

Sinus Infections

No head-down positions.
Take care with breathing exercises. 

Sinus Problems Yoga Therapy Precautions

Stomach Ulcers

No strong stretches or contractions.

Stomach Ulcers Yoga Therapy Precautions

Varicose Veins

No sitting for extended periods on heels (e.g. Hero pose).

Varicose Veins Yoga Therapy Precautions

Vertigo

Take care with balance and backbend postures.

Vertigo Yoga Therapy Precautions

You can get the full set of these 30 artistic yoga therapy precaution cards as a bonus within my Yoga Therapy Lesson Plan Bundle. They are unbranded (my website URL has been taken out) and come in A4, A5, and A6 sizes. Download. Print. Enjoy. 


How To Use The Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet


Option 1
Observing Students


Before arriving at your class, open up your Yoga Teacher Folder and look through your student’s Yoga Questionnaire Forms and take a look at the Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet to double-check the asanas the student(s) are advised to avoid.

An A4 Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet, Yoga Student Questionnaire Template, and Yoga Teacher Folder Insert Template come as a bonus within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.

OK, time for an example…

An hour before your class starts, you pick up your trusty Yoga Teacher Folder and flick through the Yoga Questionnaire Forms until you get to Jane Higgenbottom and see she has arthritis in both wrists.

You then flick to your trusty A4-sized Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet and read this:

Stiff, non-inflamed joints benefit from yoga. Hot, inflamed joints need rest. Do not put weight on the joints if there is any pain.”

When you’re walking around your class observing students and you see Jane Higgenbottom struggling with Downward Facing Dog, you remember that she has arthritis in her wrists.

So, you walk up to Jane and say something like:

“Jane, try this instead”.

And you show her how to perform Dolphin Pose which will take the pressure off her wrists.

My ‘Yoga Teacher Folder’ Includes The following Forms

  • Yoga Questionnaire Forms
  • Student Attendance Forms
  • Student Feedback Forms
  • Yoga Student Waiver Forms
  • Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet

All those forms and sheets are available as pre-filled templates within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.


Option 2
Print & Give To Students


Unless you teach bionic humans from Planet Bingabongbong, your class will be chock full of students with all sorts of pains, conditions, infections, problems and ailments.

Print out the “Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet” which I’ve put onto one A4 document for you (available within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit) and hand them out to all your students.

Students love receiving class handouts!

If you like the idea of giving your students eye-catching, professional-looking yoga class handouts, there are 201 of them within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.


Option 3
Study Your Students Every Few Months


Every month or two, it’s good practice to open up your Yoga Teacher Folder to flick through the Yoga Questionnaire Forms with your Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet close by. When you come across a student with an ailment, look at the cheat sheet and hit the mental pause button.

Now visualize that student (e.g. Jane Higgenbottom) in your class and see yourself going up to that student and saying something like:

Are your wrists hot and inflamed or just stiff?”

The more you use visualization (see, feel, touch and smell what is going on), the longer you’ll remember the information.

Allow the kid within you to come out and play when doing this visualization exercise. If you do this visualization for all your students something amazing will happen — more of your students will become lifelong students (it’s the best kind of yoga class marketing).

Why?

Well, because you took the time to know the ailments of each student and gave helpful advice before, during and after class.

YOGA PLANNER