A basic tenant of yoga is ahimsa, which means no harm. There are a lot of ways to interpret the concept of “no harm.” It could inform your desire for world peace. It could impact your choice to eat more plants. It could mean using kind language. Today, I want to focus just on what happens on your yoga mat.

The simple rule

Ahimsa is a simple rule: no harm. If it hurts, don’t do it. If you’re practicing a pose, whether for the first time or the fiftieth time, and it hurts, then that pose is at fault. You are not at fault. We adapt the pose to fit the body. We do not adapt the body to fit the pose. If the pose hurts, then you can back out, or try another variation, or ask your teacher for help, or do another pose, or take a break. Your choice. This sounds simple, right?

The Complex truth

Here’s where it gets more complex; many of us are conditioned to ignore pain. Some of us have been told our worth lies in our ability to push through the pain. Or we’ve been told that our pain doesn’t matter, or makes us weak, or is not important compared to someone else’s pain.

For me personally, when I first starting practicing yoga, I felt so much shame and discomfort just being in exercise clothes and moving my body in front of people that everything felt “bad” at first. When teachers said things like “you know your body,” I thought “well, I don’t, so that’s another thing wrong with me I guess.”

So what I’m saying here is, some of us may have trouble distinguishing pain from sensation.

It’s okay to have sensation in yoga. It’s quite normal to have a lot of it in fact! The key thing is to learn to distinguish between good sensations and bad sensations. I was lucky to have an amazing teacher make this clear to me, and I want to share this wisdom.*

Good Sensations

So what are some good sensations you might feel while practicing? Feeling stretch. Building heat. Maybe your heart rate quickens. A little quivering or shaking can be good because that usually means your deep muscle fibers are working as you build strength.

BAD Sensations

But there are also bad sensations that you want to move away from. You don’t want anything sharp. You don’t want throbbing, aching, or burning pain. If you feel tightness in your face or through, or if you are gasping for breath, then these are signals that it’s time to back off or try something else.

You’re the only one in your body. A teacher can (and should) keep an eye on your alignment and cue you to get in and out of poses safely. But every body is different, and your body is going to feel differently from day to day and sometimes even hour to hour or pose to pose. Sensations are how your body tells you “more please” or “that’s good” or “no thank you” or “ouch!” It’s up to you to learn to mind those sensations and then play with encouraging good and avoiding bad sensations.

* I also want to share credit where credit is due. A heartfelt thank you to Amber Karnes and Dianne Bondy, my Yoga For All trainers, and to Amber in particular who not only shared this concept of good and bad sensations with her students but also encouraged us to use it with our own students.