“Everyone makes mistakes..and yogis are no exception!” says the February issue of “Fit Yoga” magazine. An article by Susi Aldous Hately then proceeds to relate the eight ways yoga students injure themselves during yoga workouts. Number one: Failing to relax. Number two: Not thinking about the spine. Number three: Not connecting movement between the spine and the largest joints.

Here’s my A-number-one reason why people occasionally get hurt doing yoga. It’s called NOT HAVING A YOGA TEACHER WHO CORRECTS YOUR FORM. That’s the chief failure of yoga teachers, and this semi-silly article neglects to report it. Stop blaming the victim, please!

Many teachers look gorgeous, can chant until big tears stream down your cheeks, or demonstrate handstands that will make you say, “oh, if only I could….” But their job, dear reader, first and foremost, is to demonstrate each pose and then walk around the room, gently laying hands on students to make subtle corrections, and also demonstrate the sometimes tiny differences between right and wrong alignment. This is their holy work! It’s the most important part of their job!