How To Have Conversations With Students About Injuries (EP.414)

One of the questions that creates the anxiety for yoga teachers is what to do when a student tells you they're injured.

Maybe you've asked before class:

"Does anyone have any injuries?"

If you have, you're definitely not alone.

The challenge is that when someone raises their hand, you suddenly have just a few seconds to understand what's going on and decide what to tell them—all while the rest of the class is waiting.

That's a lot of pressure.

In this week's podcast episode, I share a different approach.

First, I walk through some of the most common injuries you're likely to hear about so those terms start to feel more familiar.

Then I show you how to shift the conversation away from trying to diagnose an injury and toward something that's much more useful as a yoga teacher:

"How does your injury affect your movement?"

That simple question changes the conversation. Instead of feeling like you have to know everything about injuries, you can focus on what you do know—movement.

As you listen, notice if there are terms that sound unfamiliar or concepts that make you realize, "I never really learned this."