EDS and Yoga
Hypermobile folks tend to gravitate towards yoga class for a reason- they are amazing at getting into the postures (asanas)! When a hypermobile person stretches, bends, and twists, their joints are happy to go a whole lot further than their muscles, which can often mean that practicing physical yoga seems quite “easy.” EDS and hypermobile practitioners may easily reach the full expression of an asana (think Standing Bow Pose), while the teacher is lauding their beautiful, bendy body. However, what the teacher may not understand is the uncontrolled practice of a hypermobile person may cause them excessive pain once off the mat.
As a physical therapist at New Moon Physiotherapy and a Yoga Teacher, I am often told by Ehlers-Danlos or hypermobile patients that their physician, physical therapist or someone from a well meaning chat-group has told them to “stop doing yoga.” While I agree that hypermobile persons have to pay a lot more attention to their bodies in yoga class to ensure they are not putting too much strain on their ligaments and joints, I disagree with the suggestion that yoga should be eliminated from anyone’s life.
As you may know, with EDS and with hypermobility, you become less aware of where your body is in space. If you live with hypermobility, you are at higher risk of moving your joints to the extreme end ranges, where stabilizing muscles can no longer provide support. Reaching these end ranges can cause you to hang from the ligaments surrounding your joint. Ligaments are not designed to support weight, and sometimes the result is inflammation, tear, or rupture. This is not to say that you shouldn’t do yoga, you just need to have the correct strategies.
One issue I find with hypermobile yogis is more mental than physical, and that is Ego. In these modern, social media-driven times, posting that photo of yourself in a difficult to attain posture is awarded with thousands of views and “likes” and “follows.” What if we put Ego aside? With the hypermobile yogi, the mantra should be “just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.”
I recently evaluated a hypermobile EDS patient who stopped going to yoga class because of the pain she felt afterwards. I had her run through several postures, the first of which was Triangle (Trikonasana). We practiced this posture in front of a mirror. Even though she could easily touch her fingertips to the floor, it was clear to see this was because she was sinking down into her hips without any muscle engagement, and locking out her straightened knee. We placed a block on its highest setting underneath her fingertips and cued her to engage her hip muscles. Immediately she stated the posture became more difficult to maintain. She was no longer using the laxity in her joints to obtain her final expression of the posture. Perhaps not as much of an Instragram sensation, but performing the posture correctly allowed her body to perform a pose that previously caused pain, and with this, she was able to breathe and center herself in the posture.
It’s human nature to do the activities that make you feel skillful. The tendency for hypermobile people to be attracted to yoga is natural because it is inherently rewarding to feel competent, especially when so many other activities in life cause pain. With careful attention to your mechanics, and finding the proper class which focuses less on stretching and more on strengthening, you can experience all of the amazing benefits of yoga, without the unwanted stress on your body.
At New Moon Physiotherapy, I strive to bring movement into patient’s lives, not take movement away. Helping EDS patients discover joyful movement is one of the best parts of my day.
Come see me at New Moon Physiotherapy to start on your Yoga journey today. I can also be found at Bethesda Physiocare, a Jan Dommerholt company, which is a recognized as a National Center of Excellence by the Ehlers-Danlos Society.
