Ahimsa, an important tenet of yoga philosophy, means the avoidance of violence. This includes violence towards others and violence towards oneself as well. The best way to protect your self while practicing yoga is to practice ahimsa. I am often asked the question "What is good pain vs bad pain". In my opinion the word pain=violence. Therefore, I teach my students that pain is not what we are striving for and if something hurts modify the posture or lose it!

Anyone can work on a pose if it...