THE DANGERS OF YOGA

Ruptured disks, broken ribs--new story sheds light on yoga's dark side.

Yoga's meteoric rise in popularity means that, inevitably, some people would start abusing its benefits. In a new profile by the New York Times, writer William J. Broad covers the dirty side of yoga, beyond all the "ohms" and new-age health benefits. Broad speaks to Glenn Black, a dedicated yogi with over forty years of teaching experience. Despite his commitment to the discipline, an incident in 2007 where his back gave way while he was using yoga to rehabilitate a ruptured disk in his spine, caused him to reassess his beliefs.

THREE PLANE EXERCISES THAT WILL PREVENT INJURY

Avoid injuries and strains by fine tuning the three most common ranges of body movement.

injuries are a painful nuisance for any type of athlete that can put you out of commission from the gym or your sport—sometimes permanently. Aside from basic preventative measures such as warming up properly and stretching after a workout, training the body for all-around muscular balance and stability is an effective safeguard. We asked Naudi Agular, personal trainer and owner ofFunctional Patterns to help us identify ways to ensure you're training is balanced and as injury-proof as possible. Agular strongly recommends focusing on the three main planes of motion you use in your training: the transverse plane, the frontal plane and the sagittal plane.