How to Practice Yoga Safely After Injury or Health Setbacks
September 3, 2025
Try as you might to avoid them, injuries and health setbacks are part of life. As you start on your path to recovery, you’ll likely need to make time for medical treatment and perhaps also physical therapy. Returning to your yoga practice may seem a little daunting at first, but done right, your time on the mat can significantly contribute toward making you better and restoring your physical health and emotional well-being.
How Yoga Contributes to Your Recovery
It’s easy to think of injuries and illnesses as only affecting you physically. But if you look more closely, you’ll realise that both affect your mental well-being just as much. Injuries may take you away from your friends and your normal activities, leaving you feeling lonely and isolated.
Illnesses, especially more serious or prolonged conditions, can leave you feeling vulnerable even after you’ve physically recovered. Integrating your yoga practice into your path to recovery can help you progress both physically and mentally. If you restart yoga for recovery slowly and mindfully, your practice will support your journey back to health by improving circulation and reducing stress. Over time, yoga will help you gradually restore your strength, increase your flexibility, and build confidence on and off the mat.
Safe and Gentle Yoga Practices for Recovery
The key to using yoga for recovery successfully is to move slowly and mindfully. Focus on restorative poses and listen to your body’s signals to see if you might be pushing too hard. Recovery takes time, and while yoga can help you progress more smoothly, it’s important not to overdo it.
Resist the temptation to tackle complex poses and take your practice back to the basics instead with these asanas: find a comfortable position and start with a few minutes of deep belly breathing to calm your nervous system and arrive physically and mentally on your mat.
Slide your mat and your body toward the wall and put your legs up against the wall. Rest your legs there to promote relaxation and improve circulation. From here, use a yoga block or similar prop under your sacrum to move into a supported bridge pose. This pose will help open your chest and front body without unnecessary strain. If you’re feeling insecure, start with the shorter side of the block and allow your body to regain flexibility gradually.
A seated version of the cat-cow pose is a great way to warm up your spine or reintroduce some movement, especially if your activities have been limited for some time. Asanas like reclining bound angle pose help open your hips slowly and gently. Remember to use props to support your knees until your flexibility returns.
As you practice, stay focused on your breath and stay within your comfort zone, at least initially.
Tips to Ease Back Into Your Practice
Returning to your yoga practice is not about picking up where you left off. It’s more about rediscovering a side of yoga that supports your recovery by introducing safe and gentle movement. Here are some our instructors’ tips to help you shift your mindset and establish habits to support your return to health:
First of all, ask your doctor or physical therapist for clearance before returning to yoga. Start with two or three short weekly sessions of ten to 20 minutes each or consider joining a restorative yoga class at one of our Uptown Yoga studios. Our experienced instructors can also help you return to your practice through private yoga classes.
When you’re practicing at home, use yoga props like blankets, bolsters, straps, and blocks to support your movements. If you’re starting to feel strain, pain, or fatigue, take a break or choose an easier variation of a pose. Follow the principle that anything that doesn’t feel right isn’t right for your body at this moment.
Consistency will allow you to progress faster and more sustainably than intensity as you return to your practice. Celebrate your progress, even if it feels small and slow!
Breathing and Mindfulness for Healing
Even if you’ve never practiced breathwork before, consider integrating some simple exercises into your recovery and mindfulness practice.
Box breathing can help improve your focus and regulate your nervous system. Count to three or four – whichever feels more comfortable – as you breathe in, then do the same as you hold your inbreath, breathe out to the same count and hold at the bottom of a breath cycle. Allow yourself a few cycles to find your rhythm and practice for a few minutes.
Alternate nostril breathing, where you block one nostril while inhaling and exhaling from the other, helps balance your energy and reduces anxiety. This is a great way to start your practice sessions, even if you’re a little nervous about restarting your practice.
When you’re injured or ill, it’s not uncommon for your body to feel like it’s not the body you used to know. Mindfulness practices like a body scan meditation can help you reestablish the connection between your mind and your body and increase your awareness of how your body feels in the present moment.
Both mindfulness practices and breathwork are excellent tools to help you restore your emotional balance during challenging times while they support your physical recovery and keep your stress levels low.
Final Thoughts
Practicing yoga after an injury or an illness is not only possible. Your practice can support your recovery by restoring mental and physical balance as you start to gain strength, rebuild flexibility, and rediscover your body’s capabilities. Focus on gentle, restorative forms of yoga like Yin Yoga and don’t hesitate to talk to our instructors for guidance and inspiration. We’d love to be part of your journey back to health and well-being, no matter what stage of recovery you’re at. Check out our selection of restorative classes or contact us today for a private yoga session.
