Precision & Performance
Can yoga help with injury prevention?
By Tiffany Bergin, C-IAYT · CIYT · Wisdom Library
For athletes, we use yoga to balance both the body and the mind. Certain sports develop specific areas of the body and leave other areas weaker or underserved. Yoga works on the mobility, balance, and stability of the main portions of the body utilized in the sport — while also bringing attention to areas that have become stiff or rigid.
Yoga can absolutely help with injury prevention because we work with stabilizing the muscles. In the Iyengar tradition, we wrap the muscle to the bone to protect the joints. The way that we work is 100% a preventative practice — a practice of balance, building strength as well as flexibility.
Wrapping the muscle to the bone
There is a common misconception that yoga is primarily about stretching — that the goal is simply to become more flexible. For an athlete, flexibility without strength is a liability. A joint that is highly mobile but poorly supported by the surrounding musculature is highly vulnerable to injury under the dynamic loads of sport.
The Iyengar method approaches the body differently. We teach the practitioner how to engage the musculature deliberately to support the skeletal structure. This is what we mean when we say "wrap the muscle to the bone." In a standing pose, for example, the quadriceps do not just contract; they lift and grip the femur, creating a sheath of stability around the knee joint. This active engagement protects the joint while the surrounding tissues are lengthened.
The balance of strength and flexibility
Athletic injuries often occur at the extremes of an athlete's range of motion, where the body lacks the strength to control the joint. By building strength at the end-ranges of motion, therapeutic yoga ensures that the athlete's mobility is usable and safe.
"The way that we work is 100% a preventative practice. It's a practice of balance — strength as well as flexibility."
— Tiffany Bergin
This balance of strength and flexibility is the foundation of injury prevention. It ensures that the forces generated during athletic performance are distributed evenly across the musculoskeletal system, rather than concentrating on a single vulnerable joint or tendon.
Frequently asked questions
How does yoga prevent injuries in athletes?
Yoga prevents injuries by stabilizing the muscles that support the joints. In the Iyengar tradition, we teach how to wrap the muscle to the bone to protect the joints during movement. It is a practice of balance — building strength alongside flexibility, so that the body has both the range of motion to move efficiently and the stability to control that motion.
Is yoga just about flexibility?
No — flexibility without strength is a liability, especially for athletes. The Iyengar method is equally a practice of strength. We build the muscular stability required to support the skeleton in alignment, which is the foundation of injury prevention.
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Tiffany Bergin
C-IAYT · CIYT · Iyengar Yoga Teacher · Functional Nutrition & Lifestyle Educator
Tiffany is a certified yoga therapist and Iyengar yoga teacher based in Minnesota. She works with athletes, equestrians, and performers to build structural stability and prevent injuries — bringing together therapeutic yoga and functional nutrition into individualized care. Learn more →