Quick take
- The most common problems come from effort, not flexibility: holding the breath, forcing range, rushing.
- A few alignment habits (locked knees, sagging lower back, collapsed shoulders) cause most of the aches people blame on yoga.
- Start small, rest on purpose and add some strength work. That covers half of this list.
None of these make you a bad student. They are what happens when you practice without a teacher watching. Read through once, pick the two that sound most like you, and keep an eye on them for a week.
Effort and breath
1. Holding your breath
What it looks like: you notice, halfway through a hold in Chair Pose or Plank, that your jaw is tight and you have not exhaled in a while. Breath-holding shows up most in strength poses and in balances.
The fix: make the breath audible for the first few rounds, a slow exhale through the nose or a soft sigh through the mouth. If you cannot keep breathing steadily, the pose is too hard right now. Back off until you can. Breathing Basics covers a simple count to use.
2. Forcing range you don't have yet
What it looks like: pulling yourself deeper into a Seated Forward Fold with your arms, bouncing at the end of a stretch, or cranking a Seated Twist by levering on your knee.
The fix: go to the first point where you feel a clear stretch, then stay there and breathe. Aim for about 5 or 6 out of 10 in intensity. Range comes from repeated, relaxed holds over weeks, and muscles that feel threatened tighten up instead. Getting More Flexible explains the slower route that works.
3. Rushing the transitions
What it looks like: you hold each pose carefully, then fling yourself into the next one. Stepping forward from Downward Dog into a Low Lunge becomes a hop, a stumble and a foot that lands halfway.
The fix: treat the move between poses as part of the practice. Take one full breath for each transition. If your foot won't reach your hands, lower your back knee first, then help the foot forward with your hand. Slow transitions are also where a lot of the strength gets built.
Alignment habits
4. Locking your knees
What it looks like: standing in Mountain Pose, Triangle or a Standing Forward Fold with the knees pushed all the way back. If you have bendy joints, your legs may even curve slightly backward.
The fix: keep a micro-bend, about the thickness of a coin, so the thigh muscles do the work instead of the joint. In forward folds, a generous knee bend is fine and usually puts the stretch where you want it, in the backs of the legs instead of behind the knee.
5. Dumping into your lower back in Cobra
What it looks like: arms straight, shoulders up by the ears, and all the bend happening in a tight crease at the waist. It often feels pinchy rather than open.
The fix: lift with your back muscles first, using your hands only lightly. A good test: hover your palms a centimeter off the floor for a breath and see how high you stay. That height is your Cobra for now. Press the tops of your feet down and draw your lower belly gently in. If it still pinches, use Sphinx, resting on your forearms, for a few weeks. Locust builds the back strength that makes Cobra comfortable.
6. Collapsing in Downward Dog
What it looks like: chest sinking toward the floor, shoulders hunched up to the ears, lower back rounded, heels straining to touch down while the knees lock.
The fix: bend your knees, a lot if needed, and push the floor away with your hands so your hips travel up and back. A long spine matters more than heels on the floor. Spread your fingers wide and turn your upper arms slightly out so the shoulders have room. If your wrists or shoulders tire quickly, hold for 3 breaths, rest in Child's Pose, and repeat. Puppy Pose is a good way to practice the shoulder part on its own.
7. Ignoring your wrists
What it looks like: sore wrists after Cat-Cow, Plank and Down Dog, with all the weight sitting in the heel of the hand.
The fix: spread your fingers and press through the knuckle at the base of your index finger and the pads of your fingers, so the load spreads across the whole hand. Stack your shoulders over your wrists in all-fours poses. Fold the front of your mat under the heels of your hands to reduce the angle, or come onto fists or forearms. Circle and flex your wrists for 30 seconds before you start. Desk workers who type all day especially need this.
How you approach practice
8. Comparing yourself to photos and videos
What it looks like: judging your pose by how closely it matches a picture, and pushing until it does. Most images online show people with years of practice, unusual natural mobility, or both, photographed at their best moment.
The fix: judge a pose by what you feel. Ask: is the stretch or effort where it should be, and can I breathe? Bones vary a lot from person to person, especially at the hips, so some shapes will never look the same on you, and that is fine. Use pictures to understand the general direction of a pose, then forget them.
9. Doing too much on day one
What it looks like: a burst of enthusiasm, a 60-minute video on the first evening, and then sore hamstrings and wrists that keep you off the mat for a week.
The fix: start with 10 to 15 minutes. Finish feeling like you could have done more. Then do it again the next day. Consistency builds results; one heroic session mostly builds soreness. Your First Week lays out a sensible ramp.
10. Only stretching, never strengthening
What it looks like: every session is forward folds, hip openers and long reclined stretches. It feels lovely, but your back still aches when you carry groceries, and some joints start feeling a little loose and unstable.
The fix: add strength twice a week. Bridge, Bird Dog, Chair Pose, Plank and Warrior Two held for 5 slow breaths each make a solid start. Flexibility without strength to control it is not much use. The Core & Strength Flow covers the basics in one session.
Routine habits
11. Skipping rest at the end
What it looks like: the last pose ends and you are up and checking your phone within seconds. Corpse Pose feels like wasted time.
The fix: lie down for at least 2 minutes, even after a 10-minute session. Let your feet fall open, let your arms rest a little away from your sides and breathe without managing it. This is when your heart rate settles and your body registers what you just did. Many people find it the part they would miss most if it were gone. See Rest & Relaxation for ways to make it easier to stay still.
12. Practicing on a full stomach
What it looks like: a session straight after dinner, then discomfort in twists, folds and anything lying on your belly.
The fix: leave about 2 to 3 hours after a big meal and 30 to 60 minutes after a light snack. If the only free slot is right after eating, choose gentle poses: Legs Up the Wall, an easy seated stretch, some slow breathing. Save twists, Boat Pose and belly-down backbends for later.
A bonus one: practicing in the wrong space
A slippery mat on a rug, a coffee table within kicking range or a room that is freezing all make poses harder than they need to be. Clear about 2 meters by 1 meter of floor, put the mat on a hard surface and keep a blanket nearby for the end. What You Need covers the short list of things worth having.