Everyone that practices yoga will tell you that the poses relieve stress, ease pain, and improve flexibility, but no one seems to warn Novice Yogis that yoga sometimes hurts. Occasionally in class, we'll stumble upon a pose that forces me to move my body in ways my body has never moved.
The Downward Facing Dog pose is one good example. In this pose, my quadriceps and calf muscles are being stretched long and thin so that the backs of my heels may touch the ground. At first, when we tried this pose in class, this stretching caused some pain. It still does in fact. However, I have noticed that the more I practice stretching my heels all the way to the floor, the less the pose hurts when I perform it next.
Yoga Practice in class is often difficult and occasionally painful, but I've found that the positive effects of the practice are more prevalent after a difficult session with the class.
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