General Alignment Principles

Prioritize Safety, Breath Awareness, & the Spine

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The heart of this lesson is about building poses from the foundation or from the core, and presumes you are prioritizing safety and the breath at all times.

Also of fundamental concern is the positioning of the spine in the sequence of poses, in each pose, and in each transition.

• See Anatomy of the Spine for extensive information on spinal curves, common issues, using asana to restore and maintain natural curves and teaching considerations.
• Have a plan for moving the spine in all directions with safe sequencing, including neutralizing and counterposes as needed. See Choosing & Arranging Poses for more information.

THE POSITION OF THE SPINE

I believe that there is often not enough “why” in yoga classes, which is being compensated for and overshadowed by “how.” The consequence of this approach is that many students have memorized where each body part should go in each individual pose… but have very little understanding of why we do the pose in the first place. That is why we have great fascination with forms of poses at the expense of function. In my tradition… we start by understanding what the pose is meant to accomplish and then based on that, guide the student into the form of the posture… When we describe a pose, we always start by identifying the position of the spine, since the position of the spine gives us immediate clues about what the pose is meant to accomplish. – Olga Kabel 

ALIGN VERTICALLY

Whether you’re sitting or standing, your spine has natural curves that should be maintained… Maintaining just the right curves is only part of the equation, however; to function efficiently, your skeletal structure also needs to be aligned vertically. That means when you’re standing, your ears should be over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips, and your hips over your knees and ankles. When any body part falls out of that vertical line, the adjacent support muscles will feel the strain… Muscles don’t lengthen or strengthen overnight. As you stretch out the tight areas and strengthen the weak ones, your body will gradually find its way to a more balanced alignment… The goal here isn’t to achieve perfection; it’s simply to find the healthiest alignment—one that makes you feel simultaneously strong and at ease—given your body structure. – Julie Gudmestad

Resources

• Alignment Cueing: The Spine
• Anatomy of The Spine
• Anatomy of the Spine: Spinal Movements
• Sequencing Fundamentals
• Sequencing: Choosing & Arranging Poses

Begin with the Purpose & Foundation

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First bring to mind the purpose of the pose. This will make it clear which elements are the priority and which are add-ons that you might vary for different effects and needs. In Leslie Kaminoff’s 2-minute video here, he explores not only building a pose from the foundation up, but how this relates to determining the heart of the pose — the key aspects that define the pose. For example, he proposes that it’s the positioning of the legs that defines Utthita Trikonasna (Triangle Pose) in contrast to other aspects of the pose such as arm position.

In this alignment principle, when “building” a pose, we begin with the foundation — the part of the body in contact with the earth.

• The foundation may be the feet in standing poses, the hands in inversions, the buttocks and pelvis in a seated twist, etc.
• This principle advises that proper set-up of a pose relies first-and-foremost on a proper foundation.
• The next step is aligning and “stacking” bones to take advantage of gravity. This leads to an optimum positioning where no or little muscular effort is required.

ALIGN WITH GRAVITY

Yoga postures approach effortlessness when we align the long axis of the bones with the direction of gravity. This decreases the muscular force needed to maintain our postures. For example, in Uttanasana, the force of gravity aligns with the long axis of the femur and tibia bones. Similarly, in Siddhasana, the force of gravity aligns with the long axis of the spine. Use muscular force to bring the bones into a position where they carry the load. Once these positions are attained, muscular force is no longer necessary (or is greatly decreased). – Ray Long