when I jump through, should my arms be straight or bent?

This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.

The Question

I've gotten conflicting instructions about whether my arms should be straight or bent during jump-throughs. My first teachers had me keep a micro-bend in my elbows because of my carrying angle, but later teachers insisted I straighten them completely. My straight-arm jump-throughs looked beautiful, but I lost the bent-elbow strength I used to have. Which is correct?

— from a MJH note

Our Response

Neither is universally correct. Your carrying angle—the natural angle your forearm makes with your upper arm—determines what “straight” actually means for your elbow.

If you have a significant carrying angle and you force your arms into what looks straight, you’re likely hyperextending or collapsing the joint to achieve a visual standard. That trades functional strength for aesthetic compliance. The micro-bend your first teachers taught wasn’t weakness—it was structural intelligence.

Straight-arm jump-throughs photograph well. They also require almost no muscular engagement if you’re just hanging on locked joints. Bent-elbow transitions demand continuous control through the whole range of motion. That’s the strength that makes you safe when you miss, slip, or need to bail.

A good teacher names the intervention when they give it. “I’m having you straighten your arms because X” or “Keep the micro-bend because your carrying angle means Y.” Without that explanation, you just collect conflicting corrections and no ability to adapt for yourself.

The real question isn’t straight or bent. It’s whether you can control your weight through your shoulders and arms across the full range—and whether your teacher is adjusting you toward an aesthetic or toward your actual structure.