admin Ever been in a yoga class with an instructor whose cues left you feeling more confused about what to do with your body? You are not alone.
The jargon used in yoga can be confusing, but when decoded, it can be very helpful. You can avoid injuries by mentally analyzing and visualizing your body’s alignment before you start a pose.
In this article, we’ll go over some common phrases and cues for yoga alignment that you may not have heard before. !”.
Hip-Width apart
When an instructor says that you should have a certain part of your body hip-width apart, they mean the distance between your two femurs. Put your hands at your hips and use your fingers to feel for the two large hip bones that should protrude from your pelvis. They can be pointing directly forward or a bit out to one side, depending on your type of pelvis (yes, they are different types! ).
Your instructor will often refer to these two large bones as the hips. To achieve this, you should place your heels directly under the two large hip bones.
Square Your Hips
Your instructor is again referring to the two large hipbones that you can feel in your hands. They are square if they are on the same plane both horizontally as well as vertically.
You don’t want to have one hip higher or lower than the other, either in front or behind. This can be visualized by looking at the front edge of your mat. It is a straight line. Are your hips parallel to the top of your mat? Are they the same height? Your hips must be square.
Staple your spine
It is helpful to think about stacking as a way to align your spine. Imagine stacking vertebrae from the tailbone all the way to the base of your head, using a small space between them as a cushion.
Your spine will not be straight after this process, as it has a natural curve that should be maintained. However, stacking helps to keep your back flat in the poses you need and engages your core.
Spiral your inner thighs.
You’re not the only one who was confused by this. Imagine your thighs are two large cylinders attached at the top to your hip joints. Turn your thighs inward, starting at the hip joint.
Imagine the cylinders rotating towards one another. This should make you feel as if your inner thighs are being pulled back and away from one another. This cue may seem odd, but it will alter your posture when you are standing in poses like Downward-Facing Dog. You’ll feel more supported and engaged through your lower back and pelvis.
Rotate your shoulder joints.
The same principle as before, but with a different joint. Imagine your biceps are the cylinders, this time, to engage your shoulders in poses like Downward Dog. Rotate your biceps inward towards your body.
As you rotate your upper arms, the inside creases on your elbows will also turn inward and face each other. This will affect your entire shoulder joint and help you to pull your top shoulders down and away from your ear.
This will also help you to flatten your back and lengthen it, which is important when your arms are raised above your head.
You can tilt your pelvis.
This is the one cue that I find most helpful for feeling comfortable when doing poses that require the flexibility of the hamstrings or lower back.
Imagine your tailbone sitting between the two hip bones. It should be a bit further away. You can now visualize the triangle formed by your pelvis. You can use this if you are in Staff Pose.
Imagine your entire pelvis tilting towards the front, decreasing the angle of your belly to your legs. This allows you to access many more poses by tilting your pelvis in the same direction.
Engage Your Core
Many people puff out their abdomen when engaging the core. But to employ it properly, you should feel like you are pulling your belly button toward your spine.
Imagine pulling your abdominal muscles taut to flatten your stomach. You’ll also need to engage your spine in order to engage your core fully.
In Plank Pose, for example, you should focus on pulling your belly button toward your spine and flattening and straightening your lower back. This will use the entire abdominal band that surrounds your lower belly, back and abdomen.
These tips should help you understand your instructor better, avoid injury, and make the most of your practice.
