asana alignment

Emilia
Mar 12, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Apr 29, 2020

Do you know if you're in proper alignment while you're practicing?

Do you know if you might be putting yourself in positions that might harm your body over time?

I want to start off by saying that everybody can practice yoga and see benefits, but that yoga practice must honour the ways that that particular body wants to move (and doesn't want to move!). So a few rules of thumb for keeping your body safe while you practice yoga before I s:

studio practice

If you're practicing in a studio, find a teacher who takes the time to explain modifications, provides lots of different options for the more difficult poses, and generally sounds like they know what they're talking about. Receiving hands-on assists or individual verbal instructions can be useful as a student, too, but as a teacher, especially in a big class, this can be really difficult to do.

Your teacher should be giving injury-prevention cues as well. For example, putting pressure on the knee joint (e.g., in tree pose, in forward fold, etc.) and rounding the lower back (e.g., in down dog, in forward fold) should always be avoided, as these movements, repeated over time, can cause injuries.

And PS - if you're not sure you're going to do the poses properly, I know the inclination is to slink to the back corner of the room so nobody's paying attention to you. Please don't do this. It makes it so much harder for your teacher to give you the feedback and extra individual attention that you might need. Yoga is a steep learning curve and you might feel a bit overwhelmed and confused during your first few classes, but I promise you that if you stick it out, 3-4 classes in you will have learned the main poses and you'll be able to follow along just fine. If you aren't comfortable with the idea of attending a class when you don't know what you're doing, I recommend starting at home by following along with a beginner yoga flow on YouTube to learn the basics. This is definitely a better idea than trying to hide in a back corner. Build a bit of confidence and then situate yourself squarely in the middle of your first studio class.

If you have any injuries, you should let your teacher know ahead of time. That way, they can provide you with the modifications you need throughout the class. Teachers should address common problems as they go through the class, anyway. For example, I always flag any poses that might be hard on your lower back, neck, and knees, so that if my students experience any regular problems in these areas, they can avoid these poses (and I provide alternatives, which is super important, especially when you have new students in the class who don't know how to self-modify yet). If you're attending a class with a teacher who is missing some of these components, it might be worth having a conversation with them about what you're looking for in terms of your physical safety.

home practice

I recommend practicing in front of a mirror if possible, so you can check in with your alignment if you're unsure. Even if you don't have a space where you can practice in front of a mirror regularly, it might be worth practicing some of the most common yoga poses (I've included a whole bunch of pictures at the end of this post) in front of a mirror or in front of your phone's video camera to make sure that you're in proper alignment. Sometimes it helps to adjust yourself into proper alignment when you can see yourself, so you know how that alignment feels.

If none of this is possible, don't be afraid to move your hands around and get a feel for where your body is in space. For example, place a hand in the middle of your lower back in a forward fold or halfway lift - is it straight, or does it feel curved? Can you straighten it and confirm that movement with your hand? All of these practices can help you get into proper alignment without any external person giving you feedback.

safety in your practice, no matter where you practice

As a rule of thumb, it's always a good idea to keep your shoulders rolled back, your core engaged, and your lower back as straight as possible. You can always always always bend your knees in any pose at any time if your calf and hamstring muscles are tight and preventing you from getting other parts of your body, like your back, into proper alignment. Core stability and spine alignment are first priority, as your back is probably what you're most likely to injure with improper form.

And of course, if you are ever doing something that doesn't feel right or causes you pain, slowly come out of that pose and avoid it for the foreseeable future. You can ask your teacher to check your alignment - maybe that's the cause of your discomfort, or maybe your body just doesn't like the pose. Either is completely acceptable. Child's pose, or any other pose you're comfortable with, is a good alternative to any pose that doesn't feel like it's helpful to your body.

Below are a few pictures to show you the proper alignment (and the contrast of improper alignment) in some of the most common yoga poses, and how you can modify them to suit your body and maintain your safety.

downward dog

upward dog

baby cobra

*******this is different than upward dog!!!! the difference is that your arms are straight in up dog and bent in cobra, and your hips are lifted in up dog and grounded in cobra********