For Yoga teachers and practitioners, it is easy to get caught up in the challenge of a pose. You tense your muscles and stretch your limbs to achieve the perfect expression, demonstrated by a teacher, a video, an image, or simply enacted in your mind. However, in striving for perfection in your poses, you can often lose sight of what is much more important in Yoga practice, whatever your perceived level: asana alignment.
The asanas, positions or poses in Hatha Yoga can be practiced at many levels, from easy to difficult. Making sure your asana is in alignment means paying attention to not only the shape your body is trying to make, but also what muscles and leverage you’re using to get there. In Downward Facing Dog, for example, the general shape of the pose is a triangle, with one line formed by the torso and arms, and the other line formed by the legs, facing the ground. However, the value of the pose comes from the alignment of the limbs and muscles, with the feet, hips, shoulders, and hands in the same line, and the same support coming from the upper and lower body.
Alignment is crucial to a beneficial Hatha Yoga practice for several reasons. First, and perhaps most importantly, proper alignment is essential to avoid injury during practice. If your shoulders, hips, knees, or neck are out of line with the rest of the pose, you’re much more likely to strain or twist, no matter how experienced you are. Especially as asanas increase in difficulty for the more athletic yoga practitioner, proper alignment becomes even more important. For those who “already know what they’re doing,” the ego can push them further than they should safely be.
Also, proper alignment in a yoga posture helps you get the most out of your practice. Your body can take shortcuts in the way you approach certain poses, even when you’re consciously doing your best. In Warrior I, for example, make sure your shoulders are in line with your hips as you reach for the sky, engaging your lower and upper back muscles. This commitment not only makes your posture more stable in the moment, but also strengthens more muscles with the same amount of practice. In turn, this will speed up your physical results and produce a more toned physique. All yoga practitioners, from the most experienced teacher to the most novice beginner, can benefit from focusing on alignment.
© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
