To clarify the ambiguity of a teaching technique for a common yoga posture, a group of yogis will sometimes employ the good ol’ democratic vote.

Hands up if you’ve been taught to squeeze your glutes in backbends. Count ‘em up. Hands up if you’ve been taught to let ‘em hang. Count again. Turns out yoga teachers are split down the middle on this issue.

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

The reason we can’t find common ground is not because there isn’t a clear answer (there pretty much is), but because our individual hindquarter habits and our individual interpretations of the English language differ. Big time. Let’s start where we can all agree: anatomy.

The glutes are made up of three muscles, four if you count the tensor fasciae latae (TFL), and, like silverware, each of these muscles works towards a similar goal but functions slightly differently. The main function of gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and the TFL is management – both of stability and movement – of the relationship between the femur and the pelvis.

• Glute max extends and externally rotates the leg.
• Glute med abducts and can both internally and externally rotate the leg.
• Glute min and TFL abduct and internally rotate the leg.

Hopefully, by reading those functions, the main thing you got was that not all glutes were created to do the same job. So, squeezing them or not squeezing them all at the same time might not even be an option.

A Gluteal Experiment

Now, let’s experiment and see what your very own group of glutes can do. All you’ll need is a thick book (think phone book) and a free hand (yours). Place the book flat on the floor. Step aboard with your right foot and level your hips. This means your left foot should be hovering a phone book’s distance away from the floor. Place your left hand on your left guteal region. It’s there so you can palpate and feel what’s happening under the skin.

Moving the leg to the side, back, and front

First, take the left leg directly out to the side so it is about two feet away from the right leg. If you move your hand slightly to the outer portion of the hip, you’ll feel glute med, glute min, and TFL helping you out. Notice what the tissue feels like as you hold the leg here.

Now, notice what glute max feels like by sliding your hand back to the rear side of your rear end. In this movement, glute max is probably not doing much. This makes sense as glute max isn’t really in the business of abduction.

Next, allow the leg to return to neutral and take the left leg back behind you a foot or so. Now you’ll feel the action of glute max and partial action of glute med. You might also notice that your leg turned out just slightly. Recall that glute max can externally rotate the hip a bit, and this is important when considering our original question.

“The glutes are made up of three muscles, four if you count the tensor fasciae latae (TFL), and, like silverware, each of these muscles works towards a similar goal but functions slightly differently.”

Lastly, take the leg about a foot in front of you, still feeling glute max with your hand. Suddenly it is like Jell-O! With the leg out front, externally rotate the leg by turning the knee and toes to the left. Feel the glute. There’s not much action here in glute max, but if you press more you’ll feel the deep external rotators are active.

Now we have all the pieces of the puzzle and the glute med, glute min, and TFL on your right leg are probably pretty sore from stabilizing your pelvis while you stood on one leg. So, you might want to run this whole experiment again on the other side.

The Butt and the Backbend

Now, how does this relate to back bends? Well, in most backbends the hip extends, and glute max is needed for this action. Because glute max can create slight external rotation, its action often gets lumped in with the deeper group of external rotators, including the piriformis. When these deep rotators are engaged during backbends, lumbar lordosis and instability increase, the knees bow out, and the anterior hip socket becomes more vulnerable.

Yogis know this, so they focus on lighting up the inner thighs to keep the external rotators from creating this turnout. The trick is that this can be done without completely quieting the glutes, which are needed to both aid in pelvic stability and to counter an anterior tilt created by tight hip flexors.

But some of us are naturally more externally rotated. This rotation may be structural or, as is often the case in yogis and dancers, may be a matter of habit. As a habit, constant turnout of the leg encourages the use of the deep external rotators, which, as I mentioned, can be the bane of backbends. So teachers who are shaped like this or who have this experience tell us all to power down our entire backsides leaving us literally hanging.

And our language – what does squeeze mean? If your response to the cue squeeze the glutes is to try to pinch a penny between them, then you’ll find the external rotators kick in in addition to glute max. As you saw on the block, engagement can be more nuanced than squeezing this way.

How to Fix Your Glutes

If your glutes are going through an identity crisis now, don’t worry, but do experiment. Try out backbend poses that have the femurs nearly parallel to the floor. For example: cobra, locust, or bridge pose. Take that block or book from before and put it between your thighs. This way your adductors will tone and the external rotators won’t monopolize.

Then experiment with pressing down more through your foundation as opposed to arbitrarily squeezing anything. Make sure you don’t turn the knees and toes out. See what happens. My guess is your glutes will be right there to help you, toned but not gripping. If you really want to see what they can do, consider lifting one foot off the ground in either pose (block still somewhat in place) and watch the glutes go. That ought to fire ‘em up.

In the future, save the squeezing for fresh fruit and full sponges, but when you do backbends be sure to engage your backside.

The post The Butt of a Backbend: A Lesson in Gluteal Anatomy appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

One way to start looking at why the outcomes are different is to look at how the activities are different. Yoga is different than most exercise programs in a number of ways: intensity, breath, heart rate, relaxation, and more. But the one I want to focus on is inversion.

Get Upside Down

How much time have you spent upside down today? Unless you have an inversion table or are a fan of silks or gymnastics, the answer is probably close to zero. The body is not used to being upside down. In fact, it has very smartly built in some righting reflexes that help us to maintain an upright position when we find ourselves turned around.

“I firmly believe that being upside down or just being not quite right-side-up has a ton of benefit.”

Outside of my yoga practice, the only time I find myself upside down is when I look for my cat under the bed or tie my shoes. But inside my yoga practice is a whole other matter, fraught with lots of irregular situations with gravity.

The Risks of Inverting

Let’s address the elephant before we put our heads down and legs up. Going upside down can be very risky and it doesn’t have to be. When I say inversion, think about forward bends, downward dog, legs up the wall, and so on. Let’s leave head- and shoulderstand out in the cold for a bit and talk about the good stuff without the bad.

That said, let’s also make a pact now and get on the same foot. Promise me that if your face feels full, tight, and swollen when you’re upside down, you’ll stop. Deal? Deal.

I’m not trying to scare you. Quite the contrary, I firmly believe that being upside down or just being not quite right-side-up has a ton of benefit. But somehow this benefit has become all (full headstand) or nothing (child’s pose), which is the scary part. Truth is that almost everyone can reap the rewards of inversion with minimal risk. Let’s take a look at five things you stand to gain.

1. A Heartbreak

Not the ouchy kind but a literal staycation for your heart. Don’t take my word for it – try it. Stand up for a few minutes and then take your pulse for fifteen seconds using a timer. Then sit for a while and do the same. Then repeat this lying down and lastly lying down with your legs propped. Notice anything?

“Promise me that if your face feels full, tight, and swollen when you’re upside down, you’ll stop. Deal? Deal.”

When you are on your back your heart doesn’t have to work so hard against gravity to get blood to the brain. When you have your feet elevated, gravity is assisting the return of blood flow to the heart; therefore, it gets to beat slower. This is why kicking your feet up is a great way to slow down. Even people with high blood pressure can do this on the couch or with their head propped up.

2. Aids Venous Return

The pressure generated by the pumping of the heart and squeezing of the arteries is largely responsible for pushing blood through the veins and back to the heart. The veins have valves, kind of like double doors, that prevent back-flow.

“Allowing the legs to be less upright allows the blood to flow out of the veins without risk of back-flow or obstruction. This is especially important for people who stand all day.”

However, as we age and spend more time standing or cutting off flow (my memaw always told us not to swing our legs and sit on the pickup tailgate) we damage these doors. Allowing the legs to be less upright allows the blood to flow out of the veins without risk of back-flow or obstruction. This is especially important for people who stand all day.

3. Boosts Mood

Being upside down feels funny – like “haha” funny. Think about kids. It’s not weird to see an adult hold their two-year-old upside down and watch him or her giggle. It is a game changer.

In yoga, we talk about how inversion shifts perspective, and in research, we observe that practices that alter body position (even leaning to the side) outside of the norm are more effective in altering mood. Again, downward dog can do this or legs up the chair can do this. It doesn’t have to be the full monty.

4. Improves Immune Function

Aside from redirecting and streamlining blood flow, being upside down also aids in the flow of lymphatic fluid. Lymph is interstitial fluid containing lots of white blood cells. When we have excess lymphatic fluid, we experience swelling, especially in the extremities. Staying active aids in the movement of this fluid through the lymphatic system and back to the heart so it can reenter the bloodstream.

“During the process of returning this fluid, the lymph nodes assess the lymph and plan to fight any suspected infection. Keeping this system functioning optimally keeps us healthier overall.”

But sometimes activity isn’t enough or it is all one-sided in respect to gravity. Inversion aids in lymphatic flow and function. During the process of returning this fluid, the lymph nodes assess the lymph and plan to fight any suspected infection. Keeping this system functioning optimally keeps us healthier overall.

5. Makes You an Elephant

Well, not literally. Some people say inversions make you smarter, but I’d argue they help you remember more. Memory loss is largely age-related and stress-related, but it is also related to reduced blood flow to the brain. No doubt the brain demands a consistent flow of blood for survival, but occasionally increasing that flow can be a boon to our own personal super computers. Inversions (even really small ones) can keep us clear.

Start Small, But Do Start

So, think about it and give inversion a try in small doses. Downward dog is a great place to start as the legs are not fully inverted and the pose is active; therefore, blood pressure is more readily managed. It can take a while for the blood pressure to adapt to inverting, and when you take a week off from your practice, it can take a bit to get readjusted – so be patient.

Also, consider simply putting your feet up. Lay on the floor with a pillow under your head (yes!) and another one under your hips. Then put your calves on a chair. The legs don’t need to be straight. Start with a small session, maybe three to four minutes, and see how you feel.

And don’t forget our deal (if you forgot it already, review paragraph three).

You’ll Also Enjoy:

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Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Put Your Feet Up: 5 Reasons You Should Do Inversions appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

And, like most things when we’re certain, change is slow to come by. However, in this case, change might be just the thing needed to keep chaturanga pain free and productive.

The Sheer-Will Chaturanga

The funny thing about chaturanga is that it’s a pose that’s typically a product of initial habits and related strength – not a product of thoughtful precision. Many people are not in the business of regularly supporting their body weight with their arms when they participate in their first flow class. Therefore, first-time four-limbed staff poses are often the result of sheer will mixed with overuse of the upper traps and reliance on the connective tissue capsule of the rotator cuff.

“Many people are not in the business of regularly supporting their body weight with their arms when they participate in their first flow class.”

As we practice, we grow stronger and more able to hold ourselves aloft, but the kicker is that the process is developmental. Initial strength gains in chaturanga are often ones that support the movement pattern we first used to manage the pose in our early days of flow-based yoga, those sheer-will days. And typically, these early patterns are not sustainable.

My chaturanga.

Take a Step Back

Usually, we don’t approach the pose step by step, slowly adding weight. Instead, we go at it all or none. I notice that when I use that philosophy with anything, I often run into a spot where I have to go backward and make a few changes in order to move on or make improvements (like the time I starting marketing a business on the radio before I had the business running).

Let’s consider how to take that step back so we can move forward in the practice of chaturanga:

1. Challenge your perception and internal rules of the pose
2. Change your relationship with gravity
3. Increase the weight slowly

Your idea of what chaturanga is or isn’t, what it’s supposed to look like or not, and who taught you how to do it are among many of the semiconscious contributors to your view of the pose. Two common mental pictures of this pose come from the shoulder blades. We are directed to make the shoulder blades move both in and out. But these are two opposite things, so when you hear something like this in yoga, it is time to employ your imagination and a healthy dose of common sense.

Use Your Imagination

Common sense tells us the shoulder blades cannot do both things, so something is fishy. Imagination helps us to solve the mystery. See for yourself. Stand up tall with your arms by your sides. Bend the elbows so the forearms are parallel to the floor, with palms facing each other. Right now you are making the shape of chaturanga in the air, save your hands. Imagine carrying something heavy in your hands. I like to imagine I’m carrying firewood and that I’m camping. You might not like camping, so imagine something else.

“Remember the cues to any pose are just that – guideposts to help you along the way, and nothing more. The real work is in your body.”

Think we are moving further from the answer by going camping? We aren’t. Imagine the wood is quite heavy, nearly half your weight. See what it feels like to roll your shoulders forward and move the shoulder blades apart as you imagine the weight. To me, this irritates my mid back. You might be different. Then, see what it feels like to roll your shoulders back as if making the shoulder blades kiss and then imagine the weight. Ouch, that is strong in the lower back. Now, find the place you can carry the wood and you feel strong and stable. We’re on to something.

Okay, so notice the spot that felt the best. Was it what you thought? Is it where you normally go in the shoulders? Challenge a few other beliefs this way. Don’t just take my word for it. Try this air chaturanga with a few other commonly taught ideas. How does it feel if you press the shoulders down the back? Lift ‘em up towards the ears? In between? How about the elbows, how does it feel if you hug ‘em in, let ‘em fly out, or keep ‘em in between? Imagine your felt answers are more than just your imagination.

Add Some Weight

Now add some weight. The key is only to add a little, this way you get feedback from the shoulders without the risks of full chaturanga. Start with a wall. Stand a few feet away, add a slight bend to your elbows (to protect the wrists in this position), and place your hands on the wall. Lift the heels a small amount to engage the legs. Now try out your answers from the previous exercise. An important thing to remember about chaturanga is that it is a staff. The trunk and spine stay in a fixed position while the elbows bend.

Consider the same activity but on your back. Lie down on your back with bent knees and feet flat. Bring the arms to a chaturanga postion and place a bolster or light stiff object across the hands. Practice straightening the arms and bending the elbows and notice how much of the shoulder needs to stay on the floor and how much can lift. To make it more like the real thing, lift your feet, with your thighs perpendicular to the floor so that you feel your core.

Left: Supine chaturanga with legs extended; Right: With feet lifted to activate the core

When the previous exercises feel good and you have a sense of what makes sense, increase the weight by placing your hands on a table or bed frame. Try holding chaturanga here or moving slowly in and out of the pose. Continue this version for a week or so until it feels relatively easy. Then reduce the incline by placing the hands on wooden blocks (foam sags and can create wrist pain) or something similar and repeat the process slowly.

Try holding chaturanga at an incline or moving slowly in and out of the pose.

A Mini Practice

Once you’ve given your chaturanga a makeover from the top down, bring it into your practice as a practice and not as a flowing flyby. Try this pattern: kneeling plank to a small chaturanga to half child’s pose and back to kneeling plank. Consider holding the pose for a breath.

Keep your senses turned all the way up as you practice. If you aren’t getting stronger, you might be “shelving yourself” by using your arms as a shelf or moving too quickly. If you experience headaches, pain in the front of the shoulder or outer elbow, or tight upper traps, take a step back to the beginning of the process.

Your Body Has the Answers

Think you’re imagining new things you haven’t been directly told? You are. It’s a good place to be. Remember the cues to any pose are just that – guideposts to help you along the way, and nothing more. The real work is in your body. The real answers are there.

Keeping your mind in open, honest communication with your body is key. Honoring that link more often might lessen our chaturanga opposition and increase individual understanding. I mean, all said and done, we could argue that this yoga stuff is all about union in the first place, right?

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The post Reimagining a Pain-Free and Productive Chaturanga appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Not my sexiest injury, but crap happens. In this case, crap kept me on crutches or in a cast from graduation to the end of my first collegiate year. My left ankle still looks and feels different from my right this minute.

An Unpopular Topic

Such a big event. How could I have known that it was coming? In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have been so cavalier about walking on a foot that was asleep. I certainly knew about the powers of circulation by that point in my life, but I also had to pee so one need outweighed another. (“Don’t wait so long to pee that you have to walk on a comatose foot.” Lesson learned – the hard way.)

“When we don’t talk about injury in class, students don’t mention it when it occurs, and the feedback loop breaks down.”

Injury is generally not a favorite topic in yoga. Many people see it as inherently negative. In some cases, I’ve been specifically asked not to even utter the word when teaching (“it’s not good for marketing”). The problem with resisting it is that it persists. When we don’t talk about injury in class, students don’t mention it when it occurs, and the feedback loop breaks down.

It’s no longer a surprise to me when I run into people at a restaurant and they say, “I hurt my back in yoga” and they don’t want to ever do it – get hurt or do yoga – again. The sad part about this state of affairs is that yoga can really heal us. You could argue that yoga is a complete process of healing. So if that’s the case, why do people get hurt on their mats?

That question has a lot of easy answers: aggressive movement, excessive force from themselves or the teacher, the room was too hot, the room was too cold, a preexisting injury, misunderstanding of alignment, lack of experience, lack of information from the teacher, wrong class level, ego, not enough strength, too much flexibility, and so on.

“What if we quit thinking of why we are getting hurt, which is usually in hindsight anyway, and started thinking about obeying the road signs that tell us we are moving into pain?”

Only so many of these things can be mitigated in every class or even in a private session. But what if we quit thinking of why we are getting hurt, which is usually in hindsight anyway, and started thinking about obeying the road signs that tell us we are moving into pain? In this way, we might be able to create some real change.

Here are some signs I’ve seen over the years that someone might be headed for a cart of ‘57 Chevys:

Soreness

If you practice yoga once a week, you’re probably going to be sore. It’s not frequent enough for your body to adjust. If you practice every day or every other day and you are still sore every time, you are likely working too hard. The body needs time to recover between intense bouts of activity and yoga should arguably be a part of that recovery plan, not a challenge to it.

Acute Joint Pain

Achiness around a joint or joints can be a sign of strain in the tissues that support the joint. This commonly happens in yoga with overstretching or misalignment. The tough part about listening to this one is that, like soreness, it is often a next day sign. We wake up the next day and think, “My back is stiff. I should do my yoga,” when we might be better served by wondering if the yoga itself contributed to the stiffness.

Headaches

Many styles of flow-based yoga place a large emphasis on supporting the body with the arms. Many yogis don’t have experience doing this prior to doing yoga. When someone goes from zero to chaturanga, they often have to compensate with the muscles of the neck and upper shoulder. Tightness and overuse in those muscles can create tension headaches that are seemingly unending.

Increasing Asymmetry

Asymmetry is an easy one. It is a clear predictor of future injury and rather easy to see. Yoga should bring the body into balance. If the yoga you practice is resulting in changes to one side of the body but not the other, take some time to consider why. Are you working harder on one side? Are you favoring your more flexible side? If you can’t see why, get your teacher to see you.

Increasing Rigidity

Sometimes an area of the body that used to be supple and mobile begins to tighten. This can lead to problems in the nearby tissue, as it will attempt to pick up the slack by increasing mobility it may or may not have. This often occurs in the junction between the lumbar and thoracic spine. The rib cage and thoracic spine become less mobile over time, often due to breathing patterns, and yet the individual still performs the same deep backbends, thereby putting this junction at greater risk.

Hypermobility

If you are already really flexible in an area of the body, it is best to protect it – to bend less and tone more. This is easier said than done. Being pulled back and slowing down can be frustrating and uncomfortable; however, if the supports for the bones continue to loosen, the bones will shift into patterns of poor, and potentially painful, alignment.

Increased Weakness or Inability to Gain Strength

Active asana is just that – active. The body responds to the stress placed upon it. If the stresses are too large, the body can break down. If the stresses are too small, the body will not build up. There are a lot of different anatomical and physiological reasons for a loss of strength despite applied effort. Inquiry into the why is important and temporary reduction in risky weight-bearing postures may reduce potential injury.

Fatigue

You practice every day. You’re exhausted every day. Are they related? Maybe, maybe not. If your practice leaves you without an ounce of energy to spare, then you have nothing left in the reserves to keep you stable and strong in end-of-class inversions. Let your energy level guide your effort, not the other way around.

Anger

All kinds of emotions come up in a yoga class, including anger. Be on the look out for anger that develops during class and continues after. Sometimes it comes from overuse of core or pelvic floor muscles, gripping, or forceful attitudes. Forcefulness and tension are red flags for future yoga aches and pains.

Read the Signs

Just like on the road, signs only work if you are paying attention. If you aren’t, you’ll miss your turn and have to backtrack. Take the time to tell your teacher if you are experiencing any of these things so he or she can keep you moving in the right direction.

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Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Your Yoga Crystal Ball: Stop Injuries Before They Happen appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

These yogis would also agree alignment is a cornerstone to the practice of yoga. But when asked about the specific line or proper position of a pose (let’s say triangle pose or warrior one), pandemonium over specifics would ensue.

RELATED: The Butt of a Backbend: A Lesson in Gluteal Anatomy

Triangle Pose

If alignment is so important to the practice of yoga asana and we are all doing the same asanas, why do we disagree? Is the disagreement valid or is there truly one right way to bend and move? And, if there is more than one right way, how can an individual find his or her own lines on the mat?

We Have to Start Somewhere

Before we learn to run, we learn to walk. Before we write in cursive, we learn to print. And when we learn to print, we start with instructions for a series of exact lines and shapes drawn between dotted lines. At first, we’re not great at it. Our lines are shaky and our curves are lumpy.

RELATED: It’s Called Yoga “Practice” for a Reason

So, we practice until we can make legible letters without guiding lines. It’s part of the deal. If we were given paper and a pen, we wouldn’t write letters, we’d draw pictures. We need the lines. We color inside the lines. Then, when we’ve mastered that, we can successfully take a more artistic approach.

“In a public class, the teacher has to teach to the average, and he or she absolutely has to give some guidelines. It makes sense that classes are this way, but the lines aren’t posture perfect for everyone, just like everyone isn’t exactly average.”

Yoga is the same. We have to learn the basics. Put your foot here. Put your hand here. Look up. Without these boundaries, we wouldn’t have anything to press against or to work toward. Also, without these alignment standards, most of us wouldn’t have access to yoga because we’d have to practice one-on-one with a teacher or alone with a resource to get instruction.

In a public class, the teacher has to teach to the average, and he or she absolutely has to give some guidelines. (Imagine having no idea what you’re doing and hearing, “Do what feels right to you.”) It makes sense that classes are this way, but the lines aren’t posture perfect for everyone, just like everyone isn’t exactly average.

Boundaries Help Us Learn Ourselves

Different yoga systems put different emphasis on how to place the body in space. Different teachers put different interpretations on different systems. Some systems and teachers are more rigid than others. In a way, the systems and the teachers (myself included) are all right and wrong.

READ: Arm Balancing: Improve Your Strength Through Alignment

While some are mechanically better than others, no alignment principle will ever be foolproof. All the proof you need to know that is to know no two bodies are exactly the same.

I see this all the time in yoga foot alignment. Everyone is told to make the feet line up in a parallel way. But if you look up from their feet, up to the knees, half the people in the room will have knees that clearly look uncomfortable. Why?

“The boundaries of alignment have a place in helping us to learn how we already operate in space and they give us a direction for future movement.”

Well, perhaps they are pigeon-toed, bow-legged, or have one foot that turns out more than the other (women carrying kids or those who drive with a leg on the dash are often candidates for this). However, the ankle bone is still connected to the knee bone, so one change creates another and that change might not be suitable.

The “Right” Shape vs. Your Own Shape

So, if I’m bow-legged and make my feet parallel in yoga, everything will feel better, right? Wrong. Okay, so, if I’m bow-legged and just do what I feel like, my legs will not bow out more over time. Also, wrong.

So, what gives?

“In sum, the alignment guidelines can help us to prevent natural deterioration of the joints due to habit or genetics if we move slowly in the direction of them without forcing our body into a line.”

The boundaries of alignment have a place in helping us to learn how we already operate in space and they give us a direction for future movement. In this example, moving the feet a tiny bit away from bowing, but not so parallel to experience joint pain, would be a happy medium.

READ: Lessons from Katy Bowman in How to Hold Your Own Weight

In sum, the alignment guidelines can help us to prevent natural deterioration of the joints due to habit or genetics if we move slowly in the direction of them without forcing our body into a line.

Things Are Always Going to Change – Always

This is one of the toughest and most interesting things about teaching and doing yoga: nothing is static. We love routine. Our bodies gravitate towards habits. Change is hard and yet it is always happening. We all need to stay one step ahead of ourselves.

As a young yogi, every time the teacher said, “Tuck your tail,” or, “Shoulders down,” I obeyed. At the time, I wanted to be a perfect yogi. I went so far that I had no more butt and my shoulders lived behind me. The cues weren’t wrong. They just didn’t apply to me anymore.

“Alignment principles certainly aren’t perfect. And rules are made to be broken. In yoga, we need the cues to make the shape to get the idea to feel the effect.”

When I figured that out, I was mad at the teacher, but later I realized part of it was about me. I was only listening to her, and not to myself, which is arguably the whole point of practice. Practice isn’t perfect. It’s practice.

The State of the State of Being Arranged in a Precise Way

This leaves us in a grey area, not a place I personally like to be. But if we look historically, it was a comfortable spot for the greats. Tirumalai Krishnamacharya taught a half a dozen modern-day yoga teachers who taught systems of yoga that didn’t always align. Clearly, he was comfortable with change and with differences. He understood things change and he didn’t have to teach to the average, as big public classes weren’t a thing then.

CHANGE IS GOOD: Seasons of the Athlete: Evolving With Change

Alignment principles certainly aren’t perfect. And rules are made to be broken. In yoga, we need the cues to make the shape to get the idea to feel the effect. The teacher helps us with that. Then, we combine that with our internal knowledge about our own, very different bodies. We need awareness for that.

So the next time you decide to line up in proper position, consider the middle – the spot somewhere between coloring in the lines and signing your own name to the bottom of the page.

Photos 2 and 3 courtesy of Savannah Wishart.

The post Posture Perfect: Why It’s Okay to Be Different in Yoga appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

While we usually learn to stand in the first year of life, the way we stand changes throughout our lifespan and is influenced by the way we are shaped and the activities we do. Our shoes, our height, our gender, and more may all influence how we interface with the floor.

RELATED: Take the Stand Up Challenge: 52 Ways to Get Up Off the Floor

At the root of all standing is our foundation: the feet. Like a plant, nourishing the foundation goes a long way in supporting our trunk and limbs. A few of the simple exercises and awareness cues below might just make a big difference.

Begin From the Bottom Up

In yoga, one of the first and best things we learn to do is to stand. It might seem ridiculous at first, seeing as we walked into class, but standing in an alignment that reduces the negative impact of gravity on the spine and joints is challenging. It involves unlearning many things we didn’t even know we’d learned.

“‘Lift your arches,’ you’ll hear, and it’s great advice but it’s not so easy to follow. If you’re used to shoes, they are used to doing the grunt work for you.”

It’s not as though we once set out to stand differently, it just slowly happens while we are busy living life. Learning a new habit in an hour of daily yoga practice takes time to have a trickle-down effect on the other 23 hours.

While the curves of the spine and the muscles that flex and extend the hips have a lot to do with how we stand, one of the first places we can transform our standing in yoga is at the foundation: our feet. The activation of the feet determines if the ankles roll in or out and that alignment tracks up to the knee and so on. So the feet might appear to play a small role in the overall picture, but once your shoes are off, much more is at stake.

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“Lift your arches,” you’ll hear, and it’s great advice but it’s not so easy to follow. If you’re used to shoes, they are used to doing the grunt work for you. So when you’re asking the arches to lift after years of a shoe’s support, it can seem a lot like asking your hair to grow faster.

Just like anything you have to relearn, it is easier to do this big task if you break it into smaller tasks or things that are more tangible. There are a lot of different exercises you can do to train the arches to be more active on command and eventually on their own.

1. Toe Exercises

Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart. Try to lift just the big toe on both feet, keeping the other toes down. Then try to do the exact opposite: lift all the toes but the big toes. Keep switching back and forth.

If this movement doesn’t come right away, don’t lose hope. It took a while for your feet to be the way they are and it might take a while to change them. As you get better at this, try it in different standing yoga poses and notice the effects. Most people who pronate, or roll to the inner arch, have a hard time lifting the big toes and most people who supinate, or roll on to the outer edges of the foot, have a hard time lifting the other toes.

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Use this as a tool to train the feet but not a permanent solution. Be sure to set the toes down after practice and allow them to relax during your poses.

2. Leaning

Foot disengagement is often a product of weight distribution changes. Individuals who hyperextend the knee tend to stand in the heel. This leaves the front of the foot without a task and it will begin to weaken.

To work out of this habit, stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart and soften the knees. Then lean forward at the ankle like you are about to ski down a steep slope. Be sure not to lean at the hips or waist. Leaning at the ankle should bring lots of muscle activity to the toes, soles of the feet, and the core.

“Foot disengagement is often a product of weight distribution changes. Individuals who hyperextend the knee tend to stand in the heel.”

Practice leaning forward and slightly back while standing and then you can try it in symmetrical yoga poses like chair pose or standing forward bends.

3. Heel Raises and Imaginary Heel Raises

Slowly work out the feet with heel raises. On your inhale, raise the heels and on your exhale slowly lower them. It may feel easy at first, but slow it down and really feel the feet articulating against the floor as you move. Maybe close the eyes and try to time the movement perfectly with the breath.

Once you’ve got it, practice imaginary heel raises. These movements help to turn on the appropriate muscles without an actual lift of the heel. In any yoga standing pose, press down with the foot like you plan to lift the heel and then notice the difference in the leg activation.

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4. Standing on a Soft Surface

If you have a hard time with balance or you are relatively flat-footed, keep practicing the exercises above on a firm surface. However, if your feet are getting stronger, then bump it up a notch by balancing on one foot on a padded surface, such as a folded blanket or pillow.

Be sure to keep the standing knee active and consider integrating all the previous tools. You can lean gently forward and back on the foot and incorporate imaginary heel raises. Between sides take a walk around and notice the difference between the two feet.

“[I]f your feet are getting stronger, then bump it up a notch by balancing on one foot on a padded surface, such as a folded blanket or pillow.”

5. Foot Rubs

It’s not exactly a yoga pose, but it’s a great idea for falling or stiff feet. At the end of the day give your feet some love. Massage the soles of your feet and stretch the toes. It feels good and it’s a great way to stay in touch with what keeps you in touch with the earth.

Follow Through

Start with one or two of the exercises and see how it goes. When you do a lot of squats, the thighs begin to burn. When you do a lot of standing with active arches, the feet will too. This is especially common if you are used to arch support or if you have flat feet.

When you feel a burning in the feet during standing asanas, shorten your stance. If that doesn’t work, take a break. Your foot musculature is just like any other and it takes time to tone and change it.

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If your soles are so sore you feel you can’t walk the next day, do less activation. If you feel a twinge in the inner or outer knee joint, do less. Pay attention to the subtle changes that occur in your poses as you do these exercises. In fact, as you enroll the arches in your standing poses, you should find that you get more out of the postures with less time spent in them.

In sum, it might get a little easier to stand on your own two feet.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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