1/31/2017 AssessingandCorrectingPosture

AssessingandCorrectingPosture
Yoganandaoftensaid,AbentspineistheenemyofSelfrealization.

PatanjalistatedinhisYogaSutras,Thefruitofrightpoiseisthestrengthto
resisttheshocksofinfatuationorsorrow.

InTheArtandScienceofRajaYoga,SwamiKriyanandawrote,Rightposture
isvitallyimportanttotheyogi.

AndoneofthefirstknownwrittenbooksonHathaYoga,theHathaYoga
Pradipika,explainedthatasanashouldbepracticedforgainingsteady
posture,healthandlightnessofbody.

Theimportanceofgoodpostureisundisputed.YetIhavefoundthatthe
teachingofgoodpostureisrarelyattheforefrontofmostyogaclasses.Evenin
classesthatpurporttoemphasizealignment,oftenthefocusissostronglyon,
say,thepositionofthelittlefinger,ortheplacementofthefemurthrough
variousmuscularcontractions,thatitcanleavethespineinacompromised
position.

Atbestthespineisbesetwithtension,andatworstitiscontractedinsucha
wayastoimpedetheflowofenergyupthespineandanunimpededflowof
energyistheultimategoalofpracticingyogapostures,whetheronesgoalis
physicalprowessorenlightenment.Isuspectthatthereareseveralreasonsfor
thiscommondiscrepancy.Someinstructorsdonothavethetrainingand
experiencetobeabletocorrectmorethanthegrossestposturalproblems.
Eventhosewhoarebetterversedinalignmentmaynotrealizethatcorrect
positioningofthespineismoreimportantthancorrectpositioningofanyother
partofthebody.

Italsotakesacombinationofhardworkandintuitiveattunementtobeableto
teachstudentsofvaryingbodyshapesandsizeshowtohaveperfectlyaligned
posture.Toteachthesubtletiesofalignment,itisnecessarytoexperimentwith
onesownpostureandlearnhowtoexperiencethesubtleshiftsofenergy
causedbysubtlealignmentchanges.

ThePurposeofPosture
Whyisgoodposturesoimportant?Howcanweknowwhetherweourselves
areingoodalignment?Howcanweknowwhetherourstudentshavethebest
alignmentthattheycanhavefortheirbodiesinordertomaximizetheirbenefits
fromyogapractice?Andhowdowemakecorrectionstoimproperposture?

Properalignmentisnecessaryforpreventinginjuriesaswellasmaximizingthe
benefitsofanyasana.Forexample,puttingallofonesweightontothestanding
legwhenthekneeishyperextendedputstremendousstrainontheligaments
supportingtheknee.Theybecomeoverstretchedandmaycauseswelling,
whichcanovertimecausedamagetothekneejoint.Also,overstretched
ligamentsinanyjointprovidelesssupport,predisposingonetoapotential
futureinjuryfromsomethingasmundaneassteppingoffthecurbincorrectly
andcausingasprainedjoint.

Additionallywhenthekneeishyperextended,thelegmusclesarenotbeing
correctlyutilizedandstrengthened,andtheenergyflowofthelegisdisrupted,
thuslimitingthepotentialbenefitsoftheasana.

Similarly,misalignmentsinthespinecancreatethesameproblems,forthe
vertebraealsoareconnectedbyjoints.Imsureyoucanseehow
misalignmentsinthespineandthecorrespondingproblemscaneasilybe
compounded.

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Whenworkingtherapeuticallywithyourselforyourstudents,properalignmentis
essential.Ofteninjuriesarecausedbypoorpostureand/orcontinuetobe
aggravatedbypoorposture.Averysubtlecorrectioninalignmentcanmakethe
differencebetweencompleterecoveryandbeingstuckwithmanagingachronic
problem.

PostureandEnergyFlow
Poorpostureimpedesenergyflow,witharesultantnegativeimpactonone
mentally,physicallyandspiritually.Conversely,goodposturewillhelpimprove
onesmental,physicalandspiritualstateofbeing.

Forexample,whenwearefeelingwell(onanylevelmentally,physicallyor
spiritually),wenaturallyliftoureyesandlengthenourspine.Indescribinghow
wefeel,weusewordslikeupandhigh.Whenwearenotwell,wetendto
lookdown,slumpourspine,andspeakofbeingdown.

Indeed,whenwearefeelingupthereisacorrespondingupwardflowof
energyinthespine.Thisupwardmovementofenergyisoneofupliftmentand
expansion,andwithitcomesvitalityinthephysicalbodyandamorepositive
mentaloutlook.Spiritually,thisupwardenergycanbedirectedtowardan
expansionofconsciousness.

Ontheotherhand,whenwearefeelingdown,thereisacorresponding
downwardflowofenergyinthespine.Thisdownwardmovementofenergyis
oneofcontractionwithitcomesalossofphysicalenergy/vitalityandamore
negativementaloutlook.Spiritually,ittendstomoveustowardself
centeredness.

AQuickPosturalCheckpoint
AsimpletestforyourownalignmentistostandinTadasanaforfiveminutesor
more,thenaskyourselfthefollowingquestions:AmIcomfortable?AmI
completelyfreeoftension?AmIbecomingmoreenergizedasIstaylongerin
Tadasana,feelingtheenergymovingupwardinmyspine?Ifyoucananswer
yestoallofthesequestions,thenyouralignmentisprobablyverygood.

Ontheotherhand,ifeventhethoughtofstandinginTadasanafor
fiveminutesmakesyouuncomfortable,thenprobablyyouhave
someworktodoonyourpostureandprobablyyoushouldnot
eventrytheexercise.(Awordofadvice:donotaskyourstudents
tostandthislonginTadasanainclassunlesstheyhavegood
postureandareveryadvanced.Otherwiseatbest,youwillsee
attendancegoingdowninyoursubsequentclasses,andatworst
youwillhavesomeonesmusclesgointoaspasmthatsnoteasily
released.)

Whenwealignourbonescorrectly,wewillengagemusclesthat
aredesignedtokeepusinouruprightposture.Thesepostural
musclesaredesignedtoholdusuprightforlongperiodsoftime.

However,whenwearenotalignedproperly,thebodymustrecruit
othermusclesmusclesnotintendedforthispurposetohold
usupright.Becausethosemusclesarebeingaskedtodo
somethingthattheywerenotdesignedtodo,theywilltireeasily
aswellasspasmifaskedtodotheworkoftheposturalmusclesfortoolong.
(Infact,ifonehasnotbeeninproperalignmentforalongtime,thepostural
muscleswillhaveatrophiedtosomeextent.Theywillneedtobetoned
progressively,anditmaytakeawhilebeforetheycanreturntotheirintended
fulltimejob.)

OverviewofCorrectingPosture

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Firstofall,toassessyourstudentsalignmentinTadasanaoranyotherasana,
youwillhavetowalkaroundtheroomandviewyourstudentsindividuallyfrom
thefront,fromatleastoneside,andfromtheback.Noamountofpostural
knowledgewillhelpyouindividuallycorrectyourstudentspostureifyouview
themonlyfromyourpositioninthefrontoftheclassroom.

Second,whencorrectingposture,alwaysstartatthebasefirst.Instanding
asanas,thebaseisthefeet.Tensionandmisalignmentinthespineareoften
theresultsofimproperdistributionofweightonthefeet.

Inseatedasanas,thebaseistheischialtuberosities(a.k.a.sitzbones,sitbones,
sittingbones).Ifthesitzbonesaretiltedforwardevenslightly(i.e.,thepelvisis
overtucked),thespinecannotbeinproperalignment.True,wedonotwantto
tipthepelvistoofarforwardeither,butonlyveryflexibleindividualswillbeable
tocomeintothatexaggeratedposition.Particularlyinflexibleindividuals,onthe
otherhand,willnotbeabletotipforwardenoughtocomeintoproperalignment
withouttheaideofpropssuchasblanketsorpillowsunderthesitzbones.

Infact,anyonewhohasaninjuryorchronicconditionthatisevenmildly
aggravatedwhensittingonthefloorandforwhompropsdonotcompletely
alleviatethediscomfortshouldnotsitontheflooruntilheorsheisabletodo
sowithnodiscomfortwhatsoever.

Startingfromthebase,workyourwayupthebodytomakecorrections.Asyou
dothis,continuallylookbackatthebaseandtheotherlowerpoints,because
thereisthehabitualtendencyforthebodytoreverttoitsformerpositionwhile
youmaybetryingtocorrectanotherarea.

Lastofall,donotexpectperfectionallatonce.Thoughitisimportanttohave
excellentposture,realitywilldictatehowquicklyonecanmovetowardamore
perfectalignment.Inmanycases,itisquiteenoughofachallengesimplyto
focusontheproperplacementofthefeet,whilegenerallyencouragingtherest
ofthebodytostandtall.Again,youwantyourstudentstocomebacktoclass,
right?

AlignmentoftheJoints
Myownviewofproperalignmentisthat,viewedfromtheside,thecenterofthe
anklejoint,centerofthehipjoint,centeroftheshoulderjoint,andcenterofthe
earcanalshouldbeinastraightverticalline(seephoto).Thatsoundseasy,but
itisactuallyabittrickytotellwherethesecentersare.

Forexample,whenonelooksatthekneejoint,thetendency
istofindthemidpointbetweenthefrontandthebackofthe
visiblepartsoftheknee.Thatisincorrect.Thekneecapisin
frontofnotpartoftheactualkneejoint(seeimage.)

Ifyouconsiderthekneecapaspartofthejoint,youwill
determineanincorrectcenterofthejoint,andthereby
possiblyencouragehyperextensionofthekneejointjustto
getallofthesepointsintoalignment.

Fortunately,theotherpointsofalignmentareeasiertofind
thanistheknee.Eventhen,ittakespracticetogetitright
withallthedifferentbodyshapesandsizesthatyoull
Theblackdot
encounter.Makesmalladjustmentsatanygiventime,
marksthecenter
observetheresults,andaskyourstudentshowtheyfeelin
ofthekneejoint.
thenewposition.Explaintothemthattheymayfeeldifferent
Itissomewhat
orstrangeandthatsokaybutyoudonotwantthemto
behindthevisual
feeldiscomfortortension.Thenaskthemspecifically,How
centerof
doyoufeelinthisnewposition?Themorefeedbackyou
theknee.
get,themoreyouwilllearnaboutwhatworksandwhatdoes
notwork.

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GettingClarityonNaturalCurves
Forcorrectposture,thespineshouldbeinitsnaturalcurves.Ifyoulook
closelyatthecurvesofthespineonaskeleton,youmaybesurprisedathow
smallthecurvesactuallyare.However,whenlookingatanactualperson,the
trueskeletalshapeissomewhatobscuredbythemanydifferenttypesoftissue
thatcoverit(seeimageoftheskeletoninsidetheoutlineofthebody.)

Forexample,instandingposture,theprotrusionoftheglutealmuscles(and
perhapssomefattytissueaswell!)tendstogivetheillusionthatthelumbar
spinehasmorecurvethanitactuallydoes.Thereforeitseasytoconclude
incorrectlythatsomeonewithlarge,developedgluetealshastoomuch
curve.

Thentoo,someonewithnearlyflatglutealsmayappeartohaveinsufficient
lumbarcurvature.Alumbarcurvecanalsolookflatterthanitis
becauseofalotofdevelopedmusculatureinthelowerbackthis
isoftenthecasewithpeoplewhodophysicallaborforaliving
thespinecanliterallydisappearbetweentwohighridgesof
muscle.

Keepinmindthathealthyspinalcurvatureisnotaonesizefits
allproposition.OncewhilebeingexaminedbyDr.DavidKessler
(fromAnandaVillage),Gyandevremarkedthathislumbarcurve
wastooflat.

Dr.Kesslersresponsewas,Areyoucomparingyourlumbar
curvewithsometheoreticallumbarcurvethatyouthinkyoure
supposedtohave?

Whenyouarenotsureifsomeonesclothes,excessorlackof
fattytissuesetc.,maybemakingtheirposturelooknotquite
righttoyou,gobacktocheckingwhetherthepointsofalignment
areintheirproperplaces.Alsotrytogetyourstudentstorelax
intogoodposture.Beingtenseisnotonlyundesirable,butcan
makeapersonsposturenotlookrighteveniftheirbonesare
alignedproperly.

Similarly,thescapulae(shoulderblades)andthemusclesaroundthemtendto
makethethoracicspineappeartohavemorecurvethanitactuallydoes.
Finally,theskullperchedontopofandstickingoutbehindthecervical
spinegivestheappearancethatthecervicalspinehasmorecurvethanit
actuallydoes(seeimage).

Withallofthissaid,domakesurethatpeoplekeeptheircurves!Toolittle
curvatureinanypartofthespineispotentiallyjustasdestructiveastoomuch
curvature,andthat,too,willimpedetheflowofenergyupthespine.Thenatural
curvesofthehumanspinedevelopedastheydidtohelpsupportthebody,
distributeourweighteffectively,andprovidecushioningtoabsorbshockfrom
walking,jumping,andmovingingeneral.Withoutthecurves,weloseourability
tomovefreelywithoutriskofinjury.

CommonPosturalProblems
Tomakecorrectionsinspinalcurvature,Ivefoundithelpfultobeawarethat
differentpeoplehavedifferentlearningmechanisms.Somepeoplerespondbest
toauditorycues,otherstotactile(touch)cues,stillotherstovisualcues.

Fortheauditoryperson,imageryoftenworkswell:Feelasthoughthereisa
weightattheendofyourtailbonewillhelptotuckthepelvis.Forthetactile
person,alighttouchcanbebeste.g.lightlytouchthetopsofthescapulaewith
thetipsofyourfingerstoindicatethattheyshouldreleasedownward.

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Youmightwantavisuallearnersimplytowatchyoumakethecorrectionon
yourself,e.g.,drawaprotrudingchininward,towardthebackoftheneck.SoI
finditimportanttoofferallthreetypesofcues.Andforespeciallydifficult
corrections,itsometimestakestherepetitionofallthreetoachievethe
responsethatyouwant.

Inmyexperienceoneofthemostcommonposturalproblemsishavingthe
weighttoofarbackonthefeet,i.e.,toomuchweightontheheels.Evenasmall
amountofmisdistributioncancreateposturalproblemsandtensionfartherupin
thespine.

Oftenrelatedtothisisthetendencytohavethelowerribcage
protrudingforwardandtheupperpartoftheribcageangled
towardthebackofthebody(seephoto.)

Thisisactuallyverycommoninexperiencedyogastudents
(andteachers)withotherwisegoodposture.Wespendso
muchtimeworkingonopeningtheheartareaand
counteractingtheinfluenceofgravityandroundedshoulders,
thatweandourstudentsoftenovercorrectthespineandrib
cageinthisway.

Alwaysbesurebeforemakingthisadjustmentthatthelower Here,the
bodyalignmentisinplacetosupportthecorrection.Sometimes lowerribsare
thisribcagepositionissimplythebodysreactiontothe protruding
alignmentbelowbeingoff,asinthecaseofsomeonewho forward.
chronicallyhasthepelvisshiftedwayforward,soitsnotunder Comparewith
theshouldersanymore.Firstgetthelowerbodyaligned,then thisphoto:
(ifnecessary)proceedewiththeupperbodycorrection(s).

Tohelpcorrectthisposition,Iwillsometimesexaggeratethe
incorrectpositionwithmyownbody,andplacemyhandson
thesidesofmyribs,showingwithmyfingersthatthelowerrib
cageispointingforward.ThenwhenIcorrectmyposturethey
canseethatmyfingersmovetopointingstraightdowntoward
thefloor.Ispeakofbringingtheribcageoverthepelvis.

Anothereffectivemethodforcorrectingthisproblemistostand
toonesideofyourstudentandsimultaneouslyplaceonefingerontheirupper
back(indicatingthattheupperbackistomoveforward)andanotherfingeron
theirlowerribcageinfront(tosuggestthatitmovebackward),allthewhile
explainingthedesireddirectionofmovement.

Hey,ThisFeelsReallyStrange!
Whenwecorrectthispositionbymovingthelowerpartoftheribcagebackand
theupperpartoftheribcageforwardbringingtheribcagetoitsupright
positionrightoverthepelvisthereisoftenanaccompanyingfeelingofbeing
toofarforward.Thereevencanbeasensationoffeelinglikeoneisabouttofall
forward.

Similarmisperceptionsofbeingoffcanoccurwithotherposturalcorrections.
Thisoffbalancesensationisproducedbyamechanismintheinnerearthatis
responsibleforoursenseofbalance.Whenwehabituallyplaceourselvesoutof
alignment,thisinnerearmechanismwillintimegiveuponus,figuringthat
thismustbethewaywewantourbodiestobe.Tohelpusstrengthenthis
desiredposition,theinnerearwillreprogramitselftogivethesignalthatthis
newpositionisnormal.

Then,forexample,whenwecorrectapositioninwhichwewerealignedtoofar
back,theinnerearsignalsthatwearenowforwardofournormalpositionby
causingustofeelthatwemaybeindangeroffallingonourface.

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Ihavemadethiscorrectioncountlesstimes,andthoughIhaveknownmanya
studenttoexperiencethissensation,restassuredthatnotonehaseverfallen
onhisorherfaceorevenlosthisorherbalance,forthatmatterduetomy
makingthiscorrectioninTadasana.

Onewayyoucanknowthatyouarenotovercorrectingsomeoneistoaskif
s/hefeelstensionorisuncomfortableinthenewposition.Aslongasthe
answerisno,thensensationssuchasfeelinglikefallingforward,feeling
funny,strange,etc.,areokaytheywillgoawayastheinnerearrecalibrates
itself.Infact,theinnerearrecalibratesitselffairlyquickly.

Unfortunatelyittakesusalotlongertochangeourposturalhabitsthanitdoes
fortheinnereartoadjust.Ihadaratherdramaticexperienceofthis
phenomenonmanyyearsagowhenIhadanoperationonbothofmyfeet.Iwas
inawheelchairforamonth.Mylegswerekeptstraightoutinfrontofmeata
rightangletomytorso.Attheendofthisperiod,whenmydoctortoldmeto
standup,Ididso,butIkeptmybodyatthesamerightanglethatIdbeen
sittinginforthepastmonth!IntellectuallyIknewthatIwasbentoverataright
angle,butexperientially,IfeltthatifIweretostraightenup,Iwouldfallover
backward.Itwasaverystrongsensation.

Thedoctortookmyhandtoencouragemetostandupandwalkdownthe
hallway.Icanstillremembermysurpriseatnotbeingabletoovercomethe
feedbackthatIwasreceivingfrommybody,eventhoughIknewitwasokay
formetostandupright.IstillthinkofhowhardIheldontomydoctorshandasI
tentativelywalkeddownthehall,asthoughIwasabouttofallbackwardoffthe
edgeofacliff.TothisdayIwonderifIbruisedhishandbyholdingonsotightly!
Idonotrememberexactlyhowlongittookfortheinnerearfeedbacktoadjust,
buttheprocessdidbeginimmediately,andinamatterofdaysIfeltnormalonce
againinmyuprightposition!

Anotheraspectofposturalhabitsisthatneurologicalpathwaysarecreated
betweenthemusclesandthebrainwhenweformmuscularhabits,whether
goodorbad.Ittakestimeandconcentrationtocreatenewhabitsand
reprogramtheneuromuscularpathways.Oncetheefforthasbeenputforthand
anewhabithasbeenestablished,thehardworkpaysofffromthattime
forward,lessenergyandfocusareneededtomaintainit.

BeyondTadasana
WhenyoufindastudentwithposturalmisalignmentinTadasana,youcan
usuallybetthats/hewillhavethesamemisalignmentinotherasanas.Ifyoudo
notaddressthemisalignmentinTadasana,youwillfinditthatmuchmore
difficulttocorrectthemisalignmentintheotherasanas.Furthermore,asthe
asanapositionsbecomemorecomplex,oneincreasesthelikelihoodthatthe
misalignmentwillaggravateanoldinjuryorcauseanewone.

WhenIworkwithyoungchildren,Iaskthemiftheyarereadyforareally,really
hardasana.Iftheysayyes,thenIhavethemstandbrieflyinTadasana.I
praisethemforwhateverattempttheymadetostaystillandtellthemthatitisa
difficultposeforadultstodoaswell.

Keepthisinmindforyourclassesalso.Donotspendtoomuchuninterrupted
timeworkingonposturalalignmentinTadasana.Instead,weavegood
alignmentpointsthroughouttheentireclass.Alwayscheckfirstforanythingthat
cancausestrainorinjury,suchashyperextendedkneesinastandingposeora
hyperextendedneckinabackwardbend.Thengobacktothebasicsofproper
distributionoftheweightonthefeetortheangleofthesitzbones.

FinalTipsonTeachingCorrectPosture
Themorefamiliaryoubecomewiththehumanskeletonandhowitlookswhen
placedinvariouspositions,themoreyouwillbeabletofinetunealignment.

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Learntohavexrayeyestofigureouthowastudentsskeletalframeisliningup
underneathallthelayersofclothesandvaryingshapesofmusclesandfat.

Onceyougetafeelforthebonyalignment,goalittledeeperandbecome
awareoftensionandrelaxationinyourstudents.Youmaybeabletogetyour
studentsbonestoalignproperly,butifyoustillareobservingtension,thenyou
needtoworkonsuggestingwaystoreleasethemusculartension.Oftenthe
slightesttouchand/ormentionofreleasingorrelaxingwillproducethedesired
results.

Dynamicuseoftheaffirmationscanalsopromotegoodalignment.Awell
energizedaffirmationofStrengthandcouragefillmybodycells!canhelptake
thewiltoutofacollapsedChandrasana.Somequiet,relaxedtimeinanasana
canhelpmeltawaythetensionsofoldhabitsaswellasinteriorizethe
experienceforthestudent.

Youllhelpyourstudentsinanevenmoreprofoundwayifyoucansenseifand
whereenergyisbeingblockedinapose,thenhelpthemadjusttheirpositionto
getitmovingagain.Thisisdefinitelyamoreadvancedteachingskill,butits
wellworththeefforttodevelopit.

AfterstatingtheimportanceofrightpostureinTheArtandScienceofRaja
Yoga,SwamiKriyanandagoesontosay:

Abentspineimpairstheflowofenergy.Italsocrampsthebreath,
makingitalmostimpossibletobreathedeeply.Rightposture,
however,fromastandpointofyoga,isbynomeanstherigidstance
ofasoldieronparade.Onemustberelaxedevenwhilestanding
straight.

Indeed,untilonecanlearntokeephisspinestraight,hewillnever
knowhowtorelaxperfectly.

Andifwedonthaveperfectrelaxation,thenvibranthealth,completepeaceof
mind,andspiritualheightsalsowilleludeus.So,whetheryourstudentsare
lookingforamoreperfectbody,peaceofmind,orSelfrealization,themoreyou
canhelpthemimprovetheirposture,themoreswiftlytheywillbeabletomove
towardtheirgoal.

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