6 Ways To Have Better Body Alignment In Your Ashtanga Yoga Practice
It's a common misconception that Ashtanga yoga is all about the physical practice, or asana. In fact, it's really only 20% of the equation. The other 80% is actually pranayama, or breath control. But since we're all human and we tend to be visual learners, let's start with the most obvious part of Ashtanga yoga: the actual pose practice.
Doing asanas properly will help you develop your strength and flexibility, allowing you to move deeper into your postures each time you practice. More importantly for today's purposes, it'll also help alleviate pain in your body and prevent injuries due to improper alignment.
Poor alignment can result in anything from sore wrists and ankles to slipped discs. With that said, here are some invaluable ways to get your body aligned during Ashtanga practice:
Root Down Through Your Feet
The most important aspect of your ashtanga yoga practice is to root down through your feet. If you don't do this, you are going to run into problems - big problems. Your foundation will be off, and the rest of your body won’t line up right. It is essential that you remember to keep rooting down through your feet at all times during a pose.
Pull Your Skin In
Pulling your skin in is a great way to create space. This is especially true for your lower back, hips, shoulders and neck. You can do this by:
Sitting up straight on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and then pulling in at the belly button while exhaling through an open mouth (like Darth Vader)
Standing with feet hip width apart and then pulling the belly button toward the spine while lifting chest forward (known as jalandhara bandha)
Sitting up straight on the floor with legs crossed underneath and then pulling skin inward toward spine (this helps to activate mula bandha)
Externally Rotate Your Legs
To externally rotate your legs, you’re going to have to engage your inner thigh muscles. When the hip flexors are short and tight and you can’t externally rotate them (or when you don’t even know what that means), then it can be very difficult for you to get into a good standing posture.
This is because when we look down at our legs—especially if our hamstrings are tight from sitting all day—we want them to be parallel with each other so that we can see both thighs at the same time. This would mean that one leg is externally rotated relative to the other, but if one side is more internally rotated than another, then trying this pose will make it much harder for us because it makes the seemingly “straight up-and-down line made by our bodies” skew outward in an uncomfortable way.
Draw Your Belly Button In
Drawing your belly button in is an important part of creating a stable foundation for your practice.
To do this, stand with feet hip-width apart and press the fingertips of both hands into the lower abdomen. Inhale to lengthen the sides of the torso and reach your tailbone toward the floor; at the same time, gently draw in your navel toward your spine. You should feel a slight contraction under each hand as you do this. Hold for three breaths on each side before switching to alternate sides again after another three breaths.
If you find that you can't bring your hands all the way down at first, don't worry! As with so many things in yoga, practice makes perfect—so try again and keep up with it over time until eventually it becomes easier to pull back deeply between sets.
Stack Your Shoulders Over Your Hips
Shoulder alignment is important in Ashtanga because it helps you to keep good alignment and to prevent over-exertion. The best way to achieve this is by stacking your shoulders over your hips, which will also help with balance and stability. To do so:
Inhale, lift through the crown of the head and lengthen up towards the sky (shoulders back).
Exhale as you bring one hand down onto a block or chair seat behind you for support (or use two hands if using an assistance). Try not to let any part of your body sag forward or backward; keep everything in line with each other. Keep breathing!
Pull Against The Earth
How do you know if your body is correctly aligned? If you're pushing against anything other than the earth itself, then no matter how long or hard you practice Ashtanga, your alignment will never improve and eventually your body will fall apart.
Alignment Cues
If you follow these alignment cues and tips, this will make a huge difference in your practice. It will help you feel better and have more energy. You’ll also be able to do more poses, which will increase your confidence. And maybe even get a bit more advanced with some of the poses.
It all starts with the breath. Make sure that when you inhale and exhale, it's nice and slow. Aim for 6-8 counts per breath cycle—this is ideal for most people as it provides plenty of time for oxygen exchange in our bodies without overstressing our systems (which can happen if we breathe too fast). See you on the mat!
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Yoga Beyond Asana is a student training platform developed by Damien de Bastier to deepen your yoga by combining daily Asana practice with exploration of yogic philosophy and applied anatomy.
