Why proper alignment is so important

During the class, I always mention the right alignment, the first thing to remember when it comes to alignment is to listen to your body and never force your body into any postures or stretches. You should know your limits but also go a little bit beyond your comfort zone to work on yourself and improve your alignment. Yoga has a way of evolving naturally.

The key is patience, be patient with yourself, don’t criticize or judge yourself. Your alignment will change dramatically as you become more familiar with the yoga practice. Give yourself time and treat yourself with love and awareness.

The word “asana” translates to mean “steady pose”. It is important to feel comfortable, relaxed and steady in each posture. You should focus on your breath and use it to feel more at ease in the posture, use the incoming breath to ground and the outgoing breath to release any struggle.

If you experience pain or discomfort in any posture relax the posture, take the options and alternative postures.

Listen carefully to your Yoga teacher and try to do it the right way. Only when you drop off your ego and practice with awareness, your body will slowly become more agile and stronger, making progression safe and natural. As with anything a firm foundation is crucial.

Yoga is the prefect and the right tool to connect with ourselves on a deeper level and will gradually filter into your life, but do it gradually, gently and consciously. Do not force the process.

Yoga should be the solution and the tool to know your body and how you feel as you move through different postures and shapes.

I can never put enough stress on the following point: be aware of your physical alignment and use your breath in the postures. By doing this you are creating, developing and strengthening the connection between your mind, body and soul.

You can take this awareness with you and use it in your every-day activities.
For example whenever you sit in a firm chair at the dinner table or at work, go through a mental checklist as you breathe consciously and slowly. Scan your body by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Are you sitting with a straight spine?
2. Do both sides of your body feel equal in length?
3. Is your weight distributed evenly through the soles of your feet? Are your shoulders relaxed?

Your objective here is to establish a comfortable position with a straight spine and to bring awareness to your alignment.

Theses simple techniques will help you with your alignment. Do not force anything just let it happen.

After a while of practicing regularly yoga, we begin to realize that everything is connected. When we are correctly aligned everything works better.

Here is a posture, which will help you with to get proper alignment. This great posture will gently stretch your hips and inner thighs:

The posture is called Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose):

Sit with the soles of your feet together. Allow the knees to fall out to the sides. Imagine that you are growing through the crown of your head. Draw up your pelvic floor muscles and pull your navel in towards your spine. Allow your shoulders to broaden and fall away from your ears. Lightly hold on onto your feet or rest the hands beside the hips.
Let gravity take your knees down towards the ground, do not force anything, just breathe. Allow your breath to flow smoothly in and out through your nose. Work to lengthen your breath.

When you first practice this posture it is a good idea to sit against a wall on a yoga block or a thin bolster or a few folded towels to elevate the hips and make it more comfortable for you.

“It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence”  B.K.S.Iyengar