More important than knowing what kind of pose the student is doing is knowing what kind of
student is doing the pose. There is a revolution occurring in yoga today around the alignment
paradigm. The concept of one and only one ideal alignment for each yoga posture taught through
an aesthetic focus on how the student looks in the pose is being replaced by a functional
approach that acknowledges not only the intention of the posture but each student’s unique
biology and biography. In parallel the paradigm of focusing on the muscles as the limiters and
causal agents of movement is being replaced by a broader understanding. The role of fascia is
being recognized and incorporated into yoga classes and trainings. Beyond muscles and fascia
there is a wide spectrum of causes for and resistance to motion ranging from various sources
of tension to the qualities of compression. Your Body Your Yoga is the first book in a series
describing the many contributors to limitations in our yoga practice. This book looks at the
lower body and the variety of shapes movements and potential restrictions to movement in the
hips knees ankles and feet. Introduced are the causes of resistance to movement the
frequency extent and consequences of human variation and their implications for our yoga
practice. While short tight muscles can restrict movement there are many reasons for a lack
of mobility. The causes can be cast into a gradient called the What Stops Me? Spectrum”:
fascia ligaments and joint capsules can be tight and tense while compression arising from the
body contacting other parts of the body will also impede movement. How these tissues develop
their tension may be due to actions of our nervous or immune systems or it may be due to our
inherently unique body structure. Compression is the ultimate limiter of movement and is
variable depending upon a student’s individual skeletal structure. All students are unique to
varying degrees and this individuality determines their ability and progress in their yoga
practice and its benefit for them.
