optimal alignment
The skeleton has a brilliant architecture designed to provide us with maximum stability and fluidity. Moving in optimal alignment means training our muscles the support the natural architecture of the skeleton so there is ease, grace and power in our movements.
There are two main aspects to optimal alignment:
1) Lining up with gravity and
2) Joint congruency.
‘Lining up with gravity’ means aligning the long axis of bones with the lines of gravitational pull. This way the bones provide maximum support and the muscles don’t have to work so hard. We get a sense of ease and floating.
Joint congruency means the joint is seated such that the pressure from movement is evenly distributed over the joined surfaces. This gives us the largest range of motion and keeps the joint from wearing unevenly, often causing arthritis and other degenerative joint problems.
Metaphorically, learning to move in optimal alignment represents our willingness to align our choices with what serves our highest in the long run. It means recognizing nature’s divine design and consciously harmonizing with it. From there we are supported to express ourselves more freely.
With that as our motivation, we become very interested in understadning basic alignment principles that we can apply in our practice and our daily lives. I have developed seven principles that have helped me and my students heal our bodies and move into greater possibility in our postures. These principles were developed from my years studying Anusara Yoga, TriYoga, and Orthopedic Evaluation. They are simply my condensed version of the brilliant teachings I have been blessed to receive from my teachers. For more in-depth information please visit www.anusara.com, www.shiatsumassageschool.org and www.triyoga.com.
The principles also come from observing the tendencies of the western body that take us out of optimal alignment. These principles are universal to all postures. They are applied differently for different people, but they are present in every pose. If we can learn these seven simple principles and apply them on and off the mat, we become our own healers. You will need to experience them physically to actually learn them, so print this article and have it near you as you begin.
We’ll begin in a neutral standing position to explore the principles. Each one builds on the previous, so keep them all active to understand their relationship and to create the full synergistic affect.
The first principle is “Feet Active and Balanced”. Typically our feet are weak and malformed from being confined to shoes. Also, most people tend to turn the toes out and roll their weight to the outer edge of the foot. This is due to tight external rotators and weak inner thighs. To balance and activate the feet, stand with the outer edges of your feet parallel to the long edges of your mat. Your heels will be slightly wider than your big toes. Lift and spread all ten toes, widen the foot bones apart. Press down with the base of the big toe, base of the pinky toes and inner and outer edges of the heels. These are the four corners of the feet. Now imagine your legs are big drinking straws and draw energy up from the earth through the soles of your feet as you press down through the four corners. This is how engaged you want your feet to be in all poses, whether they are in the air or on the earth. Strong feet and ankles ground us and protect our knees.
The second principle is “Micro-bend the knees”. Our tendency is to press the knees back into hyper extension. This over-stretches the ligaments behind the knee, drops too much weight into the heels and moves the top of the thigh bone forward out of socket. To balance away from this tendency, bend the knees very slightly so the weight rolls to the front of the foot. Embrace the knees by hugging in with muscle. Now hug the shins in to the midline. Explore the feeling sturdiness in the feet and lower legs.
The third principle is “Thigh Bones back and Apart”. Joint congruency in the hips is very important. We don’t want the articular surfaces getting nicked or wearing unevenly. Our tendency is to draw the top of our thighbones forward and inward. This is due to over-active Gluteal muscles and tight external rotators. This tendency takes the joint out of congruency and the outer edge of the socket gets worn. Left unchecked, this habit can cause arthritis and other degenerative conditions in the hip joint. When we move the top of the thighbones back and apart, we seat the femur heads deeply into the hip sockets and widen the back of the pelvis creating space in the low back. To experience this, find the first two principles: feet active and balanced and micro-bend the knees. From there, lean forward slightly and stick your butt out behind you. The groins soften into the body. Firm the thigh muscles to keep the top of the thigh bones back. Now to move the thighbones apart, imagine your heels are glued to the mat, and try to pull them away from each other. Feel that spiral of energy travel up the legs and widen the sits bones and upper thigh bones. This is physical therapy.
The forth principle is: “Hook the tailbone”. The tailbone is the tiny tip of the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine. When we hook it forward, just the tiny tip of it, we tone and lift the low abdomen which awakens our core and protects our low back. To experience this, apply the first three principles making sure your thigh muscles are consistently firm and the outward spin of the heels is moving the thighbones apart. Now without letting the hips move forward at all, hook the tailbone down between the wide sits bones. This should lift the pit of the belly and take the shoulders right over the hips. Again, engage the thigh muscles to move the thigh bones back, and then hook the tailbone. Can you feel the integration of the hips and legs to the torso?
Our fifth principle is “Low ribs in, side ribs long”. Many of us have the tendency jut the low ribs forward causing an over contraction of the mid back and compression in the low back. When we use upper abdominals to take the low ribs in we can instead lengthen the side ribs away from the hips which extends the spine and keeps energy moving up into the heart. If the mid back tends toward rounding, skip the ‘low ribs in’ part and focus on ‘side ribs long’. Stand with feet active and balanced, micro-bend the knees, move the thigh bones back and apart and hook the tailbone. Now lift the arms overhead. notice how the low ribs tend to jut out? Draw them into the body and instead stretch up with the side ribs getting as long as you can in the side body. Hook the tailbone to anchor the hips then inhale stretch the sides of the ribs away from the rooting hips legs and feet. Can you feel how soothing this is to the mid and low back? Try to find this action of the side ribs stretching away from grounded hips with each inhale no matter what pose you are in.
Our sixth principle is called “Shoulder blades on the upper back”. This moves the head of the arm bones back and the heart up to support an optimally aligned shoulder girdle and an open heart. Our tendency is to allow the shoulder blades to slump off the upper back rounding the shoulders. This pulls the tendons out of groove creating pressure on nerves and arteries traveling through the shoulder girdle. It also weakens the rotator cuff and inviting injury. When we move with the shoulder blades on the upper back, we move in optimal alignment, protecting the joint and creating a stronger foundation. To feel this, first find the five previous principles. Keep the low ribs tucking in and float the armpits like a gently shrug. This creates slack in the shoulder tendons. Now, move the shoulders back behind you as you lift your heart. This should slide your shoulder blades together behind your heart. This is shoulder therapy. It should feel. good. It may feel odd and tiring to hold at first, but practice will retrain the body to hold this alignment with ease.
Our final principle is called “Skull Traction”. Skull Traction is the sensation of stretching the sides of the skull away from the base of the neck. This creates space in the cervical vertebrae: the neck. Sometimes we lift the chin without lengthening the neck first. This causes compression. Other times we look down too much over stretching the back of the neck and compressing the throat. We also tend to carry the head forward stressing the muscles on top of the shoulders. Skull traction brings the head and neck into optimal alignment. To feel this, stand with feet alive and balanced, knees slightly bent, thighs firm, thighbones back and apart, anchor the tailbone. Draw the low ribs in then move the shoulders back and float the heart to the chin. Press down through the feet and stretch the sides of the skull up. Draw the top of the throat back then pull it up. Can you feel yourself getting longer? Again, these movements may feel forced or allusive at first but be patient and persistent. Your internal strength and awareness will wake up in layers and self adjusting will become more natural.
Understanding and applying the seven optimal alignment principles in our yoga postures and our daily lives can heal us from low back pain, chronic fatigue, joint degeneration and many more common ailments. Think of it as making subtle chiropractic adjustments everyday. Because we are literally rearranging our bones to support the spine’s integrity and carry our weight in a balanced way, moving in optimal alignment reduces compensatory actions that can drain our energy causing chronic fatigue. Here is a clear example. When the thigh muscles are tight, the pelvis gets pulled into a forward tilt which draws our weight forward as is we were walking downhill. To compensate, the back muscles are constantly engaged trying to pull us back to a balanced position. The action is so subtle we may not notice, but this constant adjustment may be why we are tired all the time. An optimally aligned skeleton also supports the free flow of blood, nerve signals, and other vital fluids so we feel an increase in mental clarity and emotional balance as well as physical energy.
Copyright 2007 © Yoga with Jennifer Lynn
