Thursday 2 October 2014

Learn How Yoga Helps in Achieving Better Body Alignment

Yoga practitioners are often told to listen to their body while practicing yoga. But listening to one’s own body isn’t really that easy, especially while doing a challenging yoga pose that requires practitioners to test their limits. When it comes to physical poses, then one of the primary goals yoga practice has is improving the overall body alignment, so that we are able to do more of yoga poses. In this manner, slowly but surely our physical limits reach new heights.

What is Body Alignment?

A good yoga teacher always refers body alignment as a process instead of an end result. The word alignment is often associated with one’s proficiency of performing yoga poses. In other words, a person is considered to have better alignment if he can perform yoga poses rather easily, and with much accuracy. The scope of perfect body alignment differs from person to person, since different people have different physical limits. Also, even the different forms of yoga have different standards for perfect body alignment.

Since there is no single alignment state that can be considered ideal universally, therefore you don’t necessarily have to follow the standards set by others. As an individual, your personal best is your perfect state of alignment.

Let’s discuss a few simple techniques that can be of great value in improving your overall body alignment.

Engage Your Core Muscles


The muscles of your torso and trunk are the core muscles, which primarily provide the support for your spine. Engaging core muscles in your exercise routine inevitably aligns your spine in the perfect manner, as well as provides you better control over your body movements.

Use Your Tailbone Effectively

There are many yoga poses that require practitioners to use their limbs to support their body, for example, AdhoMukhaSvanasana and Parsvott anasana. While doing these poses if you try to bring down your tail bone you will feel strain in your limbs, which eventually helps in holding bones and muscles together and provides better body alignment.

Spread Your Fingers Wide

If a pose requires you to put your hands on the floor, always keep your fingers wide open. This allowsfor uniform distribution of the body weight across your palm and fingers and youbecome able to remain in that particular position more firmly. In simple words, with a wider base you are able to achieve better balance.

Align Hands with Shoulders and Knees with Hips

Another crucial technique that you should follow while doing yoga poses, is aligning your hands position with your shoulders and keeping your knees hip distant-apart. This simple alignment technique allows you to achieve a better balance by distributing your body weight across the limbs uniformly.

If you are planning to learn yoga in India, at one of the world famous yoga retreats in Rishikesh or Goa, or other yoga hubs in the country, then you have a better chance to learn thoroughly about the concept of body alignment. These places are known for adopting yoga as a lifestyle, which certainly gives you a chance to learn something new.

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