When Yoga Teaching Method Gets Confused With Anatomical Principles (EP.394)

In this episode, I’m tackling a common source of confusion in the yoga industry: when teaching methods get mistaken for anatomical/movement principles.

Many yoga teachers hear cues or “rules” about certain poses — things like “don’t put your foot on the side of your knee in Tree Pose” or “you shouldn’t square your hips in Warrior 1 because that forces the hips into an uncomfortable position.” But often these statements aren’t well grounded in anatomy or movement science. Instead, they reflect a particular teacher’s style, preference, or interpretation of how a pose should be taught. Or, they might simply reflect a lack of anatomical knowledge on the part of the teacher.

In this episode, I share why it’s important to distinguish between evidence-based anatomy principles and teaching methodology, and why asking “why?” is one of the most powerful tools a teacher can use when evaluating cues and alignment advice.

If you’ve ever heard conflicting guidance about poses and wondered what’s actually true, this episode will help you think about anatomy, movement, and cueing with more clarity and confidence.

 

In the episode, I also speak about how I worked with a yoga teacher to help her get clear on how she wants to teach. This happened inside the Accelerator Program. Here’s the link:

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

Feel free to reach out to me on IG with any thoughts to share after you listen to the episode.