Episode Transcript
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Monica (00:00):
Let's take a deeper look
into one of yoga's most commonly
practiced poses, upward facingdog.
You'll find it in nearly everyVinyasa class, and it's often
sequenced right after chka.
But for many students, this poseisn't just hard.
It can hurt or even feelinaccessible for a number of
(00:24):
reasons.
So let's talk about it.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
(00:46):
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
(01:09):
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(01:29):
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
Welcome back to the
podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here is where we get real aboutyoga's role in helping students
with conditions and injuries andwhat you can do to help them
(01:50):
find relief while they're inyour classes.
In this episode, I wanna take adeeper look into one of yoga's
most commonly practiced poses.
Upward facing dog.
You'll find it in nearly everyVinyasa class, and it's often
sequenced right after toga.
But for many students, this poseisn't just hard.
(02:13):
It can hurt or even feelinaccessible.
So what happens?
Well, they typically stillpractice it, but because it
hurts or it doesn't feel quiteright, they end up jamming
themselves through thetransition.
Think about it, if you'reworking with a student who has
(02:34):
chronic back pain or limitedlumbar extension or restricted.
Ankle planter flexion.
This pose can become a recipefor discomfort or even worse, a
potential injury.
So let's talk about it.
Upward facing dog is oftentaught as a heart opener, a hip
(02:58):
opener, or a backend.
But let's get more specific.
Here's what this pose requires,biomechanically.
It requires full lumbar spineextension, so in your low back
it needs to be able to archdeeply.
It requires some shoulderextension, but it's really
(03:20):
paired with scapular retraction,drawing the chest forward and
up.
It also requires hip extension.
Since the legs stay long behindyou, and if you are a strict
alignment teacher, ankle planterflexion, that's pointed toes
with the weight bearing on thetops of the feet.
(03:43):
This is a lot, especially fornew students and injured and
aging students whose movementsmight be limited.
Upward facing dog requiresmobile joints strength and the
ability to control movementthrough transitions.
This pose seems simple enough.
(04:04):
I mean, when I was learning topractice this pose, no teacher
ever really broke it down forme, and in my teacher training
when we were covering posebreakdowns, we didn't spend much
time on this one.
I wanna take some time to focuson four specific limitations
that might make this pose feelmiserable for some students.
(04:28):
The first is ankle planterflexion, and I don't think we
talk about this enough.
If a student cannot comfortablypoint their toes, maybe due to
stiff ankles, a prior injury.
Or tightness in the front of theankle, then they probably won't
be able to place the tops oftheir feet on their mat.
(04:49):
And weight bearing makes it evenmore of a challenge.
Plant flexion is the action ofpointing the toes and
lengthening the top of the footin upward facing dog.
The.
Entire pose relies on havingweight through the tops of the
feet, which requires fullplantar flexion and healthy
(05:11):
ankle mobility.
But some students, especiallyrunners, cyclists, or anyone
who's had an ankle sprain orfoot surgery can have stiff
anterior ankles or poor mobilityin the joint.
If they can't comfortably pressinto the tops of their feet, it
affects the engagement of theirposterior chain as well.
(05:34):
If a student can't fully plantour flex meaning point their
feet, then they will try to curltheir toes under instead.
Their knees may also hover offthe map, but their feet are.
Barely connected, and they willoften grip with their toes,
which can lead to straining orcramping in the tops of the feet
(05:56):
or the shins, instability in thelower body, and a tendency to
shift too much weight into theirwrists and low back to
compensate for their limitedankle movement.
Then they compensate by becomingover-reliant on their arms and
shoulders.
They will tend to dump theirpelvis down, which results in a
(06:20):
lumbar hinge, and sometimes theycan experience a lack of
groundedness or a floatingfeeling in their legs.
You might see their thighslifted, but the ankles
struggling, or you could seethem pushing into their toes
instead of the tops of theirfeet.
The next area of concern isstudents who come to class with
(06:42):
chronic low back pain.
the alignment required topractice upward facing dog adds
load or weight to the lumbarspine while it's in extension.
If someone has disc issues,facet joint sensitivity, or
general hypermobility in theirspine, This pose can compress
(07:04):
those already sensitivestructures.
Think about the student withcertain conditions like a disc
herniation, spinal stenosis, SIjoint dysfunction, facet joint
inflammation, scoliosis, or evennon-specific low back pain.
Again, upward facing dog placesthe lumbar spine in deep
(07:26):
extension under load For manystudents with back pain, this
type of movement can beuncomfortable, especially
because they're locked in,Meaning the floor prevents them
from moving and it can irritateinjuries and conditions students
already come to class with.
(07:46):
Here's how you can see it's aproblem for your students.
You might see them wince or.
Fake the pose, barely liftingtheir chest, or they race
through it really fast to lessenthe time they spend in the
shape.
You might notice that theirglutes are overly engaged.
In an attempt to protect theirback, if you notice them
(08:10):
clenching their glutesexcessively, it can also have an
effect on their SI joint.
You can see them shrug theirshoulders up towards their ears
to offload spinal effort, ormaybe you notice they hold
tension in their jaw, theirneck, or they hold their breath
and they might even avoid thepose altogether and go straight
(08:30):
to downward facing dog.
Avoiding is not a bad idea,especially if they feel a dull
ache or a sharp pinch in theirlow back, or discomfort that
lingers into later parts of theclass, or even fear, hesitation
or tension every time the poseis queued.
(08:50):
This is a nervous systemresponse and it's just as
important as any physicalresponse.
Okay, let's move on to lumbarextension and what happens when
it's limited.
Some students simply can'textend through the lumbar spine
due to structural restrictions,past surgeries, or habitual
(09:13):
postural patterns.
Instead of a smooth curvethrough the spine, they hinge at
the thoraco lumbar junction orforce the lift through their
arms.
Limited lumbar extension refersto a mechanical limitation in
the ability of the lumbar spinethat's L one through L five, to
(09:35):
extend or arch backward.
It may be due to congenitalstructure, tight hip flexors,
postural habits, spinal fusionconditions in the spine, or a
past surgery.
Traditional alignment in upwardfacing dog assumes that the
lumbar spine can arch deeplywhile the pelvis is unsupported.
(09:59):
Since the thighs and hips aretaught to hover from the mat, if
that range of motion doesn'texist, the back tries to
compensate from the thoracicspine or the shoulders, which
can create strain.
The pose turns into less of aback bend.
Their chest leans forward andtheir back stays relatively
(10:21):
flat.
Students may also push hard intotheir hands and shrug their
shoulders and there's often anexaggerated bend at one segment
of the spine instead of a smoothcurve.
You can actually see it.
I've seen it in studentspracticing in wheel pose and bow
(10:43):
pose as well.
Once you get comfortable seeingthis, you can spot it in other
poses too.
Even a standing back bin oronne.
Asano with a back bin.
A student might feel a sensationlike blocked or jammed in the
low back.
They could feel effort withoutreward.
Like they feel like they'redoing a lot, but getting
(11:05):
nowhere, or they might feeldisconnected from their lower
body.
Here's a side note.
I would like to emphasize thatnot all students will experience
pain, so you shouldn't assumeit's painful.
You could ask them if you wantor if you feel like they would
be willing to talk with you.
This is where understanding paincomes into play.
(11:28):
We all experience pain indifferent ways and in different
levels, and pain ismultifactorial, so it cannot be
reduced to a physical movementas the sole reason that pain
presents.
Start to notice if your studentsoveruse their arms to, for lack
(11:48):
of a better way to say it, faketheir lift.
Notice if they're hinging at thethoraco lumbar junction, whether
thoracic and lumbar spine meet,and also look to see if they're
restricting their breath due totension and struggle.
Finally, let's talk about somechallenges with scapular
(12:10):
retraction.
Scapular retraction is themovement of drawing the shoulder
blades back towards the spine.
Think about hugging your bladestowards the midline.
Without shrugging up an upwardfacing dog, you want the
shoulders behind the wrist, thechest broad and lifted, and the
(12:31):
scapula gliding along the ribcage in a controlled way.
The problem is most studentslack either the strength or
mobility to retract the scapularwell under load.
It requires coordination betweenthe rhomboids, middle traps and
serus anterior, All while thechest is expanding upward and
(12:54):
the arms are bearing weight,when scapular control is missing
the shoulders roll forward orshrug up towards the ears,
compressing the neck, collapsingthe chest, and adding strain to
the wrist and low back.
How can you spot this?
You might see a student'sshoulders in front of their
(13:15):
wrists with their chest cad in,or elbows splayed out, and the
arms loose.
Their vertical alignment, theirneck may look compressed, or
their head is flung back withoutcontrol, and finally their
scapular wing out instead ofsliding across the back.
A student might feel tension intheir neck or traps a sense of
(13:38):
sinking between the shouldersinstead of lifting through the
chest.
Difficulty holding the pose formore than a breath or two, or
excessive pressure in the wristor the base of the neck.
Whew.
So you see how upward facing dogis more complicated than just a
simple transition pose betweenAng and Downward Facing Dog.
(14:04):
The mechanics of this poserequire much more than some
students can handle, and in mostgroup yoga classes, you don't
have the time to properly pausethe class and teach this pose.
So what can you do instead?
Here are three options.
If upward facing dog isn'taccessible, teach Cobra pose.
(14:27):
Cobra keeps the pelvis and legsgrounded.
It removes the demand for ankleplantar flexion with added load.
It reduces lumbar compressionbecause it's a smaller back
bend, and it offers studentsmore control over how much they
extend their spine.
You can even cue a baby Cobrawith the hands under the
(14:50):
shoulders.
Light pressure and a slightlift, it still builds strength
and awareness, but without theload.
Number two, you could thinkabout using props under their
thighs.
If a student wants to try upwardfacing dog, but struggles with
ankle plantar flexion, you canoffer to place a rolled blanket
(15:11):
under either their thighs ortheir shins.
It offloads pressure from thefeet and can help to support
better spinal alignment.
Number three, you could teach ahovering cobra or a Sphinx flow
if you wanna build towardsupward facing dog.
But you see students are notquite there.
(15:32):
Explore dynamic flows likesphinx rolls or hovering Cobra
to warm the spine and practiceback bends with less
compression.
Now say you're teaching groupclasses.
How can you teach optionswithout singling?
Anyone out.
Don't assume that upward facingdog is a must do.
(15:53):
It's not in your classes.
You could say something like, ifupward facing dog doesn't feel
good on your back, your anklesor your shoulders, try cobra.
Both are strong, smart choicesand teach Cobra before saying
this so that students understandwhat you mean.
Or you can even weave in wordsalong these lines.
(16:16):
Choose the version that givesyou space to breathe and resist
practicing the one that forcesyou to clench your teeth.
Remind students that harderisn't always better.
Smart is better.
Sustainable is better.
Informed is better.
What feels right is better.
(16:37):
Theme a whole class around thissentiment or work it into all of
your classes So studentsunderstand the type of teacher
you are.
So here's the takeaway.
Just because upward facing dogis common doesn't mean it's
appropriate for everybody.
As a teacher, your power lies inrecognizing that and offering
(17:00):
options so that students knowthat they're available, whether
it is ankle mobility.
Chronic pain, limited spinalextension or scapular movement
variability.
You can make your teaching moreinclusive by shifting your
language from full expression tofunctional variation,
(17:21):
understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you understand your
students.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment, and
abilities.
Come to your classes and you canserve them all.
(17:42):
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
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Alright, that's it for now.
Bye.