July 14, 2025 • 15 mins
We’re talking about the widely used phrase “full expression of the pose” what it means, how it’s used, and why it can unintentionally create harm or hierarchy in your classes.
If you’re using this phrase now, don't you worry, in this episode, I’ll walk you through why you’d want to shift your language and how to start!
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Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Monica (00:00):
In today's episode, we're talking about the widely
used phrase, full expression ofthe pose, what it means, how
it's used, and why it canunintentionally create harm or
hierarchy in your classes.
If you're using this phrase now,don't worry.
In this episode, I'll walk youthrough why you'd want to shift
(00:21):
your language and how to start.
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.
(00:43):
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
(01:06):
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
(01:27):
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 andpain, and what you can do to
(01:49):
help them find relief whilethey're in your classes.
Today I wanna lean into a topicthat might change how you cue
and how your students feel abouttheir practice.
We're talking about the widelyused phrase, full expression of
the pose, what it means, howit's used, and why it can
(02:10):
unintentionally create harm orhierarchy in your classes.
You know, I wouldn't just leaveyou there.
I'll also share one of theoptions for language that I use
in my own classes.
Instead, it's functionalvariation.
It's a concept that respects theuniqueness of everybody and
(02:34):
everybody's nervous system.
Now you can use that exactverbiage, functional variation,
or you could allude to it, whichis also what I do a lot in my
queuing.
I have to add that because asI've shifted my focus to
functional variation, it haschanged the way I sequence as
(02:55):
well.
So whether you're teaching alllevels vinyasa, restorative
yoga, or working with studentsrecovering from injury, this
conversation will apply to you.
Let's start by naming the phrasefull expression of the pose.
You've likely heard it.
You may have said it.
I used it too.
(03:16):
I won't tell a lie.
And honestly, it often comesfrom a good place.
It's typically used to indicatethe most complex version of a
posture.
The end range of motion or theversion where all the pieces
come together.
For example, in extended sideangle or a side angle pose, it
(03:41):
might mean reaching the armoverhead and taking a bind, or
with the bottom hand reaching totouch the mat.
In pigeon pose, it could meanshimming the front shin forward
to make it parallel with the topof the mat, or progressing the
pose to king pigeon in wheelpose.
(04:01):
It's lifting fully TVA donyaasana, rather than staying in
bridge, pose The phrase, fullexpression is often used to
represent progress, depth, orcompletion.
But here's the issue.
That phrase implies that anyother version is incomplete.
(04:24):
And I'll ask you.
Do you want your students tofeel incomplete in your classes?
Now, I know that you don't, evenif you want to encourage
students to push to their edge,it's important to unpack the
unintended consequences of usingthe phrase full expression.
(04:45):
It creates hierarchy by callingone version the full expression.
We create a value system wheresimpler, supported or modified
versions are lesser than forstudents with injuries,
disabilities, chronic pain, oranatomical limitations.
(05:07):
This can reinforce the harmfulidea that their bodies are not
capable.
Or that they are somehow failingat yoga.
It also disconnects form fromfunction.
We can get so caught up inshapes that we forget the why
behind them.
Does taking a bind mean that thestudent is deeper in the pose?
(05:30):
Not necessarily.
Does lifting into wheel mean thepose is more beneficial than
bridge?
Not for every student.
You see, depth of movement doesnot always equal depth of
practice.
It also reinforces ableism usingfull expression as a goal or
(05:50):
ideal centers.
The bodies who have theflexibility, the mobility, the
time to practice frequently, andbodies that lack injury, and it
leaves everyone else feelinglike they're doing yoga wrong.
This isn't what the yogapractice is intended to be.
(06:12):
So let's talk about thealternative functional
variation.
Whether you use the exactverbiage or you share the
concept of it, neither is rightor wrong.
It's just up to you and yourcomfortability with your
language in your classes.
Is, this is the approach that Iadvocate for in my teaching,
(06:34):
especially when I'm working withstudents, managing pain, healing
from injury or navigating agingbodies, trauma or structural
variation.
My teaching and my language iscentered around student
awareness of themselves, howtheir body feels, how their
breath flows, and how theirnervous system shifts between up
(06:58):
and down regulation.
Functional variation means.
Choosing a version of a posethat serves the purpose of the
pose for that student's body.
We know that a pose will lookdifferently between students and
I truly believe we have theresponsibility to help students
(07:18):
understand that too.
Functional variation means wehave to help students honor
function over form, find whatfeels appropriate in their body
in this moment, and shape theirpractice around this only, and
not attempting to force form.
(07:39):
Ultimately functional variationsupports choice agency, nervous
system regulation, andconsciousness around current
injury and injury prevention.
Functional variation allows usto give students permission to
ask themselves, what am I tryingto accomplish in this pose?
(08:02):
Which version gets me therewithout causing excessive
stress, compression, or fear.
Quick side note here, you may bethinking fear.
Why fear?
It's because the feeling of fearwill affect the nervous system,
and when the nervous systemdetects fear, it immediately
(08:23):
goes into protection mode andit's supposed to.
That's the way it's designed.
And finally, functionalvariation helps students ask,
what choice can I make that willalign with how my body is
feeling right now?
So what does this look like inyour yoga class?
(08:45):
Here are a couple of examples.
If we look at specific poses indownward facing dog, instead of
queuing heels to the floor orstraight legs, help your
students focus on noticing wheretheir heels are relative to
their mat.
Not trying to change it, butjust notice it.
(09:07):
Are there differences betweenthe right and left heel or
shoulder stability?
Oftentimes teachers cue studentsto press their chest towards the
mat or towards their thighs.
I've experienced both when I'mtaking classes, but by doing
this, the shoulder joint becomesless and less stable.
(09:29):
Think about backing off of whatthe chest should be doing and
focus on a sense of stability inthe shoulder joints.
And finally, help your studentsshift their awareness to their
breath in this pose.
Are they holding it?
Are they breathing fast?
Can they create a sense of easein the breath cycle while
they're in downward facing dogs?
(09:51):
Functional variation might looklike a wall version, a bent knee
version, or even skippingdownward facing dog altogether.
In triangle pose, rather thanpushing towards the floor or
reaching with a hand, you ask,notice what your spine is doing.
(10:11):
Do you feel like you're in aside bend?
Can you lengthen your spine andcreate more space in the waist?
On the bottom side?
You can also ask, can you groundyour feet into your mat?
Notice if you feel light, andcan you create more connection,
or, one of my favorite ways toengage the legs is to ask
(10:33):
students to lift their kneecapstowards their thighs.
It's just a sneaky way to engagethe muscles of the legs a little
bit more.
And finally.
Ask, how's your breath cycle?
Can you smooth it out a littlebit more?
Functional variation in trianglepose may look like hands on the
hips or the pelvis slightlyturned down towards the mat, or
(10:57):
even gazing towards the mat tohelp with balance the version
that meets these conditions.
Is the full expression for eachstudent, and it quite possibly
will look different because itneeds to for students to find
their own functional variation.
If you work with students inpain or injury recovery,
(11:21):
remember your language iseverything.
Students might arrive with thefeelings of shame.
Fear or frustration around theirbodies if you say full
expression and they can't accessit, the nervous system
interprets that as failure,danger, or exclusion.
(11:41):
Functional variation helps shiftthat narrative.
It helps students understandthat they're not a problem to
fix.
They're a person to support.
And this version is a wisechoice for me, not that I'm
weaker or less than, or not goodenough, and it helps students
(12:02):
advocate for themselves.
They get to choose what worksfor their body.
When you cue with this lens,your students will feel
empowered instead ofoverwhelmed.
Seen.
Instead of measured andsuccessful for showing up and
not for performing a shape.
if you're wondering how to shiftyour language, here are some
(12:25):
phrases you can play with usinginstead of full expression.
Find the version that feels mostfunctional for your body today,
or here are some variations.
Choose the option that feelsright in this moment.
Right now, you could say thisversion builds strength.
(12:47):
While this version buildsstability, you get to choose
which feels appropriate for yourbody.
think of saying instead ofworking toward a specific pose
idea, feel that you're alreadyin the pose right now that works
for you.
And finally you could say, honoryour body's ranges and needs
(13:11):
right now without believing thatthere's one ideal form that you
have to master.
It's so important that youunderstand why language is so
important.
I get it.
If you're new to teaching.
Just getting through the classis sometimes enough and all you
can do, eventually you'll getmore comfortable and you'll
(13:35):
think about using your languagestrategically and to help you
build trust with your students.
I.
As yoga teachers, our job isn'tto guide students into the
deepest, fanciest version of apose.
Instead, it's to create spacefor agency adaptation and
(13:56):
awareness.
Let's think differently when wesay full expression and realize
it may be doing more harm thanyou think to your students.
Teach more function, not form.
And in doing so, offer yoga thatis actually inclusive.
Trauma informed and healing.
(14:18):
And if you're ready to learnmore about adapting your
language, sequencing and queuingfor students with injuries or
pain, remember this is the workthat I do with yoga teachers all
the time.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you understand your
(14:40):
students.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes.
Sizes, alignment and abilitiescome to your classes and you can
serve all of them.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
(15:02):
come to your classes with.
If you want to inquire aboutworking with me, let's jump on a
strategy, call and discuss yourcurrent needs and ways I might
be able to help you right now.
In the meantime, subscribe tothe podcast so you're always in
the know when a new episodedrops, and share it with another
yoga teacher who you think wouldlove to be in on these
(15:25):
conversations.
And finally.
Thank you for helping to spreadthe word about this podcast.
Alright, that's it for now.
Bye.
In today's episode, we're talking about the widely
used phrase, full expression ofthe pose, what it means, how
it's used, and why it canunintentionally create harm or
hierarchy in your classes.
If you're using this phrase now,don't worry.
In this episode, I'll walk youthrough why you'd want to shift
(00:21):
your language and how to start.
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.
(00:43):
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
(01:06):
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
(01:27):
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 andpain, and what you can do to
(01:49):
help them find relief whilethey're in your classes.
Today I wanna lean into a topicthat might change how you cue
and how your students feel abouttheir practice.
We're talking about the widelyused phrase, full expression of
the pose, what it means, howit's used, and why it can
(02:10):
unintentionally create harm orhierarchy in your classes.
You know, I wouldn't just leaveyou there.
I'll also share one of theoptions for language that I use
in my own classes.
Instead, it's functionalvariation.
It's a concept that respects theuniqueness of everybody and
(02:34):
everybody's nervous system.
Now you can use that exactverbiage, functional variation,
or you could allude to it, whichis also what I do a lot in my
queuing.
I have to add that because asI've shifted my focus to
functional variation, it haschanged the way I sequence as
(02:55):
well.
So whether you're teaching alllevels vinyasa, restorative
yoga, or working with studentsrecovering from injury, this
conversation will apply to you.
Let's start by naming the phrasefull expression of the pose.
You've likely heard it.
You may have said it.
I used it too.
(03:16):
I won't tell a lie.
And honestly, it often comesfrom a good place.
It's typically used to indicatethe most complex version of a
posture.
The end range of motion or theversion where all the pieces
come together.
For example, in extended sideangle or a side angle pose, it
(03:41):
might mean reaching the armoverhead and taking a bind, or
with the bottom hand reaching totouch the mat.
In pigeon pose, it could meanshimming the front shin forward
to make it parallel with the topof the mat, or progressing the
pose to king pigeon in wheelpose.
(04:01):
It's lifting fully TVA donyaasana, rather than staying in
bridge, pose The phrase, fullexpression is often used to
represent progress, depth, orcompletion.
But here's the issue.
That phrase implies that anyother version is incomplete.
(04:24):
And I'll ask you.
Do you want your students tofeel incomplete in your classes?
Now, I know that you don't, evenif you want to encourage
students to push to their edge,it's important to unpack the
unintended consequences of usingthe phrase full expression.
(04:45):
It creates hierarchy by callingone version the full expression.
We create a value system wheresimpler, supported or modified
versions are lesser than forstudents with injuries,
disabilities, chronic pain, oranatomical limitations.
(05:07):
This can reinforce the harmfulidea that their bodies are not
capable.
Or that they are somehow failingat yoga.
It also disconnects form fromfunction.
We can get so caught up inshapes that we forget the why
behind them.
Does taking a bind mean that thestudent is deeper in the pose?
(05:30):
Not necessarily.
Does lifting into wheel mean thepose is more beneficial than
bridge?
Not for every student.
You see, depth of movement doesnot always equal depth of
practice.
It also reinforces ableism usingfull expression as a goal or
(05:50):
ideal centers.
The bodies who have theflexibility, the mobility, the
time to practice frequently, andbodies that lack injury, and it
leaves everyone else feelinglike they're doing yoga wrong.
This isn't what the yogapractice is intended to be.
(06:12):
So let's talk about thealternative functional
variation.
Whether you use the exactverbiage or you share the
concept of it, neither is rightor wrong.
It's just up to you and yourcomfortability with your
language in your classes.
Is, this is the approach that Iadvocate for in my teaching,
(06:34):
especially when I'm working withstudents, managing pain, healing
from injury or navigating agingbodies, trauma or structural
variation.
My teaching and my language iscentered around student
awareness of themselves, howtheir body feels, how their
breath flows, and how theirnervous system shifts between up
(06:58):
and down regulation.
Functional variation means.
Choosing a version of a posethat serves the purpose of the
pose for that student's body.
We know that a pose will lookdifferently between students and
I truly believe we have theresponsibility to help students
(07:18):
understand that too.
Functional variation means wehave to help students honor
function over form, find whatfeels appropriate in their body
in this moment, and shape theirpractice around this only, and
not attempting to force form.
(07:39):
Ultimately functional variationsupports choice agency, nervous
system regulation, andconsciousness around current
injury and injury prevention.
Functional variation allows usto give students permission to
ask themselves, what am I tryingto accomplish in this pose?
(08:02):
Which version gets me therewithout causing excessive
stress, compression, or fear.
Quick side note here, you may bethinking fear.
Why fear?
It's because the feeling of fearwill affect the nervous system,
and when the nervous systemdetects fear, it immediately
(08:23):
goes into protection mode andit's supposed to.
That's the way it's designed.
And finally, functionalvariation helps students ask,
what choice can I make that willalign with how my body is
feeling right now?
So what does this look like inyour yoga class?
(08:45):
Here are a couple of examples.
If we look at specific poses indownward facing dog, instead of
queuing heels to the floor orstraight legs, help your
students focus on noticing wheretheir heels are relative to
their mat.
Not trying to change it, butjust notice it.
(09:07):
Are there differences betweenthe right and left heel or
shoulder stability?
Oftentimes teachers cue studentsto press their chest towards the
mat or towards their thighs.
I've experienced both when I'mtaking classes, but by doing
this, the shoulder joint becomesless and less stable.
(09:29):
Think about backing off of whatthe chest should be doing and
focus on a sense of stability inthe shoulder joints.
And finally, help your studentsshift their awareness to their
breath in this pose.
Are they holding it?
Are they breathing fast?
Can they create a sense of easein the breath cycle while
they're in downward facing dogs?
(09:51):
Functional variation might looklike a wall version, a bent knee
version, or even skippingdownward facing dog altogether.
In triangle pose, rather thanpushing towards the floor or
reaching with a hand, you ask,notice what your spine is doing.
(10:11):
Do you feel like you're in aside bend?
Can you lengthen your spine andcreate more space in the waist?
On the bottom side?
You can also ask, can you groundyour feet into your mat?
Notice if you feel light, andcan you create more connection,
or, one of my favorite ways toengage the legs is to ask
(10:33):
students to lift their kneecapstowards their thighs.
It's just a sneaky way to engagethe muscles of the legs a little
bit more.
And finally.
Ask, how's your breath cycle?
Can you smooth it out a littlebit more?
Functional variation in trianglepose may look like hands on the
hips or the pelvis slightlyturned down towards the mat, or
(10:57):
even gazing towards the mat tohelp with balance the version
that meets these conditions.
Is the full expression for eachstudent, and it quite possibly
will look different because itneeds to for students to find
their own functional variation.
If you work with students inpain or injury recovery,
(11:21):
remember your language iseverything.
Students might arrive with thefeelings of shame.
Fear or frustration around theirbodies if you say full
expression and they can't accessit, the nervous system
interprets that as failure,danger, or exclusion.
(11:41):
Functional variation helps shiftthat narrative.
It helps students understandthat they're not a problem to
fix.
They're a person to support.
And this version is a wisechoice for me, not that I'm
weaker or less than, or not goodenough, and it helps students
(12:02):
advocate for themselves.
They get to choose what worksfor their body.
When you cue with this lens,your students will feel
empowered instead ofoverwhelmed.
Seen.
Instead of measured andsuccessful for showing up and
not for performing a shape.
if you're wondering how to shiftyour language, here are some
(12:25):
phrases you can play with usinginstead of full expression.
Find the version that feels mostfunctional for your body today,
or here are some variations.
Choose the option that feelsright in this moment.
Right now, you could say thisversion builds strength.
(12:47):
While this version buildsstability, you get to choose
which feels appropriate for yourbody.
think of saying instead ofworking toward a specific pose
idea, feel that you're alreadyin the pose right now that works
for you.
And finally you could say, honoryour body's ranges and needs
(13:11):
right now without believing thatthere's one ideal form that you
have to master.
It's so important that youunderstand why language is so
important.
I get it.
If you're new to teaching.
Just getting through the classis sometimes enough and all you
can do, eventually you'll getmore comfortable and you'll
(13:35):
think about using your languagestrategically and to help you
build trust with your students.
I.
As yoga teachers, our job isn'tto guide students into the
deepest, fanciest version of apose.
Instead, it's to create spacefor agency adaptation and
(13:56):
awareness.
Let's think differently when wesay full expression and realize
it may be doing more harm thanyou think to your students.
Teach more function, not form.
And in doing so, offer yoga thatis actually inclusive.
Trauma informed and healing.
(14:18):
And if you're ready to learnmore about adapting your
language, sequencing and queuingfor students with injuries or
pain, remember this is the workthat I do with yoga teachers all
the time.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you understand your
(14:40):
students.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes.
Sizes, alignment and abilitiescome to your classes and you can
serve all of them.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
(15:02):
come to your classes with.
If you want to inquire aboutworking with me, let's jump on a
strategy, call and discuss yourcurrent needs and ways I might
be able to help you right now.
In the meantime, subscribe tothe podcast so you're always in
the know when a new episodedrops, and share it with another
yoga teacher who you think wouldlove to be in on these
(15:25):
conversations.
And finally.
Thank you for helping to spreadthe word about this podcast.
Alright, that's it for now.
Bye.
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