By Tiffany Stone
As a yoga instructor, the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is essential for practicing safe and healing yoga. Once we understand that no two human skeletons are alike, our practice becomes freer and non-competitive. We understand that it is impossible to look or feel the same in a pose as the person next to us. The frustration which can sometimes be present in our practice when we hope to achieve a specific appearance in a pose dissipates because we realize our unique make up gives us a unique experience in yoga, as unique as our finger print. Understanding the principles of compression; tension; proportion; and orientation is what helps us understand how our individual skeletons impact our yoga practice. With these principles in mind, it makes for a much more peaceful experience as both teacher and student.
I know for myself, there have been many times in my practice where I have literally felt stopped in a pose, as though nothing could be done for me to move deeper. I can only assume that others have experienced a similar feeling and have asked these same questions, “Why can’t I go further in this pose?”, “Am I not practicing yoga enough or doing it right?” “Why can the person next to me do this pose so much better than me?” Without the knowledge of compression, this feeling of being stopped in a posture can be exasperating, all-consuming, very distracting and for some people it can be the reason they leave yoga altogether. So what is compression? It is bone pressing on bone, or tissue pressing on tissue. No amount of yoga can change compression. As a teacher, compression offers a possible explanation to why a student may not be in a pose “correctly”. It is possible the student has misunderstood the instructions, but it is also very possible that he/she is making adjustments in his/her body to avoid painful or limiting feelings of compression. If a teacher ignores the possibility of compression it can lead to injury, either by unsafe hands on adjustments or encouraging students to be in poses in ways that do not suit his/her skeleton. It is also important to understand that just because we have reached compression within a pose, it does not mean we have reached the end, physically we may have, but emotionally and energetically it continues.
If the restriction a person experiences in a posture is not compression, then it is tension. Tension is the stretching of muscles and connective tissue. Yoga can heal and transform feelings of tension. The challenge is to not resist the stretch or be forceful in the deepening of the stretch. With compression, it is felt in the bones or tissue pressing on to tissue, whereas tension is felt in the muscles. For example in seated forward bend, a person may feel resistance in the hamstrings, this would be tension. An example of compression in this pose would be if as the person bent forward he/she became stopped because the tissue of the abdomen pressed on to the tissue of the thighs. As a teacher, asking questions to find out whether or not a person is experiencing tension or compression is crucial in determining how to proceed. Questions like: “Where in your body do you feel the challenge of this pose and what does it feel like?”, “Have you ever been able to move deeper in to this pose than you are today?”, “I see you have made adjustments to be in this pose, how does this help you feel more comfortable?” With the answers to these questions not only do you find out the root cause for resistance, you also empower the student to become more aware of his/her own body and the messages being given.
Compression and tension are not the only reasons yoga poses look different from one person to another, proportion is another cause. Length and width of a person’s body and all of its parts has an enormous impact on the yoga practice. The proportion we have can serve us really well in one pose and possibly make things more challenging in another pose. As both student and teacher, we need to slow down and really understand the body proportions we are dealing with. In doing so we can understand why this person finds a particular pose difficult or even impossible. Once it is determined that proportion is the cause, poses can be altered or props can be used. With the right modifications, all of a sudden a pose that was once resented or feared becomes more open and healing.
It is also important to analyze the orientation involved in the pose; where is one body part relative to another or are we working with or against gravity? Changing the orientation of a posture can dramatically change the experience of the pose. Often times we need to think outside of the box and find new ways of being in poses where individual needs can be met. What if a person would experience a better back bend if he or she wasn’t working against gravity, as it happens in cobra? As a teacher, it would be worth asking the question what do I hope the student will achieve or receive from this pose and can I offer a different pose which would be more suitable for him/her while offering similar benefits?
To practice yoga with the belief that there is only one right way to do each pose or that a room full of yogis should all look the same is to practice completely outside of reality. The reality is that no two humans are created alike and for this reason no two people doing a yoga pose would look exactly alike or experience the pose in the same way. Most yoga poses are complex, with many muscles and joints involved. It takes careful analysis to determine if compression, tension, proportion or orientation is the reason behind the resistance or challenges a person may be encountering. Once the cause(s) has been determined a person can better understand his/her own body and any limitations it may present and begin to practice with an open heart and acceptance. Yoga teaches us about living in the moment and about accepting ourselves exactly as we are.
Tiffany Stone teaches Yoga classes in Ennismore, Ontario, Canada.
By Dr. Rita Khanna
By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500
By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500