How Long to Follow a Sequence?

Dear Anonymous,

Your students should follow a sequence for as long as it serves him or her. This is especially true if it has been prescribed by a seasoned teacher. Before you prescribe a sequence for your students' daily practice, you should know the benefits of that sequence, and the student should feel the changes that it's making in her life. Instruct the student to monitor those changes with intelligence.

An ideal situation, of course, would be for the teacher to watch the student do the prescribed sequence. If the work she is doing on her own is correct, it will be evident. This is possible in either a private session or a one-on-one class such as a Mysore-style practice.

It can be a good idea to vary certain elements of practice daily. I like to alternate backbends, forward bends, twists, certain inversions, and arm balance postures from day to day. It feels more balanced in my body.

However, I personally have done different things over the years in my practice, ranging from practicing the same series every day for years to varying the sequence daily. Both methods have served me well and have, I believe, contributed to my having a well-rounded practice.

Make Room for Emotions
As a yoga instructor, I have not found a way of letting my students know that it is normal for strong emotional issues to surface during asana and that crying is OK. I could simply and blatantly say it, but how would you get this point across through asana instruction?
—Tova

Dear Tova,

As yoga teachers, we should be aware of the profound interconnectedness between our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies and be prepared to teach that in our classes. The breath is the link between these different bodies. Emotions can come up when we practice yoga, and I think that there's nothing wrong with just coming out and talking about it in your classes while you teach.

It is important to convey to students that yoga is about learning how to focus our minds and bodies on one thing, and sustaining that focus. When we practice sincerely with ekāgra (relaxed attention), we have the potential to tap into these seemingly hidden emotional states—to truly focus. When we focus on our breath, it helps us be in the moment, therefore fully present and aware.

Yogis believe that every emotion or experience we've ever had is stored somewhere in our cellular tissue. When we practice asana and pranayama (conscious breathing), sometimes emotions are released, bringing up feelings that can range from sadness to anger to joy. These are all completely normal reactions that can happen when practicing yoga, and this should be conveyed to the students. In my experience, the poses that tend to elicit a more emotional response are hip openers and backbends, especially when they're held for extended periods of time. I often say, "The pose begins when you want to come out." What this means is that we all have our own reasons for wanting to leave the pose, and this is where the pose gets most interesting. Encourage your students to pay attention to what it is that is compelling them to leave the pose, be it physical or emotional.

I always try to let people know that they are in a safe environment in my classes and that whatever comes up emotionally for them is OK. I encourage them to breathe through it and watch it, feel it, and then let it go. However, there will always be the student who does not feel comfortable expressing emotions in class. I invite those students to speak with me privately after class.

Strengthening Flow

Can you give advice on incorporating poses into a vinyasa class to strengthen gluteal muscles and hamstrings? I have two students with sacroiliac tuberous ligament problems.
— Jody

Dear Jody,

Lengthening the gluteal muscles and hamstrings would be highly beneficial for sacroiliac injuries. When it comes to muscle strength, I am a firm believer in the saying, "There is strength in length." When a muscle is long and lean, it has more ability to contract than when it is overdeveloped and short. When people have stiff and strong gluteals and hamstrings, the tendency to "recruit" flexibility is high—and that flexibility comes from the closest available joint, which is the sacroiliac joint. We tend to rely on the areas of our bodies that are already flexible, and we don't take the time to open the areas that need it. For example, in Virasana (Hero Pose), many people can sit between their feet with their bottom on the floor because of the flexibility in the knee joint. Well, that pose should not depend on knee flexibility but on hip flexibility and long quadriceps. The danger is in overstretching the knee joint and never opening the hips or thigh muscles. This is considered "recruiting." It is not a sustainable way of practicing and can result in injuries.

In terms of SI problems, people tend to overstretch that area instead of achieving the pose through long hamstrings and quadriceps. To protect the SI, care must be taken to lengthen the gluteals, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

When teaching a vinyasa class, it would be wise to begin to incorporate standing asanas such as Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose), and Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose) into the sequence often, to lengthen the hamstrings and glutes. Then either do more repetitions of those poses or try holding them longer.

Anyone who's ever been in one of my classes knows that I think lunges and backbends are crucial poses as well. These poses help lengthen the psoas muscle, which runs along the front of the body. A stiff psoas is sometimes the culprit in back pain and sacroiliac problems.

I also ask you to consider telling those students with sacroiliac problems that a vinyasa-style class may not be the most appropriate for them. Vinyasa classes tend to contain a lot of forward bends, which can exacerbate an SI problem. Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose) is a much more appropriate pose, and the injured side should be held twice as long as the other side. Asymmetrical poses such as Trikonasana and Parsvakonasana are also recommended; they stretch the hamstrings without overstretching the SI.