Asana Technique, Alignment, and Modifications
This domain tests whether you can teach a pose's intended action, recognize common misalignment, and modify for different bodies. The exam favors functional alignment-joints loaded safely and breath maintained-over a single cosmetic ideal.
Core rules
- Establish a stable base first: feet, hands, sit bones, or forearms. Then stack joints and lengthen the spine without forcing range.
- In standing poses, track the front knee roughly over the second toe without collapsing the arch; do not demand a 90-degree angle if the hip or ankle cannot support it.
- In forward folds, hinge from the hips and keep the spine long; bend knees generously. In backbends, distribute extension through the whole spine and avoid pinching the low back.
- Use props as precision tools: blocks raise the floor, straps extend reach, chairs support seated poses, walls give feedback. Props are not a beginner stigma.
- Contraindications are individual, not universal: modify for acute injury, recent surgery, uncontrolled blood pressure, glaucoma, or pregnancy with clinician guidance.
Worked example
A student in warrior II has the front knee collapsing inward and the low back arching. Reasoning: first shorten the stance and widen the foot to improve hip support; then cue pressing through the outer edge of the front foot and lengthening the tailbone. If pain persists, switch to a high lunge with blocks or a chair-supported warrior.
Traps
Do not force square hips in every pose; hip structure varies. Do not use listen to your body as the only safety cue. Avoid correcting with hands before asking consent. Do not treat a modification as a lesser pose.