“Balance is not the alignment of perfectly equal forms, but the perfect alignment of different forms” cit.Vito Torgani
Offering energetic help to your students through alignment research is not as simple as it may seem.
Sometimes touching your student to correct him can create emotional tensions, be seen as an
intrusive gesture and there are numerous stories of students who have suffered injuries after intense
manual adjustments. Each teacher should assume the sensitivity, empathy and anatomical
knowledge necessary to correct incorrect posture and minimize the risk of injury during their Yoga classes.
Assisting your students during Yoga practice or being able to not interrupt your flow during a
Vinyasa is a real art. Sometimes the simplest thing to do is to avoid manually correcting bad
posture and to make your verbal guide as clear and concise as possible. However, in Yoga it
happens frequently, especially among beginners, to disperse or block energy in the effort to learn
unusual posture and movements. This bad attitude leads to fatigue, loss of energy and frustration.
So how do we allow the body’s intelligence to best express itself in the pose and increase our energy
levels?
Rather than seeking the perfect alignment, which can be achieved with constant practice over time,
it is necessary to improve the awareness of oneself as well as that of one’s students.
Staying centered in a state of attention helps us to reduce any risk of injury and to release tensions
by releasing a great flow of energy. The dynamic balance and well-being of body, mind and
spirit are essential to live Yoga practice well and to immediately acquire strength, flexibility
and grace. Teaching these basic concepts to your students will enable them to best express
their potential and to flow lightly both on the mat and during the challenges of life.
Less is More: to make the benefits of the practice itself unique, details that could pass the energy
flow. Set aside moments during the lesson to understand anatomical principles together with your
students and observe each difficulty with care and attention. It is important to be aware of your own
limits and those of your students in order to better consider how to act before acting. If you feel any
resistance, physical or energetic, be prepared to offer an adaptation or a possible alternative and stop
if necessary.
Over the years Odaka Yoga has perfected more and more the art of physical assistance to help
students and teachers to better enjoy the yoga practice by developing a simple and effective method
capable of offering correct physical, emotional and individual work. It periodically offers training
courses dedicated to the Art of Adjustment to help students and teachers slide deeper into the
pose, correct postural and emotional misalignments, consult new movements and stretches.
Discover the dates of the courses also available online to take your practice and / or your students to
the next level and learn the main techniques to manually and / or verbally modify, increase energy,
flow strong and light and avoid injuries.
Vivian Mil.
– Odaka RYT 500 Yoga Teacher
Instagram: @ararisko_harmony_yoga_
