BACK TO FRONT: Tips for teaching Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana or Balasana

BACK TO FRONT:

Tips for teaching Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana or Balasana

What secrets can we share with you on teaching a successful Downward Dog, Forward Bend or Childs Pose?

You’ll have to join us on our wonderful new YOGA TEACHER TRAINING course to find out, but to whet your appetite and stoke your curiosity, here are some hints…

What happens if we think about working the hamstrings to engage and lengthen the back of the body?

If we create the maximum expansion of the back then we will automatically begin to feel how the front of the body is recruited inwards. If we listen to the whispers of the body whilst doing this we will become aware that by recruiting the hamstrings we are preventing the pelvis bone from collapsing and tilting forwards and thus we are creating space.

We can then also begin to understand that by using the hamstrings to expand the back ribs we can safely work the upper part of the body, and this in turn will allow the front ribs to soften and stay more connected.  And so we realise that the hamstrings and inner thighs are working as agonists and synergists and this is paramount for an aligned Downward Facing Dog, a healthy Forward Bend, or even to achieve a proper Childs Pose.

So how do we teach these poses in a connected and aligned way? We look at functional movement rather than just teaching a pose, we are preparing the body for the pose rather than just ‘going into a pose’ by focusing on:

Preparation rather than form

Connection rather than just final result

Inner awareness rather than copying a sequence

This is just one of the in-depth and specialised approaches to teaching yoga that you could learn if you join us for our super upcoming Yoga Alliance Teacher Training course starting in February 2020. We even have an EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT if you book now!

We’d love you to join our joyous yoga teaching community! For more information get in touch here or email us on info@teachyoga.com