{"id":205,"date":"2014-11-25T01:19:06","date_gmt":"2014-11-25T09:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/10.0.1.8\/crow\/?p=205"},"modified":"2018-09-17T09:48:00","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T16:48:00","slug":"be-mindful-of-your-mouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaphysics.com\/yp\/2014\/11\/be-mindful-of-your-mouth\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Mindful of Your Mouth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"~YJLogoBlack_highres-2\"<\/p>\n

Alignment Cues Decoded: “Straighten Your Elbows!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally posted by Yoga Journal<\/a> on October 22, 2014<\/p>\n

I realized not long ago (while repeatedly reminding my students to “straighten their elbows!”) that most of them\u00a0have very little idea of why teachers make the choices they do for a class. I was acting a little like the Wizard of Oz, making demands from behind the all-knowing curtain, with no explanation as to\u00a0why. But there’s a\u00a0benefit to\u00a0knowing the method behind what might sometimes seem like madness.<\/span><\/p>\n

I sequence in a very methodical way. It\u2019s like a puzzle to me. Every single pose within my classes is there for a reason, to teach the exact efforts needed to eventually achieve the\u00a0peak pose<\/span>\u00a0of the class. Of course, it doesn\u2019t mean everyone will flawlessly execute it that day, but they will have all the information they could ever need to accomplish it in the future\u2014if they choose to do that work. This blog aims to pull back the curtain and explain the what, when, and why bother behind key actions yoga students may not\u00a0be sure\u00a0why they\u2019re learning.<\/p>\n

\"Be<\/p>\n

“Straighten Your Elbows!”<\/b><\/p>\n

The day I was hammering my students about straightening their elbows, over and over I repeated the instructions and still half the class wasn\u2019t doing it.\u00a0I was leading to Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana)<\/span>. It\u2019s one of the most sought-after poses these days, and\u00a0it\u2019s incredibly rewarding when such an\u00a0elusive pose finally becomes possible. I\u2019ve written articles about it (like 7 Steps to Defy Gravity and Master Handstand<\/span>) and taught countless students to do it, but it wasn\u2019t till that day that it dawned on me that I could better help them get there if I explained the how and why. I said, \u201cStraighten your elbows!\u00a0Bent elbows make a very sad Handstand for your face. If you want to keep your face safe, I suggest you learn to straighten them here where you aren\u2019t risking a face plant.\u201d They laughed. And then I saw the lightbulbs come on\u2014and the elbows straighten!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AlexCrowHandstand\"<\/p>\n

Alignment Cue:
\n<\/b><\/span>“Straighten your elbows!”<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy to bring your arms overhead with straight elbows and to keep the shoulders properly aligned. Why? Because we spend most of our days with our elbows bent and our arms hanging down at our sides. Because it\u2019s hard, most people let their arms become an afterthought in standing poses<\/span> and Sun Salutations<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key Yoga Poses:
\n<\/b><\/span>ALL poses with arms raised overhead<\/b><\/p>\n

That means standing, reclining, seated, and upside down. Think poses like High\/Crescent Lunge<\/span>, Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)<\/span>, Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)<\/span>,\u00a0Chair Pose (Utkatasana)<\/span>,\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

To keep reading visit YogaJournal.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n \n YES! I WANT TO LEARN.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n