Published on July 21, 2026 at 08:29 AM
Yoga magazine archives The series is a curated collection of articles originally published in previous issues beginning in 1975. This article on alignment in yoga postures first appeared in the September/October 2000 issue of Yoga magazine.
For a yoga teacher, the concept of alignment can be difficult to understand, and even more difficult to teach. While we typically define the precise state of balance we seek to achieve in our practice in relation to the physical body, its implications extend to the deeper nature of mind and consciousness, revealing new possibilities for movement and dimensions of being.
Throughout 25 years of teaching Iyengar method of yoga— a tradition often described as “alignment yoga” — I’ve encountered a persistent question. How can I present the principles of alignment in a way that is simple and clear, but at the same time reflects the transformative power of yoga?
When looking at the problem from a basic anatomical perspective, alignment is about good posture and proper body mechanics. Properly aligned bones and joints help prevent injury and promote mobility, thus contributing to our physical health. However, even at this physical level, we encounter different theories about alignment. Should the pelvis be tilted forward or tucked in more? Should the body weight pass through the center of the ankle joint or through the front? Ultimately, our challenge as teachers is to convey our ideas about alignment in a way that leads students to discover what it means for them.
How to help students find their compatibility
While alignment remains one of the most elusive concepts in yoga, I have found several techniques that can help students understand it.
The first, which he suggested BKS Iyengarinvolves paying attention to the average level of the body. “If you take your finger and divide it down, you get the middle level,” he explained in 1982. Yoga magazine interview. A young man in class recently told me that he felt a painful stiffness along the right side of his neck after practicing Sarvangasana (Shoulder holder). I doubted why he was upset, but I wanted him to notice it himself. When I asked him to check the midline of his body, he discovered that his ribcage, pelvis and legs had moved to the right, putting pressure on the right side of his neck. Having him check in with the medium plane helped him see for himself what corrections needed to be made.
But interest in mediocrity is just the beginning. For me, teaching alignment also means teaching posture awareness feel. Once this student visually noticed the imbalance in his posture, I felt like he was ready to go one step further.
I asked him to direct his attention to the skin surrounding the seventh cervical vertebra (the ganglion bone at the base of the neck). Was the weight centered directly here or more to the right? If he made him aware of how his back ribcage rested on his hands, was one side going up and the other side going down? Can he lift both sides of his ribcage equally? Cases like this taught me that alignment is not something we can impose on the body from the outside, but rather something we feel from the inside. Ultimately, the goal is to strike a balance between the two.
For practitioners to engage in this internal dialogue, they need to actually do so He is Into the pose rather than just “doing” the pose. In Sirsasana (Handstand), for example, I often see students lifting themselves up with the strength of their arms and the work of their shoulders. While they are technically performing the pose, the extra muscle effort pushes the spine out of alignment; The outer body overpowers the inner body. I encourage them to relax the effort of their arms and bring their awareness to the core of the body. I suggest that they let the spine find its place of balance, and notice how it changes their posture. When they allow the spine to subtly adjust its position, their poses appear lighter and almost effortless.
At first, students often comment that they feel unstable, and that they are likely to fall out of the pose in any direction. This is where I offer encouragement and support. I remind my students that sometimes we need to let go of our sense of security to find a place of true balance within us.
Understanding true alignment in yoga
External or structural body alignment is not an end in itself. It is only a temporary or approximate alignment. Searching for alignment is like listening to an elusive shortwave radio station. First, you reach the general vicinity of the station, where you hear the sound through static and interference. As you gradually adjust the station, the sound becomes clearer and clearer. In the practice of yoga, alignment is harmony with the core of your being, something that only an individual can achieve for themselves.
Naturally, there are ways in which the teacher can facilitate this fine-tuning, especially through specific suggestions. If you see a student with one hip higher than the other in Uttanasana (Standing forward bend), I do not directly correct her by asking her to raise her left hip. Leave her to figure out what’s wrong on her own. I might suggest “raise the thighs evenly into the body,” or “raise the outer arches evenly” depending on the source of the problem. I appeal to her awareness of mediocrity. Then I watch it to see if it makes the appropriate adjustment.
Alignment creates space, and from that space comes movement. Thus, when the student’s pelvis becomes upright, I notice an automatic release in her hip joints. With this freedom and openness, her body weight shifts forward over the ankles, her pelvis liberates forward, her lumbar spine lengthens, the skin of her posterior rib cage appears softer, and even her breathing seems easier. With proper alignment comes lightness, ease and extension.
In teaching beginners, I have found that drawing attention to the relationship between the pelvis and thighs is of fundamental importance. Pelvic alignment allows the student to access the inner body and begins the integration process. In tadasana(Mountain pose), for example, I often ask practitioners to balance the weight of the pelvis evenly between the pubic bone and the tailbone, so that the front and back of the body provide equal support. If the student’s pelvis is tilted too forward or too tucked in Tadasana, he or she will not feel the connection between the inner thighs and the lower abdomen. Only when the pelvis is in a neutral position can the student release and lengthen through the inner thighs, connecting with the deep muscles of the abdomen, especially the psoas.
Props can also help students establish basic structural alignment in posture, when they cannot achieve this on their own. I use supports that support and stabilize the outer body without restricting the inner body’s freedom of movement. This increases the student’s awareness and allows them to experience the physiological benefits of the pose. Likewise, with practical modifications, I don’t apply force. I use my hands to provide support and convey a sense of direction, in a way that allows my students to move deeper into the pose themselves.
Alignment is done in stages and degrees. As a teacher, I need to recognize when a student has reached one level of opening and is ready for the next level. If someone has very narrow shoulders in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog), I know he is not ready for Sirsasana. If you teach Padmasana (Lotus position) For students with very tight hip joints, I know I am putting them at risk for serious knee injuries. If the student is tired or mid-menstrual, I do not recommend strong backbends. I choose poses that are anatomically and physiologically appropriate, and I sequence those poses in a way that generates awareness of how each affects the quality of energy and state of mind.
My interest in alignment is reflected in every aspect of my teaching: how I define my role as a teacher, use my tools, handle practical adjustments, and even sequence positions in the classroom. My goal is to deepen my understanding and awareness of the poses, and to pass this experience on to my students. In the long term, I want them to rely not on my guidance to know what is right, but on their own sense of alignment, which is developed through continued practice and awareness of the body’s wisdom.
