Dear Yogis,

Using this as a play on words… but how much strict alignment do we need to be following in our yoga classes. When learning the science and functionality of our unique body types whilst attending my 100hr Yin Training it became apparent that no one size fits all when offering pose cues — we need to allow for individuality.

When participating in a class of yoga it is true that we need to be able to take options. modifications and prompts from our teachers to ensure an optimum and safer Yoga practice but we also need to ensure that we are meeting the physiological criteria and limitations of our own unique body types in it’s natural form. We need to work within our own skeletal range of movement.

With so many schools of yoga training internationally today we can explore many lineages of yoga practice but somehow in the Western world this has been adapted and patented to meet the demands and expectations of a 200hr student training programme. This is a fact as I attended one myself. But as a teacher it is really important to allow yourself to grow and increase the boundaries that we have been taught in our own teaching practice to therefore allow students to develop an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses independently and find their own unique fit for a pose that suits their requirements! (Bernie Clark, March 1 2025 Ref).