One of the questions I get a lot from teachers, both new and experienced, is this: “How can I share anatomy with my students?” Put another way, they say, “I wish the information just flowed from me, rather than me having to think about it so much!”
This is a common challenge when it comes to learning something new. There’s the first step, which is just that, the LEARNING. In this phase, we’re acutely aware of what we DON’T know and it seems like there’s a big gap between where we want to be and where we are.
Then, there’s the phase where we start to implement some of the new knowledge we’ve learned but it feels awkward. We are still thinking a great deal about how to share the information, what to share and we may stumble with things like word choice or how to present the information.
As we do this more and more though, a funny thing happens. We just eventually start to own the knowledge. It becomes just part of what we do. We’re no longer trying hard; the information is more freely flowing and we trust that we know it and therefore can think more on the fly rather than so intentionally all the time.
For yoga teachers, the hard part is how? How can I get there?Â
I’ve been thinking a great deal about this these days because one of the tools I have for teachers to learn anatomy is my latest online course called Your Yoga Anatomy Blueprint. I continue to add content to the course to make it better and more effective in getting teachers results. (You can check it out and watch a free preview here). This week, I recorded the video for what will be a whole new section on “Cues” and how to give effective cues when teaching (keep in mind, the course is live now and very comprehensive.. as I add content to it, current students get that NEW content for FREE!). But in addition, I am trying to break down what has become natural to me, the sharing of anatomy when I teach, into the component parts it took me to get here (and believe you me, I’m not done learning! There’s always more to learn!)
Let me share with you the steps that I took and see if you can relate or if you find these giving you some clarity around how to approach it:Â
Learn the basics. This doesn’t mean learn everything about anatomy. It means start with the basics. One of the reasons I created my course the way I did is because I wanted to break down the complex subject of anatomy into the pieces that I believe teachers should know well. The modules of the course reflect those topics.
Understand the alignment required for each pose and with your new knowledge of anatomy, apply the anatomy to each pose as well. Most teachers start out learning the alignment for the poses. They then learn anatomy in some way, through their teacher training, through supplemental self study and/or online courses.But for many teachers, they stop there. They only share the alignment and don’t share any anatomy. In this next step, the “ask” is to move beyond simply sharing the alignment but start to share the “why” behind the cues. This was huge for me. It came only when my confidence in my knowledge was enough such that I allowed myself to “go there.” Here’s an example from teaching Warrior 2:
“Step your right foot forward and lunge, turning open to the left. Warrior 2. Stack your front knee over your heel (note: that’s an alignment cue only). Center your knee without letting it slump inward. (alignment cue also) Think about how that drop inward of the kneecap might unevenly wear on the joint itself and work to create a more balanced shape (that’s the “why” behind the cue).Â
This is just one example but it demonstrates how you can present the alignment but also ADD IN the anatomy seamlessly so as to not feel like you’re stumbling over your words OR adding in all this academic jargon that can make your sound like you’re trying to impress people. But think about in that one moment what you did. You helped your students understand WHY you want them to center their kneecap. You helped them learn something about their body. You taught them that stabilizing the knee in a dynamic movement like an open lunge can protect the knee from harmful wear and tear. You could even go further, as I do sometimes, to help them understand it in the context of running: “Think about how you might look at the bottom of your running shoes and notice how the soles wear unevenly, depending on your foot position as you run. This is similar to the uneven wear and tear we’re talking about here.”
By adding that last part, you translated your anatomy based cue to something else so they have a further chance to learn and understand it. There are many ways and opportunities we have as teachers to do this. THIS is where I believe our effectiveness lies; it’s not so much in what we’re saying when we teach but those things we say that help our students bring our cues and tips OFF the mat to their life. They’re moving around in their day to day life much more than they are in our classes. If we can inform them about healthy movement OFF the mat as well, our impact grows. Our ability to improve their health by empowering them with real life knowledge grows.
- So, here’s the basic recipe:Learn the anatomy (this is a BIG ask, but I can most definitely help you here)
- Learn good, effective alignment cues
- For each pose, add in something related to anatomy that students can use and can help you unmask something about the anatomy related to the cue
- Repeat!
I’m going to give you a huge leg up here on this above recipe by walking you through the major poses in this way. I’ll give you the alignment cue and then go over the anatomy cue you can share too. I’m planning to do this in a series of webinars (it’ll be too much to do in one webinar). So stay tuned for that.
Let me know what YOU think about this. If you’re already sharing anatomy seamlessly with your students, stop and think: How did you get there? And share it below in the comments.
I am in the middle of sharing my FREE online training on anatomy called the LEARN ANATOMY CHALLENGE. This series of FREE videos will walk you through some of the basics we’re talking about here and it’s all predicated on my anatomy manual and the online course I referred to above, “Your Yoga Anatomy Blueprint.”
If you haven’t signed up for the Anatomy Challenge yet, here’s the link.
The link will tell you all you need to know and how to watch the video content.
Thanks for reading!Â