BIOMECHANICS & YOGIC ALIGNMENT & HYPERMOBILITY

Yoga, with its roots deeply embedded in ancient Indian philosophy, goes beyond the physical postures, movements, and stretches that first come to mind. 

It’s a complex, holistic system that can improve our physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions, fostering a state of balance, strength, and tranquility within and without.

In this blog, we embark on a journey into the profound world of yogic alignment, - part of the physical part of yoga (asana).

In future blogs, we’ll go more deeply into the other seven limbs of yoga, such as non-violence, mindfulness, purification practices, and rituals. For now, let’s delve into a discussion on biomechanics-for-yoga, and specifically, a common alignment issue among too-many practitioners: hypermobility.

One Body-Mind

The concept of alignment is evolving, in yoga and all around us.

Our previous understanding of the body came from how our ancestors would cut the flesh from the carcasses. Our knowledge about ourselves was based on a mechanistic view of the world, one that saw more the planets and less the space that connected the planets.

Now instead of viewing the body as an arrangement of parts, we understand that our body is one whole-system, connected by fascia on all levels, from deep to superficial.

It’s an organism, not a configuration of individual parts.

No more “good alignment”

Another concept that’s been evolving in yoga alignment are the labels of "good/bad" or "correct/incorrect” posture.

A new understanding of our body has a less binary, judgmental, and declarative approach. It would instead encourage us to inquire: "Does the tissue possess the ability to withstand the (stretching, strengthening, or twisting) forces exerted upon it?”

Different Feel In That Line Of Inquiry Than “Bad Posture.”

It’s More About Loads

I had a yoga injury a few years ago that prompted me to take a year-long biomechanics course with Katy Bowman, which prompted me to change how I think about and teach yoga poses.

Biomechanics Is The Study Of How Living Organisms' Bodies Move And Function, Using Principles From Physics And Engineering.

I learned that our body's tissues aren't static; we are dynamic and adaptable.

Which means tissue cells change depending on the twists, contractions, and stretches we receive.

we thrive and develop when subjected to healthy and suitable loads.

And, we can become impaired when strained by overuse, or deteriorate when underused. I learned about the unnaturally-high loads I was placing on my joints (not my muscles), due to a combination of my own and my yoga teachers’ ignorance about the true nature of our body at the cellular, fascia, and nervous system levels.

Hypermobility Isn’t Flexibility

Hyperextension is a very common issue for longtime yoga practitioners and dancers, and it’s not coo.

As a person who always prided herself in her so-called “flexibility,” I was a little bruised when the biomechanics training I took taught me that my ability to swing a knee around my head wasn’t about my muscles being long and mobile, but, rather, the ligaments around my joints being overstretched.

I was actually not very flexible at all, since I’d been living in my joints like that since I started doing yoga in 1995. Dang.

Why We Feel “Straight”

Hypermobile individuals can feel straight in our knees, elbows, or other joints, but actually be beyond-straight, to a region where the tissue cells become over-stretched, much the way a plastic bag yields at some point to one’s pulling forces and remains elongated even after we stop stretching it.

This happens because we have a dysfunctionally-high movement in our joints, and not enough stability (strength) in them.

Note: It’s not about muscle flexibility or strength, though we do factor in.

It’s about giving appropriate loads, in good alignment, to the joints to increase mobility, instead of hyper range of motion.

The increased movement allows the hypermobile to move our joints beyond the typical range without discomfort or pain, which might give the sensation of being "straight" and of “not feeling the stretch” and needing to go deeper in poses to experience sensation. We need to be mindful of this.

Healing Lax Ligaments

The nervous system plays a significant role in joint perception. Over time, hypermobile yogis may have adapted to our increased joint mobility, with the brain interpreting the extended position as the "normal" or neutral state for that joint.

This is why a slow practice, with props and hella mindfulness, is essential.

See if we can begin to really feel our joints, our body habits, and our preferences and weak spots, to be aware of our unique joint characteristics, and work on strengthening the joints at appropriate loads, always using props.

Give Props To Props

For hypermobile yogis, incorporating props and emphasizing proper alignment in our practice is crucial to ensure we don't overextend our joints.

This Is How We Maintain A Safe And Sustainable Yoga Practice.

Props such as blocks, straps, and bolsters can act as supportive tools to help hypermobile yogis like us find stability in poses, so engage muscles to protect our joints.

They make it easier to have the type of alignment that supports joint stability and mobility, not (more) flexibility.

They prevent overstretching, and allow us to gain a deeper understanding of our bodies.

By incorporating these elements into our practice, hypermobile yogis can harness our flexibility while reducing the risk of injury, making our yoga journey both safe and fulfilling.

About half the Ganja Yoga Training is about biomechanics for yoga. Learn how common poses are taught in the old-school understanding of the body, and how to use props for healthier joints (all while smoking joints!). Info: www.ganjayoga.com/ganja-yoga-training.