Studying: How can I learn proper alignment online?

The idea of "correct alignment" in yoga is a tricky subject. Everybody is unique and many people practice with injuries and musculoskeletal health conditions, so "correct alignment" can look very different from person to person.

Proper alignment is the alignment that allows you to move your body efficiently, effectively, and safely in the shapes we call asana. We support your interest in moving toward this goal and we believe it is a lifelong practice that entails gradual refinement, over time, that respects your unique physiology.

Asana in the program is taught with in-depth video tutorials, as well as heaps of yoga practices with many different teachers on our Your Yoga Flow app. This gives you an opportunity to hear clear and diverse cues for achieving correct alignment and ALSO to see many diverse bodies doing their version of safe and correct alignment. 

Yoga Teacher Trainings are intended to teach you how to teach yoga, as a whole. Asana is only one of the eight limbs of yoga. Therefore, being a teacher requires many skills that have nothing to do with asana:

1. how to cue postures with clear language and adequate volume
2. how to teach meditation, mantra, and mudra
3. how to incorporate yoga philosophy and teachings into your classes
4. how to develop themes and sequences for your classes
5. how to hold space and use silence as a teaching tool
6. how to support your students in reconnecting with their body and mind
7. how to use props and modify postures for injuries and conditions

A Yoga Teacher Training is meant to teach you how to teach others to listen to their bodies so that each individual can find their own version of proper alignment over time. If there was only one way to be in a posture - only one "perfect alignment" - this would exclude many people from practicing yoga, as there are many who may never achieve "perfect" alignment due to conditions, injuries, or anatomical variations that prevent them from doing movements or making shapes in the traditional way.

If your goal is to improve your own alignment in asana, consider an online mentorship/coaching session with one of our faculty, or find an experienced teacher in your community that you can practice with in person.

If your goal is to learn how to teach yoga, we've got you covered. Our in-depth video tutorials leave few questions unanswered when it comes to teaching yoga safely and effectively. And our advanced training takes you even deeper, so you can continue to learn more challenging concepts and asana to share with your students.