Written by Amanda Dzengeleski
Start 2023 with Yoga! Dogwood Studios will be leading a special light themed Mindful Movement on January 4th from the historic and intimate The Parlour at Manns Chapel. Space is still available to participate In Person. You can also participate Online.
Don’t miss First Friday Yin Yoga where Sam provides the opportunity to focus on different layers of the body while honoring your uniqueness. Join us Online or In Person January 6 at 6:15 p.m. EST.
In the simple words of Bernie Clark, “you are unique – so is your yoga.” This uniqueness is defined by an array of biological strengths and limitations that constitute who we are. When we practice yoga from a functional approach, we recognize and honor our anatomical differences to move safely and effectively and minimize the risk of injury. Rather than limiting ourselves by the notion of what we think a pose should look like, functional yoga emphasizes the felt experience that arises when performing a pose. When we focus on the intention of a posture, as opposed to its aesthetic appeal, we develop a practice that will support us in maintaining healthy movement patterns for the duration of our lives.
It’s important to note that no two people share an identical anatomical structure. Each of us are proportioned differently with variation in our bones, muscles, fascia, and joint capsules that contribute to a natural range of motion. With that said, postural alignment in yoga is not a one-size-fits-all model. While healthy alignment is necessary to minimize the risk of injury, it’s important that we honor our skeletal limitations and adjust the pose to bring functional value into our practice.
Bernie Clark suggests a few things be considered in maintaining a functional approach to your practice:
Identify the targeted area you are trying to affect.
Determine the felt sensation in the targeted area while performing the pose.
If there is no sensation in the targeted area, adjust the shape and find a position that creates the intended sensation.
The “targeted area” is any region of the body that you intend to focus your attention (the hips, the inner leg, the upper back, etc). This idea of the “target” can be expanded to include non-physical intentions that may speak to our emotional or energetic layers. Once you have identified your target, tune into your experience while performing the pose. Is your experience meeting your intention? If not, how can you adjust so that you experience valuable sensation in the targeted area? The goal of a functional yoga practice is to create a felt experience in the body as opposed to performing a series of standardized shapes. What this experience looks like will vary greatly from one person to the next.
For instance, the intention in performing Baddhakonasana, or bound angle pose (often called butterfly), is to stretch the muscles of the inner legs. The degree to which our hip bones are externally rotated will likely determine the distance between our knees and the floor. Those of us with more internally rotated hips may feel bone-on-bone compression before finding a valuable stretch in the inner leg. In this case, it may prove more beneficial to find a variation that meets the intended target and let go of the attachment to a specific pose.
Letting go of attachment to an aesthetically based practice frees us from ideals of perfection and allows us to honor our uniqueness. A functional approach to yoga is a chance to recognize how our bodies move and celebrate our unique anatomy with curiosity and compassion.
Interested in learning more? Join us for a class at Dogwood Studios! Amanda teaches ABS every other Tuesday morning at 8am EST.
Also check out Your Body, Your Yoga by Bernie Clark for safe and skillful alignment cues.
If you need a receipt for the year end total purchases spent at Dogwood Studios, please email Aviva at yogawithtulasi@gmail.com.
Reach out to the Dogwood Team with any questions at info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com. We are here to help.
Amanda Dzengeleski is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT), lifelong student, and lover of movement. She first discovered yoga as a form of mind-body medicine that cultivated a deeper state of self-awareness and personal growth. Using a trauma-informed approach, Amanda empowers her students to move freely and intentionally in celebration of body, mind, and soul. Email Amanda at amandadz.yoga@gmail.com with any questions.