“I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex!

Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking.

It simply amazes me to think about it!

How thoroughly you know me, Lord!” - Psalm 139:14 NLT

Does Perfect Alignment Exist in Yoga?

This is a loaded question and the one word answer is no, but let me explain a little bit of the why and then how you can more gracefully live into your God-designed uniqueness that makes this so.

1. We are all wildly unique:

We are asymmetrical, one-of-a-kind humans. No two bodies will move, feel, or experience life in the same way. Bottom line, there is no ideal body or ideal way to move or not move. Just several of the ways each of us are “mysteriously complex” include:

• Joint range of motion 

• Limb length 

• Muscular strength

• Past or current injuries 

• Boney morphology 

• Patterns of movement 

• Energy levels 

• Mindsets and perspectives about our body

2. We are all imperfect on this side of heaven, and that includes our bodies.

I love how Greg Lehaman, a clinical pain educator and physiotherapist, says we all have “wrinkles on the inside.” And these “wrinkles” of imperfection (muscle tears, bulging discs, curves in our spines) are not a guaranteed link to pain or injury, they are just part of being human. 

3. Movement science has come a long way.

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all on the mat. For many years there was a “right way” to position yourself in a warrior 2. Fast forward to what we know now and review the list in bullet 1, there is just no way each of our bodies will do a pose the same. Here's a few study I want to highlight:

• This study was published in the journal Lancet this year (2023) that found some pretty significant benefits for low back pain (LBP) using cognitive functional therapy, which is an integrated behavioral approach for individualizing the management of LBP. A big focus of the study was simply educating participants on pain science and building confidence with movement and exercise versus exercises being “right” or getting rid of dysfunctions of some kind. Read the study HERE

Practical Example:

One of my favorite ways to demonstrate our uniqueness is in a revolved lunge. 

Find a stable, integrated lunge with a hug of the legs toward one another, ground through all the foot tripod points that are connected to your space and let that inform what’s happening through the legs and into the pelvis. 

Find a long spine from crown to tail and hinge forward. 

Here is where it gets interesting! 

The priority is keeping the long spine in this variation and how we will experience a fuller twist. But so often limb length and one’s mobility in the thoracic spine play into how that plays out. So often we see the elbow connect to the outside of the thigh….

But what if when you attempt to bring your elbow to the outside of your thigh your middle feels scrunched, it’s challenging to find a full breath, or you have trouble maintaining a long spine? Make more space by straightening the arms and press your forearm into the outside of your thigh and see how it feels!  

How To Detangle from Rigid Alignment Rules 

Guidepost #1: Honor your personal uniqueness…grace upon grace

I heard once how we “look” in a yoga pose can be likened to our handwriting, we all have our own unique style. You can still read that I am writing out the words “pigeon pose” but it will look different than yours. 

One is not better than another, it’s simply your own unique style; honoring our individual differences and variation (list above).

So your warrior 2 will look different than my warrior 2.

When I think about looking at it through the lens of Christ, it often comes down to self-grace.

We are prone to compare, to fall into the “my hips 'should' find that range of motion.”

God’s gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8) is something that can overflow onto ourselves, and that includes how our body moves or doesn’t move, how it feels in a particular set up in warrior 2 versus the pictures we see online and in magazines.

Guidepost #2: Cultivate a sense of self-discovery.

Every time you come to the mat is a chance to learn more about you and your body and all the ways that help serve you best.

Explore, be curious and most of all, enjoy!! 

Want to learn more and join the discussion?

Maggie and I (co-founders of With-God Wellness) had a wonderful conversation about this topic and our own experience as yoga teachers, teacher trainers and students.

You can listen to our discussion by clicking on the video below:

Grace-filled Love your way, friend!

Jen Allbritton
E-RYT 500
B.S. in Kinesiology
Co-Founder of With-God Wellness