Oppositional Movement in Yoga Asana Practice

All movement, whether it is yoga asana or something else, relies on some type of Force: our bodies move with or against the pull of gravity, and there is the effort exerted by our muscles to resist or surrender to that force; there is also force on our bodies by our bodies, in addition to gravity. Oppositional movement is a force in one direction creating movement in the opposite direction, and equally opposing forces creating stillness and balance. This discussion will be on the latter force.

There are many types of yoga, but for the purposes of this discussion, I will be focusing on the physical practice of yoga asana, as done in a Vinyasa Yoga class, though this discussion will be applicable to many styles of asana practice. 

In a dynamic yoga practice, whether you are flowing or still, there is constant oppositional movement happening. For example, when moving from Downward Dog into Plank pose, there is exertion backward through the heels to propel the shoulders forward over the wrists; when holding Plank pose, you are simultaneously reaching the top of the head forward and the heels backward, pressing the thighs toward the ceiling and the hips toward the floor, pressing the hands firmly into the floor while the chest rises through the back toward the ceiling. This is just one example.

Here are 7 basic principles to follow to find the appropriate oppositional movement in each yoga pose; when you learn the basic principles, you will have a deeper understanding of how your body moves and balances in the yoga practice. You might want to explore some of these principles as you read to get a felt sense of the principles.

1. Head <-->Heels

In poses such as Plank, Tree, or Mountain there is an extension of the top of the head and heels reaching away from each other. This also applies to handstand and headstand. You are rooting down into the ground while reaching up for the sky and it is in that lengthening that you create stability. Pressing downward (or backward) through your heels encourages engagement of the gluteal and quadriceps muscles which creates stability with balance, whether you are on 2 feet or one, or parallel to the floor. Lengthening the top of the head in the opposite directions creates openness in the neck and chest and encourages the scapulae to drop. When doing inversions, you may also apply the scapula/hand connection which I will discuss in a bit.

2. Head<-->Sit bones

This can apply to many seated poses (Bound Angle, Cow Face, Half-Seated Spinal Twist, etc) as well as Downward Dog, Boat, or any pose with a "flat back." The Sit bones (aka Ischial Tuberosities) are found at the base of the pelvis and you feel them against the floor when you are sitting. They are where your buttock meets your thigh. Reaching the top of the head and the sit bones away from each other creates elongation of the spine and is helpful when stretching the hamstrings and hips. The hamstrings attach to the sit bones so by moving the head and sit bones away from each other while hinging at the hips you will get a better stretch through the hamstrings; bending forward from the waist bypasses the hamstrings and instead stretches the lower back. Any vertical seated pose, like Half-Seated Spinal Twist, benefits from reaching the head and sit-bones away from each other because it keeps the spine straight allowing safer twisting movement. With hip (glute) stretches, because the gluteal muscles activate hip extension, hip flexion allows them to stretch. By moving the head and sit bones away from each other in poses like Pigeon, Cow Face, or Ankle to Knee, you get a deeper hip stretch because you are tipping the pelvis forward, creating hip flexion.

3. Heels<-->Sit bones

Related to Head/Sit bones is reaching the heels away from the sit bones in poses like Downward Dog or any straight-legged forward bend (seated, lying down, or standing) as it encourages a proper hamstring stretch. The hamstrings attach to the sit bones at one end and to the Tibia (shin bone) at the other; reaching the sit bones and heels away from each other allows hamstring extension and stretching. You may notice that if you have tight hamstrings it is difficult to straighten the leg completely without compensating with the  pelvis/spine. Keeping a flat back and straight legs at the same time can be very challenging in this situation. I recommend working toward straightening the legs while keeping the flat back as a good way to go. You can play with this in Downward Dog, where the sit bones are rising and the heels are descending, while trying not to round the spine.

4. Palms/5th finger<-->Scapulae (shoulder blades)

This one is a challenge since this is usually employed when the arms are over head, like in lunges, Warrior 1, Side Angle, and Downward Dog. Typically when you raise your arms over your head, your shoulders like to lift. This is a natural movement, but if you were to hold the arms up like that, you would feel tension developing in your Upper Trapezius muscles, which for many people are chronically tight as it is. Moving the scapulae (shoulder blades) and either palms or 5th finger in opposite directions can release the tension of the Upper Traps and create more stability in the shoulders. If the hands are on the floor (Downward Dog, Handstand) you are reaching the palms away from the shoulder blades; if the arms are in the air, you are reaching the 5th finger away from the shoulder blades. The reason it's the 5th finger specifically, is because that encourages the scapulae to move downward and wide (depression and protraction) across your back by creating lateral/external rotation in the shoulder joint. Again, it keeps the Upper Traps out of the movement, reducing strain in the neck.

5. Ball of Big Toe/Knuckle of Index Finger<--> Outer hip/Outer shoulder

Related to the one above, this deals with rotational oppositional movement within the leg and arm. This applies to Extended and Revolved Triangle, Pyramid, Half Moon, any hamstring stretch, Downward and Upward Dog, Plank/Side Plank, Handstand and many others. When the hand or foot is on the floor, the big knuckle of the big toe (1st Metatarsal joint) or index finger (2nd Metacarpal joint) presses downward while the outer hip or shoulder moves in the opposite direction. There is internal (medial) rotation in the lower part of the limb and external (lateral) rotation in the upper part of the limb which then creates balance in the knee/elbow joint. In Downward Dog, the knuckle of the index finger presses into the floor while the outer shoulder moves toward the thighs, encouraging the protraction (spreading) of the scapulae discussed above. In Triangle, the ball of the big toe of the front leg presses into the floor as the outer thigh rotates laterally encouraging the knee to point straight ahead toward the center of the foot and the front hip to move toward the back leg. 

6. Pelvis<-->Ribcage

This is important when it comes to rotational movement (twisting). To twist safely, you want to keep one of these elements stable while moving the other in the opposite direction, like in Reclining Twist, Revolved Triangle, or Half-Seated Spinal Twist. For example, in Revolved Triangle, the pelvis stays stable and the ribs rotate in the direction of the front leg. The spine stays straight, also applying Head/Sit bone extension (#2) and the ribcage revolves. Most twists keep the pelvis stable and move the ribcage, although there may be some exceptions.

7. Knee<-->Heel

This applies to standing poses when the front knee is bent and the back leg is straight, like with Warriors 1 and 2, Side-Angle, and Crescent Lunge. When in a standing pose like Crescent Lunge, the front knee and the back heel reach away from each other to help you lower the pelvis toward the floor. The knee and heel are reaching away from each other equally. In Warriors 1 and 2, you are reaching the front knee away from the outer (lateral) edge of the back heel as it connects into the floor. Because the outer edge of the back foot is on the floor, you are pressing back through the outer heel, still in opposition to the front knee. This encourages the legs to move away from each other and allows the pelvis to move closer to the floor.

These are not the only principles of oppositional movement in yoga, but 7 important ones (I could go on and on). Adding these basic principles to your yoga practice will  give you better strength and stability in your poses. I hope you found this information useful!

Please feel free to reach out to me with questions at purpleroomyoga@gmail.com.

You can find my yoga classes at moxie.xyz/purpleroomyoga.