77: Letting Go of Alignment (And What To Teach Instead) with Derek Cook

I think many of us would agree that a strict, dogmatic focus on alignment in asana doesn’t really serve our students, but the question you may be asking next is... what do I teach then? If I’m not telling students the right or wrong way to move their body, what am I teaching them? How do I communicate information about movement without taking away my students' agency?

My friend Derek Cook is here to take us on a deep dive into anatomy, biomechanics, and pedagogy as we attempt to answer some of these questions!

In this episode you’ll hear:

  • overarching themes we see in lineages that have an emphasis on alignment

  • how bodies grow and change, the role trauma plays, and why that matters to yoga teachers

  • what changes when we look at how a body is ORGANIZED as opposed to how it is aligned

  • a breakdown of many of the most commonly used aesthetic cues and when they make sense to use and when they don’t

  • how Derek decides what to teach! 

Learn More From Derek:

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78: Injuries + Teaching Yoga with Monica Bright

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76: I Opened A Virtual Studio!