Australian Yoga Journal - April 2018

69

april 2018

yogajournal.com.au

The

SAGITTAL PLANE

Poses that move in the sagit

Where’s the distortion?

If you’re a teacher and notice something’s off when a
student practices a pose but you’re not sure in which plane
the problem is occurring, communicating how to correct
what’s off may be challenging. Recognising a distortion in
a specific plane is the secret to quickly and clearly helping
your students get into their fullest expression of a posture.
To practice seeing bodies this way, let’s look at Vrksasana
(Tree Pose) with a distortion in each of the three planes.
Here are two distortions in the sagittal plane:

how...

elvis is tipped

orly and her

is overarched?

IX She’ll want to

her pelvis and sp

utral, lengthen h

ne, and draw he

um toward her na

ee how...

pelvis is tucked

her spine is

ed (rounded)?

FIX She’ll want

ress the top of her

ding thigh back

press her shoulder

des into her chest.

THIS PLANE DISSECTS THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES of the body, as if the edge of a pane of

glass were dropped down the center of your crown through your midline. Sagittal

plane movements take place where this imaginary pane of glass sits—or parallel to

it—meaning any time you’re in fl exion (for example, forward folds) or extension

(such as backbends), you’re moving in the sagittal plane.

It is probably the most familiar, and most used, plane for all of us: When we drive,

hunch our heads over our smartphones, sit on the couch holding the remote control,

ride a bike, and walk down the street, we’re moving in the sagittal plane. In yoga, any

time you take your arms forward and reach them

overhead—whether you’re doing Urdhva Hastasana

(Upward Salute) or Adho Mukha Vrksasana

(Handstand)—you’re moving in the sagittal plane.

Directions of

movement

in the sagittal

plane.

See how...
her wrists are deeply
extended, shoulders
are partially flexed,
and her whole
spine is in deep flexion?

See how...

her shoulders and hips are

in flexion, her wrists are in

extension, and her ankles

are in flexion? See how...

her ankles, knees,

hips, and shoulders

are in flexion?

BAKASANA ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA UTKATASANA

Crane Pose Downward-Facing Dog Pose Chair Pose