Standing Deep Breathing (Pranayama)

Standing Deep Breathing (Pranayama)

Check each hotspot to dive a little deeper.

Mitochondrial Activation

Starrett's Archetype

Strengthens

Yoga Archetype

Stretches

Common Issues

Compresses

Stimulates

Key Yoga Postures

Benefits

Summary

How to do it?

What's Happeing in the Posture

Tips & Tricks

Heart/Brain Coherence

Common Problems & Solutions

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"Helium baloon" head

Ears in line with shoulders

Shoulders in line with hips

Ribcage over pelvis

Stack with hips, knees, and ankles

Thumbs point forward

Grounded and centered

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Nice and relaxed shoulders

Shoulders are working

Suck the stomach in

Stiffen the stomach

Lock the knees

Float the knee

Watch the "Short Foot" video

Short Foot

Relax the feet, no "jazz" toes

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Elbows up/Internal Rotation (barely perceptable)

Internal/External Rotation (Wall Drill)

Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

Knee Floats (in spiral tension)

Knee Floats (in spiral tension)

Short Foot: Feet stay planted while legs dial away from each other

Check each hotspot to dive a little deeper.

Internal/External Rotation (Wall Drill)

Elbows Together / Head Back

Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

Knee Floats (in spiral tension)

Knee Floats (in spiral tension)

Short Foot: Feet stay planted while legs dial away from each other

Check each hotspot to dive a little deeper.

Push your head back. Way, way, way back. Until your neck hurts a little bit

Elbows forward more, away from your chest, as far as it goes.

Extend through the whole spine

Stack hips, knees, and ankles

Stack your hips over your knees and your knees over your ankles to create clear, grounded alignment through the lower body. If standing hip-width apart, line up your ASIS (the front hip bones) directly over your ankles, forming a strong vertical column of support. This organization allows the joints to share the load evenly, reducing strain and giving your body both stability and freedom to move with ease. Just remember: science has moved beyond simple stacking and joint alignment. It’s a useful starting point, but real stability comes from active tension, rotation, and whole-body integration

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Neutral alignment: knee stacked under hip.
• External rotation gently engages spiral tension from the ground up.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Creates stable foundation for knees, feet, and spine.

Lock the knee

• Thought: Hyperextend into ligaments.
• Tissue Adaptation: Stretched ligaments, compressed cartilage.
• Result: Unstable knee that only feels “straight” when forced into hyperextension.
• Science Translation: Hanging on passive structures instead of engaging muscles.
• Risk: Structural failure, scar tissue, long-term instability.
• "Squeeze your glutes" – Doesn't protect the knee

• "Lift your kneecaps" – Only engages rectus femoris, not the whole quadriceps complex
• "Pull up your thigh muscles" – Vague and usually creates more hyperextension

Law 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Neutral alignment: knee stacked under hip.
• External rotation gently engages spiral tension from the ground up.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Creates stable foundation for knees, feet, and spine.

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Feet stay planted.
• Slight external rotation engages the arches and deep front line.
• Short Foot: toes will lift slightly while pressing toe pads down, let the first metatarsal rise naturally. (Foot Tripod)
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Foot drives spiral stability from the ground up through ankle, knee, hip, and core.

Rule 4: Shoulder Flexion = External Rotation

• External rotation.
• Exhale, bring elbows together, head extends slightly.
• Maintain shoulder height; avoid rib flare.
• Spine neutral, shoulders rotating within stability.

Lateral Lines:

• Intercostals expand with each inhale
• Obliques and quadratus lumborum engage for rib stability
• Creates lateral expansion capacity for fuller breathing

Spiral Line:

• The shoulder rotation creates gentle spiral through the fascial system
• Serratus anterior to external obliques to internal obliques
• This spiral stabilizes the trunk while arms move

Note on "Ocular Nerve": There's no "ocular nerve" to stimulate. You have six extraocular muscles controlled by cranial nerves III, IV, and VI. Looking back does create proprioceptive input and may affect the vagus nerve, but this isn't "ocular nerve stimulation."

Traditional List:

• Intercostal muscles
• Shoulder joints
• Scapula
• Ocular nerve

Fascial Net Activation:

Deep Front Line (DFL):

• Stretches from foot intrinsics through tibialis posterior
• Continues through adductors and psoas
• Connects to diaphragm (primary breathing muscle)
• Extends through scalenes to skull base
• This entire chain gets rhythmically lengthened and shortened with each breath

Traditional Understanding:

Movement Science:

This breathing exercise wakes up the body and mind for class. On each inhale you can fill your lungs with up to six times more oxygen than a regular breath, energizing the body with fresh oxygen. With each exhale you detoxify the lungs, releasing cellular and metabolic waste from the respiratory system. Tilting the head back helps to open the upper spine to prepare the neck for backward bending.

Respiratory Reality:The "six times more oxygen" claim hasn't been scientifically measured, but deeper breathing does measurably increase oxygen uptakeYou're not "detoxifying stagnant air" - gas exchange happens continuously, and CO2 (the only real waste product) is constantly being exchanged The throat constriction doesn't "shoot air into lower lobes" - air fills based on pressure differentials, not velocity

"Helium Balloon Head"

With your ears aligned over your shoulders, imagine your head floating upward—light, spacious, and effortless. This subtle lift not only relieves pressure on the neck but also creates a sense of buoyancy through the spine, inviting ease, balance, and openness into your posture.

Suck the stomach in

Your diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen. When it contracts, it flattens and descends, creating negative pressure that pulls air into your lungs. This accounts for 80% of your breathing efficiency at rest. Suck in your stomach? You've just prevented your diaphragm from descending. It's like trying to open an umbrella in a phone booth. The mechanics simply don't work. What happens instead? You become an accessory breather. Scalenes, upper traps, pec minor – all these neck and shoulder muscles start working overtime to lift your ribcage. That's why you hear "more air" – it's the sound of struggling, not efficiency. It's louder because you're working harder for less oxygen.

The Wall Drill The Wall Drill helps you feel the subtle shoulder rotations that happen in Pranayama. Think of it as a progressive way to scale the movement so your shoulders learn the pattern while your spine stays stable.

Pranayama Simulation (Fingers Interlaced Under Chin)

• Interlace your fingers under your chin, elbows lifted.
• Inhale → elbows lift slightly, chin tucks (internal rotation).
• Exhale → elbows come together, head extends slightly (external rotation).
• Keep elbows above shoulder level, ribs neutral, spine braced.

This is the “tiny circle” version of the same pattern you practiced with your arm extended.Key Takeaways:The movement is subtle but critical: shoulders rotate while the spine remains stable.This is the foundation of shoulder stability for Pranayama—like mini ring-work for your shoulders.Over time, this drill trains your neuromuscular system to perform internal/external rotation patterns without collapsing or compensating elsewhere in the body.

Big Arm Circle (Extended Arm)

• Stand next to a wall. Extend one arm out to the side.
• Draw the largest circle you can with your arm.
• Focus on feeling rotation in the shoulder joint rather than moving the elbow or shoulder blade excessively.
• Notice the coordination of internal and external rotation as your arm moves.

Circle with Hand on Shoulder

• Now place your hand on your shoulder.
• Repeat the same circular motion, but with a smaller range.
• The rotation pattern remains, but you feel it more locally in the shoulder joint.

This teaches awareness of subtle internal and external rotation without relying on gross arm movement.

Traditional List:

YogaHacked

• The Gratitude Hack: Use the first 6 breaths to generate genuine gratitude. This isn't spiritual bypassing - research shows gratitude + rhythmic breathing creates measurable heart-brain coherence within seconds.

• Thumbs Apart Variation: Let thumbs separate slightly on inhale to reduce wrist strain and improve shoulder mechanics.

• The 80% Rule: Never force to maximum capacity. Work at 80% intensity to leave reserves for the next 85 minutes.

• Conscious Rotation: In 105°F heat, proprioception drops 30%. You can't feel proper position, so you must consciously apply rotation principles rather than relying on sensation.

• Focus on breath over perfect arm movement
• Don't force elbows to touch
• Keep shoulders relaxed
• Engage core on exhale
• Move slowly with control
• Keep eyes open

1. Standing Foundation Archetype (Tadasana)

What It Is: The fundamental vertical alignment pattern establishing optimal postural organization from feet through crown. This archetype creates the baseline for all standing practices. Key Points:

• Feet parallel, weight distributed across four corners
• Pelvis neutral with subtle engagement of deep stabilizers
• Ribs integrated over pelvis
• Crown reaching skyward with cervical neutrality

Biomechanical Principle: Creates tensegrity through balanced fascial tension, establishing vertical integrity against gravity while maintaining energetic ease.

Extend with Global Curvature

• Think of extending the spine as a whole, not just the neck.
• Imagine a grapefruit behind the neck, not a golf ball—curvature is gentle, even, and global.
• Head moves as part of the spine, maintaining neutral alignment with the thoracic extension.
• Cue to practice: “Extend with the whole spine; head floats on top.”

Relax the feet

Traditional yoga often cues “relax the feet,” “don't spread your toes,” or the classic “no jazz toes.” Pushing down through the big toe mound, little toe, and heel (whether you choose "3 corners" or "4 corners of the feet")—at best—creates passive balance. The intent is stability, but the biomechanics are off. Pressing into the first metatarsal head (big toe mound) actually fires the peroneus longus and the lateral line—a chain built for backward propulsion, not standing still. The result? You’re pressing in the wrong direction and activating the wrong fascial lines while trying to be stable.

Law 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Neutral alignment: knee stacked under hip.
• External rotation gently engages spiral tension from the ground up.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Creates stable foundation for knees, feet, and spine.

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Neutral alignment: knee stacked under hip.
• External rotation gently engages spiral tension from the ground up.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Creates stable foundation for knees, feet, and spine.

Elbows forward more, away from your chest, as far as it goes.

Problem with traditional cue:

• Puts shoulders far out of alignment with hips.
• Without rotation first, this encourages hypermobile shoulders and can worsen instability over time.

Better approach:

• Follow laws of torque (Law 5: Rotate for Congruency): rotate first, then challenge. (Law 6: Organize before Loading)
• External rotation of the shoulder organizes the joint, creating a stable container for movement.
• Even hypermobile students are protected; proper rotation prevents overreaching and maintains alignment.

Takeaway:

• Cue movement through organized rotation, not “as far as it goes.”
• Stability first → safe mobility second.

Many people are teaching or being taught short foot / foot activation INCORRECTLY! Yes you heard me. Tune in now to hear correct way to do foot activation and the science of WHY!

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Don’t rotate the knee actively.
• Let it float in the spiral created by hip and foot.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Knee micro-bends slightly, supported by spiral tension, never locked.

Traditional Issues:

Movement Science Solutions

• Dizziness: Normal from increased oxygen
• Neck tension: Relax shoulders
• Can't touch elbows: Will improve with practice
• Breathing too fast: Use throat sound for pace
• Losing balance: Weight in heels

• Dizziness Reality: It's not just oxygen - it's 37 quadrillion mitochondria suddenly getting fuel. Also, rapid CO2 changes affect blood pH. Sit if needed, but understand this is cellular adaptation, not dysfunction.

• Neck Protection: The problem isn't shoulder tension but segmental hinging. Distribute movement through entire cervical spine. Think "grapefruit" not "golf ball" behind the neck.

• Elbow Distance: Shoulder internal rotation restriction (common from desk work) prevents elbows touching. This reveals fascial restriction in the anterior shoulder - information, not failure.

• Breath Pacing: The throat constriction naturally slows breathing through resistance. If you can't hear the sound, you're not creating enough resistance for proper training effect.

• Balance Issues: Instead of "grounding through heels," create spiral torque from the ground up. External rotation from feet through hips creates stability that simple weight shift can't achieve.

Traditional Instructions:

The Breath Itself:

• Maintain 15-20% core tone (not sucked in, just engaged)
• Allow ribs to expand three-dimensionally
• Create glottal constriction for resistance, not to "direct" air
• The 5.5-second rhythm optimizes heart-brain coherence

Head Movement Reality:

• "Eyes guide skull backward" rather than "drop head back"
• Distribute extension through entire cervical spine
• Avoid the "Pez dispenser" hinge at C4-C5
• Keep length in neck rather than compression

• Stand with feet together, heels and toes touching
• Interlace all ten fingers, place knuckles firmly under chin
• Inhale slowly through nose for 6 seconds, lifting elbows toward ceiling
• Exhale through mouth for 6 seconds with "HA" sound, head back, elbows forward
• Repeat for 10 rounds, brief rest, then 10 more rounds

Movement Science Refinements:

Foundation Setup:

• Create tripod foot activation (big toe, pinky toe, heel)
• Gentle external rotation spiral from feet through hips
• Maintain neutral spine - avoid pushing hips forward
• Float the knees rather than locking them

Traditional List:

• Lungs
• Nervous system
• Circulatory system
• Internal organs

• Circulatory Enhancement:The respiratory pump assists venous return

• Baroreceptor sensitivity improves

• Peripheral circulation increases in preparation for heat exposure

• Heat Shock Protein Upregulation: Combining deep breathing with heat exposure triggers heat shock protein production. These molecular chaperones protect cells from stress

• Creates cellular resilience that extends beyond the yoga practice

Scientific Validation:

• Nervous System Regulation:Measurable shift from sympathetic (fight/flight) to parasympathetic (rest/digest) dominanc

• Vagus nerve stimulation through throat vibration and diaphragmatic movement
• Heart rate variability improvement lasting beyond the practice

Heart-Brain Coherence:

The Valsalva Wave Effect:

• Within 6 breathing cycles, combining rhythmic breathing with positive emotion shifts your system into coherence.
• Your heart's 40,000 sensory neurons begin synchronizing with your brain.
• Heart rate variability shifts into a sine wave pattern, optimizing your entire nervous system.
• This coherent state, established in pranayama, can last through the entire practice.

• Each breath creates measurable pressure waves through your cardiovascular system.
• Inhale creates negative thoracic pressure, pulling blood toward the heart.
• Exhale creates positive pressure, pushing oxygenated blood to tissues. These waves optimize circulation before the heat stress begins.

The Wall Drill The Wall Drill helps you feel the subtle shoulder rotations that happen in Pranayama. Think of it as a progressive way to scale the movement so your shoulders learn the pattern while your spine stays stable.

Pranayama Simulation (Fingers Interlaced Under Chin)

• Interlace your fingers under your chin, elbows lifted.
• Inhale → elbows lift slightly, chin tucks (internal rotation).
• Exhale → elbows come together, head extends slightly (external rotation).
• Keep elbows above shoulder level, ribs neutral, spine braced.

This is the “tiny circle” version of the same pattern you practiced with your arm extended.Key Takeaways:The movement is subtle but critical: shoulders rotate while the spine remains stable.This is the foundation of shoulder stability for Pranayama—like mini ring-work for your shoulders.Over time, this drill trains your neuromuscular system to perform internal/external rotation patterns without collapsing or compensating elsewhere in the body.

Big Arm Circle (Extended Arm)

• Stand next to a wall. Extend one arm out to the side.
• Draw the largest circle you can with your arm.
• Focus on feeling rotation in the shoulder joint rather than moving the elbow or shoulder blade excessively.
• Notice the coordination of internal and external rotation as your arm moves.

Circle with Hand on Shoulder

• Now place your hand on your shoulder.
• Repeat the same circular motion, but with a smaller range.
• The rotation pattern remains, but you feel it more locally in the shoulder joint.

This teaches awareness of subtle internal and external rotation without relying on gross arm movement.

Common Issues

• Weak deep stabilizers (transverse abdominis, multifidus)
• Poor proprioception (can't feel neutral)
• Limited Mobility: Breathing dysfunction, tight hip flexors, thoracic stiffness
• Compensations: Chronic forward head posture from screens.
• Rib flare, anterior pelvic tilt, excessive lordosis (swayback) or kyphosis (hunchback)

Key Yoga Postures

26/2 Examples

• Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
• Samasthiti (Equal Standing)
• Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)
• All standing pose preparations

• Pranayama Standing
• Eagle Pose setup
• All standing series foundations

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hi)= External Rotation

• Don’t rotate the knee actively.
• Let it float in the spiral created by hip and foot.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Knee micro-bends slightly, supported by spiral tension, never locked.

Rule 4: Shoulder Flexion = External Rotation

• External rotation.
• Exhale, bring elbows together, head extends slightly.
• Maintain shoulder height; avoid rib flare.
• Spine neutral, shoulders rotating within stability.

Traditional List:

Biochemical Reality

The "compression" is actually organized tension. When elbows come together, you're creating closed-chain stability through the arms. The abdominal "compression" is really controlled eccentric/concentric work of the core musculature. The kidney/adrenal effect is more about the pressure changes from breathing than direct compression.

• Abdominal wall (on exhale)
• Kidneys and adrenal glands
• Wrists, palms, forearms

Mitochondrial Activation:

• Your metabolic rate will increase 10-15% just to maintain body temperature in the heat
• Pranayama pre-loads mitochondria (ancient bacteria living in your cells) with oxygen
• This creates an ATP surplus before metabolic demands spike
• Think of it as depositing energy in your cellular bank account before the workout withdrawal

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Neutral alignment: knee stacked under hip.
• External rotation gently engages spiral tension from the ground up.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Creates stable foundation for knees, feet, and spine.

Short Foot

Splichal’s research flips the script. True foot activation begins with lifting and spreading the toes, then pressing the tips down as if your toenails could touch the mat. This subtly lifts the first metatarsal head, engaging the flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, and the deep front line fascia that connects feet directly to core. Add external hip rotation without moving the feet—Starrett’s law of torque—and the arches organize, the knees spiral stable, and the spine braces naturally. The foot isn’t passive; it’s the ignition switch for whole-body tensegrity and core stability.

Ribcage over pelvis

Center your ribcage over your pelvis, keeping the spine long. You’re not bracing fully yet, but remember: the spine alone can’t hold your head. Stability comes from gentle core tension—a “rigid cylinder” that lets your hips and shoulders move safely. "Stacking” joints and aligning the ribcage may feel basic—and it is—but it’s still a useful starting point. Think of it as your Tadasana foundation: before core activation, before braced neutral, just a simple, grounded alignment to set the body up for what comes next.

Traditional List:

• Shoulders & deltoids
• Respiratory system (lung power and elasticity)
• Abdominal muscles
• Thighs and glutes

Shoulder Mechanics: The arm movement creates subtle internal rotation on inhale and external rotation on exhale, teaching your shoulders to move through rotation patterns while maintaining spine stability. This programs the shoulder stability you'll need for arm balances later. Core Integration: Rather than "sucking in" the stomach (which blocks diaphragmatic descent), maintain 15-20% abdominal tone. This creates the intra-abdominal pressure that protects your spine throughout practice - the same pattern elite athletes use under load.

Movement Science:

Respiratory Muscle Training: Research confirms pranayama legitimately strengthens the diaphragm and intercostal muscles through resistance training. The throat constriction creates resistance that your breathing muscles must work against - like weight training for respiration.

Rule 6: SHOULDER NEUTRAL: The Shoulder Diagnostic Position

At Rest (Between Poses, True Tadasana): Stand naturally, arms at sides. Where do your thumbs point?Reading Your Restrictions (The Sweater Test):

• Thumbs point significantly inward → Missing external rotation. Imagine wearing a sweater where the top of each sleeve is sewn to the middle of your chest. You can't rotate your arms away from center because the fabric pulls. That's your fascial restriction.
• Thumbs point significantly outward → Missing internal rotation. Now imagine the sleeve tops are sewn to your shoulder blades. You can't bring your arms toward center because the fabric restricts from behind. Same mechanical restriction, different direction.
• Thumbs point forward → Balanced capacity The sleeves hang normally. You can rotate either direction freely.

Summary:

Movement Science:

Standing Deep Breathing (Pranayama) is the first pose in the Bikram Yoga series, performed to prepare the body and mind for class. It is a controlled breathing exercise synchronized with arm and head movements that helps increase lung capacity, boost circulation, and calm the nervous system. The posture is meant to oxygenate the blood, improve respiratory efficiency, and build internal heat to prepare for the subsequent poses in the series.

While you can't actually use 100% of lung capacity (1200ml residual volume must remain to prevent lung collapse), pranayama does increase vital capacity from about 3 liters to 4-5 liters. The real magic happens at the cellular level - you're pre-loading 37 quadrillion mitochondria with oxygen to manufacture ATP for the next 85 minutes of practice.

Shoulders are working

“Nice and relaxed shoulders”? How can they be relaxed if they’re actually working? In Pranayama, your shoulders are doing a lot: internal rotation with chin tucked and elbows up engages the subscapularis, anterior deltoids, and pectoral fascia, while external rotation and elbows together recruit the infraspinatus, posterior deltoids, and thoracolumbar fascia. Like your feet and core, they need organized, dynamic tension—not limpness—to support the movement. True relaxation here is strength with ease, a controlled tension that lets your breath and spine expand safely.

Law 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Feet stay planted.
• Slight external rotation engages the arches and deep front line.
• Short Foot: toes will lift slightly while pressing toe pads down, let the first metatarsal rise naturally. (Foot Tripod)
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Foot drives spiral stability from the ground up through ankle, knee, hip, and core.

Law 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Feet stay planted.
• Slight external rotation engages the arches and deep front line.
• Short Foot: toes will lift slightly while pressing toe pads down, let the first metatarsal rise naturally. (Foot Tripod)
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Foot drives spiral stability from the ground up through ankle, knee, hip, and core.

Push the Head Back

• Avoid forcing the head backward like a Pez dispenser.
• Don’t hinge or collapse at the neck.
• Cue to ignore: “Drop the head back” → this stresses cervical joints, misaligns the spine.

Ears in line with shoulders

One of the simplest yet most powerful alignment cues is to keep the ears in line with the shoulders (from the side). When the head shifts forward, even slightly, it dramatically increases the load on the neck and upper back. For every 10 degrees the head moves forward, the effective weight on the spine increases by about 10–15 pounds, forcing the muscles and connective tissues to overwork just to hold it up. Over time, this “tech neck” posture can contribute to tension, headaches, and poor breathing mechanics. Realigning the head over the shoulders not only relieves strain but also supports better posture, balance, and energy flow in your practice.

Elbows up/Internal Rotation (barely perceptable)

• Elbows Up / Chin Down
• Internal rotation.
• Inhale, lift elbows, chin gently tucks.
• Tiny rotation, subtle but active.
• Spine stays braced; shoulders rotate, don’t shrug.

* This one is very difficult to perceive without doing the wall drill. The internal rotation is for a brief moment in transition to bringing the elbows together. The point is to feel the rotation while bracing the spine.

Float the knee

• Thought: Organize the leg from hip to ankle.
• Tissue Adaptation: Muscles and fascia co-contract at 15–20%, stabilizing the joint.
• Result: A “rigid cylinder” effect—knee suspended in active tension like a bridge cable.
• Science Translation: Quads, glutes, adductors, and deep stabilizers create spiral tension.
• Benefit: Protected by active stability, ready to respond within milliseconds. Builds strength, not scar tissue.

Braced Neutral

Forget “suck your stomach in.” The core doesn’t need to move—it needs to brace. McGill calls it a “rigid cylinder” that protects the spine while the hips and shoulders do the work. Just 15–20% subtle engagement is enough—not full crunch, not sucking in. Imagine breathing compressed air through a steel pipe (Kelly Starrett), or that someone might poke your belly and you want it firm but not rigid. At first, it can feel like you’re choosing between expanding the ribcage 360° and maintaining a braced neutral—but over time, you’ll develop the skill to do both effortlessly.

Relax the shoulders

Yoga teachers love to toss out cues like “relax the shoulders,” “nice and relaxed shoulders,” or “let go of tension.” Sometimes it’s “drop them down,” or “bring them up, now back and down.” These phrases get repeated on autopilot, but they don’t reflect biomechanics or movement science. Shoulders aren’t ornaments you position—they’re dynamic joints that stabilize through internal and external rotation, following the laws of torque. Simply “relaxing” them doesn’t create stability; it creates confusion. What students need are functional cues that teach organized, active support, not vague aesthetic ones.

Finding Your Center of Gravity

Let your feet stay relaxed for now, simply noticing where your weight rests. Does it shift forward toward the toes, back into the heels, or roll inside or outside the arches? Gently rock in each direction to explore your base of support, then return to center—balanced, grounded, and steady.

Law 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hi)= External Rotation

• Don’t rotate the knee actively.
• Let it float in the spiral created by hip and foot.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Knee micro-bends slightly, supported by spiral tension, never locked.

Elbows up/Internal Rotation (barely perceptable)

• Elbows Up / Chin Down
• Internal rotation.
• Inhale, lift elbows, chin gently tucks.
• Tiny rotation, subtle but active.
• Spine stays braced; shoulders rotate, don’t shrug.

* This one is very difficult to perceive without doing the wall drill. The internal rotation is for a brief moment in transition to bringing the elbows together. The point is to feel the rotation while bracing the spine.

Law 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Don’t rotate the knee actively.
• Let it float in the spiral created by hip and foot.
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Knee micro-bends slightly, supported by spiral tension, never locked.

Shoulders in line with hips

With your shoulders stacked directly over your hips, you create a strong, balanced foundation for the spine. This vertical alignment distributes weight evenly, reducing strain on the lower back and improving core stability. Imagine your torso rising effortlessly from your hips, as though the spine is lengthening upward, steady and supported.

Braced Neutral

What it is: This is your home base – the position you return to between movements. This is position zero, where everything starts and ends. The Details:

• Head balanced over spine
• Shoulders centered, not rolled forward or pulled back
• Ribs down and integrated with pelvis
• Diaphragm and pelvic floor aligned horizontally
• Pelvis neutral (not tilted forward or back)
• Spine maintains all natural curves
• 360° core engagement

Why It Matters: Foundation for force transfer, injury prevention, and optimal movement efficiency. All other archetypes depend on maintaining braced neutral. If you can't organize yourself in standing, every other position will be compromised. Most people have never experienced true neutral spine – they're either arched like a banana or rounded like a cashew. This is the foundation that determines the quality of everything else. It's not sexy, but it's essential.

Rule 3: Neutral Hip (knee under hip)= External Rotation

• Feet stay planted.
• Slight external rotation engages the arches and deep front line.
• Short Foot: toes will lift slightly while pressing toe pads down, let the first metatarsal rise naturally. (Foot Tripod)
• Cue: Dial the legs away from each other.
• Purpose: Foot drives spiral stability from the ground up through ankle, knee, hip, and core.

Traditional List:

• Increases lung capacity and efficiency
• Prevents respiratory problems
• Improves blood circulation
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Regulates blood pressure
• Warms up the body

Cardiovascular Adaptations:

• Improved heart rate variability (marker of cardiovascular health)

• Enhanced baroreceptor sensitivity

• Better blood pressure regulation through practice

Neurological Benefits:

• Improved proprioception (though heat will temporarily reduce it by 30%)

• Better interoception (internal body awareness)

• Enhanced mind-body connection through conscious breathing

Evidence-Based Additions:

Respiratory Improvements:

• Increases vital capacity (measurable, not to 100% but significant improvement)
• Improves respiratory muscle endurance
• Enhances oxygen uptake efficiency