Yoga Speak 101: Decoding Common Cues and Terms

Yoga Glossary: Plain-English Explanations for Popular Poses and Cues

Ever been in a yoga class and felt like your instructor was speaking another language? Terms like “tuck your tailbone” or “hinge at the hips” sound simple – until you’re mid-pose wondering what on earth they mean.

That’s where this guide comes in. The Yoga Umm glossary is your friendly, plain-English companion to common yoga terms and cues. We’ll break down each one in a way that makes sense. No anatomy degree required, so you can focus on moving, breathing, and enjoying your practice instead of second-guessing your form.

Whether you’re brand new to the mat or just want to brush up on your alignment vocabulary, this guide will help you walk into any yoga class feeling informed, confident, and ready to flow.

Common Terms:

Crown – The Crown typically refers to the top of your head. It’s the highest point on your scalp towards the back of your head. In yoga, there is often a focus on aligning and lifting the crown of the head to create a sense of length and openness in the spine. This alignment is part of maintaining good posture and energy flow throughout the body.

For example, in poses like Mountain Pose, you’ll often hear your instructor cue the crown of the head towards the ceiling or sky. The idea is to create a straight line from the base of the spine to the crown of the head to encourage proper spinal alignment!

 Pelvis – The Pelvis is a basin-shaped structure of bones that connects the trunk of your body and the legs.It supports the spinal column and protects the abdominal organs. In yoga, the pelvis refers to the bony structure at the base of the spine, forming the foundation of the spine and supporting the weight of the upper body. 

Tuck your tailbone – If you hear this one in class, you might be wondering what a tailbone is, whether you have tail (or a tailbone), and what exactly does it mean to tuck it!

“Tucking the tailbone” in yoga refers to a specific alignment cue that involves tilting the pelvis in a way that encourages a more neutral and stable spine. This instruction is often used to encourage a student to engage their core and/or take out excessive curving or extension of the low spine. To duck your tailbone, draw your navel (belly button) toward your spine to engage your transverse abdominis–the deepest layer of your abdominal muscles that stabilize your core and low back–while drawing your front ribs down and in. This helps to remove any excess extension of the lumbar (lower) spine, while stabilizing and maintaining a natural curvature.

Tucking the tailbone is often associated with engaging the core muscles, including the transverse abdominis. This engagement contributes to a sense of stability and helps protect the lower back.

Tucking the tailbone is particularly relevant when there is a tendency to overarch the lower back (excessive lumbar lordosis). Overarching can lead to compression in the lumbar spine and may contribute to discomfort or injury over time. Tucking the tailbone helps to counteract this tendency and promote a more aligned and balanced posture.

It’s important to note that the degree to which you tuck the tailbone can vary depending on the specific yoga pose and individual anatomy. In some poses, maintaining a neutral spine may be more appropriate than a pronounced tuck. It’s advisable to listen to your body, follow the guidance of your yoga instructor, and make adjustments based on your own comfort and alignment!

Hinge at your hips – In yoga, “hinging at the hips” refers to a specific movement pattern where you fold forward at the hips while keeping a relatively straight spine. This movement is often used in various yoga poses to stretch the hamstrings, open the hips, and promote flexibility in the spine. Hinging at the hips is a fundamental movement that is commonly employed in poses like Forward Folds, Downward Dog, and Standing Forward Bends.

Some students will hear this cue and bend from the waist, which is the smallest part of your torso area above your hip bones. Doing this can put pressure on your lower back. To hinge at the hips is to bend from the space where the very top of your leg inserts into the bone structure of your hips.

Here’s how to hinge at the hips in yoga:

• Start in a Standing Position: Many hinging movements begin from a standing position. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and engage your core muscles.
• Initiate the Movement at the Hips: Instead of rounding your back to bend forward, focus on hinging at your hips. Imagine your hips as a hinge, and start the movement by pushing your hips back, as if you’re sticking your tailbone out behind you.
• Maintain a Straight Spine: As you hinge forward, keep your spine relatively straight. Avoid rounding your back excessively, especially in the initial phase of the movement. Your spine should be in a neutral position, with the natural curves of the spine maintained.
• Engage Core Muscles: To support the hinge at the hips and protect your lower back, engage your core muscles. This helps stabilize the spine and maintain a strong and controlled movement.
• Lengthen the Torso: Reach the crown of your head forward as you hinge, creating length in your spine. This lengthening helps to decompress the spine and provides a more effective stretch.
• Bend the Knees if Needed: In some cases, especially if you have tight hamstrings, you may need to bend your knees slightly as you hinge at the hips. This modification can make the movement more accessible and prevent strain on the lower back.

Common yoga poses that involve hinging at the hips include the Forward Fold, Seated Forward Bend, and various hip-opening poses.

Glutes – “Glutes” is short for gluteal muscles, which refer to the muscles of the buttocks. The glutes are a group of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles play a crucial role in various movements, including hip extension, hip abduction, and hip rotation.

In yoga, the engagement and strengthening of the glutes are often emphasized for stability, support, and proper alignment in different poses. Here are a few ways the glutes may be involved in yoga practice:

• Hip Extension: Poses that involve hip extension, where the leg moves backward, engage the gluteus maximus. Examples include lunges, Warrior poses, and backbends like Bridge Pose or Wheel Pose.
• Hip Abduction: Gluteus medius and minimus are involved in hip abduction, which is the movement of the leg away from the midline of the body. Certain standing poses and balancing poses, such as Tree Pose, involve hip abduction and can help strengthen these muscles.
• Stabilization: The glutes, especially the gluteus medius, play a role in stabilizing the pelvis. This is crucial for maintaining balance in standing poses and preventing excessive lateral movement of the hips.
• Chair Pose: This pose, where you sit back as if sitting in an imaginary chair, engages the glutes to support the hip and knee joints.
• Pigeon Pose: While this pose primarily stretches the hips, it can also engage the glutes as you maintain stability and balance.

Sacrum – a small, triangle-shaped, bony structure that is located at the base of the spine nested between the hip bones, just above the tailbone. The sacrum plays an especially important role to both your low back and hips and is integral for weight-bearing functions such as walking, standing, sitting and yoga! You can feel the bony structure at the very bottom of the spine (near the top of your butt crack), but not necessarily the triangle shape and most people call the entire area the tailbone.

In the context of yoga, the sacrum is often mentioned in discussions about pelvic alignment and awareness. Here are a few key points related to the sacrum in yoga:

• Pelvic Stability: The sacrum is integral to maintaining pelvic stability. Proper alignment of the sacrum is essential for supporting the spine and ensuring that weight is distributed evenly through the pelvis.
• Neutral Pelvis: Yoga instructors may guide practitioners to find a neutral pelvis, which involves aligning the sacrum in a way that preserves the natural curves of the spine. This alignment is important for preventing excessive arching or rounding of the lower back in various yoga poses.
• Hip Opening Poses: Many yoga poses involve movements that affect the sacrum, especially those that target hip flexibility and mobility. Poses like Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), which stretches the hip flexors and external rotators, can influence the position and mobility of the sacrum.
• Backbends: In backbending poses like Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) or Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana), attention to the sacrum helps in maintaining a balanced and even arch in the spine.
• Forward Bends: In forward-bending poses like Forward Fold (Uttanasana) or Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana), awareness of the sacrum can contribute to a more integrated and controlled movement, preventing excessive rounding of the lower back.

Sternum – the bone located in the middle of your chest protecting the organs of your torso and serving as a connection point for other muscles and bones like the ribs. You can feel your sternum bone between pectoral muscles or cleavage.

The sternum is significant in yoga for several reasons:

• Posture and Alignment: Awareness of the sternum is crucial for maintaining proper posture and alignment in various yoga poses. For example, in standing poses, backbends, and arm balances, instructors may cue practitioners to lift and open the sternum to encourage a more lifted and expansive chest.
• Heart Center: In yogic philosophy, the chest area, including the sternum, is often associated with the heart center or “Anahata Chakra.” This energetic center is believed to be the seat of compassion, love, and connection. Practices that involve heart-opening poses, like Camel Pose or Cobra Pose, often focus on lifting the sternum to open the chest and energetically engage the heart center.
• Breath Awareness: The sternum plays a role in breath awareness and proper breathing techniques in yoga. In some pranayama (breath control) practices, yogis may be instructed to direct the breath toward the sternum, expanding the chest with each inhale.
• Anatomical Landmark: The sternum serves as an anatomical reference point for various yoga instructions. For instance, cues may involve aligning the hands with the sternum in prayer position, or directing movement from the sternum in certain twists and rotations.