Ever wondered if students with scoliosis can practice yoga safely? Spoiler, the answer is Yes, but first we’ve gotta ditch the one-size-fits-all alignment cues and actually work with the curve, not against it.

In this episode, I’ll break down spinal anatomy, the risks, and the best practices to keep students with spinal deviations strong, mobile, and inspired in your classes.

Let’s get to it!

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Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

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Many students practicing yoga encounter the frustrating and often debilitating experience of SI joint pain. I even experience it from time to time myself! Despite its prevalence, it remains widely misunderstood, and well-intentioned advice can sometimes exacerbate the problem rather than alleviate it.

A common solution in yoga classes for SI joint pain is to "engage your core" or "engage your glutes." While core and glute engagement are undeniably important for overall stability and movement, applying them as a blanket solution for SI joint issues often falls short and can even be counterproductive. This episode is specifically designed for you if you’ve heard or even offered this advice and have come to the realization that it doesn't quite address the nuances of SI joint pain.

In this episode, we will dive deeper into the complexities of the sacroiliac joint & explore the potential underlying causes of pain and dysfunction. Let’s throw away simple cues and discuss more effective strategies and considerations for helping students find relief and promote long-term stability in the SI joint.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

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YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

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Some students need to be extremely cautious when it comes to poses like Pigeon, Fire Log, and even Butterfly. Excessive hip movement that's required in these poses can lead to labral tears, hip impingement, and even chronic pain.

These poses primarily target the hip joints, which are in a position of flexion, external rotation, and abduction. And Pigen pose is the #1 culprit... and I'll explain why.

In this episode, I’m going to discuss hip openers and one common injury associated with them. Ever heard of a labral tear?

Referenced in this episode:

Ep 72: When to Refer Out: Recognizing the Limits of Your Scope

YouTube: Half Pigeon Pose: How to Avoid Pain & Injury

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

Injury prevention in yoga is often oversimplified into absolutes. It's either "yoga heals everything" or "if you get hurt, you did it wrong." But the truth is far more nuanced. While we can and must take steps to minimize risks, true injury prevention has inherent limitations because movement is never fully predictable.

Students come to class with unique bodies, histories, and habits that influence their practice in ways no teacher can entirely foresee.

In this episode, we'll cover:

1. The controllable factors (how you can reduce risk)
2. The uncontrollable variables (why injuries still happen), and
3. A realistic approach to balancing safety and autonomy in yoga

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

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Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

In the last two episodes, we've discussed keeping students safe in our classes by being more mindful of the alignment cues we use. However, what is correct alignment, and is it safe for all students?” Those questions were the inspiration for these episodes on how we teach alignment & what we teach students to believe about their personal alignment.

How has your teaching on alignment evolved since your initial Yoga Teacher Training?

Mine has evolved significantly!

In this episode, we'll focus on two more perspectives: strength vs flexibility and the effects alignment has on the Nervous System.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

We discussed safety in the last episode because I believe we all come from that standpoint. Thinking safety begs the question, “Is our understanding of 'correct alignment' safe for all students?” That took me down a deep rabbit hole and was an inspiration for these episodes on what we teach students about alignment.

Ask yourself if, since your initial Yoga Teacher Training, have your beliefs around alignment in yoga evolved significantly?

In this episode, we’ll explore more around changing our ideas & our teaching about alignment by focusing on skeletal variations & students’ personal preferences.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

Traditionally, alignment was taught as a set of fixed, universal principles—certain cues, angles, and posture requirements that were considered "correct" for all bodies. However, modern discussions, influenced by movement science, biomechanics, and inclusivity, now emphasize functional movement, individual variation, and nervous system safety over rigid alignment rules.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, today we’re exploring how alignment can be personalized, empowering, and adaptable rather than rigid or fear-based.

In this episode, I’m going to focus on two perspectives that we once had but are moving away from, thank goodness!

They are: alignment is one-size-fits-all and fear-based cues.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.