How many different ways can someone teach something so that students will understand? Keeping things simple and clear is the most effective approach, with occasional changes introduced to keep the instructions fresh. Anatomy can be a complex language for some, so using too many technical terms can be counterproductive.
The following are samples of cues that can be used while teaching yoga; some of them may work and some may not, but have fun trying them out.
Breathing
Inhale and expand.
Exhale and release.
Nourish the body with the inhale.
Cleanse the body with the exhale.
Cueing the Spine
Drop (not “tuck”!) the tailbone.
Find your neutral (natural) curves.
Create space between the vertebrae.
Keep the head in line with the spine.
Keep the back of the skull in line with the back of the pelvis.
Allow the chin to relax in toward the throat, not the chest.
Imagine the head floating above the neck.
Cueing the Core
Lift the lower abdominals.
Pull the navel center in and up.
Feel the transversus abdominis wrap around the waistline on a strong exhale.
Do a deep belly laugh; the transversus will contract.
Lift or hug the pelvic floor.
Lengthen the lumbar spine.
Allow the belly to fall back toward the spine.
Feel space between the hips and the ribs.
Cueing the Shoulders
Drop the shoulders down and back.
Create space between your neck and your shoulders.
Allow the shoulder blades to come closer together and down the back.
Keep the shoulders even.
Circle your arms.
Open the shoulders.
Relax the shoulders.
Cueing the Hips
Center or square the pelvis.
Circle the thighs to lubricate the joint.
Deepen the hip crease.
Open the hips.
Tilt the pelvis.
Lift up and out of the hips.
Imagine the pelvis and femurs as an arch.
Find the sit bones and sit right on top of them.
Cueing the Knees
Soften the backs of the knees.
Gently bend, or micro-bend.
Track knees over toes, not forward of them.
Be kind to the knees.
Cueing the Feet
Spread the feet.
Balance on the four corners of the feet.
Lift the arches.
Pull the toes back.
Open the toes.
Soften the feet.
Feel the pads (balls) of the feet.
Begin
Soften
Imagine
Drop
Connect
Draw
Change
Improve
Relax
Search
Adjust
Receive
Share
Open
Extend
Create
Contract
Nourish
Increase
Straighten
Help
Expand
Experiment
Wonder
Quiet
Invite
Engage
Lengthen
Find
Spread
Tone
Decrease
Strengthen
Deepen
Transform
Play
Thank
Master
Love
Allow
Fold
Lift
Balance
Press
Bend
Stretch
Release
Choose
Grow
Give
Guide
Breathe!