Scaling Movement
I recently made an Instagram Reel of Skandasana, a side lunge position.
In the reel I showed how I can go from standing legs wide apart down into skandasana and back up, but how this may not be accessible to everyone.
Here is a link to that video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/stmRGU0HBQs?feature=share
So I added a prop – a chair that can be used to help, a tempo that might be slower, and a range of motion that might be more comfortable for someone just accessing this very strong hip, knee, and ankle mobility action.
I think most of us have modified something in a yoga class at some point in our yoga movement careers.
There is another term I’d like to introduce called “scaling” movement.
It’s often used in the context of weight and strength training, but it’s really a great term for use in a yoga movement class too.
When we “scale” a movement we regress the movement with the intention to then progress the movement.
So we don’t just modify and then stick with that modification forever (although that would be perfectly fine).
We modify, but then we begin to change certain elements so that we can progress that movement into a fuller range, or do more reps, or hold/lift/push/pull more load.
A movement regression is a decrease in demand.
A movement progression is an increase in demand.
Let’s take a push up as an example.
A straight leg push may not be accessible.
I might take a client to the wall and teach them body posture in a push up position at the wall by holding plank.
Then we would work on the action of moving slowly to the wall and back away from the wall in this modified push up.
We’ve just regressed the push up.
However, as the movement coach or teacher, I would, over time, add progressions allowing the client to move to more difficult variations so that they build more strength, mobility, motor control, capacity, and confidence in their own self efficacy.
Some progression ideas might be:
***Change the relationship to gravity by moving to a counter, chair, blocks, floor, knees – adding a prop
***Change the range of motion.
***Decrease reps as we make the push up harder and then over time increase the reps.
***Add isometric holds at the top or bottom of the push up
Here’s a 12 minute youtube video I published on progressing push up from the wall to the floor:
Scaling movement by regressing and progressing builds movement skill, but maybe more importantly for the aging process, builds self confidence.
In our push up example, this allows someone who can’t do a full body push up to participate and get something done, building up their confidence as their tissues adapt to new loads.
Scaling movement allows everyone to participate at a level they are comfortable with, progress with a thoughtful supportive coach or teacher who is sequencing with them in mind, and build personal confidence in their ability to achieve more difficult things.
This is often hard to find in a group class.
I know how hard it is to teach movement scaling in a group class with everyone moving at different capacities and having different belief systems about their own personal abilities, but it is achievable.
There are ways to scale every yoga posture and visit aspects of any posture, make the required shapes and actions without having to “do” the actual pose.
Take bakasana for example….
Here is my IG Reel on supine Bakasana
https://youtube.com/shorts/-PZhMq3JGFE?feature=share
Instead of asking you to do the actual arm balance, I’ve regressed it to a supine position and concentrated on building the flexor strength (shortening and strengthening the front body so that the spine can flex deeply in the actual posture)
More than anything I want to share this idea with you…
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Let’s bend our own aging curves by…
***Accessing yoga poses or shapes in whatever way we can at this moment in time
***Practicing mindset – stop the mind talk about how “bad” you are at something, how you “can’t” do something, how one body part or region of your body is “bad”.
Each time we say this to ourselves we are creating a neural groove, a habitual way of thinking that can limit our ability to change, neurons that wire together, fire together.
What we say to ourselves and about ourselves builds a mindset.
“I can regress and then progress this to a place I’m comfortable with.”
***Do what you can without practicing perfectionism – good versus bad, right versus wrong
***There is always the potential to change, add a little mobility, a little range of motion, a little or lot of strength, more motor control.
***Remember that your body is not out to get you
Play and inquire… be in the moment with movement and practice enjoying movement.
If you’ve got questions on how to scale a movement that you find challenging, please drop me a line yogaburr@gmail.com
