The words we use ...

Leading a yoga practice can be challenging: Providing students with correct cues at the appropriate time, setting the pace of practice and breath, coupled with identifying the proper orientation of the body without mixing right with left and left with right. But finding words to communicate the practice of yoga can make the task of teaching even more daunting. How often can I use ‘melt’ to describe Savasana? Can the word ‘soften’ be used repeatedly when explaining what the eyes, throat, shoulders and lower belly should be doing in Tadasana? As a writer, redundancy just doesn’t sound good – whether in print or in yoga practice. I am constantly on the lookout for new words to add to my yoga vocabulary. Last week I heard the word ‘trace.’ Instantly I fell in love with its sound, its grace and its effectiveness. Trace your breath - in through your nose and along the base of the throat as it fills your lungs. I can’t use it enough. As you soften your shoulders into the front of your chest and down your back, trace the length of the spine and draw your tailbone towards the floor. It’s so lovely. In Reverse Warrior reach your right hand towards the sky and feel the flow of energy from your right big toe to your pinky, tracing its course in three long, smooth cycles of breath.

Are there other words so versatile and effective? I hope so. Stumbling upon the word trace gave me inspiration in my own practice and a sense of freshness in my classes.