From a home practice to learning with a teacher

Mary Dunn`s reply:

The transition from a home practice to learning with a teacher often raises this question, as teacher feedback adds additional elements to your understanding of the postures. A feeling of resistance is natural if you identify with your experience of the asana before the feedback. For example, in Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), a student who studies without the benefit of a teacher might measure progress by how close she can get her hand to the floor. But when the same student corrects the action of the legs, the openness of the chest, and the position of the shoulders and head, the hand may not reach the ground so easily.

Likewise, in Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), students often identify with whether or not the hands reach the floor. But there are other parts of the pose beyond its outward appearance. You should feel like you`re stretching the legs all the way from the feet to the hips and from the hips through the buttocks to the entire back. The legs should be stable, and you should also breathe deeply to facilitate release in the trunk muscles and the back.