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Woman Carrying Laundry  (from Wikimedia Commons) Q: I have heard that using the cue "scoop the tailbone" is pass�, because people tend to over tuck their tailbones already. There is a class I attend where this cue is given A LOT�for tons of poses�tree, chair, etc. Is this cue "out" and is it ever appropriate? Thanks! Is there any research behind using or not scooping the tailbone? I tend to not. I hear point the pubic bone down. A: This is a very relevant question, for, as our questioner points out, the concept of �scooping the tailbone� is being taught in many quarters. Certain modern yoga teachers, some with large followings, teach this as an important action when doing many poses.  And although I think there are certain circumstances in which this action (which anatomically would be called �retroversion� of the pelvis relative to the femur bones� more on that later!), is appropriate, I believe it is sometimes drastically overused. In order to get a better idea of...

by Baxter We recently received an inquiry about positioning the pelvis in yoga poses that I thought it worth addressing in a general, full-length post. Let�s start with the question: Dear YFHA Staff, The phrases "Tuck in and Tuck out" are very commonly used by several of my teachers. I get so confused listening to those words that these days the minute I hear anything close to "Tuck" my meditative yoga practice goes for a ride. What are the teachers referring to when they use those words? Are they alluding to the movement of sacrum? For eg: in Bridge pose and other supine poses, do you draw the sacrum in (I guess the word is Tuck in) or do you draw it out? Can't we just keep the sacrum in neutral position and still get the benefits of the supine poses? Yes, dear reader, there is a lot of talk about �tucking� the pelvis these days in the yoga world! Although I don�t hear or use the same exact phraseology as you teachers are using, I think I have a sense of what t...