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Micromanage: To control every part, however small, of an enterprise or activity

Micromanaging is common in the yoga world.

Micromanaging entails guiding students to modify and control small details of their yoga poses so that they embody the "correct" or "optimal" alignment.

Let's take a look at plank pose as an example...

Examples of Micromanaging in Plank Pose:

measurement tools protractors and rulers

"Align your wrist creases so that they're parallel with a horizontal line bisecting your mat."

"Turn the eyes of your elbows to 45° angles."

"Align the base knuckle of your middle finger directly under the center of the head of your humerus."

"Protract your shoulder blades on your upper back."

it's easy to micromanage plank pose in yoga

Granted, there's the big picture shape of plank that students need to be guided into.

And there are cues that teach the general shape of the pose we're looking for, like "place your hands shoulder-distance apart on the floor, push through your arms, and step your feet back."

These cues are necessary and helpful!

Micromanaging, on the other hand, is when we over-specify the fine details of alignment in our poses.

The drive to micromanage in yoga often stems from the belief that the body doesn't naturally do what it's supposed to do when we move.

As a result, we must consciously check a long list of "alignment boxes," in order to override our natural movement tendencies, so that we practice our poses correctly.

With that said, fine-tuning cues can certainly be helpful in some situations. For example...

When a student is modifying due to an acute injury
When a student is working around a painful issue experienced in a yoga pose
For safety reasons in movement contexts where loads are very high (e.g., heavy weightlifting)

micromanaging in yoga makes movement complicated

Aside from those specific contexts ⬆️ , though, micromanaging is generally an unhelpful yoga teaching strategy because...

It overcomplicates movement.
It can overwhelm the learning process. (There are only so many thoughts one can hold in their mind at once!).
It can create co-dependency and a barrier to movement. ("I can't practice unless I have a teacher's eyes on me.")
It can influence students to micromanage their daily movements off the mat (e.g., attempting to keep a neutral spine 24/7).

Important clarification about micromanaging in yoga…

There's a difference between micromanaging, which entails consciously controlling the fine details of movement (a "top-down" strategy)...

...and simply bringing students' awareness to the finer details of their movements in a more observational and exploratory manner (a "bottom-up" strategy).

The latter can be a great approach! The former? Probably not so much.

How can we avoid micromanaging in our yoga teaching?

My personal approach is relatively simple!

I do my best to use the big-picture movement cues I need to in order to guide students into the general shape of a yoga pose.

And when it comes to the finer alignment details of a yoga pose, I use more inquisitive cues (as opposed to directive, prescriptive ones) to create the space for my students to find their own alignment, based on what feels best to them.

For example, if I’m teaching warrior 1, I might use bigger-picture movement cues like these:

Step one foot forward and one foot back
Square your chest forward
Reach your arms up to frame your ears
Bend your front knee forward a bit more if you’d like to feel more work in your front leg

And I’d probably avoid using detailed cues like these. (I’ve obviously exaggerated these for effect, btw! ;) ):

Look down at your feet and make sure they’re aligned heel-to-heel. Definitely do not align them wider or narrower than that or you will not be in warrior 1 pose anymore.
Turn your back foot in at exactly a 30° angle (no more, no less!).
Spin your pinkie fingers toward each other to externally rotate your shoulders… or else!
Bend your front knee until it’s aligned right above your front heel. Do not let your knee move forward of your heel or in or out to any degree or your knee will… explode!

Even though these are yoga cue exaggerations ;), in my experience, toned-down versions of these examples are everywhere in the yoga world!

Instead of giving fine-tuned instructions along the lines of this second list of cues (which are cues that I’d suggest are “overly detailed”), I prefer to allow students’ bodies to self-organize on this more detailed level into the positions that are a good fit for their individual bodies.

For example, instead of insisting on “heel-to-heel” alignment for the feet in warrior 1, I find that a more helpful approach is to simply suggest that students “find a stance that feels stable for you” – and leave it at that! This empowers students to observe and feel their own body, and make an intentional decision about how they position it.

In this way, I aim to cultivate self-efficacy in my yoga classes.

And by directing students’ alignment on the “macro” level of our yoga poses, but allowing them to decide for themselves on the “micro” level of fine-tuned alignment, I also create the space for them to investigate and learn about their own body – supporting what I feel is a main goal of a yoga practice: to cultivate self-knowledge.

(Side note: of course, if an individual student experiences discomfort in a pose, I would certainly offer them some more detailed alignment suggestions that they might appreciate experimenting with to help them find a more comfortable position. But this one-on-one, “brainstorming” type of teaching is a different context from cueing a whole group of students through a yoga practice!)

Extra tip for avoiding micromanaging in yoga!

In my experience, having a foundational understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of our yoga poses is essential for cueing movement on the yoga mat in a helpful (and not micromanaging) way!

By understanding the joint positions of our yoga poses and how force affects the body in each one, we can easily discern which movement cues are helpful and which ones are counterproductive.

If you’re interesting in improving your own understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of our yoga poses, consider joining me for my Continuing Education membership on my website!