WELCOME TO MONTHLY THROUGH LINES

Hey all – I’m Patrick here with Chromatic Yoga.

I’ve been studying with Matt Giordano (founder of Chromatic Yoga) for 5 years and have seen my yoga practice blossom into something magnificent using the Chromatic framework. I’ve also gained incredible confidence and intelligence in my ability to lead my students as their yoga teacher.

If you’re like me, you’re a self-proclaimed anatomy geek who loves all things yoga. It’s great, but with so much information out there and the complexity of the human body and yoga poses, it can be overwhelming.

That’s why we’re rolling out CHROMATIC MONTHLY THROUGH LINES

In Chromatic Yoga, we keep things straightforward. That’s why we’ve launched this latest community initiative. It’s designed to help you focus and intelligently design your classes to best support your students, if you’re a teacher. If you’re just here to practice, that’s great too. You’ll be able to apply these through-lines to access the poses you’ve always wanted to do but for whatever reason haven’t gotten yet. 

How it Works:

1. On the first of every month, we announce the Chromatic Monthly Through-Line. We zoom in on one body part and explore all the ways it affects our yoga practice throughout the month.
2. We highlight a Physical Through Line (PTL) you can incorporate into your classes each week, along with pose suggestions and cueing techniques.

• • WHAT IS A PHYSICAL THROUGH LINE? 

• • A Physical Through Line is a term we use in Chromatic Yoga that is defined by the muscle engagement, or joint action that we focus on through the duration of the yoga class. Certified Chromatic Teachers construct their classes around a PTL (Physical Through Line) in order to create a more effective learning environments for students. As a student you can expect that each Chromatic class will include a PTL. Of course, you will do other postures and other muscle engagements within a Chromatic class, however there is a strong emphasis on the PTL.

3. Share how you’ve used the PTL by tagging us on IG and in our Global WhatsApp Group! 

For February, the Chromatic Monthly Through-Line will be (drumroll, please…)

HIPS!

Imagine doing yoga without considering your hips. Impossible, right? You know hip openers like pigeon and figure four, which deepen your external rotation….

But what about hip abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension? 

The hips are crucial for your practice, from standing pose stability to seated pose flexibility. They can transform your practice, whether you’re easing lower back pain, enhancing balance, or moving with more grace.

Here’s our map for the month:

1. Week 1: Adduction – Thighs move toward the midline
2. Week 2 Abduction – Thighs move away from the midline
3. Week 3: Hip Flexion – Thighs move toward front of the torso like they do in Childs pose or boat pose
4. Week 4: Hip Extension – Thighs move away from the front and toward back body like the back leg of Dancer Pose.

Chromatic Yoga is a global community. No matter where you are in the world, we hope you’ll join us this February for a deep dive into the Hips. Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Instagram for all the updates!

PATRICK’S TOP TIPS

Peak Postures to use:

Adduction: Frog, Wide Legged Forward Fold, Crow – COMING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Abduction: Half Moon,Extended Hand to Big Toe (standing leg), Eagle (standing leg) – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Hip Flexion: Hanuman (Balancing Action of Back Leg) – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Hip Extension: Full Wheel, Warrior 3 – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

FOR TEACHER’s: VERBAL CUE’S

For “Adduction” instead of saying “squeeze your inner thighs, try saying “Pull your feet toward each other until you feel your inner thighs engage”

FOR CHROMATIC STUDENTS:

As a practitioner of Chromatic Yoga you can of course expect to experience these PTL’s in Chromatic Classes around the world. You can also practice these within any yoga class without the guidance of a teacher. For example, within a vinyasa class you can try squeezing your feet toward each other throughout the standing posture sequence and observe what that creates for your practice.

CHROMATIC TEACHERS:

Let’s see what you come up with this month. What peak postures will you be using? After you teach your class, share in our Global WhatsApp Group which layering postures worked best for you, which did you find students struggled with? We look forward to our collective collaboration to offer top level yoga experiences world wide.

~Patrick Heffernan

Chromatic Blogs & Through-Lines