Stance length and width

Opening scene

One of the most commonly heard instructions in a yoga class is this:

"Step your left foot back."

How far back?

Nobody says.

And what do people do? They look at the person in front of them and copy. Or they look at the teacher.

But the teacher's stance is set to the teacher's own leg length. Their thigh bone, their shin, their hip structure.

So everyone in the room is copying a distance set for someone else's leg.

Now here's the real issue.

Two numbers determine how demanding a lunge or a warrior pose is: the front-to-back distance between the feet, and the side-to-side distance.

Every pose in this section depends on those two numbers. And almost no one chooses them; they just copy.

Today we're putting those two numbers in your hands.

What this lesson covers

First we'll define the two numbers and you'll see what each one changes; they're independent and work in two different planes. Then we'll talk about why the mat isn't a measuring tool. After that I'll give you a concrete method for finding your own length. Then we'll find your width the same way. After that we'll come to a third variable: the angle of the back foot. At the end we'll set up how you record these. We'll work through sixteen examples. By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to set up a lunge for your own body and make it repeatable.

Starting point

Recall the planes from Y1.08 and Y1.09. Sagittal is front-to-back, frontal is side-to-side.

Two numbers, two planes. This pairing carries the whole lesson.

Now we need one more concept.

In Y1.24, when we talked about standing posture, I mentioned this area but didn't name it. Now we're naming it, because we'll use it constantly for the rest of this section.

And when we get to one-footed balance poses, this area will shrink down to the sole of a single foot.

Mechanism

What the two numbers do

When you increase the length, three things happen.

First, the base of support lengthens front-to-back. So you're more stable in the front-to-back direction.

Second, the hip of the back leg goes into more extension. So more range is demanded from the back hip.

Third, the knee and hip of the front leg bend more; the load increases.

So length both gives stability and raises demand. The two effects run in opposite directions, and that's why there's no rule that says "longer is better."

What happens when you increase the width?

The base of support widens sideways, and side-to-side stability increases.

And one more thing: the amount of rotation demanded from the hip changes. We'll talk about this in detail shortly.

The critical point: these two numbers are independent.

And most people change both at once. They say, "This pose felt hard," and rebuild their stance completely. Then they can't tell what actually worked.

The rule from Y1.14 applies here too: one number at a time.

Why the mat isn't a measuring tool

Most people set their stance by the mat. The feet get aligned to the edges of the mat, and the length gets set by the mat's length.

But the mat is a manufacturing measurement. It was cut in a factory, to a standard.

It wasn't made for your legs.

So what should you measure by instead?

Here's the benefit: a stance written in body units produces the same geometry in every body. The sentence "three foot lengths" gives the correct distance whether the person has long legs or short legs.

Centimeters don't do this. Neither does the mat.

Finding your own length

Now the concrete method. It takes one minute.

Come down to the floor and come onto one knee; your back knee on the floor, your front foot forward.

Now adjust your front foot so your shin is roughly vertical. That is, your front knee sits right above your ankle.

In this position, where is your back knee? That distance right there is your natural lunge length.

Why? Because what determines this distance is the length of your thigh bone and your shin. In other words, your proportions; the limb-ratio effect from Y1.27.

Now measure this distance. Place your foot, step by step, from your back knee toward your front heel, and count how many foot lengths it is.

This number is your starting length. Record it.

And notice this: this number is most likely different from the teacher's stance. The difference isn't a deficiency; it means the measurement is yours.

Finding your own width

Length is set. Now width.

Stand at the length you found; front foot forward, back foot back, both on the same line.

In this position you're probably unstable. Because the base of support is almost nonexistent sideways; the two feet are on a single line.

Now slowly slide your back foot to the side. One fist, two fists.

At some point two things happen at once: you're stable sideways, and you can turn your torso to face forward without forcing your hip.

Stop there. That's your width.

Recording method: "back foot, two fists outside the front foot's line."

The third variable: back foot angle

I said two numbers, but there's a third variable, and it lays the groundwork for the most contested topic in this section.

How much do you turn your back foot out?

Recall the simultaneous action from Y1.12: when you turn the foot out, you also take the hip into external rotation.

So the back foot's angle determines the amount of rotation demanded from the back hip.

If the foot points forward, the back hip stays in more internal rotation, and turning the torso to face forward gets harder. If the foot turns out noticeably, the hip is in external rotation and the torso turns forward more easily, but a different demand is placed on the hip.

This trio — length, width, back foot angle — completely determines the setup of every lunge in this section.

And we'll get to the most contested version of the back foot angle in Y1.48.

Recording it

A stance isn't repeatable unless it's written down.

You write down three numbers.

Length: how many foot lengths.

Width: how many fists outside the line your back foot is.

Back foot angle: roughly how turned out; close to forward, halfway, or noticeably out.

Three numbers, one line. The standing counterpart to the seat height from Y1.34.

Reading the examples

Master layer

Now let's refine this a little.

First: the length you find on one knee is a starting point, not a fixed value. That measurement assumes a position where the shin is vertical, and in some poses the front knee deliberately goes further forward. So the measurement gives you a reference; you can depart from it depending on the pose. What matters is that the departure is deliberate and written into the record.

Second: the relationship between width and hip rotation varies noticeably from person to person. The structure of the hip joint, the bone congruence from Y1.27, is at work here too. For some people, two fists of width is enough to turn the torso forward; for others, four fists are needed, and this isn't a lack of flexibility. That's why I can't give you a width as a single number; I can give you the method for finding it.

Third: these three numbers determine a pose's demand, but they aren't the only determinant. How bent the front knee is, where the torso sits, and what the arms are doing also change the load. So the three numbers are the skeleton of the setup; the rest of this section sits on top of that skeleton. Trying the variables inside the pose without fixing the setup first is, once again, changing two things at once.

Fourth, and subtlest: this lesson breaks a habit of copying, and that's hard, because copying is the most common way people learn yoga. Looking around in a group class is natural behavior; no one wants to do it wrong. But what you're looking at and copying is a geometry set for someone else's limb proportions. Once you know your own three numbers, the need to look around the room goes away, and that's the first condition for running your own practice even inside a group class.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Practice

Keep in mind

Two independent numbers determine how demanding a lunge is: front-to-back length and side-to-side width; one works in the sagittal plane, the other in the frontal plane.

The mat is a manufacturing measurement, not a body measurement; distances are measured in body units like foot length and fist width.

You find your own length on one knee, with the shin vertical; that distance is determined by your limb proportions.

Your own width is determined by the point where you're stable sideways and can turn your torso without forcing your hip.

The back foot's angle determines the rotation demanded from the back hip, and it's the third of the three numbers; a stance that isn't written down isn't repeatable.

Bridge to the next lesson

Your three numbers are ready. Now we're setting up the first pose.

Anjaneyasana, the Low Lunge, is this family's most basic member, and the version where your back knee is on the floor.

Having the back knee on the floor brings two things. The balance load drops noticeably; that's the good news.

But there's bad news too, and you went through the same thing in Y1.43: the knee is now a point of contact.

In the next lesson we'll set up both that pose and what to put underneath it. And you'll see that the question of where your hands go is far more decisive than you'd think.