04/10/2026
Have you ever been told to lift your forearm bones in Downward Dog and been confused? To straighten your arms when you are certain they are already straight? You are not the problem - your teacher may not be aware of what is called a carrying angle. When we stand with our arms at our sides, palms facing forward, and there is a distinct angle formed between our upper arms and our forearms, this is called a carrying angle. The carrying angle is a naturally occurring structural alignment that has aided human evolution because it allows the arms to clear the hips while carrying objects. As a respected teacher of mine once told me - it makes those of us with this condition “good peasant stock.”
So ... instead of suddenly becoming insecure about your elbows (as I did when I first heard this - “Seriously? it’s not my butt or my thighs, but my ELBOWS?”), why not consider the advantages you have? Nature intended this as a gift. Yoga practice does not typically change the structural, skeletal carrying angle of the elbow, but it significantly affects how a practitioner works with it. Weight bearing postures like Downward Dog or Chatturanga can require adjusting the hand placement to stabilize joints.
Recognizing unique skeletal variations helps practitioners customise their practice to maximize their own alignment needs and alleviate joint pressure and pain - and make the practice THIER OWN! This is why yoga is for EVERY BODY!
