WELCOME TO MONTHLY THROUGH LINES

Hey all – it’s Simon here from Chromatic Yoga.

For the past five years, I’ve been diving deep into the system of Chromatic Yoga with Matt Giordano, and it’s completely transformed not just how I feel in my practice, but how I approach teaching. Using the step-by-step progressive methodology of Chromatic Yoga has brought so much clarity and purpose to my classes, and it’s given me a new level of confidence in guiding students toward higher levels of body awareness and improved strength and flexibility.

If you’re anything like me, you’re a bit of an anatomy nerd who lights up at the mention of biomechanics. It’s a passion – but with the sheer volume of information out there and the complexity of the human body, it can feel overwhelming at times to plan and sequence consistently transformational classes. That’s why I love the structure and depth Chromatic Yoga offers – it helps cut through the noise and brings everything together in a way that truly supports both teacher and student.

That’s where CHROMATIC MONTHLY THROUGH LINES comes in!

In Chromatic Yoga, we keep things straightforward. That’s why we’ve launched this “Monthly Through Line” community initiative. It’s designed to help you – our Chromatic Teachers – focus and intelligently design your classes to best support your students. If you’re just here to practice, that’s great too. You’ll be able to apply these through-lines to gain more insight in to body biomechanics and potentially access the poses you’ve always wanted to do but perhaps 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 August, the Chromatic Monthly Through-Line will be….

The ankle joint – The unsung hero of movement

When we think of graceful movement, grounded balance, or explosive power, we often overlook the joint responsible for all three: the ankle.

This remarkable hinge joint connects your lower leg to your foot and plays a critical role in stability, propulsion, and alignment from the ground up. Whether you’re stepping forward in Warrior I or floating into Handstand, your ankles are working silently to stabilize, adjust, and empower your movement.

Healthy ankles allow for mobility and control. Limitations here can ripple upward—affecting knees, hips, and even your spine.

The ankle performs four key actions that influence how we move:

• Dorsiflexion – Pulling the toes toward the shin

• Plantar Flexion – Pointing the toes away from the shin

• Inversion – Turning the sole of the foot inward

• Eversion – Turning the sole of the foot outward

Each week this month, we’ll highlight one of these actions in your Chromatic practice. These subtle shifts can lead to major breakthroughs in both your movement and your understanding of your body.

Week 1: DORSIFLEXION – Lifting Into Awareness

When you walk, run, or squat, dorsiflexion is the movement of pulling your toes toward your shin – and plays a critical role in balance, mobility, and stability. It’s essential for gait and squat depth, yet often restricted due to tight calves or limited ankle mobility.

This week, tune into how your ankle responds in lunges, yogic squats, or downward dog. Your awareness is the first step.

Week 2: PLANTAR FLEXION – Push Into Power

Plantar flexion is the action of pointing your toes – think pressing a gas pedal or rising onto your tiptoes. It activates your calves and engages the back line of the body, making it vital for jumping, running, and powerful transitions.

This week, experiment with conscious plantar flexion in your vinyasa transitions, seated postures, or during balances. See how it connects to your full-body awareness.

Week 3: INVERSION – Drawing Inward for Stability

Inversion happens when the sole of your foot turns inward, often subtly. It’s a small but mighty action that stabilizes the ankle and helps refine control, especially in standing balances or single-leg transitions.

Whether standing in Tree pose or shifting into Warrior 3, your ability to finely articulate inversion impacts your balance and foot strength.

This week, focus on micro-movements of the foot in static and dynamic poses. Are you collapsing or drawing in with intention?

Week 4: EVERSION – Expanding with Intention

Eversion is the opposite of inversion – when the sole of the foot turns outward. It supports lateral stability and is key in activities that require side-to-side movement, such as dancing, trail running, or flowing through wide-legged poses. In postures like goddess or side angle, do your arches lift or collapse? Eversion helps maintain strength through expansion. 

This week, bring intention to lateral movement and edge awareness. Find the middle ground between collapse and force.

Simon’s RECAP AND TOP TIPS

PEAK POSTURES TO CONSIDER THIS MONTH:

If we spend some time contemplating the actions of the ankle, we realize there are a myriad of creative nuances in applying differing/opposite actions, or multiple actions within the same pose. For example, consider Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) where you can have the toes pointed (plantar flexion) or toes pulled in (dorsiflexion). Consider Side Plank (Vashistasana) where both dorsiflexion AND …..?? yes, you got it.. eversion is required. Can you figure out what would be the actions of the ankle in Firefly (Tittibasana)? 

Week 1 Dorsiflexion:  Any pose where you are pulling the toes toward the shin. Both variants of Side Plank (Vashistasana), with legs together or top leg lifted, 8 angle pose (Ashtavakrasana), Bow (Dhanurasana), Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Extended Hand to Big Toe (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B)

Week 2 Plantar Flexion: Think any pose where you are pointing the toes away from the shin. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana) is an easy way to explore this. A classic transition bringing knee to chin/nose/elbow from a 3 legged downward facing dog  usually has the foot in plantar flexion (unless otherwise cued). Childs Pose (Balasana) with passive plantar flexion that offers length and stretch. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) ,Dancers Pose (Natarajasana), Elephant Pose (Eka Hasta Bhujasana), Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) with feet pointed. 

Week 3 Inversion: Turning the sole of the foot inward. Think the back foot of Warrior (Virabhadrasana) 1 and 2, Side Lunge (Skandasana), Firefly (Tittibasana)

Week 4 Eversion: Turning the sole of the foot outward. Side Plank (Vashistasana), the lifted leg in Extended Hand to Big Toe  (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B),  ankle of the front foot in pigeon pose. 

FOR TEACHER’S: VERBAL CUE’S

For the actions of the ankle, in the below example postures, try saying: 

Dorsiflexion – : In side plank: “Pull your toes toward your shin until you feel the muscles on front of your lower leg  start to contract. These are your your tibialis anterior muscles.”

Plantar Flexion – In high lunge: “Press your back toes down and back in to your mat until you feel the back of your calf – your gastrocnemius and soleus – engage” 

Inversion – In Warrior 1 or 2: “Push through the pinky side edge of the foot until you feel the inner arch of the foot lift and stabilize.”

Eversion –  In UHP-B: “Push the inner arch of your (lifted) foot toward the wall until you feel the muscles on the outside of your shin light up.”

FOR CHROMATIC STUDENTS:

As a practitioner of Chromatic Yoga you may hear these as well as many other PTL’s in Chromatic Classes around the world. You can also practice these yourselves within any yoga class without the guidance of a teacher.

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.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON the ankle

The ankle joint may seem simple, but it’s foundational to nearly every movement we make. Its four subtle yet powerful actions – dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion, and eversion – affect everything from balance and mobility to alignment and joint integrity above.

As Chromatic students and teachers, we aren’t just stretching muscles – we’re refining awareness. The ankle invites us to observe how we rise, root, and rebound. It teaches us to honor the nuance between grounding and lifting, between support and propulsion.

When we pay attention here, the entire body benefits. Step by mindful step, we transform not only strength and stability but also the clarity to move with purpose. Let this month be a reminder: mastery begins with noticing what others might overlook.

Chromatic Yoga is a global community. No matter where you are in the world, we hope you’ll join us this July for a deep dive into the vast possibilities of flexion available in your body. Share and tag your poses on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram if you don’t already for all the updates! 

Wishing you an intentional and transformative practice, 

~Simon Darroch

Chromatic Blogs & Through-Lines