WELCOME TO MONTHLY THROUGH LINES

Hey all – it’s Simon here from Chromatic Yoga.
It’s December 2025.

The year is winding down, the air is crisp (or properly cold, depending on where you are), and most of us are moving a little faster than usual—holiday parties, end-of-year deadlines, family visits, travel. All of that extra hustle tends to land right in one place: the lower back, the hips, and that ever-important bowl we call the pelvis.

This is the time of year when old “mystery” tightness loves to flare up, when a packed suitcase or one too many hours sitting on a plane can leave us walking like robots. Our practice becomes the reset button we didn’t know we needed—especially when we dial into the subtle tilts and turns that keep the pelvis humming like the conductor it is.

And 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 not a Chromatic Teacher yet and are simply here to practice, that’s great too. You’ll be able to apply these through-lines to gain more insight into body biomechanics and potentially access the poses you’ve always wanted but perhaps haven’t fully 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 we focus on for the duration of the class. Certified Chromatic Teachers construct their classes around a PTL in order to create a more effective learning environment 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, but 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 December 2025, the Chromatic Monthly Through-Line is…
the PELVIS – the true foundation of everything we do on the mat.

We often chase opening in the hips or length in the spine, but the pelvis is the central hub that determines how forces travel from the legs up into the torso (and back down again). Master the pelvis and you instantly upgrade lower-back health, core power, hip mobility, and the safety of every pose from Warrior II to full Wheel.

To kick things off with some extra geeky inspiration, picture this: Patrick, Rebecca, Heidi, and our founder Matt Giordano huddled up on a Zoom call, geeking out like kids in an anatomy candy store over pelvic tilts and rotations. There were “aha!” moments about distinguishing pure pelvic rotation from hip twists, excited riffs on self-study drills (“Try it this way… now the opposite!”), and total delight in how these subtle actions crack open fresh ways to sequence and feel poses. It was pure Chromatic magic—nerdy, fun, and full of those lightbulb connections that make teaching (and practicing) feel alive. We highly recommend watching the full video [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-UvSLGBPBQ) to join the party and steal some gold for your classes.

As we dive in this month—drawing from the Chromatic lens on pelvic biomechanics—these aren’t just abstract ideas. The pelvis isn’t a static bowl; it’s a dynamic player in every extension, fold, and twist, linking directly to the lumbar spine and hips. Anterior tilt flexes the low back while extending the hips, creating that essential arch for backbends (think Cow Pose). Posterior tilt does the opposite, tucking the tail to protect the lumbar in planks or forward folds. Lateral tilt lets you adapt to uneven ground or deepen side stretches, and pure pelvic rotation—around a fixed femur—unlocks twists without forcing the thighs, like countering the natural external drift in Tree.

The beauty? You can activate these from multiple angles: posterior tilt via the core (drawing the belly in) or the glutes (digging the heels)—each builds different strengths for hip lifts or hollow-body stability. And here’s the game-changer from our explorations: self-assess in any pose by trying both “sides” of an action. If your hamstrings scream in Pyramid, pull the tail up for anterior tilt to lengthen; if you’re too flexible and flopping, tuck under with posterior to find control. This breaks habitual patterns—like uneven hip hiking when standing—and cultivates deliberate ones that ripple into daily life, from balanced walking to pain-free holiday hauling.

This month we’ll explore the four primary actions of the pelvis itself (independent of what the thighs are doing):

– Week 1: Anterior pelvic tilt
– Week 2: Posterior pelvic tilt
– Week 3: Lateral pelvic tilt
– Week 4: Pelvic rotation (pure rotation of the pelvic bowl, not femoral rotation)

Week 1: Anterior pelvic tilt
What It Is: The front rim of the pelvis drops and the back rim lifts, increasing the lumbar curve—like lifting the tailbone in Cow.
Key Muscles: Hip flexors, lumbar extensors (erector spinae), quadratus lumborum.
Why It Matters: Creates space and length for deep backbends and safe forward folding, stretching tight hamstrings without strain.
This week: Play with it in Halfway Lift, Pyramid Pose, and Seated Forward Fold—feel the front body open without crunching the lower back.

Week 2: Posterior pelvic tilt
What It Is: The tailbone tucks under, front rim lifts, flattening or reversing the lumbar curve—like curling in Cat or hollowing in Plank.
Key Muscles: Abdominals (rectus abdominis, obliques), glutes (maximus), hamstrings.
Why It Matters: The ultimate lower-back protector and the key to clean forward folds and seated postures—engage from the core for subtle control or glutes for powerful lifts.
This week: Refine it in Cat Cow, Plank Pose, Bridge Pose, and Reverse Plank—discover how “tucking” can actually create lift and length.

Week 3: Lateral pelvic tilt (hike & drop)
What It Is: One side of the pelvis lifts while the opposite side drops, like adapting to uneven terrain.
Key Muscles: Quadratus lumborum, obliques, glute med/min on the drop side (or abductors to initiate).
Why It Matters: Controls side-bending, prevents SI joint irritation, and is the secret to stable single-leg balances—build it from the side body for deeper extensions.
This week: Feel it in Utthita Hasta Padasana B and Extended Side Plank—learn to keep the pelvis level or deliberately tilt without collapsing.

Week 4: Pelvic rotation
What It Is: The pelvis itself twists around a vertical axis while the femurs stay relatively still—like revolving the bowl back to center in Tree.
Key Muscles: Obliques, multifidus, deep hip rotators (eccentrically), glute med/min.
Why It Matters: Unlocks safe, powerful spinal twists and protects the sacroiliac joints in every revolved pose—fix the foot, move the pelvis for true isolation.
This week: Isolate it in Tree Pose and Warrior III—move the bowl, not just the thighs.

Let’s close out 2025 with a pelvis that feels strong, spacious, and totally under your control.
See you on the mat!

Simon’s RECAP AND TIPS

THE DANCE OF STABILITY AND MOBILITY IN THE PELVIS

It’s tempting to treat the pelvis like a static bowl—stable base, done. But in truth, the pelvis is a dynamic conductor: it absorbs twists from the spine, channels power from the core and legs, and fine-tunes every transition with subtle tilts and turns. Anterior tilt gives you arch and openness; posterior tilt gives you tuck and protection; lateral tilt adds side-to-side nuance; rotation weaves it all into torque. No single action stands alone—yoga (and life) demands they flow together like a well-choreographed sequence.

For example:

* In Warrior II, the pelvis settles into a subtle posterior tilt for core stability, yet a hint of lateral tilt (hiking the back hip) keeps the foundation even while rotation squares the hips toward the front.

* In Bridge Pose, anterior tilt lifts the front rim for lumbar extension, but conscious posterior tilt from the glutes prevents overarching, with a whisper of rotation to thread the knees in line.

* In Pigeon Pose, the front hip’s external rotation couples with pelvic rotation to deepen the twist, but background lateral awareness (dropping the hip) avoids SI joint strain.

* In Tree Pose, the standing pelvis fights natural external rotation with internal cues, while the lifted leg’s flexion invites a gentle anterior tilt to maintain spinal length.

This dance is everything: tilts and rotation create the rhythm, interplay adds the grace. Master it, and your backbends feel expansive yet protected, your twists alive yet grounded. Ignore it, and the pelvis becomes the hidden saboteur in the chain—hello, lower-back twinges and wonky balances.

Notice where else in the body—and in what other poses—this dance appears.

POSTURES TO CONSIDER THIS MONTH:

Week 1: Anterior Tilt (pelvis): front rim drops, tailbone lifts, “arch the low back mindfully”
Yoga Poses to Explore:

* Cow Pose (spinal extension with pelvic arch)
* Halfway Lift or Uttanasana (legs together, pull tailbone up for hamstring length)
* Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana—counteract tuck with lift)
* Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana—use a block to access the tilt and soften knees if tight)

Week 2: Posterior Tilt (pelvis): tailbone tucks, front rim lifts, “hollow the belly and curl under”
Yoga Poses to Explore:

* Cat Pose (round the spine, tuck to engage core)
* Plank Pose (draw belly in, curl tail toward heels for hollow body)
* Bridge Pose (lift hips with glutes, lengthen tailbone toward knees)
* Reverse Plank (activate from glutes or core—dig heels to fire the posterior chain)

Week 3: Lateral Tilt (pelvis): one side hikes, the other drops, “shift the bowl side to side”
Yoga Poses to Explore:

* Utthita Hasta Padasana B (extended hand-to-big-toe B—tilt from abductors or QL)
* Extended Side Plank (deepen side extension with deliberate hip drop)
* Triangle Pose (hike the top hip, drop the bottom for even foundation)
* Half Moon (stabilize with lateral control to avoid collapse)

Week 4: Rotation (pelvis): bowl twists around fixed femurs, “revolve the pelvis, not the thighs”
Yoga Poses to Explore:

* Tree Pose (work external rotation back to center with internal cues)
* Warrior III (square pelvis against natural external drift)
* Seated Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana—rotate the bowl independently)
* Revolved Lunge (Parivrtta Anjaneyasana—isolate pelvic turn for safe torque)

FOR TEACHERS: VERBAL CUES
For the joint actions of the pelvis this month, try saying:
In Cow Pose: Anterior Tilt “Drop the front of your pelvis forward and lift the tailbone—arch mindfully to lengthen the back body without gripping the hamstrings.”
In Plank: Posterior Tilt “Tuck your tailbone toward your heels and draw your low belly in—engage the glutes or core to create that hollow, protective curve.”
In Side Plank: Lateral Tilt “Hike your top hip up or drop the bottom one—feel the quadratus lumborum wake up to tilt the bowl and open the side body.”
In Tree Pose: Rotation “With your foot fixed, revolve the pelvis back to center—resist the external pull to stabilize around the standing thigh.”

FOR CHROMATIC STUDENTS:
As a practitioner of Chromatic Yoga, you may hear these as well as many other PTLs 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 worldwide.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON ACTIONS OF THE PELVIS
By Simon Darroch

We’ve spent December 2025 orbiting the unsung hero of the asana world—the pelvis. It’s not as glamorous as a hip opener or as intricate as a shoulder bind, but it’s the quiet architect that decides whether your forward fold feels like a release or a pinch, your twist like a spiral or a shear. Four elegant actions—anterior tilt, posterior tilt, lateral tilt, rotation—yet within them pulses the difference between a practice that sustains you and one that silently erodes.

Here’s what I want you to carry off the mat:

1. The pelvis is a conversation, not a bowl. It listens to the lumbar above and the femurs below. If the spine dumps forward, the pelvis over-arches. If the thighs rotate unchecked, the SI joints protest. Every cue you give upstream or downstream ripples here. Train the whole orchestra.

2. Rotation is the secret sauce. Pure tilting is rare in life or yoga. The pelvis must subtly revolve with every lunge or balance. Practice the micro-rotations in Tree or seated twists—they’re the insurance against macro misalignments, especially when the thigh stays fixed and the bowl moves.

3. Opposite actions for balance. Anterior tilt lengthens for the tight; posterior protects the flexible. In Pyramid, pull the tail up if hamstrings scream, tuck under if you flop too deep. Self-study both ways—your body will vote with ease or effort.

4. Feel the sides like bookends. Quadratus lumborum and obliques hug one edge; glutes and deep rotators guard the other. When one side hikes habitually, the other over-drops. Wake them both—your lateral tilts in Half Moon will feel even, not effortful.

5. One pose, four questions. Next time you’re in any posture, ask:

* Where’s my anterior/posterior balance?
* Is my lateral tilt level, or habitual?
* Pelvis rotating with the spine, or fighting the thighs?
* Can I back off 5% and still feel the work?

If you can answer yes to the last one, you’re golden.

This isn’t about perfect neutrality—it’s about alive neutrality. The pelvis doesn’t need to be squared, tucked, or “stable” every breath. It needs to be heard. December was your listening tour. Keep the awareness dialed in.

Now go play. Arch a rim, tuck a tail, tilt a side, revolve the bowl. Tag your experiments, debate in the WhatsApp group, borrow each other’s drills. The pelvis is only static until you make it sing.

See you in the bowl,
~Simon Darroch

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