Lost in Translation

Decoding Yoga’s Most Baffling Instructions

(Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes)

If you’re new to yoga, the teacher’s instructions can sometimes sound confusing or even a little mysterious. You might hear phrases like “breathe into your hips” or “tuck your tailbone” and wonder what that really means for your body. Yoga can be rich with language that’s meant to be inspiring, but sometimes it leaves us wondering if we’re doing it right or just wildly misinterpreting. These cues are meant to guide you but can feel tricky when you’re just starting out. 

At SAAL Yoga, we do our best to avoid these confusing and often overused cues, aiming to keep our teaching clear, anatomically accurate, and straight to the point. However, if you’re following along with a YouTube class or practicing at your favorite local studio, you’re likely to encounter them. Although these phrases aren’t inherently problematic, misunderstanding them can cause unnecessary confusion, lead to unintended injuries, or even leave you wasting class time deciphering cryptic yoga code instead of staying present and mindful on your mat.

That’s why we’ve created this simple guide to help you decipher what these phrases really mean—so you can feel confident on your mat, wherever you practice.

Let’s take a closer look at five of the most common, sometimes head-scratching yoga instructions and explain them in simple, easy-to-understand terms so you can feel confident on your mat.

5 Yoga Cues That Confuse Everyone (and What They Really Mean)

1. “Scoop” or “Tuck Your Tailbone”

What it sounds like: Overhaul your pelvis, squish your lower back against your pants, grit your teeth.

What it really means: Gently lengthen your tailbone toward the floor to create space in your lower back. This tiny action encourages your lower abs to engage and helps you avoid dumping into your lower spine. The key word? Gently. You’re inviting stability, not forcing rigidity.

2. “Flat Back”

What it sounds like: Eliminate the curves of your spine, become a pancake.

What it really means: Find a “neutral spine”. Imagine your head, shoulders, and tailbone forming a straight line while still preserving the natural curves in your back. Whether you’re in Half Lift, 

Tabletop or Plank, this cue is about elongating and aligning, not flattening.

3. “Engage Your Core”

What it sounds like: Clench your abs with everything you’ve got, flex for a photo shoot.

What it really means: Light up the muscles through your entire trunk—front, sides, and back—to stabilize without stiffness. Think: draw your low belly slightly in and brace like someone might gently poke you, but you should still be able to breathe and move freely.

4. “Open Your Heart” or “Reach Your Heart Forward”

What it sounds like: Cue the emotional soundtrack! (Or, am I sharing feelings with the room?)

What it really means: Physically broaden your collarbones, roll your shoulders back and down, and lift your chest. It’s about creating an expansive upper body, ideal for countering slouching and powering up your posture, especially in standing poses.

5. “Breathe Into [Body Part]

What it sounds like: Magically send air into your hips, neck, or toes.

What it really means: Use your breath as a tool for relaxation and focus. If your teacher asks you to "breathe into" your shoulders, they want you to soften and bring awareness there, potentially releasing tension as you exhale—not trying to redirect your literal breath. 

*Special note on this cue: You may hear something similar while practicing with me, but it will sound more like “imagine sending your breath into your [Body Part]”. When you hear this, it is our goal to draw our awareness to the body part, observe it, without judgment or attachment, and then visualize sending your breath into it. We allow our inhales to draw awareness into it, and our exhales to release tension. This is a proven tool in pranayama (breath work) to systematically release tension in the body.

Final Thoughts

Yoga language feels poetic because it is, but so much of it is also body wisdom in disguise. The next time a cue has you scratching your head, try focusing on the underlying intention: more stability, more space, or more ease. And if in doubt, ask your teacher for a demonstration or anatomical explanation. After all, the journey is about discovering what feels good and true in your body.

Namaste.