Understanding scoliosis
Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine — the spine curves sideways rather than running straight from the skull to the sacrum. Most cases are idiopathic (no known cause) and develop during adolescence, though scoliosis can also develop in adults through degenerative changes or as a result of other spinal conditions. The curve creates a characteristic pattern of muscular imbalance: the muscles on the concave side of the curve are shortened and compressed, while the muscles on the convex side are lengthened and weakened.
Therapeutic yoga for scoliosis works with this asymmetry rather than against it. Treating both sides of the body identically — as a general yoga class does — does not address the specific pattern of the individual's curve and may even reinforce the imbalance.
The Iyengar principle: the stronger side teaches the weaker side
Geeta Iyengar articulated a principle that is central to the Iyengar approach to asymmetrical conditions: the stronger, more developed side of the body is the teacher for the weaker, less developed side. In scoliosis, this means using the convex side of the curve — where the muscles are more active — to teach the concave side how to lengthen and open.
"The stronger side teaches the weaker side. The more developed side shows the less developed side what is possible." — Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga Has a Beginning, But Not an End
In practice, this means that in standing poses, the concave side of the curve receives more attention — more props, more time, more precise alignment cues — to encourage the compressed muscles to lengthen and the shortened side to open. The convex side is used as the reference for what the concave side is working toward.
Key practices for scoliosis
Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose): Practiced asymmetrically, with additional height under the hand on the concave side to encourage lateral opening. The concave side is held longer to encourage the compressed muscles to release.
Rope wall work: The Iyengar rope wall is particularly valuable for scoliosis. Hanging from the ropes creates axial traction — lengthening the spine along its own axis — which decompresses the concave side of the curve and creates space between the vertebrae.
Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: With asymmetrical prop placement to support the concave side, this pose opens the chest and creates length in the compressed side of the thoracic spine.