How to Create Yoga Sequences That Truly Support the Body — From an Orthopedic Perspective

When I first started teaching yoga, I never imagined it would become my profession. I had been practicing for over a decade and came to teaching almost by accident. But what kept me on this path wasn’t just my passion for the practice — it was the way yoga sequencing, when done well, had a profound effect on the body.

I was fortunate to learn from incredible mentors who taught me that a well-crafted sequence is more than a collection of poses. It’s a progression that creates a harmonic effect on the body, leaving you euphoric, invigorated, and curious for more. But have you ever wondered: how can such unusual postures be so beneficial for the body?

The answer lies in the way yoga asanas interact with your musculoskeletal system. Each posture — and the way it’s placed in a sequence — targets the major girdles of the body:

• The shoulder girdle

• The hip girdle

• The thoracic (rib) girdle

• The pelvic floor and foot arches (your "foot girdle")

By cycling between bodyweight strength and progressive stretching, a skillful sequence gives your body what I like to call a “fascial rinse.” This restores hydration and glide to the tissues, resets muscular tension, and leaves you feeling simultaneously stronger and more open.

Why the Order of Yoga Sequences Matters

A good yoga class isn’t just a list of poses — it’s a journey. The traditional progression you find in many lineages is based on both energetic and orthopedic wisdom:

Sun Salutations

Sun Salutations do far more than simply warm the body — they teach breath control, lubricate the joints, and establish healthy shoulder mechanics that prepare you for the demands of backbends and inversions later in the practice. Each wave of movement coordinates inhale and exhale, helping to regulate the nervous system. They engage the shoulders, hips, and spine dynamically, increase circulation, and begin to prepare the fascial lines for deeper work. 

Standing Poses

Standing poses activate the big movers — glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core — but they also begin the process of opening the upper back and shoulders, creating the necessary extension and stability for safe backbending. These shapes build heat, improve balance, and set a strong foundation for joint integrity and postural alignment.

Backbends

Backbends are often thought of as just “chest openers,” but their effect is far more expansive. They stretch the quads and hip flexors, release tension across the front body, and create space through the lungs to enhance breathing capacity. Performed at the right stage in a sequence, they counter modern postural habits and re-energize the entire anterior chain.

Inversions

Inversions offer an entirely different dimension of practice — one that affects not just the musculoskeletal system, but also the lymphatic and circulatory systems. By reversing the usual pull of gravity, they assist in lymph drainage, improve venous return, and create a profound reset for the organ systems. They also challenge the upper body girdle, sharpening strength, balance, and proprioception.

Seated Postures

By the time you reach the floor, the body is fully prepared for deeper hip openings, forward folds, and twists. This phase consolidates the work you’ve done and encourages the parasympathetic nervous system to activate, shifting you toward restoration and integration.

Twists Throughout the Sequence

Interwoven between all these phases are twists — subtle or strong — which act as a continuous massage for the organ systems, helping to wring out stagnation and enhance circulation through the digestive tract, liver, and kidneys. These rotational movements create a rhythmic balance within the practice, supporting both detoxification and energetic flow.

How to Start Sequencing with the Body in Mind

• Start with the Girdles

  • Think of each sequence as a map for the major junctions of the body — shoulder, hip, thoracic, and foot. Which of these are you opening, stabilizing, or balancing today?

• Alternate Strength and Stretch

  • For example, pair Plank with Down Dog, or High Lunge with Pyramid. This patterning creates better tissue response than stretching alone.

• Respect Progression

  • Don’t skip the foundational stages (Sun Salutes and standing work). They prime the tissues and nervous system for everything that follows.

• Finish with Recovery

  • Always leave time for integration — a few minutes of seated postures and Savasana to lock in the benefits.

Yoga, when sequenced well, is orthopedically intelligent. It’s not about doing the flashiest poses or creating “creative flows” just for the sake of novelty. It’s about respecting the order in which the body opens, stabilizes, and restores itself — so your students leave feeling not only flexible, but functionally stronger and more alive.