Yoga Anatomy-2nd Edition
Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Matthews
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 1450400248
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
The best-selling anatomy guide for yoga is now updated, expanded, and better than ever!
With more asanas, vinyasas, full-color anatomical illustrations, and in-depth information, the second edition of Yoga Anatomy provides you with a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself.
From breathing to inversions to standing poses, see how specific muscles respond to the movements of the joints; how alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness; and how the spine, breathing, and body position are all fundamentally linked.
Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been practicing yoga for years, Yoga Anatomy will be an invaluable resource—one that allows you to see each movement in an entirely new light.
With Yoga Anatomy, Second Edition, authors Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews, both internationally recognized experts and teachers in anatomy, breathing, and bodywork, have created the ultimate reference for yoga practitioners, instructors, and enthusiasts alike.
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directing the breath into the lower abdomen helps the pelvic floor and hip joints to release. Restraining the lower abdomen during an inhalation directs the breath into the thoracic region, which intensifies the stretching in the shoulder structures. 103 Hanumanasana Monkey Pose ha-new-mahn-AHS-anna hanumat = having large jaws: a monkey-chief Psoas major Rectus femoris Quadriceps Hamstrings Hanuman was the semidivine chief of an army of monkeys who served the god Rama. As told in the Hindu
arranging the body in a perfectly symmetrical shape, which they verify visually, but which conflicts with the body’s kinesthetic (proprioceptive) feedback. In other words, what looks symmetrical is not what feels symmetrical. Because all human bodies are inherently asymmetrical, a certain amount of surrender to this fact is necessary to achieve a deep state of emotional, as well as physical, relaxation. If you want to fully relax, you need to accept your body as it is, not as you would wish it to
deepening the exhalation. Because so much lower-back tension is the result of a tense diaphragm, apanasana is one of the simplest and most effective ways of helping the lower spine, by creating more diaphragmatic “space” for the abdominal muscles to create postural support. Taken together, dwi pada pitham and apanasana constitute a powerful pair of counterposing movements that can dramatically reverse some of the most common health complaints. 141 Viparita Karani Inverted Pose vip-par-ee-tah
can be overstretched. The support shifts in this pose to the spinous processes of the thoracic spine from the scapulae and trapezius. Breathing In ear-to-knee pose, the weight of the lower body is bearing down into the torso, which is in maximal flexion—this is basically, an inverted, weight-bearing exhalation. The restriction that this position imposes on the breath shouldn’t be a problem as long as the body is flexible enough to be in repose. If the muscles are tense, the limited capacity to
balloon. This illustration gives a sense of the relationship of the two cavities in breathing; movement in one will necessarily result in movement in the other. Recall that during an inhalation (the shape change permitting air to be pushed into the lungs by the planet’s atmospheric pressure), the thoracic cavity expands its volume. This pushes downward on the abdominal cavity, which changes shape as a result of the pressure from above. During relaxed, quiet breathing (such as while sleeping), an