Anatomy for Backbends and Twists: Yoga Mat Companion 3

While holding a pose notice where in your body you feel the most unpleasant sensation. This is where the bind is. Many people deal with this type of discomfort by tightening the surrounding muscles in an attempt to protect the area. Tightening muscles around the area of discomfort simply locks it into your body. Instead try the following: While in

In Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa yoga, four underlying threads are always at play, harmonizing relationships through vinyāsa to bring balance, depth, and integrity. These threads, or “internal forms,” are breath, bandha (bonding), mudrā (sealing), and dṛṣṭi (gazing)

There are many poses in the book that are not classical yoga postures; for example, many of the hamstring stretches. They are included because they are necessary steps in preparing your body to do the poses. You can’t do what you can’t do, so these stretches provide a way to get there. Besides, by doing these poses with attention to how you feel, t

Good positioning always includes a: Stable pelvis (see Chapter Three, Centering the Pelvis) Centered joints (see Chapter Four, Connecting to Bone) Released, supple psoas (see Chapter Two, Engaging the Psoas Muscle) Anchoring

Backbends are the epitome of the prāṇa family, expressing a sense of extension and expansion up and out.

There are three major components to our anatomy that are of particular interest to us as yoga teachers (and students): muscles, fascia/connective tissue and bones. In a very straightforward way we can say that muscles generate forces to move us, fascia resists tensile forces and shapes us, and bones transmit forces to take the burden off muscles.