Archive for the ‘Yoga anatomy’ Category
Spinal movements part 6: Lengthening the Spine and Bending Backwards (Spinal Extension)
This is Part 6 of a Yoga Synergy Spinal Movements sequence that forms part of a series of videos and live courses taught by physiotherapist and Director of Yoga Synergy throughout the world as well as part of an online courses at RMIT University (http://www.rmit.com) and Yoga Synergy (http://anatomy.yogasynergy.com).
Video Transcript:
“Now I deepen the movements using hips and armpit muscles. Pushing the hips forward furthers the activation of the front of the spine. The opposite movement, spinal extension, here I use the shoulder blades pulling together, or retracting, to help open the chest and depressing the shoulder helps release the neck. By allowing my sitting bones to move slightly down and forward it prevents me from squashing the lower back and then I try and extend (bend backwards) from where I am stiff, where most people are stiff, is in the middle of the back and this stimulates the kidneys (and also there is often stiffness around the L4-L5 junction). Here a spinal extension movement followed with a breath into the abdomen allows me to relax the muscles on the side of the spine, often which go into spasm.
You can see a demonstration of the the entire sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 3 of the instructional videos of the sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 1 of the instructional videos of this sequence by clicking HERE
This video was one of a series filmed by David Samulenok of RMIT University for the course entitled Applied Eastern Anatomy.This is a low resolution version of video, higher resolution versions are available in the online courses.
Spinal movements part 5: Lengthening the Spine and Bending Forward (Spinal Flexion)
This is Part 5 of a Yoga Synergy Spinal Movements sequence that forms part of a series of videos and live courses taught by physiotherapist and Director of Yoga Synergy throughout the world as well as part of an online courses at RMIT University (http://www.rmit.com) and Yoga Synergy (http://anatomy.yogasynergy.com).
Video Transcript:
“Now I do four movements to help lengthen the spine using the hips and the arms. With the fingers interlocked I push the sitting bones down and forward and the armpits up and forward and traction the spine. Raising the heels helps firm around the knees and squeezing in the thighs helps firm knees and spine. Now I flex (forward bend) the spine first tilting the spine forward, flexing from the middle and pushing the shoulders down and forward. Now the front of my abdomen becomes firm and the sides are relaxed. Front firmness causes reciprocal relaxation of the back of the spine. Breathing into the abdomen using the diaphragm, an inhalation muscle, causes reciprocal relaxation of the exhalation muscles. So the back of my spine is relaxing while the front is firming.”
This is a simple explanation. Ideally in reality you should move the spine one vertebra at a time starting from the base of the spine up.
You can see a demonstration of the the entire sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 4 of the instructional videos of this sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 3 of the instructional videos of the sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 2 of the instructional videos of this sequence by clicking HERE
This video was one of a series filmed by David Samulenok of RMIT University for the course entitled Applied Eastern Anatomy.This is a low resolution version of video, higher resolution versions are available in the online courses.
Spinal movements sequence Part 4: Spinal Tractioning
Simon Borg-Olivier. Ardho Mukha Vrksasana in a Clovelly Cliff Storm, by Stuart Fell
This is Part 4 of a Yoga Synergy Spinal Movements sequence that forms part of a series of videos and live courses taught by physiotherapist and Director of Yoga Synergy throughout the world as well as part of an online courses at RMIT University (http://www.rmit.com) and Yoga Synergy (http://anatomy.yogasynergy.com).
Video Transcript:
“Raising up the heels in this way automatically causes a co-activation of the muscles around the ankle and knee joint and helps activate the muscles around the abdomen to give me firmness. Breathing into the abdomen gives me calmness and helps activate and stimulate the internal organs. As I bend my knees the further I go down the more I have to squeeze the thighs inwards. This activation of the inner thigh muscles helps strengthen my knees and the lower back at the same time. As I bring the arms up I let the sitting bones drop down like a weight on a string. The string being the spine and the arms coming upwards allows me to traction my spine yet this is only possible because I am relaxing my abdomen. Yet the abdomen is firm through the posture. Again an in-breath from the abdomen in diaphragmatic breath helps me achieve that. Now squatting on the heels is reasonably safe because I have just come off the ball of my feet. So, although I am on my heels the weight is on the front of my feet which protects the knees, hips and spine. Shoulders forward and up and throat forward chin up lengthens the spine.”
NOTES:
You should experience no discomfort doing this practice. Do not over-stretch, over-tense or over-breathe. Move slowly and calmly. Only work towards feeling good. Your temperature should increase without your heart-rate increasing much, which indicates an increased blood flow, increased circulation without stress.
If you have weak knees do not squat more than half way. You do not have to raise the heels, arms or head if it does not feel good and if you do raise any of these it should only be as far as you can without strain
Your main aim is to lengthen your spine and relax the muscles of trunk that cause compress as well as inhibit blood flow and the natural function of your diaphragm. By breathing into your abdomen you can usually relieve back pain as well as support and nourish your internal organs such as those to do with digestion, reproduction and healing (the immune system).
You can see a demonstration of the the entire sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 3 of the instructional videos of the sequence by clicking HERE
You can see Part 1 of the instructional videos of this sequence by clicking HERE
This video was one of a series filmed by David Samulenok of RMIT University for the course entitled Applied Eastern Anatomy.This is a low resolution version of video, higher resolution versions are available in the online courses.
Surfing Kids Yoga: Do you let your kids walk all over you?
I have two passions in my life, family and yoga.
What is better than joining them together.
Playing with the kids while doing your yoga practice and they get a bit of exercise yoga at the same time.
The video (best is to play it large so you get music) is of our son Eric (aged 3) playing on my back while I was trying to do mayurasana, which is one the most important postures (in its various forms) to master in hatha yoga. It is great doing it alone, but with the challenge of a child on your back!
This is when eric discovered he could balance on my back .
He had just seen the animated kids penguin movie ‘Surfs Up’ and thought he could surf so he jumped on my back and and exclaimed to his mother ‘ Look Ma! I am surfing!’
The most important thing in Mayurasana is to keep your abdomen relaxed and breathe into your abdomen (diaphragmatic breathing). This really does wonders to the health of your lower back and your internal organs, but it takes much more control than the simple method of tensing the abdomen to balance in the pose in a more gymnastic version of the exercise.
Eric thought it would be also fun to try to surf balance on me while I was on one arm!
Our daughter Amaliah (age 6) wanted to try one arm balance ballet. Just about to start dancing now!
If you want to learn more about yoga for adults and kids, and especially about how to make it safe and effective, then consider doing one of our upcoming courses on the applied anatomy and physiology of yoga at http://anatomy.yogasynergy.com
How to move your arms and shoulders easily into bound lotus postures
The following two minute video is an extract of one of our lectures on the applied anatomy of yoga showing how you can practically use the information to make your yoga better.
Essentially the video shows you how to make it easier to for a relatively stiff person to get into a position like binding the arms in the lotus position or a for more experienced practitioner to do a more advanced posture like the Paripurna Matsyendrasana Bianca Machliss is demonstrating in the photo below.
The lecture explains how shoulder joint movements are inter-related and that if you want to do something like reach your left arm to grab the left foot in a half lotus posture (or any similar simpler or more complex movement) then it is generally more effective to turn your shoulders outwards first, then reach your arm behind the back (which brings your shoulder blades closer together) and then turn your shoulders inwards to complete the posture. This is counter intuitive because the final posture has the shoulders turned inwards. So most people will tend to try to achieve this posture by beginning with turning the shoulders inwards and then reaching their arms behind their backs. However, if you begin the posture in this way you will not be able to reach quite as far. In other words if you begin the movement with the shoulder turned inwards then that will make your shoulder blades move away from each other and make the final pose harder to reach.
To understand the theory behind this you can see the more extended four minute version of this lecture below and you can see how by understanding these ‘associated movements’ of the shoulders you can enhance many posture and movements and prevent mistakes from happening when learning or teaching yoga.
To learn more please join one or more of our Yoga Synergy courses on Practical Applied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga: