Anatomy in Yoga

Divides the body into upper and loser

• Movement:
•   Medial rotation or internal rotation towards midline
•   Lateral rotation or external rotation away from midline

• Divides the body front to back
• Ventral to dorsal
• Anterior to posterior

• Movement:
•  Adduction - moves extremity towards midline
•  Adduction - moves extremity away from midline

Divides the body right and left

• Movement:
•   Flexion - usually moves extremity forward, except at the knee (backward)
•   Extension - moves extremity backward

Closer to midline of the body

Away from the midline

Closer to the trunk or midline or point of attachment

Away from trunk or midline or point of attachment

Below or away from the head

Toward the front of the body

Above or toward the head

Toward the skin

Inside the body

Toward the back of the body

On the back of the body

On the front of the body

• Thigh bone
• Largest, strongest, and heaviest bone in the entire human body

Largest and most superior of the 3 hip bones

Lowest and strongest of the 3 hip bones

• Inferior to the ilium
• When sitting, body weight is rested on this bone along with the coccyx

Smallest of the 3 hip bones

• Anterior to the ischium
• Forms the front of the pelvic and supports organs of generations

• Distal phalanges
• Medial Phalanges
• Proximal Phalanges
• Metacarpals
• Carpals
• Radius
• Ulna

• Phalanges
• Metatarsals
• Cuneiforms
• Cuboid
• Navicular
• Talus
• Calcaneus
• Tibia
• Fibula

Hip and Shoulder

• Confers the greatest mobility in all planes
• Multiaxial joint

Knee, Elbow, Ankle

• Bones can only move along 1 axis to flex or extend
• Formed between 2 or mores bones

• Between the vertebrae
• Limited mobility between individual vertebrae but great stability to protect spinal cord
• Mobility comes from combining the limited movement of individual intervertebral joints as a whole

When the joint surfaces fit together perfectly

• Connective tissues that links one bone to another at the joint
• Non-contractile
• Serves to stabilize joint while allowing for mobility

• Attach muscles to bones
• Mobilizes the joint by transmitting the forces produced by the muscles

The muscle shortens while maintaining constant tension through a range of motion

The muscle lengthens while contracting

The muscle doesn't shorten but generates tension and bone don't move

• Contracting the agonist muscle to stretch the target muscle or
• Relaxing the target muscle and relying on the opposing muscle to initiate the stretch

• Example:
•  Contracting the quadriceps in forward fold to stretch the hamstrings

Relaxing into a stretch using the force of body weight or and external force to stretch the target muscle

Involves repetitive movement of the body into increasingly deeper stretches

Involves contracting the target muscle during an active static stretch

Used to deepen postures

• The muscle that contracts to produce a joint action
• The working muscle

• Examples :
•   hamstrings when flexing knee
•   quadriceps when extending knee

The muscle that relaxes while the agonist contracts

• Example:
•   quadricep when flexing knee
•   hamstrings when extending knee

• The muscle that assists and fine tunes the action of the agonist
• Can be used to produce the same action

When the central nervous system signals the antagonist muscle to relax when contracting the agonist muscle

• The Psoas major & iliacus combined
• Psoas major - Flex the hip joint
• Iliacus - Flex and rotate laterally thighs

Lower back, pelvis, & hip bones are moved

Asanas: Ustrasana, Trikonasana, lunges, Padangustasana

A single muscle divided and attached to proximal femur and proximal tibia

• Contracting extends and rotates externally the hip, femur
• Stabilizes straight knee

Asanas Standing poses, back and forward bends

Forward of the gluteus maximus which is partially covers it

• Anterior fibers internally rotate femur and middle fibers abduct the femur (hip)
• Stabilizes pelvis
• Posterior fibers may externally rotate thigh

Asanas: One-legged standing poses, urdhva danurasana, parivrtta trikonasana, all lotus poses

• Forms the front of the thigh
• 4 part muscle
• Polyarticular - rectus femoris either flexes the hip or extends the knee
• Monoarticular - Vastus muscles only straighten knee
• Tendons connected to patella

Asanas: All poses the extend knee or flex hip, trikonasana, urdhva danurasana

Biceps femoris & Semitendinosus & Semimembranosus form this set of muscles

• Biceps femoris - Flex the straight knee and inwardly rotate the lower leg
• Semitendinosus & semimembranosus (inner muscle) flex the straight leg and outwardly rotates the lower leg

Asanas:  Bent knee seated folds & twists, adho mukha svanasana, marichyasana I & III

• The thigh bone
• Largest, heaviest, & strongest bone in the entire human body

Largest & most superior of the 3 bones that join to form the hip/pelvis

• Narrow & inferior to the ilium
• Lowest and strongest of the hip/pelvic bones
• When sitting, body weight is rested on this bone along with the coccyx

• Smallest of the hip/pelvic bones
• Anterior to the ischium
• Forms the front of the pelvis and support organs of generation