YOGA ANATOMY WORKSHOP

Nicholas Cheah
Feb 1, 2017
3 min read

This anatomy workshop is extracted from the 1st series of a 3 part series of Kirin Yoga methodology.

“Your body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” – BKS Iyengar

Yoga is a device for uniting the mind and body, and it is important to know the inner workings of the body for understanding the impact of asanas. When one does asanas with correct alignment and anatomical reflection then it becomes easier to synchronize breath and mind with it.

Anatomy is a medical subject dealing with the basic structures of the body. It includes knowledge of the bones, muscles, joints, blood vessels, nerves and organs within the body. Knowing the anatomy of the body is an added benefit if you are a yogi. It is vital to know which muscles and bones can sustain which type of injuries, which asana targets which muscle compartments and which poses are specific to healing on injuries.

As a yogi in training, you only need to know the major bones of the body, such as those in the legs and arms. It is also important to know the structure of the spine, as it is – quite literally- the backbone of the skeleton. Having knowledge of bones will help aspiring yogis to know which asanas are applicable on which anatomical part of the body, and which bones are at risk of injury during yoga practice.

With the bones, yogis also learn the origin and insertions of muscles to the bones. While these may seem daunting, students must remember that muscles are divided into compartments. Each Muscle is grouped according to the movements of body or in other words they are arranged according to function.

Learning them in conjunction with the movements in asanas will give yogis a fair idea of who can benefit from these asanas, such as students with shoulder dislocation problems must focus on the asanas which strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint, because shoulder joint is vulnerable joint by its very structure and it is kept stable only by a strong muscular structure around it.

Joints are the structural attachment between bones, and are most prone to injuries during asanas. It is important to know the movement of major joints (primarily the arms and legs), as well their degree of rotation. Joint movements such as flexion, extension and rotation allow yogis to determine which movements are safe in particular asanas.

Knowledge about the joint movements is particularly beneficial in guiding beginner students in avoiding injuries due to overexertion of a singular joint.

YOGA ANATOMY WORKSHOP

This 1st series 'INTERGRITY' focuses on understanding the human anatomy and physiology relevant to yogic practices. Body as the house for the divine soul. therefore knowledge in this area provides a hatha yoga practitioner the necessary and important foundation for higher practices.