Anatomy: Yoga & the Human Body
“The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.” "If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred." |
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Kaminoff, Leslie, and Amy Matthews. Yoga Anatomy. Leeds: Human Kinetics, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4504-0024-4; Paperback; CAN $21.95.
This best-selling yoga anatomy guide is filled with full-color anatomical illustrations of each yoga pose and includes detailed notes on skeletal and muscular joint actions and even how the pose affects respiration. The poses are divided into the following chapters for ease of reference: Standing Poses, Sitting Poses, Kneeling Poses, Supine Poses, Prone Poses, and Arm Support Poses. Especially fascinating is the chapter called Dynamics of Breathing which explains how breathing has the dual nature of being both autonomic and voluntary and that exhalation, which we can control through pranayama, is a waste removal process (3).
An illuminating resource that makes an excellent addition to public or high school libraries, and especially relevant for university libraries with a kinesiology department. A must-have reference guide for every English-speaking yoga teacher on the planet, even those that can tell their semitendinosus from their gracilis, because there is always so much more to learn about the fascinating human body!
This best-selling yoga anatomy guide is filled with full-color anatomical illustrations of each yoga pose and includes detailed notes on skeletal and muscular joint actions and even how the pose affects respiration. The poses are divided into the following chapters for ease of reference: Standing Poses, Sitting Poses, Kneeling Poses, Supine Poses, Prone Poses, and Arm Support Poses. Especially fascinating is the chapter called Dynamics of Breathing which explains how breathing has the dual nature of being both autonomic and voluntary and that exhalation, which we can control through pranayama, is a waste removal process (3).
An illuminating resource that makes an excellent addition to public or high school libraries, and especially relevant for university libraries with a kinesiology department. A must-have reference guide for every English-speaking yoga teacher on the planet, even those that can tell their semitendinosus from their gracilis, because there is always so much more to learn about the fascinating human body!
Lasater, Judith. Yogabody: Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Asana. Berkeley, Calif: Rodmell Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-930485-21-1; Paperback; CAN $40.50.
While Yoga Anatomy (see above) will always be my gold standard of anatomy resources for the yogi, it isn't an "easy read" per se, or something most people will linger over. I use it more as an encyclopedia when I want to check out the muscles or fascia involved in a certain posture or set of asanas, specifically when one of my students has an injury. Dr. Judith Lasater's Yogabody is different. While the subject matter is the same, and the colored anatomical drawings less impressive, the tone and focus of Lasater's manual is somehow softer, more welcoming, less medical and more conversational. For example, in the chapter on the abdomen, she discusses the importance of "trusting your gut" and how in our image-conscious society there is a lot of emphasis on the pulled-in, rock hard six-pack but that the toned and softly rounded natural stomach may, in fact, be more healthy, as it allows the natural processing of digestion, the breath, and other internal organs (135). In other words, tighter isn't always better. The chapters are divided by areas of the body, and each section is broken down into bones, muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissues, kinesiology, and experiential anatomy (with applications for both practice and teaching). The book also contains 31 helpful charts listing each muscle and its origin, insertion and action. A valuable resource for yoga teachers and students of kinesiology and anatomy, as well as anyone interested in learning more about their body.
While Yoga Anatomy (see above) will always be my gold standard of anatomy resources for the yogi, it isn't an "easy read" per se, or something most people will linger over. I use it more as an encyclopedia when I want to check out the muscles or fascia involved in a certain posture or set of asanas, specifically when one of my students has an injury. Dr. Judith Lasater's Yogabody is different. While the subject matter is the same, and the colored anatomical drawings less impressive, the tone and focus of Lasater's manual is somehow softer, more welcoming, less medical and more conversational. For example, in the chapter on the abdomen, she discusses the importance of "trusting your gut" and how in our image-conscious society there is a lot of emphasis on the pulled-in, rock hard six-pack but that the toned and softly rounded natural stomach may, in fact, be more healthy, as it allows the natural processing of digestion, the breath, and other internal organs (135). In other words, tighter isn't always better. The chapters are divided by areas of the body, and each section is broken down into bones, muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissues, kinesiology, and experiential anatomy (with applications for both practice and teaching). The book also contains 31 helpful charts listing each muscle and its origin, insertion and action. A valuable resource for yoga teachers and students of kinesiology and anatomy, as well as anyone interested in learning more about their body.
Saradananda, Swami. The Power of Breath: The Art of Breathing Well for Harmony, Happiness, and Health. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84483-798-4; Paperback; US $14.95, CAN $15.95.
Have you ever wondered why you yawn or sigh when you are exhausted or bored? Nature forces us to exhale all that old stale air in order to bring in new oxygen and revitalize our bodies (11). You can live without water and food and even love for quite a while, but you cannot live more than a few moments without breath, and yet it is something few of us pay proper attention to, despite its constant, essential presence in our lives. Pranayama ("control of the life force") is an fundamental part of any yoga practice and wise teachers mindfully incorporate it into their classes. It can be as simple as teaching students to put their hands on their bellies and notice if they are breathing into the bottom of their lungs or just shallowly inhaling into the top part of their chests. I often get children to do this while lying down with a beanbag (or books!) on their tummies, the weight of it draws their attention while they give the object "a ride." Besides presenting you with a thorough introductory lesson in pulmonology, this manual has over 100 pages of exercises for pranayama, including programs tailored to students with special issues such as anxiety, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, pregnancy, skin disorders, and many others. It is also interspersed with poignant short fables perfectly suited for storytelling as part of Yoga in the Library programs. An excellent resource for all yoga teachers and a great addition to your library's collection, especially as a source for so many reference questions, like those on sports performance, insomnia, migraines, or school projects on anatomy.
Have you ever wondered why you yawn or sigh when you are exhausted or bored? Nature forces us to exhale all that old stale air in order to bring in new oxygen and revitalize our bodies (11). You can live without water and food and even love for quite a while, but you cannot live more than a few moments without breath, and yet it is something few of us pay proper attention to, despite its constant, essential presence in our lives. Pranayama ("control of the life force") is an fundamental part of any yoga practice and wise teachers mindfully incorporate it into their classes. It can be as simple as teaching students to put their hands on their bellies and notice if they are breathing into the bottom of their lungs or just shallowly inhaling into the top part of their chests. I often get children to do this while lying down with a beanbag (or books!) on their tummies, the weight of it draws their attention while they give the object "a ride." Besides presenting you with a thorough introductory lesson in pulmonology, this manual has over 100 pages of exercises for pranayama, including programs tailored to students with special issues such as anxiety, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, pregnancy, skin disorders, and many others. It is also interspersed with poignant short fables perfectly suited for storytelling as part of Yoga in the Library programs. An excellent resource for all yoga teachers and a great addition to your library's collection, especially as a source for so many reference questions, like those on sports performance, insomnia, migraines, or school projects on anatomy.
Starrett, Kelly, Juliet Starrett, and Glen Cordoza. Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World. Las Vegas, NV: Victory Belt Publishing, 2016. ISBN: 978-1628600582; Hardcover; US 39.95, CAN 45.95.
Buy this book immediately. Buy two copies, one for circulation and one for the professional collection. Read it. Immediately buy or fashion yourself a standing desk. Start doing the exercises, daily. When colleagues poke their head in your office and raise an eyebrow at your computer balanced precariously on top of some discarded shipping containers, smile and hand them a copy of the book. When your friends comment that you've lost weight, hand them a copy of the book. When your partner notices you are no longer constantly complaining at the end of the day about your sore back/wrist/elbow/hip, hand them the book. Start walking everywhere, even to town hall to deliver invoices or by making multiple trips to the grocery store. Refuse to sit while waiting, so you are towering over everyone awkwardly in the doctor's office. Start lifting everything by bending at the knees, even a crumpled post-it that missed the trash can. Keep a tennis ball in your purse for random moments of self-massage. Start wearing compression socks with your pencil skirts. Never buy another pair of high heels. Know your life has changed for the better.
Buy this book immediately. Buy two copies, one for circulation and one for the professional collection. Read it. Immediately buy or fashion yourself a standing desk. Start doing the exercises, daily. When colleagues poke their head in your office and raise an eyebrow at your computer balanced precariously on top of some discarded shipping containers, smile and hand them a copy of the book. When your friends comment that you've lost weight, hand them a copy of the book. When your partner notices you are no longer constantly complaining at the end of the day about your sore back/wrist/elbow/hip, hand them the book. Start walking everywhere, even to town hall to deliver invoices or by making multiple trips to the grocery store. Refuse to sit while waiting, so you are towering over everyone awkwardly in the doctor's office. Start lifting everything by bending at the knees, even a crumpled post-it that missed the trash can. Keep a tennis ball in your purse for random moments of self-massage. Start wearing compression socks with your pencil skirts. Never buy another pair of high heels. Know your life has changed for the better.
Stephens, Mark. Yoga Adjustments: Philosophy, Principles, and Techniques. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2014. ISBN 978-1-58394-770-8; Paperback; US $24.95, CAN $28.95.
Ahhh...yoga adjustments: every beginning yoga teacher's nightmare. Should I touch this person? What if they have an injury? What if I do it wrong? What if they think I'm a pervert? Will it violate their religious beliefs? What if my hand slips and I grab their butt by mistake? What if I hurt them? As a yoga student, assists (as they are often called) can also be a problem. Sometimes an overzealous teacher wants to make our body look a certain way that fits their agenda and not our wants, needs, or abilities. Sometimes it draws attention to us when we'd rather be anonymous. Sometimes we feel we are "doing it wrong" and now are being reprimanded. Maybe we have experienced trauma and any sort of touch, even helpful touch, is unwanted but we don't feel comfortable saying so. All of these issues and more are addressed in Mark Stephens' landmark book, Yoga Adjustments. The reality for anyone teaching yoga in a public library setting is that you won't know, or have much control, over who shows up for your classes and what issues they may be presenting with. As Stephens' says, "You should anticipate having a diverse array of students for whom yoga practice is essential to daily life in healing traumas and purely athletic weekend warriors; spiritual seekers and people of strong religious faith as well as those for whom faith is seen as an intellectual weakness; every age, every interest, every philosophical perspective, and every condition" (5). Beginning with the "Seven Principles of Hands-On Adjustments" (26), Stephens leads the reader through 300+ pages of assists, going thoroughly pose by pose with multiple b&w photos of both male and female students.
It should be noted this book focuses on physical assists ONLY and does not offers verbal cues or how to demonstrate visually (those adjustments can be found in Stephens' other books Teaching Yoga and Yoga Sequencing). An essential resource for the professional collection in a yoga-teaching library and a nice addition to the public collection for interested patrons in community or university libraries.
Ahhh...yoga adjustments: every beginning yoga teacher's nightmare. Should I touch this person? What if they have an injury? What if I do it wrong? What if they think I'm a pervert? Will it violate their religious beliefs? What if my hand slips and I grab their butt by mistake? What if I hurt them? As a yoga student, assists (as they are often called) can also be a problem. Sometimes an overzealous teacher wants to make our body look a certain way that fits their agenda and not our wants, needs, or abilities. Sometimes it draws attention to us when we'd rather be anonymous. Sometimes we feel we are "doing it wrong" and now are being reprimanded. Maybe we have experienced trauma and any sort of touch, even helpful touch, is unwanted but we don't feel comfortable saying so. All of these issues and more are addressed in Mark Stephens' landmark book, Yoga Adjustments. The reality for anyone teaching yoga in a public library setting is that you won't know, or have much control, over who shows up for your classes and what issues they may be presenting with. As Stephens' says, "You should anticipate having a diverse array of students for whom yoga practice is essential to daily life in healing traumas and purely athletic weekend warriors; spiritual seekers and people of strong religious faith as well as those for whom faith is seen as an intellectual weakness; every age, every interest, every philosophical perspective, and every condition" (5). Beginning with the "Seven Principles of Hands-On Adjustments" (26), Stephens leads the reader through 300+ pages of assists, going thoroughly pose by pose with multiple b&w photos of both male and female students.
It should be noted this book focuses on physical assists ONLY and does not offers verbal cues or how to demonstrate visually (those adjustments can be found in Stephens' other books Teaching Yoga and Yoga Sequencing). An essential resource for the professional collection in a yoga-teaching library and a nice addition to the public collection for interested patrons in community or university libraries.
Copyright 2015-2018 Jenn Carson
