Movements Of The Head And Neck
Below the axis, from C2 to Ti, typical intervertebral disks separate he vertebral bodies of the spine. This limits movements between any wo adjoining vertebrae figs. 4.10 and 4.13a , but this segment of the spine ill provides us with mobility far above and beyond what we saw between he skull and C2 a total of about 90' of additional rotation, 80' of addit lal flexion, so' of additional extension, and 40 of additional lateral flexic on each side. If you concentrate, it is possible to isolate the...
Hreathinc
travels in the opposite direction, first from the cells of the body to the heart in the systemic circulation, and then from the heart to the lungs in the pulmonary circulation fig. 2.1 and chapter 8 . Everything about the respiratory system is accessory to the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Airways lead from the nose and mouth into the lungs fig. 2.2 . Air is pulled backward in the nose past the hard and soft palates, where it makes a 90 turn and enters a funnel-shaped region, top the...
How Long To Hold The Headstand
I used to have a habit of asking instructors publicly how long the ht d- stand could be held, and their answers, appropriately enough, reflected e level and experience of their audience. For a general class of young it inexperienced pupils, experts will ordinarily advise a i- or 2-min e maximum, or they will avoid the issue by saying that, you get most of ie important benefits in 3-5 minutes. One yogi traditionalist suggested t o minutes maximum for householders an Indian euphemism for those v...
Bronchiolar Dilation And Constriction
Breathing and relaxation go hand in hand. As we have seen, respirat n slows down naturally during the course of relaxation, and under carel ly monitored conditions 2 1 breathing chapter 2 can slow the heart r e. Relaxation also has an impact on how easdy air moves through the r- ways, and this is controlled by both the sympathetic and parasympath ic components of the autonomic nervous system. Exercise stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and the releas gt f epinephrine adrenaline from the...
A Relaxed Supine Twist
The three previous postures require at least some muscular activity. To contrast them with a relaxed supine twist, place the hands ilat on the floor and straight out to the sides, draw the heels toward the hips, cross the right knee over the left, and twist the lower part of the body to the right so that the knees are lowered toward the floor fig. 7.13 . There is little or no tendency for the opposite shoulder to lift off the floor in this mild posture, but it still may be tricky to relax in it...
Baroreceptors
In chapter 2 we looked at oxygen-sensitive peripheral chemoreceptors in f ie large arteries that lead from the heart to the head. We also have barorecept s at those same sites for detecting blood pressure. Increased blood preSM re in any posture stimulates the baroreceptors, which in turn affects both lin is of the autonomic nervous system it increases parasympathetic nerv lt is system input to the heart, and it reduces sympathetic nervous syst n input to both the heart and the arterioles all...
The Lotus Posture In The Headstand
If you are flexible enough to do the lotus posture in the headstand, you have many options for developing flexibility and a strong back. Just being in this posture stretches the adductors and makes the hip joint itself more flexible. An excellent exercise is to lift the knees as far as possible toward the ceiling to hyperextend the back fig. 8.35a and then slowly lower them as far as possible toward the floor fig. 8.35b without falling, of course. This is simdar to going back and forth between...
The Classic Agni Sara
A and P breathing can be done by anyone, but agni sara and its more complex variations are intense practices that require training and conditioning. Their effects on the body are powerful enough for them to be contraindicated by several medical conditions see the end of this chapter . They should also be done only on an empty stomach and after evacuating the bowels. Like A and P breathing, the classic agni sara is usually done standing with the torso at a 60-70 angle from upright, the feet...
Alternate Nostril Breathing
One of the best breathing exercises for calming the nervous system s alternate nostril breathing, or nadi shodanham. This is a concentrati n as well as a breathing exercise, and it is possibly the single most imp tant preparation for meditation in hatha yoga. There are dozens jf variations to suit differing needs, abilities, and temperaments. At gt ie extreme, mental patients, flighty or hyperactive children, or anyone v o has difficulty concentrating can simply sit up straight, rest their elbi...
Breathing Tna
Figure 2.29c. Paradoxical breathing inhalation. D The diaphragm is completely relaxed and lifted by the chest. 2 The abdominal wall is pulled in and up passively. 3 The external intercostal muscles actively lift the chest up and out. 4 The rib cage expands maximally. 5 Overdone, the mental state can become anxious and panicky. abdominal wall is pulled in and up passively Figure 2.29c. Paradoxical breathing inhalation. D The diaphragm is completely relaxed and lifted by the chest. 2 The...
The Lower Extremities
By definition, the torque for twisting in the lower extremities begins at he sacroiliac joints, but externally visible rotations are not observable ex pt in the hip joints, the flexed knees, and the ankles. We'll begin our discus ,on at the source and work down. Whole-body twists impart severe torque to the sacroiliac joints, and we had to depend only on ligaments to keep them stable, we might be in tn gt le. Fortunately, the surrounding muscles provide additional protee on, especially if they...
J 1
Figure 3.24. Midsagittal longitudinal, front-to-back section through the male Pelvis revealing midline parts of the reproductive system, the midline terminal Portions of the digestive and urinary systems, and the rear portion of the pelvic 'aphiagm front portion is interrupted by the genitals . Sappey rear midsagittal Portion of diaphragm cavity just as a hammock in your back yard supports the human frame. T e midsagittal segment of the hammock that runs from the anus to the cocc x is visible...
The Vestibular System Sight And Touch
So far we have seen bow motor neurons drive the musculoskeletal system, how association neurons channel our will to the motor neurons, and how sensory input from muscles, tendons, and pain receptors participate with motor neurons in simple reflexes. But that's only the beginning. Many other sources of sensory input also affect motor function. Some of the most important are the vestibular sense, sight, and touch. We have little conscious awareness of our vestibular sense even though it is...
cartilaginous constraints
Cartilage has the consistency of rubber or soil plastic. It gives shape to the nose and external ears, and it forms a cushioning layer at the ends of long bones. Our main concern in this discussion, however, is not with these examples but with the joints called symphyses the intervertebral disks between adjacent vertebral bodies figs. 1.11,4.10b. 4.11, and 4.13b , as well 38 the pubic symphysis between the two pubic bones figs. 1.12 and 3.2 . At of these sites symphyses restrict movement,...
Index Of Practices
abdominal lift sec uddiyana bandha agni Kara, 93, 116, 188-201. 204-206. 354 190-191. 19 i-194 A and P breathing, 188-19 , 195 191 ashwini mudra, 182-187. 192, 204-205, 230, 29 . 800.537 414 mula bandha root lock , 182-187. 192. 199. 204-205. 29 . 300, 588-589 300 nauli, 116, 201-203, 205 203 nauli madhyama, 201-203 203 root lock see mula bandha uddiyana bandha, 116.195-205 196, 198. 203 Accomplished posture see meditative sitting postures Adamantine posture see meditative sitting postures...
The Venous Return
If the capillary beds and veins were static tubes with fixed diameters, blood would stream from the arterioles into the capillaries, pour from the capillaries into the veins, and be pushed all the way back to the heart by arterial pressure. But this is not the way the system operates. The capillaries and veins are expandable they could easily accommodate all the blood in the body. And this can create a serious problem because within certain limits the amount of blood brought to the heart per...
The Bow Postures
When an advanced student has come into the bow posture, it resembles a drawn bow the torso and thighs are the bow, and the taut upper extremities and the legs are the string, which is drawn toward the ceiling at the junction of the hands and the ankles. The beginner's posture is not so elegant. Most of its length is flattened down against the floor, and the pose is acutely hinged at the knee joints. To begin, lie prone, flex the knees, and grasp the ankles. Try to lift yourself into a bow, not...
The Motor Unit
The functional entity for both relaxation and muscular activity is the motor unit, which is defined as a single motor neuron plus all the individuad muscle fibers it innervates fig. 10.1 . The fewer the muscle fibers in the motor unit, the more finely we can control the muscle. The fact that the smallest muscles of the fingers contain only 10-15 muscle fibers in each of their motor units is what allows us to perform precise and delicate work with our fingers. As motor units become larger,...
Sacroiliac Flexibility
Sacroiliac flexibdity has until now been overlooked by those who write manuals on exercise and flexibility, and the terms nutation and counter-nutation are rarely encountered. This is not surprising since the sacroiliac movements are limited to only 5-1 o except during the end stages of pregnancy , and these are overshadowed by the grosser movements of the spine and pelvis as a whole. Even though the range of sacroiliac movements is narrow, however, healthy and mobile sacrodiac joints make for...
Contraindications
For practices in the first half of the chapter, contraindications for leglif sit-up exercises, and the boat postures are obvious lower back probler And it ought not surprise anyone that the peacock, as well as otl r exercises that greatly increase intra-abdominal pressure, should e explored with caution, at least by anyone who is not already quite athle' It is a myth, although a common one, that women in general should not o the peacock. For practices in the second half of the chapter, there...
Biographical Sketch
David Coulter received a Ph. D. in anatomy from the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences in 1968. From 1968 to 1986 he taught various microscopic, neuroscience, and elementary gross anatomy courses in the Department of Anatomy of the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, MN. During that period he also served as a principal investigator for neuroscience research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. He next taught in...
The Diaphragmatic Rear Lift
Next try a posture that we can aptly call the diaphragmatic rear lift. Again lie face down, placing your chin against the floor, with the arms along the sides of the body and the palms next to the chest. Keeping the chest pressed firmly against the floor, relax all the muscles from the waist down, including the hips. Take 10-15 nasal breaths at a rate of about one breath per second. With the thighs and hips relaxed, and with the base of the rib cage fixec1 against the floor, the action of the...
The Iliopsoas Muscles And The Sacroiliac Joints
The erector spinae, quadratus lumborums, longus colli, and scalenes opi'rat to keep the general orientation of the spine in a straight line, and in prii ciple this could mean a spine that is leaned forward, that is perpendicuk to the floor, or that is tilted to the real-. It falls then to the psoas and iliaci muscles to maintain the rear axis of the tetrahedron at a 90 angle from th base triangle. The individual actions of the psoas and iliacus muscles difie however, even though they share an...
Stretching
If you ask most people what it takes to lift a barbell overhead they will say muscles, bones, and joints. If you ask them what is needed for running a marathon they will say heart, lungs, and legs. And if you ask them what is required for dance or gymnastic performance they will say strength, grace, and agility. But if you ask them what is most important for increasing flexibility they will probably just give you a blank look. And yet those of us who practice hatha yoga know that improving...
The Crow
Now we turn to a series of postures that build strength in the upper exrem ties, starting with the crow, a moderately inverted balancing posture. Stai with the hands on the floor about eight inches apart, the wrists extende 90 , and the elbows locked. Most of the weight of the body is on the balls 1 Figure 8.22. Crow posture b and starting position for the crow a . The crow is a moderately inverted balancing posture that will develop strength in the upper extremities, gel you accustomed to...
Info Ksb
When you are breathing naturally, inhalation restricts a standing backbend and exhalation assists it fig. 4.19 because the diaphragm increases intraabdominal pressure as it presses the abdominal organs inferiorly during inhalation. As we saw in chapter 3, it does this in cooperation with the abdominal muscles and the pelvic diaphragm the increased intra-abdominal pressure restricts the bend by making the torso a taut, solid unit, thus protecting the critical lumbar region by spreading the...
Agni Sara
Agni sara, or fanning the fire, is a breathing exercise, an abdominal exer e gt and a powerful stimulus to abdominopelvic health. When it is done h full attention and for an adequate span of daily practice, it stokes the re of the body like no other exercise. But before trying it we'll first do a tr n- ing exercise for active exhalations, and then we'll work with a mode te practice A and P breathing that is accessible to everyone.
The Functional Residual Capacity
Because the muscle fibers of the diaphragm are lengthened to their working maximum during an inverted exhalation, the functional residual capacity of the lungs chapter 2 will be substantially reduced. You can test this if you first sit upright and breathe in and out the tidal volume associated with normal relaxed breathing. Then, at the end of exhalation breathe out as much as you can your expiratory reserve volume . In chapter 2 we estimated this to be around about 1,000 ml, or about two...
The Six Postures
The three classic sitting postures can be challenging, but fortunately there are easier poses you can use while you work up to the traditional ones. We'll consider six meditation poses in an ascending curve of intensity and effort. The friendship posture rnaitryasana is excellent if you need or prefer to sit on a chair the adamantine posture vajrasana while kneeling on a bench is probably the most comfortable the easy posture sukasana is suitable for short periods of sitting before you are...
The Locust Postures
The locust posture is named for the manner in which grasshop, gt rs locusts move their rear ends up and down. The locust postures complex -nt the cobras, lifting the lower part of the body rather than the upper, but ley are more difficult because it is less natural and more strenuous to lift he lower extremities from a prone position than it is to lift the head and shoul lt gt rs. We can test the relative difficulty of one of the locust postures w ha simple experiment. Lie prone with the chin...
Backbeswhc Postvres
erector spinae muscles have two roles instead of one. They still lift the upper half of the body by way of their insertions on the chest, but now they also pull on the ilium and sacrum from above, deepening the lumbar lordosis and rotating the coccyx to the rear for an anterior pelvic tilt. If you have ever had back problems, this exercise will at once make you aware of your vulnerability, so do it only if you remain comfortable from start to finish. Not surprisingly, the diaphragm contributes...
Lumbar Twisting
Just as the design of the chest permits extensive twisting, so doe the design of the lumbar region prevent it. There are two main obstacles irst, in this region the axis of rotation runs down the spine through the ba , gt s the spinous processes in the posterior functional unit fig. 4.5a, larg dot rather than through the center of the anterior functional unit. Tl gt y itself would make twisting almost impossible it would require k gt -,r 1' displacement of one vertebral body in relation to its...
Index Of Anatomical Terms
Text citations are indicated in Century Schoolbook plain, and page references for anatomical drawings, diagrams, and photographs are indicated in italics. In both cases, boldfacing highlights the locations of especially useful references. Asymmetry also see symmetry , 227-228. 374, 387 front-to-back imbalances, 228.437,471, 473 side-to-side imbalances, 471 articulating processes, 215-217. 318, 395-397, 599, 605-606 65, 216-217, 224 atlas, 388-394. 454-455. 472, 601 219, 221. 225. 389. 453. 472...
Breathing And Backbending
It is obvious that muscles and gravity play major roles in creating hat a yoga postures, but anyone who has stood, lain, or sat quietly in a pose r a few minutes knows that something else is superimposed upon s equipoise. That something is breathing. A formal statement of the mat r might run as follows Under most circumstances of normal breath g, inhalations will either lift you more fully into a posture or create nv e tension in the body, and exhalations will either relax you further n o the...
The Bregma Headstand
You come into the bregma headstand in the same four stages you use lor the crown headstand, but this version is easier for many students bee ise the head is more firmly supported. Plant your head on the bregma and up your interlocked fingers underneath the head rather than posterior it- From this position it is easy to thrust the upper back posteriorly as ou walk the feet forward into stage one. There will be little tendenc to somersault. And after you have learned the bregma headstand fig. 7k...
Fire Dhauti
Here is a simple exercise that some texts call agni sara, and others refer to as fire dhauti. Come into uddiyana bandha standing , and continuing to hold your breath, alternately lower and again lift the abdominal organs by decreasing and increasing the size of the chest cage with the intercostal muscles. Each time the abdominal organs arc lowered, the abdominal wall is pushed out, and each time the abdominal organs are again lifted into the typical uddiyana bandha position, the abdominal wall...
Active Exhalation
During the course of relaxed, casual breathing, you make moderate eff ts to inhale and you usually relax to exhale, but all of the exercises that fir iw make use of active exhalations, in some cases breathing out all the ly down to your residual volume. To get an idea of what is involved, try le following exercise Inhale moderately through the nose, purse the lips, nd exhale as if you were trying to blow up a balloon in one breath. Try lis several times. If you slowly breathe out as much air as...
The Somatic And Autonomic Systems
The way we breathe affects far more than our posture, and we can best explore those ramifications by looking at the two great functional divisions of the nervous system somatic and autonomic and at the tissues and organs they each oversee. The somatic nervous system is concerned with everything from the control of skeletal muscle activity to conscious sensations such as touch, pressure, pain, vision, and audition. For the autonomic nervous system, think first of regulation of blood pressure,...
The Upper Extremities
We know that the lower extremities form the foundation for standing postures numerous muscles and ligaments attach the pelvic bones reliably to the sacrum and lumbar spine figs. 3.4 and 3.7 the muscles of the hips, thighs, and legs flex and extend the hip joints, knees, and ankles and the feet contact the earth. By contrast, the upper extremities are designed for touching, embracing, and handling tools. They are not foundations for any part of the body. Instead, it's the other way around the...
I Movement And Posh Tu W 1
mixed motor and sensory spinal nerve spindle , and neuromuscular junction muscle spindles are stretched sharply by impact quadriceps temoris muscles in thighs support landing reflexly and almost instantaneously mixed motor and sensory spinal nerve Figure 1.7. The myolatic stretch reflex. A 3-foot vertical jump momentarily stretches muscle spindles in all the extensor anti-gravity muscles of the lower extremities. The spindles then provide direct monosynaptic and almost immediate facilitatory...
Symmetry And Asymmetry
The axial skeleton, the appendicular skeleton, and muscles throughout the body all contribute to determining our bilateral symmetry. For perfect symmetry, every right-left member of every pair of bones, skeletal muscles, joints, and ligaments must be identical on both sides of the body right and left knee joints, hip joints, femurs, and clavicles and right and left erector spinae muscles, quadriceps femori, hamstrings, adductors, and gluteals. To check out the symmetry in your own posture, look...
The Gluteal Muscles
The gluteus maximus muscles figs. 3.8, 3.10, and 8.9-10 are hip extensors and antagonists to the hip flexors, and one would at first assume that they would inhibit sitting correctly in the cross-legged postures, but that is not the case. It's true that they act as antagonists to the hip flexors in standing postures, but paradoxically, in meditative sitting postures they can actually support the action of the iliopsoas muscles by acting as slings to lift the pelvis from underneath. They do this...
abc 1
and of the anterior and functional units of the spine v,ew of sP,ne v,ew of sPme intervertebral disk between L1 and L2 intervertebral disk between L1 and L2 transverse processes of thoracic vertebrae T7, T9. and T11 f igure 4.10. Three views of the spinal column a lateral view from the right s'de a , an anterolateral view from right front b , and a posterior view from behind c . The middle image b is enough front the side that the four spinal curvatures start becoming apparent. The anterior and...
Blood Pressure And Flow In The Systemic Circulation
Any time someone says they have a blood pressure problem, what the ire talking about is blood pressure in the arteries of their systemic circulai gt n. Like atmospheric pressure, alveolar gas pressures, and blood g ses chapter 2 , blood pressure is measured in millimeters of men iry mm Ilg . When we say, Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80 mm Hg or more simply 120 80, we are referring to the pressure of the blood ag nst the inner walls of medium-sized arteries of the systemic circulation, u-...
Lumbar And Lumbosacral Forward Bending
In chapter 5 we saw that most forward hending in the spine from Ti and below takes place in the six intervertebral disks in the lumbar area between the twelfth thoracic vertebra and the sacrum. Up to 90 of forward bending is occasionally seen here, but 30 80 is more common. A moderately flexible young athlete might reveal 40 of flexibility in the lumbar region plus 7 lt 5C of flexibility in the hips, and just be able to grasp his toes with his outstretched fingers fig. 6.1 . Students who have...
The Scapulae
The connection between the scapula and the torso is almost entirely muscu i r. This means that when we turn upside down for the headstand and expi -t the upper extremities to support that posture, we have to depend on muscu ir st rength and flexibility rather than on robust bones and joints designed gt r bearing the weight of the body. It is thus not surprising to find that inf ibility, discomfort, and weakness in the shoulders, arms, and forear is prevent many people from getting very far in...
The Foundation Of The Body
To understand how crunches, sit-ups, and leglifts operate mechanically, as well as to lay the groundwork for discussing standing, backward bending, forward bending, twisting, and sitting postures in later chapters, we must look at the pelvis and its relationships with the spine and thighs in detail. trie hip bones and sacrum the pelvic bowl We'll first examine the pelvic bowl, which is formed from the combination of the two pelvic bones the hip bones and the sacrum the lowest of the four main...
Exploring The Two Possibilities
Come into a kneeling position on a well-padded carpet or folded blanket, place the top of the head down, and brace it in the rear with the interlaced fingers. The forearms should he at about an 80 angle from one another. Now gently roll your head around and explore the possible spots on which you could place your weight. Notice that as you roll the forehead down, bringing the nose toward the floor and extending the head and neck, you tend to follow the rolling of the head with your interlaced...
Breathing 1
and contract the chest figs. 2.5 and 2.9 . Two sets of these muscles, one under the other, act on the rib cage. The external intercostal muscles run between the ribs in the same direction as the most external sheet of abdominal muscles figs. 2.7, 2.9, 3.11-13, and 8.8 they lift and expand the rib cage for inhalation, like the movement of an old-fashioned pump handle as it is lifted up from its resting position. The internal intercostal muscles run at right angles to the external layer they pull...
The Quarter Plow
To make a safe and easy transition to the shoulderstand, especially for beginners, the quarter plow not idustrated should come next. You come up into this pose exactly as you came into the inverted action posture, by pushing with the hands from a supine position, tightening the abdominal region, and swinging the feet overhead, all in a single coordinated movement. Then you simply let your feet hang far enough overhead to balance your weight while bracing the pelvis with the hands. The lower...