This week, I’ve been attending on-line continuing education, which is required of Yoga Alliance members. I’m definitely not complaining — I think it’s important for teachers to be lifelong learners and to model that thirst for knowledge which improves practice. The organization divides training into several different areas: Philosophy, Lifestyle, and Ethics, Techniques, Training, and Practice, Teaching Methodology, and Anatomy and Physiology. The site keeps track of what one has studied in each area, and breaks it down for you in a graph. As my chart was lopsided, I decided to focus for the present on improving my scientific knowledge of the human body as it applies to yoga practice.
Why is it so important for yogis, whether practitioners or teachers, to understand anatomy and physiology? The first – and for many, the only – answer is that this knowledge helps to keep us safe during asana. My last course, which focused on bones and joints, made a strong case for understanding how muscles attach and work with the rest of the body. For example, it’s essential to understand that the knee is a hinge rather than a ball-and-socket joint. Hinge joints move along one plane, whereas ball-and-sockets move in a variety of ways. The knee can bend and straighten, but it can’t rotate. This means that asking it to move in any direction other than back and forth is asking for trouble.
Another example of how anatomy affects practice: there are only two ball-and-socket joints in the human body. That’s it: the shoulder and hip joints allow for the most movement. This is important when executing a safe twist: we should keep either the shoulder or the hip still to give the body some stability. This is why twists either focus on the upper or lower torso, and why there’s always a part of the body that stays still during the movement.
Beyond safety, knowing the science behind each asana gives a greater appreciation for the philosophy that undergirds yogic practice. The human body is an amazing organism, one that’s evolved to best support our search for greater integration and connection. Knowing how the various parts work together helps to explain the connection between asana, pranayama, and meditation, which requires the connection of body, breath, and spirit. As individuals experiencing an embodied state, we bring our bodies with us each time we reach out to touch the ineffable. That makes it imperative to understand how the mechanics of breathing, for example, undergird the parasympathetic nervous system.
Every yoga practitioner who’s in it for the long haul should study anatomy in some way. This doesn’t need to be heavy-duty; while it behooves teachers to know the names of the muscles and bones, a practitioner might be content with a basic understanding of how the body connects. Still, it’s worth taking the time to take a workshop or two even if you’re not planning on teaching – this will keep you safe but also get you connected with the greater yoga community.
Independent learners have a plethora of books to choose from. Leslie Kaminoff’s Yoga Anatomy is excellent; if you want something a little deeper (and more creative), you might want to pick up a copy of one of the anatomy coloring books available. Any of these will pair reading with the active art of coloring in the different areas, and the combination will really cement your knowledge. I’ve used The Yoga Coloring Book by Kelly Solloway, but there are others available – take a browse at an independent bookstore and see what you find! (Disclaimer: I am not connected to either author and paid for both books with my own money.)
If you’re interested in furthering your study of yoga anatomy behind this, you might be actually looking for a yoga teacher training. These days, you can train both on-line and in-person, and most people will agree that you don’t need to want to teach to benefit from the in-depth study. If you decide to go this route, be sure to investigate programs thoroughly before committing, as they can be extremely expensive and serious time commitments.
As for me, I’m going to continue studying the science behind yoga for a third reason: as an intellectual, I find myself often treading the path of jnana yoga, or the path of studying as a way to enlightenment. It’s comforting for me to know that science and spirituality go hand-in-hand, and I hope that this article has given you a reason to pursue some study of your own.
Kaminoff, Leslie. Yoga Anatomy. Human Kinetics, 2021. ISBN: 978-1492596479.
Solloway, Kelly. The Yoga Anatomy Coloring Book. Get Creative Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 978-1640210219.
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