These posts display arm-supported poses.
Astavakra was a very learned sage whose mother attended Vedic chanting class while pregnant. While he was in his mother’s womb, he winced at eight of his father’s mispronunciations of Vedic prayers, and was thus born with eight bends in his body.
Astavakrasana – Eight-Angle Pose Read More »
Weakness in the pose shows up in the lower body as lumbar hyperextension combined with hip flexion. To counter this, the coordinated action of the hamstrings is important. In the upper body, weakness in the triceps and serratus anterior can show up as a downward rotation of the scapulae and overuse of the pectoralis major
Chaturanga Dandasana – Four-Limbed Stick Pose Read More »
If the latissimus dorsi are tight, the flexion and upward rotation of the arms can cause hyperextension in the lumbar spine. Hands and Wrist Alert: It’s very challenging to maintain the integrity of the hands with all the weight of the body balancing on them, but it’s essential in this pose because collapsing into the
Adho Mukha Vrksasana – Downard-Facing Tree Pose Read More »
If the goal is to have extension distributed throughout the whole spine, there will need to be more action in the thoracic region and less in the lumbar and cervical regions. This translates into concentric work for the extensors in the thoracic spine and eccentric work for the flexors in the cervical and lumbar spines.
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana – Upward-Facing Dog Pose Read More »
To extend the elbows and resist collapse in the shoulder, the triceps are active. The latissimus dorsi often try to help this action, but they depress and internally rotate the shoulder, which creates impingement at the acromion process. The pronators are active in the forearm, but if there is a lack of rotation between the
Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward-Facing Dog Pose Read More »