Joint movement in Hatha Yoga

Recently, I have been fortunate enough to be able to sit down and chat with a few yoga teachers and discuss “YOGA“. For the civilian, Yoga is just the asana or poses. However, for the truly devoted, Yoga is an 8 limb system of how to live your life that goes WAY beyond the physical poses.
However, since that’s what most tend to focus on, I decided to focus a blog post to the asana as Part III to my “More than meets the eye” series.
Chatting with these teachers, I realized that the poses are very elusive to many. They tend to just regurgitate instructions from what their teachers said and so on. Rarely do they take the time to break the poses down and understand them.
However, some do go a bit further and focus on the muscles and stretching the muscles which is fine. It’s like Step 2 on the never ending yogic journey. So I wanted to write a short post on looking at the asana with the motions of the joints in mind. Here’s the thing: you can focus on muscles but they are JUST reactors to the motions of the bones and joints.  If you don’t flex your knee or anteriorly rotate your pelvis, you are not going to get any reaction or stretch out of those tight hamstrings.
As always, we will look at the motions of the joints in 3-D and you’ll be shocked to know that the joint has over 2,000 possibilities at any given moment.
Here’s the short and sweet about 3-D Joint Physiology:
1) A joint is the location at which two or more bones contact.
2) Joints are tri-planar meaning that they have movement capability in the three cardinal planes:
SAGITAL: Flexion and Extension
FRONTAL: Right and Left lateral flexion or right and left lateral translation
TRANSVERSE: Right and Left rotation
THESE MOTIONS ARE ALSO CALLED OSTEOKINEMATICS.
3) Joints have specific movements within them which are usually small amplitude motions called:
Roll
Glide
Spin
THESE MOTIONS ARE CALLED ARTHROKINEMATICS.
Now, this is the simple side of joint mechanics that can get complex pretty quickly.
Interestingly, within the Osteokinematics, we find an even deeper process.  At each cardinal planar movement, there are 13 ways to get the motions like sagital planes’ flexion and extension. Well, if you know that there are 13 ways to get motion in the sagital plane, you know there are 13 ways to get it in the frontal plane so that’s 13×13 which equals 169 joint possibilities. Then we have 13 ways to get motion in the Transverse plane so that’s 13x13x13 which equals 2, 169 minus 1 for NO MOTION at the joint and you get 2, 168 ways that a joint can move.
Q: SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOGA???
I will tell you when I first learned that, I was absolutely floored because here I was thinking one-dimensionally when there was a whole other world out there especially for the yoga asana because we have to work with the joints in the poses. Because poses are generally multi-joint rich, we have a formula for a lot going on all at once.
When we look at the asana, it would benefit all involved parties, especially teachers, to look at the asana with knowledge based in anatomy, physiology and biomechanics and use language that is clear and concise not phrases like “Pop your hip” “Your inner ankle is collapsing” “Balance on your sits bones”(I hate the last one the most).
For better or for worse, yoga teachers are movement therapists in many regards, especially when they get into “alignment”. Knowing the anatomy only will deepen your skills as teachers. Understanding physiology and simple joint mechanics will allow you to serve your clients and students better as well as being able to speak on a professional level with health care providers like doctors and physical therapists so that you can be part of a team that can facilitate healing of your client.
I am starting to teach a series of “Anatomy of Yoga” workshops to introduce the science of the body to yoga teachers and advanced students. Having an accurate mental map of your body will only serve you.

Women Health Benefits of Yoga

What is yoga?
Yoga is a therapy that aims to unite the mind, soul and body. Most yoga styles are derived from ‘hatha yoga’ a type of yoga that focuses on the body and breath and aims to develop control the body through poses (or asanas). You’ve probably heard that yoga is good for you. You may have even tried yoga and found that it makes you feel better. But what specific health benefits you can expect to receive from him a regular yoga?physical benefits Physiological Benefits of Yoga
1. Tone muscles and promote weight loss
2. Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium
3. Pulse rate decreases
4. Respiratory rate decreases
5. Blood Pressure decreases (of special significance for hyporeactors)
6. Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
7. EEG – alpha waves increase (theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation)
8. EMG activity decreases
9. Cardiovascular efficiency increases
10. Respiratory efficiency increases Main Styles of Yoga
Ashtanga – Ashtanga is the “workout” form of yoga. It is a series of poses performed sequentially and beginning with sun salutations. Movements are linked to the breath and the poses move continually. It is an aerobic form of yoga and moves quickly. Iyengar – is a precise style of yoga and one of the most popular in the world. It places much focus on attention to detail and getting the alignment of the poses absolutely right. Iyengar also uses props such as blocks and belts. It is a great style of yoga for the fitness conscious.
Bikram – Bikram developed by Bikram Choudhury, this style of yoga is performed in a heated room. Bikram yoga is sees students performing 26 poses that are designed to cleanse the body and enhance physical strength and balance. It is good for detoxification.

Yoga for Children

Yoga will help children in their long road to physical and mental domain
Does it seem difficult to get your child to keep still, silent and focused on one of the yoga positions? Surely many parents seem almost impossible, but the truth is that yoga practice will show you that anything is possible. It all depends on the motivation, patience, persistence, and the joint work between parent and child yoga teacher.
When my son can do yoga
The experience of yoga with children say the best age for the child to start with exercises of yoga is from age 4. At this age, children can now understand exactly what to expect and what we want from them. Yoga is indicated for all children. Its key objective is to seek balance and harmony, and control the direction of the discipline. It is a good basis for a happy and healthy adulthood.
Benefits of the practice of yoga with children
Yoga is a positive practice in the growth stage of children. Through yoga, children exercise their breath and learn to relax, to cope with stress, conflict situations, and lack of concentration, problems so evident in today’s society. Yoga will assist in their long road to physical and psychological domination.
1 – Development of muscles and motor skills
2 – Flexibility in the joints
3 – Improvement of postural habits of the spine
4 – Massage of internal organs
5 – Improved breathing habits
6 – Stimulating blood circulation
7 – Improved self-esteem
8 – Low level of stress in children
9 – Enhancement of the senses
10 – Agility and strength
11 – Calm and relaxation
12 – Stretch
10 – Better development of attention, concentration, memory and imagination
11 – Harmonization of personality and character
12 – Timely physical energy pipeline
13 – Better understanding and interaction with others
Resources and practice of yoga with children
Yoga classes associated physical and mental work. For children, the motivation is very important. Because of that, it is desirable that a yoga class are not more than 15 children gathered. Children must feel very comfortable. They should wear loose clothing, light, comfortable, and enable them to make any move in comfort. Classes should be ministered in a clean, quiet, ventilated, and quiet. You can use appropriate mats or rugs. And children can be barefoot or wearing socks feet of cotton.
Yoga can be practiced at any time of day, but the best time for morning practice. It is advisable to avoid eating solid food two hours before practice.
Yoga Breathing
Breathing is an integral part of yoga. The inhale and exhale through the nostrils is essential if the child can stretch and get the balance needed to start practicing the postures. Once the group control your breathing, the teacher will begin with the postures. The sense of the bids is from external bodies, go calming the internal organs. With children, the positions must be practicing them slowly. Ideally, at first, is to learn to breathe, relax, then focus. For children, yoga should be practiced as it were a game. Not be required to repeat a position again and again. That can become boring. You have to be changing positions and movements, slowly, and at a pace that small do not lose concentration. As already mentioned, morale and motivation are crucial in this regard. The respect, moderation, and a positive attitude and cheerful, too.