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Preventative Strategies for Lower Back Strains in Yoga: Part Two
In our last post we focused on the benefits of engaging the quadriceps in forward bends. These include reciprocal inhibition of the hamstrings and the contribution of one head of the quadriceps, the...
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"Easing in" to Chaturanga Dandasana
In our last post we focused on the hip abductors and adductors and how they can be used to stabilize the pelvis and synergize flexing the hips in forward bends. In this post we zoom out and look at a...
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Hanumanasana—Front Splits
To paraphrase the poet William Blake, you can see the world in a grain of sand. Similarly, you can learn a great deal about all asanas by carefully studying one. For this blog post, I focus on...
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Lengthening the Torso in Forward Bends
In “Preventative Strategies for Lower Back Strains Part I,” we discussed femoral-pelvic and lumbar-pelvic rhythm, muscles that influence these rhythms, and the effects of these muscles on the lumbar...
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Degenerative Disc Disease, The Sushumna Nadi and Yoga
“A sword by itself rules nothing. It only comes alive in skilled hands.” Sir Te to Governor Yu in the martial arts classic, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.Many myths, legends, and historians hold that...
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Connecting To Your Feet In Yoga
Greetings Friends, Welcome back to The Daily Bandha. I’m just now returning to the blogosphere after completing an intensive year of study in Sports Medicine and will be sharing with you some of the...
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Plantar Fasciitis, Myofascial Connections and Yoga
The therapeutic benefits of Hatha yoga arise from whole body energetic balancing combined with distinct biomechanical adjustments. We gave an example of this in our last blog post, where we looked at...
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Refining Your Forward Bends With The TFL
"God is in the Details"--Ludwig Mies van der RoheAttention to detail integrates mindfulness meditation into your Hatha yoga practice, enhancing the benefits. This blog post illustrates a detailed tip...
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Improving Stability in One Legged Standing Poses
Practicing yoga benefits our activities of daily living. We breathe easier, sit more comfortably and feel stable and strong when standing and walking. For this post, we’ll focus on the muscles that are...
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The Piriformis Muscle and Yoga: Part I
If a picture's worth a thousand words, then what is an animated video worth? In this blog post we look beneath the skin to see what happens with the piriformis muscle in Reverse Pigeon Pose and provide...
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Protecting Your Knee in Pigeon Pose
Working with the muscular stabilizers surrounding the individual joints is a central tenet of both injury prevention and rehabilitation. In this blog post we illustrate how to work with myofascial...
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Visualization, Biomechanics and Yoga: The Popliteus Muscle
Techniques of visualizing are employed in many disciplines. Elite athletes, from NFL quarterbacks to champion racing car drivers often integrate visualization into their training regimens. A racer will...
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Sankalpa, Visualization and Yoga: The Diaphragm-Psoas Connection
The Sanskrit word “Sankalpa” has been interpreted to mean a “resolution” or “intention”, usually in association with the practice of Yoga Nidra. According to Swami Saraswati, “sankalpa has the...
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Preventing Yoga Injuries vs Preventing Yoga, Part I: The Hip Labrum
I’m thinking the ancients were onto something. Meaning this (possibly) 5,000 year old art that so many of us enjoy practicing and teaching. I’m talking about the tradition of Hatha yoga. The one that...
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Preventing Yoga Injuries vs Preventing Yoga, Part II: Joint Hypermobility
In this post we discuss labral tears and the condition of joint hypermobility. I also present the case of a specific injury from yoga practice, its biomechanical basis and the steps that can be taken...
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Preventing Yoga Injuries vs Preventing Yoga, Part III: Joint Mobility,...
A central concept in all healing arts is that of correcting imbalances within the body. The principle of re-establishing balance can be found across all cultures from Navajo sand paintings, Ayurveda,...
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Healing with Yoga: Piriformis Syndrome
Years ago I developed sciatica as a consequence of a martial arts injury. I had seen a number of doctors who finally diagnosed it as an entrapment syndrome involving the piriformis muscle and the...
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Refining the Pelvis in Warrior I
Yoga often happens in millimeters. This means that relatively small adjustments can produce some of the most important openings and energetic shifts. In this blog post, I describe a cue to refine the...
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Anatomic Sequencing: Revolved Half Moon Pose
This blog post continues the theme of balancing the pelvis in yoga asanas. Our last post focused on using the adductor magnus to turn the pelvis in Warrior I; this post zooms in on the hip abductors...
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The Gastrocnemius/Soleus Complex in Yoga
Big Thanks to everyone for your comments on Facebook for our “Muscle of the Week: The Soleus.” In this blog post we take a look at this muscle, its connection to the gastrocnemius and its relationship...
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