Yoga Anatomy

Muscular joint actions

Spine

Concentric contraction Eccentric contraction

To rotate spine toward front leg:
Erector spinae, internal oblique (front leg
side); transversospinalis, rotatores, external
oblique (back leg side)
To resist flexion caused by action of arms:
Spinal extensors

To balance rotation around axis:

Transversospinalis, rotatores, external oblique

(front leg side); erector spinae, internal

oblique (back leg side)

Upper limbs

Concentric contraction

Eccentric contraction

or passively lengthening

To stabilize humeral head:
Rotator cuff
To internally rotate shoulder and prevent
protraction:
Subscapularis, anterior deltoid
To extend arm back:
Teres major, posterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi
To extend shoulder and elbow:
Triceps brachii
To grasp:
Flexors of fingers and hand

Upper trapezius, pectoralis major and minor,

serratus anterior, coracobrachialis

Lower limbs

Front leg Back leg

Concentric
contraction

Eccentric

contraction

Concentric

contraction

Passively

lengthening

To resist tendency
to widen knee
(abduct at hip):
Gracilis, adduc-
tor longus and
brevis

To allow hip and knee

flexion and ankle dor-

siflexion without col-

lapsing into gravity:

Gluteus maximus, ham-

strings at hip joint,

vastii, soleus, intrinsic

and extrinsic muscles

of foot

To level and center

pelvis over feet and to

maintain balance side

to side (the narrower

the stance, the more

active and long these

muscles need to be):

Gluteus medius and

minimus, piriformis,

superior and inferior

gemellus

To extend hip:

Hamstrings at hip joint,

gluteus medius (pos-

terior fibers), adduc-

tor magnus, gluteus

maximus

To extend knee:

Articularis genu, vastii

Soleus, gastrocne-

mius

(continued)