Yoga Anatomy

Notes

There are many approaches to working with this pose. Fundamentally, it is a great oppor-
tunity to observe the effects of the arms and legs on the spine.
Assuming the spine is in neutral extension or axial extension, then there is flexion in both
the shoulder joints and the hip joints and extension in the elbows and knees.
The latissimus dorsi often try to help in the action of the arms, but these muscles depress
and internally rotate the shoulders (the opposite of the desired action), which can create
an impingement at the acromion process.
The pronators are active in the forearms, but if rotation between the radius and ulna is
limited, this restriction can translate into overarticulation in the elbows or wrists, or internal
rotation of the arms at the shoulder joints—all common sites of injury for practitioners of
vinyasa styles of yoga that employ repetitive downward-facing dogs in sun salutations.
As in the foot and leg, the intrinsic action in the hand is essential for the integration of the
whole arm. Essentially, each hand must act as much like a foot as possible by maintaining its arch.

Breathing

From the perspective of the breath, this pose is an inversion. Because inversions naturally
move the diaphragm cranially, the exhaling action of the abdominal muscles can be quite
deep. If the lower abdominal action is maintained when initiating the inhalation (mula
bandha), the thoracic structures are encouraged to mobilize, which can be quite challeng-
ing in an arm support pose.

Muscular joint actions

Spine

To calibrate concentric and eccentric contractions to maintain neutral alignment of spine:

Spinal extensors and flexors

Upper limbs

Concentric contraction

To upwardly rotate and abduct scapula

on rib cage:

Serratus anterior

To stabilize shoulder joint:

Rotator cuff

To flex shoulder:

Deltoid, biceps brachii (long head)

To extend elbow:

Triceps brachii

To pronate forearm:

Pronator quadratus and teres

To maintain integrity of hand:

Intrinsic muscles of wrist and hand

Lower limbs

Concentric contraction Eccentric contraction

To internally rotate, adduct, and move femur

back in hip socket:

Adductor magnus

To extend knee:

Articularis genu, vastii

To maintain arches of foot without inhibiting

dorsiflexion of ankle:

Intrinsic muscles of foot

To prevent overarticulating in hip joint:

Hamstrings