Yoga Anatomy

Skeletal joint actions

Spine Upper limbs Lower limbs

Standing legLifted leg

Neutral spine,
level pelvis

Slight shoulder flexion and

adduction; elbow flex-

ion; forearm pronation;

wrist, hand, and finger

extension

Neutral hip exten-

sion, neutral knee

extension

Hip flexion, exter-

nal rotation, and

abduction; knee

flexion; ankle

dorsiflexion

Muscular joint actions

Spine

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

Lower limbs

Standing leg Lifted leg

Concentric
contraction

Eccentric

contraction

Concentric

contraction

Passively

lengthening

To keep knee in neu-
tral extension and
balance on single
leg:
Articularis genu,
quadriceps, ham-
strings, intrinsic
and extrinsic mus-
cles of foot and
lower leg

To allow lateral shift

of pelvis over

standing foot for

balance and to

keep pelvis level:

Gluteus medius and

minimus, pirifor-

mis, obturator

internus, superior

and inferior gemel-

lus, tensor fasciae

latae

To flex hip:

Iliacus, psoas major

To externally rotate

leg and open it to

side:

Gluteus maximus,

gluteus medius and

minimus (posterior

fibers), piriformis,

obturator inter-

nus and externus,

superior and in-

ferior gemellus,

quadratus femoris

To press foot into

standing leg:

Adductor magnus

and minimus

Pectineus, adductor

longus and brevis,

gracilis

(continued)