Yoga Anatomy

Muscular joint actions

Spine

Concentric contraction Eccentric contraction

To extend spine:
Spinal extensors
To rotate chest forward:
Internal oblique (front leg side); external
oblique (back leg side)

To prevent hyperextension at lumbar spine:

Psoas minor, abdominal muscles

To support weight of head as neck extends:

Rectus capitis, longus capitis and colli,

verticalis, scalenes

Upper limbs

Concentric contraction

To abduct and upwardly rotate scapula:
Serratus anterior
To supinate forearm:
Supinator

To stabilize and abduct shoulder joint:

Rotator cuff, biceps brachii (long head),

middle deltoid

Lower limbs

Front leg Back leg

Concentric
contraction

Eccentric

contraction

Concentric

contraction

Eccentric

contraction

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

To allow hip and

knee flexion and

ankle dorsiflexion

without collapsing

into gravity:

Gluteus maximus,

hamstrings at hip

joint, vastii, soleus,

intrinsic and extrin-

sic 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; pirifor-

mis, superior and

inferior gemellus

To extend hip:

Hamstrings at hip

joint, gluteus

medius (posterior

fibers), adductor

magnus, gluteus

maximus

To extend knee:

Articularis genu,

vastii

To maintain arches of

foot without inhib-

iting dorsiflexion

of ankle:

Intrinsic muscles of

foot

To allow outer ankle

to lengthen with-

out collapsing

inner knee or inner

foot:

Peroneals

(continued)