Yoga Anatomy

Notes

This pose is often described as a stretch for
the adductors or the muscles of the inner legs.
In fact, when the legs are wide apart and the
body is folded forward (hip adduction and
flexion), some muscles of the adductor group
are not lengthened at all, such as the pectineus
and the anterior fibers of the adductor longus
and brevis. This is because some adductors
are also flexors and are not at their greatest
length until the hip joints are adducted and
extended, as when standing upright with
the legs wide apart (if the pelvis isn’t tipping
forward, which would undo the hip extension
and is a common pattern).
When the stance is wide the feet need to be both strong and mobile in order to ground
through the outer feet without overmobilizing the outer ankles or collapsing the inner ankles.

Breathing

Wide-stance forward bend is probably the safest, most accessible inversion in all of yoga
practice. The more firmly the legs can create support while at the same time allowing the
pelvis to freely rotate forward at the hip joints, the more relaxed the torso and breathing
can be. This inversion provides mild traction and release to the spine while reversing the
usual action of the breath.
Hanging upside down, the diaphragm is pulled cranially by gravity, thus favoring the
exhalation and the venous return from the lower body. While inhaling, the diaphragm
pushes the weight of the abdominal organs caudally (toward the tail) against gravity while
at the same time mobilizing the costovertebral joints in the thoracic spine, which is being
tractioned open. All these altered muscular actions can help normalize circulation in both
muscles and organs that are constantly subjected to the usual stresses of upright weight
bearing.

Muscular joint actions

Spine

Passively lengthening

Spinal muscles

Lower limbs

Concentric contraction

Eccentric contraction

or passively lengthening

To extend knee:

Articularis genu, vastii

To maintain arches of foot without inhibiting

dorsiflexion of ankle:

Intrinsic muscles of foot

Hamstrings, especially medial hamstrings

(semitendinosus and semimembranosus),

adductor magnus and minimus,

gracilis

E5267/Kaminoff/fig6.33/417662/alw/pulled-r2

Tibialis anterior

Tibialis posterior

Flexor digitorum

longus

Flexor hallucis

longus

Extrinsic muscles of arch support,

medial ankle.

Prasarita Padottanasana (continued)