Yoga Anatomy

Muscular joint actions

Spine

Alternating concentric

and eccentric

contractions Concentric contraction Eccentric contraction

To maintain neutral

alignment of spine:

Spinal extensors and flexors

To resist top hip twisting forward:

External oblique (top side); internal

oblique (bottom side)

To turn head upward:

Splenius capitis (top side); sterno-

cleidomastoid (bottom side)

To resist hip dropping to floor:

Quadratus lumborum (bottom side)

To resist hip falling back:

Internal oblique (top

side); external oblique

(bottom side)

Upper limbs

Concentric contraction

To maintain scapula position on rib cage:

Serratus anterior

To stabilize and protect shoulder joint:

Rotator cuff

To abduct shoulder:

Deltoid

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

To maintain neutral hip extension

and adduction:

Hamstrings, adductor magnus, gluteus

maximus

To extend knee:

Articularis genu, vastii

To create dorsiflexion:

Tibialis anterior

To evert foot:

Intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles

Skeletal joint actions

Spine Upper limbs Lower limbs

Bottom armTop arm

Neutral spineNeutral scapula,

shoulder

abduction,

elbow exten-

sion

Forearm prona-

tion, wrist

dorsiflexion

Forearm and

wrist neutral

Hip neutral

extension and

adduction,

knee exten-

sion, ankle

dorsiflexion

Vasisthasana (continued)