Foundations in Yoga Anatomy:2 Muscle Physiology and Function

Examine connective tissue and its protective roles, including joint stabilization, organ support, and blood transport within the extracellular matrix. See how collagen, ground substance, and fascia shape function.

Visualize how superficial fascia anchors the skin and how deep fascia surrounds muscle, tracing the epidermis to epimysium and endomysium with an orange demonstration.

Explore how skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles differ and how endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium organize tissue, including sliding filament theory and the neuromuscular junction.

Explore how muscle origin, insertion, action, and nerve supply shape yoga teaching, cover slow and fast twitch fibers and phasuk versus tonic muscles, and show pelvis tilt and pose variation.

Explore the origin and insertion of the hamstrings and how pelvis and knee position influence engagement in staff and half-split poses.

Apply progressive loading to yoga practice to build strength and resilience through the just right challenge, balancing frequency, intensity, time, type, and rest to avoid under loading or overloading.

Explore progressive loading in yoga, moving from lower to higher load poses using props, walls, and variations like chair pose, planks, and single-leg work to build strength safely.

Explore the five forms of stretching in yoga—active static, passive static, active dynamic, passive dynamic, and ballistic—plus isometric and resistance techniques to optimize mobility, strength, and nervous system balance.

explores four forms of stretching in yoga practice—active static, active dynamic, passive static, and passive dynamic—to help students tailor their practice to what they need.

Identify and apply concentric, eccentric, and isometric muscle contractions within isotonic and isometric movements in yoga, using examples like hamstrings and boat pose to understand control, lengthening, and holding.

Explore concentric, eccentric, and isometric muscle contractions through leg, core, and arm demonstrations, including hamstrings in a lunge, boat pose, and triceps work.

Explore core movement terms—strength, stability, flexibility, mobility, and endurance—and learn how internal versus external effort shapes active and passive range of motion.

Explore active, passive, and active assisted range of motion, and learn how gravity, neuromuscular control, and place-and-hold techniques expand mobility and prevent injury.

Explore active, passive, and active assisted range of motion with gravity, using wall and doorway drills to improve shoulder flexion, neck flexors, and hip flexors through place-and-hold and eccentric control.

Explore anti rotation concepts in yoga by contrasting movement and stabilization, including anti rotation in the thoracic spine, anti extension in planks, and gravity resistance pelvis control.

Discover how muscles work as a team: agonists, antagonists, synergists, and stabilizers coordinate movement and proximal stability through open and closed kinetic chains and girdles.

Explore tension as a functional force in the body, using ten segretti to understand how stable, integrated movement relies on healthy, balanced tension.

Learn how functional movement in yoga enhances daily movement, energy flow, and joint function for a sustainable practice, while clarifying your why and avoiding dogmatic goals.

Explore practical yoga movements that translate to daily life, including chair pose, deep squat, golfers lift, forward fold, getting on and off the floor, weight shifting, and dynamic balance.

Recognize that yoga is not perfect; address gaps with smarter movement, balance, and targeted strengthening to prevent injuries, while embracing yoga’s strengths in barefoot movement, breath, balance, and community.

Fill in yoga's gaps by integrating cardiovascular challenges, pulling movements, wrist and grip strength work, and posterior chain training to create a balanced practice.

Discover motor learning principles for yoga teaching, from cognitive to autonomous stages, and apply anatomy study tips using visual, kinesthetic, and body-based techniques with feedback and modeling.

Build a foundation in anatomy by mastering muscle and connective tissue terminology, then learn muscle names, locations, and functions to apply to your yoga practice and meet students' needs.