Principles of Anatomy

The basis for all of my practice, whether as a student or teacher, resonates around eight principles of movement. Found in the fields of body mechanics, movement science, physiology, and anatomy, when you understand these principles and couple them with your knowledge of muscle function and movement, your practice as a teacher or student changes - you'll be more aware, you'll be able "to see" more clearly, your ability to communicate what you see will improve.

Let's take a look:

Do not think of these eight principles as a linear list where you begin with one and continue with the next. Rather, each impacts and is impacted by the rest - much like the connectedness of an eight-point star, or a series of 8 conjoining circles.

1. Nourish relaxation. Relaxation is a time for coming into yourself, of getting in touch with how you were with your day and how your day was with you. It enables you to tap into your flow and to set a baseline from which you can work - careful to not get ahead of yourself while staying diligent to unwinding muscle and fascia, tapping into and connecting to who and what you are.

2. Begin with the spine in mind. The spine is the central hub from which all movement occurs. A collection of bones, muscles, fascia, blood, lymph, and nerve vessels, the spine is where it all begins. A tight spine will impact shoulder and hip range of motion; it will impact your ability to twist, bend, and move upside down. And, if the superficial spinal muscles are tight and short, and the deeper spinal muscles are weak, you may feel a mishmash of symptoms, limitations, pulls, and twangs in your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and/or knees.

3. Connect spinal movement with movement at your largest joints first. When you connect to the largest joints (specifically the shoulders and hips), you are facilitating pure motion in the joints with the greatest ranges of motion. Foster that, and your yoga asanas will truly unravel, unwind, and facilitate healing on profound levels.

4. Move joints in their optimum range of motion. This is where you get to choose. What is optimal for you? Do you have osteoarthritis or bursitis? Does one joint move smoothly and easily through its range of motion . . . until there is just a bit of warmth or pain? Find the degree of motion where you are feeling at ease, you can breath, the joint is moving in the direction it was designed to move in, and you feel no pain.

5. Develop core stability: Boost up your bandhas and breathe. Core stability is the "Steady Eddy" of our practices. It keeps us solid, unwavering, fluid; able to respond to the twists and turns, the increases and decreases in tempo and rhythm. The result - we stand taller; we breathe easier; and our backs, hips, and knees feel so much better.

6. Adopt relaxed resilience. This is where depth is developed. Relaxation occurs in layers, beginning with breath and continuing with awareness. Layer by layer, the deeper you go. Imagine this: You are halfway through a class, and you are feeling tired or distracted. Reconnect to where your breath is. Try not to change it - just reconnect with it and practice there. See what happens.

7. Be generous with yourself: Move in your pain-free range of motion. Ahh . . . the loaded word pain. What it means to one person could mean something entirely different to another. For clarity, consider a spectrum of pain: Good pain consists of muscle fatigue, the point at which the muscle fibers can no longer contract. The nerve fibers keep sending stimulating signals, but the muscles aren't responding, either because their energy reserves are exhausted or there is a buildup of lactic acid. On the other side of the spectrum is the bad pain that sears, strains, rips, and tears. It is the pain that causes your brow to furrow, your teeth to clench, your breath to be held, and your body to reverberate with tension.

8. Less is more: Develop strength, stability, mobility, and flexibility in the simple yoga asanas before moving into the complex yoga asanas. Start small, take baby steps, and bite off no more than you can chew. Simple yoga asanas use fewer joint motions. Dandasana is simpler than Marichyasana. Tadasana is simpler than Virabhadrasana 3. These simple asanas - Dandasana and Tadasana -have the same thing happening left and right. Marichyasana spices it up by adding hip flexion on one side and a spinal twist. Virabhadrasana 3 adds hip motion on one side and a shift in relation to gravity. The interesting thing about simple versus complex asanas is that simple asanas aren't always easier. Many people like Marichyasana because Dandasana can be so challenging to stay in.

Happy exploring,

Susi

Happy New Year! It's not a cliche. Be happy!

You made it to a New Year. Isn't that exciting? You have the freedom to do what you want to do!

Check out Iffet Cochran's blog at http://iffetsyoga.blogspot.com She's a fellow RYT with a heart and practice of gold. Check it out.

I just returned from a week of study at Jivamukti Yoga Center in NYC. Sharon Gannon and David Life will be coming to South Carolina to bless a new Jivamukti Center there in February. Yes, I will be going to that three day workshop. Details at http://jivamuktiyogasc.com This is an event that should not be missed. I mean that.

Mark your calendars for Yoga Day 2008, Saturday, January 26, 1:30pm American Family Fitness Southside location. Jay Miles, Ann Marie Lewis, and I will team teach the 3 hour event. Be there ready to enjoy vinyasa together!

Other than that, you will continue to hear from me on the blog from time to time. Slots are filling quickly for the Grace Yoga 200 hour Teacher Training Program which will launch in June. Grace Yoga will also sponsor a gentle yoga retreat at Wintergreen Resort in June. Details on both are on the Grace Yoga website http://mygraceyoga.com

2008 is going to be busy, with good stuff. So keep checking in to find out what's going on!

Arlene