Myofascial Yoga: A movement and yoga therapists guide to asana

The knee is a secondary curve in the body because it is held in place by the muscles above and below unlike primary curves which are defined by the bone, such as the ankle. I encourage a soft knee, not hyperextended backward, and not a deep bend.

“Fascia is gaining popularity as a term for all the structural connective tissues and the various substances that they produce to hold us together as a being on this planet. It is made mostly of various types of collagen protein, a pliable fiber stronger than steel. These fibers are imbedded in a mucousy colloidal gel - somewhere between silicone a

I cue through starting with Tadasana and have my clients lift their internal arches while rooting through the triad in the feet. Then, begin yin breathing with an inhale up the insides of the legs, drawing the breath up the front of the spine to the top of the head, then exhaling down the SBL.

As later research shows, that passive stretching of a myofascial tissue does not stimulate the Golgi tendon organs. Stimulation happens when the muscle fibers are actively contracted. For example, when a client takes seated forward fold and their toes and legs are relaxed they are in a passive mode, thus the Golgi tendon organs are not stimulated.

Cueing in forward folds should maintain the fluidity and strength of the back and front body. Folding with a flat rigid back is not anatomically correct. We have the opportunity to invite fluidity of movement and not rigidity. The spine is stabilized by the deep front line (DFL) through the iliacus, psoas major, psoas minor and quadratus lumborum—w

When we inhale and expand our bellies, the diaphragm flattens and everything that is attached to it heads south toward the pelvic floor. With each exhale; as we draw our navels back, the diaphragm goes back to a neutral dome position.

There is a beautiful piece of fascia that forms a band around the ankle—the retinaculum. The retinaculum keeps all the muscles from just flying off of the leg! Of course, it can also prevent the slide and glide needed if it is bound down too tight.

Any work that offers a release to the infrahyoids, scalenes and longus colli/capitis will offer a profound release of the DFL. We literally hang from our heads—imagine a fascial wedding dress that drapes downward. When we adjust how we hang from our heads, the shoulders soften downwards and connect with a smoother line to the sacrum and pelvis. Thi

If you choose a more rigid, locked down pelvic floor, the result is less breath capacity and hypertonicity of the pelvic floor muscles! Nicole Crawford, MS in Biomechanics states that “a Kegel attempts to strengthen the pelvic floor, but it really only continues to pull the sacrum inward promoting even more weakness, and more pelvic floor gripping.