Yoga and Anatomy

I had most enlightening experience yesterday as we studied anatomy in our yoga class. It appears that there are two key inhibitors to poses that are very revealing. These are compression and tension.

Compression describes where two bones come together in the context of a posture, and create a physical limit to movement. Tension describes where a muscle, tendon, or tissue grouping is tight and restrains further movement into a posture. While compression doesn't have a rememdy, tightness can be addressed by moving more deeply, and carefully, into a posture over time.

Consideration of compression versus tension as limiting factors in a posture is most enabling from both a personal and from a teaching level. While there are some movements that can be made by the body which will demonstrate compression in a manner which is visible (e.g. raising the arm forward, and watching for the shoulder rotation) there are many occasions where there is verbal feedback required. A student can tell you where they feel the posture, and this will describe whether there is compression or tension.

Interestingly, the downward facing dog is a pose where most joints are involved and provides one general posture to discover compression in joints, and for tension in the hamstrings. I learned that it is hamstring tension in my down dog that is the limiting factor in this pose for me. When a teacher wants the heels on the floor, my hamstrings hold me back. It's not compression in my ankles because I can do a squat with completely flat feet.