This document provides an overview of human anatomy and physiology as it relates to hatha yoga. It discusses the skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. For each system, it identifies the major organs and their functions. It also explains how understanding functional anatomy can help yoga students optimize their practice and avoid injuries by applying science to yoga through correct anatomical alignment in poses. Videos are included to supplement the anatomical explanations.

1. Anatomy & Physiology with Jason Mastrian
Objectives: apply science to Yoga:
:functional understanding of macro-anatomy:
:manageable number of key anatomic structures:
:break through blockages and avoid injuries:
:optimize your experience as student and teacher:

2. Important Elements of Body Structure in Hatha Yoga:
Elasticity / Resistance (Compression) Range Of Motion
Specific Muscles, Joints, Bones, & Connective Tissue
(PARTS, Local & Specific)
Architecture & Awareness (WHOLE Picture Overall ) Body , Mind, & Breath

3. •
Purposeful Movement Is Powerful Movement

4. Yoga Poses are like “Keys” that unlock our conscious awareness of the body Knowledge Of Functional Anatomy of Yoga reveals the mechanisms behind these processes

5. Yoga Instructors use anatomical body landmarks for directions and cues to get into the correct positions in the postures. Just like we use geographical landmarks to give directions to locate places in daily life.
The more we understand and educate our students about anatomy the greater they will understand correct precise alignment principles and the biomechanical function of the postures while enhancing their body awareness and overall experience.
Anatomy

6. How is Yoga different from weight lifting and fitness stretching?
Yoga concentrates on asanas that are whole body + mind and breath control and coordination. Focus is both internal and external. No elements are passive eg: even Savasana Pose the mind is actively focused on the process of breathing and relaxation. Non-competitive Process Oriented.
Weight Lifting & Fitness Stretching focus attention on one region of the body and are Competitive/ Goal Oriented and External …… touching toes, reaching finish line, lifting lbs.etc.

7. Integumentary System
(skin hair nails) Skin is the human body’s largest organ. Covering about 19 square feet, it accounts for 18% of our body weight.
What are some examples of the Integumentary System in Hatha Yoga?????

8. •
Skeletal System- made up of 206 bones, different shapes according to the task they perform. Main role of the skeletal system is to provide support for the body, to protect delicate internal organs and to provide attachment sites for the organs.
•You're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206. (They fuse together such as the parietal, occipital of the skull.)
•The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. The 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body
•The human hand has 27 bones and 35 muscles.
Major Organs: bones, cartilage, tendons and ligaments

9. Bone Linkage  Types Of Joints
Ball & Socket (moves in all directions hip & shoulder)
Hinge (moves chiefly in 1 plane: elbow, ankle, knee (hybrid)
Pivot (pointed or rounded process of 1 bone fits into a ring structure. Rotation: atlas/axis=skull Cervical 1,C2)
Gliding(flat limited movement eg; Scapula/clavicle intertarsal/intercarpal)
Ellipsoid (oval shaped movement in 2 planes eg.radius-carpals wrist)
Saddle-(both surfaces saddle shaped-mvt. In 2 planes, thumb)

14. Posterior Pelvis

19. Spondylolisthesis
Lumbar Vertebral Slippage

20. Identify & Discuss Key Skeletal & Structure & Actions For the Following Postures

21. Identify & Discuss Key Skeletal Bones Structures & Actions for the Following Postures

22. Muscular System-The main role of the muscular system is to provide movement. Muscles work in pairs to move limbs and provide the organism with mobility. Muscles also control the movement of materials through some organs, such as the stomach and intestine, and the heart and circulatory system
There are over 650 muscles in your body. A smile uses 17 muscles & a frown uses 43.
Main Organs:
Skeletal muscles and smooth muscles throughout the body.

23. Tendons-attach muscles to bones Ligaments attach bones to bones
Fascia is the slightly elastic tissue that both supports and gives shape to a muscle and provides connection and continuity between muscles. Fascia holds muscles and muscle groups together. After injury fascia can be adhered to surrounding tissues and limit muscle function and movement.
Bursa-sacs of connective tissue secrete synovial fluid to reduce friction of tissue.

26. Muscles From The Front (Anterior) & The Back (Posterior)

27. Identify Muscles From The Front : Page 204,210
Biceps: pages 170, 91-95, 108,134
Pectorals: pages 134-142, 152
Abdominals: pages 110-112, 114,115, 138-145
Quadriceps: pages 56-85
Adductors: pages 66,72,76,82,88,156 161

28. Biceps & Pectoralis

31. Transverse Abdominus (Deepest Layer)
Rectus Abdominals “6 pack” Outer Layer
External Obliques
Abdominals

33. Adductor Muscles

34. Quadriceps

35. •
Identify Muscles From The Back: Pages 205,206,211
Hamstrings: Pages 58,59,70,80,89,101,109,
Deltoids: Pages 49,63,65,67, 150,
Trapezius: 61,65,70,73,74,80,84, 109,133,134,141,149-152
Triceps: 49,61-69, 72-79, 103, 135-159
Gluteus Maximus- 60,63-84,97,101,109,123,133-143,149-153,175

37. (Bend Knees in Forward Bends if hamstrings are tight)
Hamstrings (made of 3 muscles):

38. Origin of a muscle is the bone, typically proximal, greater mass and is more stable during a contraction than a muscle's insertion Insertion is a bone which tends to be distal, has less mass, and has greater motion than the origin during a contraction.

39. Deltoids

40. Trapezuis

41. Triceps

43. Nervous System (made of trillions of cells, most complex system)
The nervous system is a network of specialized cells that communicate information about an organism's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body. The nervous system directs behavior and movement and, along with the endocrine system, controls physiological processes such as digestion, circulation, etc.
Major Organs: Brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves

44. Nervous System
Central N.S. Peripheral N.S.
Spinal Cord & Brain
(Housed “In Bone” Skull & Spine)
Autonomic N.S. Somatic N.S.
Afferent Efferent
Nerves Nerves
Sympathetic N.S Parasympathetic N.S.
(motor)
(sensory)

45. Autonomic Nervous System- controls involuntary actions
Fight / Flight STRESS
Rest / Digest

46. (Afferent) fibers bring in information from every receptor.
The motor (efferent) fibers carry instructions to every muscle
Somatic Nervous System - control voluntary actions

47. Yoga & The Nervous System
“Bundles of fibers together form the large nerves, which are stretched and purified by yoga asanas. By clearing toxins from the tissues, the asanas benefit neurotransmissions at the fine nerve endings, and at synapses between nerves. Yoga has been shown to stabilize the response of the nervous system to stress, removing the constant muscular tension produced by the repeated alerts from the central nervous system, and calming the involuntary symptoms of threat - racing heart, sweating, anxiety roused by the sympathetic nervous system.” www.abc-0f-yoga.com

48. The main role of the Endocrine System is to relay chemical messages through the body. In conjunction with the nervous system, these chemical messages help control physiological processes such as nutrient absorption, growth, etc.
Many glands exist in the body that secrete endocrine hormones. Among these are the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas and adrenal glands.

49. Hypothalamus- assists with metabolic functions & secretes neuro-hormones
Pituitary gland- responsible for producing the hormone that regulates growth - is only the size of a pea and weighs little more than a small paper clip.
Parathyroid-maintains calcium level
Thyroid- plays an important role in regulating the body's metabolism and calcium balance.
Thymus gland- produces T-cells that assist immune system.
Adrenal gland- secretes hormones that have an effect on the body's metabolism, on chemicals in the blood, and on certain body characteristics. Secretes hormones to deal with physical & emotional stress.
Pancreas- digestive and hormonal functions: secretes insulin which regulates blood sugar

50. Approximately 20% of the blood flowing from the heart is pumped to the brain. The brain needs constant blood flow in order to keep up with the heavy metabolic demands of the neurons. Brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) rely on this relationship between neural activity and blood flow to produce images of deduced brain activity
Sixty thousand miles of vessels carry blood to every part of your body
An average heart pumps about 2.4 ounces (70 milliliters) of blood per beat of heart. If 72 beats occur per minute, then about 1.3 gallons (5 Liters) of blood is pumped per minute. And about 1,900 gallons (7,200 Liters) of blood is pumped per day. This adds up to almost 700,000 gallons (2,628,000 Liters) of blood per year and about 48 million gallons (184,086,000 liters) by a life span of 70 years.

51. Blood clots are the clumps that occur when the blood hardens from a liquid to a solid (coagulates). NEVER MASSAGE CLOTS
1.
Varicose veins are stretched, enlarged and twisted veins whose valves do not work properly. The Arizona Heart Institute & Foundation reports that women are three times more likely to develop them than men, and people whose jobs require them to stand for long amounts of time often develop them.

52. •
Arteries fresh oxygenated blood from heart,
•
Veins carry C02 laden blood back to the heart
•
Inversions: reverse the effect of gravity, resting the vein valves and vein walls.

53. The main role of the Lymphatic (immune) system is to destroy and remove invading microbes and viruses from the body.
Major Organs: Lymph, lymph nodes and vessels, white blood cells, T- and B- cells, also removes fat and excess fluids from the blood.

54. The main role of the respiratory system is to provide gas exchange between the blood and the environment. Primarily, oxygen is absorbed from the atmosphere into the body and carbon dioxide is expelled from the body
Major Organs: Nose, Lungs, Trachea

55. The nose cleans, warms, and humidifies over 500 cubic feet of air every day
The right lung takes in more air than the left.
Although the brain accounts for only 2% of the whole body's mass, it uses 20% of all the oxygen we breathe. A continuous supply of oxygen is necessary for survival. A loss of oxygen for 10 minutes can result in significant neural damage.
Why Do We Breathe Through The Nose in YOGA??????

56. The main role of the digestive system is to breakdown and absorb nutrients that are necessary for growth and maintenance
Major Organs: Mouth, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines.
Path of digestion in large intestine: Ascending colon on right side - Transverse moves across  Descending on left side (wind relief pose= start on right side to stimulate digestion)

57. Urinary System-Kidneys-remove wastes, water and salts.
Backbends provide a gentle squeeze for kidneys

58. Reproductive System -Pregnancy avoid certain postures, 1st trimester use caution. Stay off abdomen (cobra, locust etc.)

59. Videos
Lumbar spine: http://www.spine-health.com/video/lumbar-spine-anatomy-video
Degenerative Disc Disease: http://www.spine-health.com/video/degenerative-disc- disease-interactive-video
Sciatic Nerve: http://www.spine-health.com/video/sciatic-nerve-anatomy-video
Piriformis Syndrome: http://www.spine-health.com/video/piriformis-syndrome-video
Scoliosis: http://www.spine-health.com/video/scoliosis-video-what-scoliosis
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Lumbar muscle strain: http://www.spine-health.com/video/lower-back-strain-video
Anatomic Pose Viewer: http://www.bandhayoga.com/flyarounds.html
Trapezius Muscle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbfv3eZeb1Q