Yoga Anatomy Articles


I love getting your questions and answering them on video. It helps me understand what you’re interested in. Below you’ll find all of the questions I’ve answered on video so far. Submit your own questions.

The yoga anatomy articles are organized into categories such as,  Injuries PosturesYour Questions Yoga Anatomy Yoga Injuries Research , Ashtanga Yoga Research , and even  Yoga Adjustments.


They are also broken down more specifically by muscles, bandhas, breathing, sit bone pain, shoulders, psoas, and knee pain.

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Featured image for “What Is Happening Anatomically In Eka Pada Galavasana?”

What Is Happening Anatomically In Eka Pada Galavasana?

The back leg often doesn’t straighten in eka pada galavasana because of the position that the pelvis is in when…
Featured image for “How Do You Backbend Without Pinching The Lumbar Spine?”

How Do You Backbend Without Pinching The Lumbar Spine?

My technique for doing a backbend without pinching the lumbar spine is to stretch the hip flexors right before backbending.…
Featured image for “What Muscles Do You Use To Move In And Out Of Utkatasana Or A Squat?”

What Muscles Do You Use To Move In And Out Of Utkatasana Or A Squat?

The quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals contract in different ways to help you move into and out of utkatasana or a…
Featured image for “Is Headstand Really Safe?”

Is Headstand Really Safe?

Headstand is a relatively safe posture if you don’t have pre-existing medical conditions that would make headstand contraindicated, and you…
Featured image for “Why Do I Have Knee Pain In Bhujapidasana?”

Why Do I Have Knee Pain In Bhujapidasana?

Knee pain in bhujapidasana can happen for many reasons. Do some testing in the pose to determine how to best…
Featured image for “How Do You Create Balance Between Both Sides Of The Body?”

How Do You Create Balance Between Both Sides Of The Body?

To support balance between both sides of the body, do your best to move both sides equally. When injured, modify…
Featured image for “Why Do My Shoulder Blades Stick Out In Headstand?”

Why Do My Shoulder Blades Stick Out In Headstand?

Engaging serratus anterior is the key to keeping your shoulder blades in a neutral position in your headstand.…
Featured image for “Are My Arms Too Short To Bind Marichyasana D And Supta Kurmasana?”

Are My Arms Too Short To Bind Marichyasana D And Supta Kurmasana?

Using the right techniques can help alleviate that feeling that your arms are too short to bind poses like Marichyasana…
Featured image for “How Can I Work On Forward Bending When I Am Very Tight?”

How Can I Work On Forward Bending When I Am Very Tight?

Increasing your flexibility in forward bending in yoga when you are very tight takes practice, done consistently for a long…
Featured image for “How Do I Balance Opening My Hips In Yoga With Stability For Running?”

How Do I Balance Opening My Hips In Yoga With Stability For Running?

Opening the hips in yoga for poses like lotus can be in conflict with creating stability for activities like running.…
Featured image for “How Should We Position The Hands For Arm Balances?”

How Should We Position The Hands For Arm Balances?

The exact position of the hands in arm balances matters less than whether you’re engaging serratus anterior to stabilize the…
Featured image for “Why Do My Elbows Come Up In Headstand?”

Why Do My Elbows Come Up In Headstand?

Proportions, technique, and lack of engagement with serratus anterior can all lead to having the elbows come up in headstand.…
Featured image for “Do Yoga Practitioners Get More Injuries In Cold Climates?”

Do Yoga Practitioners Get More Injuries In Cold Climates?

Perhaps surprisingly, there is no correlation between greater yoga injuries when practicing yoga in cold climates.…
Featured image for “How Do I Work With Hip Impingement In Yoga?”

How Do I Work With Hip Impingement In Yoga?

Before working with a hip impingement in yoga, find out whether you have an existing bony deformity or tight muscles…
Featured image for “Can I Learn How To Do Dropbacks On A Wall?”

Can I Learn How To Do Dropbacks On A Wall?

Learning dropbacks on a wall is not ideal for the long term. You can form habits that won’t serve you…
Featured image for “Why Can’t I Bind Supta Kurmasana And Pasasana?”

Why Can’t I Bind Supta Kurmasana And Pasasana?

Proportions, flexibility of shoulders for internal rotation, and the amount of hip flexion you have will all affect how easy…
Featured image for “Why Do I Feel Unstable In Revolved Side Angle?”

Why Do I Feel Unstable In Revolved Side Angle?

One reason for feeling unstable in revolved side angle is setting up with the feet too close together and the…
Featured image for “What Is Restricting My Ability To Squat In Yoga Poses Like Malasana?”

What Is Restricting My Ability To Squat In Yoga Poses Like Malasana?

The ability to squat in yoga poses like malasana could be restricted for various reasons including tight Achilles tendons and…
Featured image for “Why Do My Muscles Shake In Some Yoga Poses?”

Why Do My Muscles Shake In Some Yoga Poses?

Muscles can shake in yoga when many individual muscle cells use up their ATP before other muscle cells are refueled…
Featured image for “Practicing Yoga With Hyperextended Elbows”

Practicing Yoga With Hyperextended Elbows

Some shoulder pain could be related to practicing yoga with hyperextended elbows since the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder make…
Featured image for “Why Is My Spine Popping After Deep Flexion In Yoga?”

Why Is My Spine Popping After Deep Flexion In Yoga?

A likely reason that your spine is popping during flexion or twisting is that the synovial fluid in the intervertebral…