The Key Poses of Yoga 3rd Edition PDF Scientific Keys Volume 2 Free Download

My first spiritual teacher, author and mystic Robert A. Johnson taught me to “look at what is.” He was speaking about life in general and his advice applies to the practice of Hatha yoga as well.
Throughout our first book in this series, -The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga” we illustrate the relationship between form and function for the bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. Similarly, looking at the form or shape of any given yoga pose reveals its unique function.
Individual joints have a number of specific muscles that create movement. Look at Figure 1 to see how activating the biceps and brachialis muscles flexes the elbow and lengthens the muscles that oppose this action—those at the back of the upper arm, the triceps.
Individual yoga poses have specific groups of muscles that work together to create the optimal form. I call these muscle groups the synergists of the pose. You can deepen and stabilize a pose by activating these muscles.
Look at Figure 2 to see this concept in action with the standing pose Prasarita Padottanasana. This image illustrates how contracting the muscles at the front of the thigh, hip and torso—the quadriceps, psoas and rectus abdominus—deepens the pose and stretches the opposing muscles at the back of the thigh, buttocks and along the spine. This is how combining the synergists in a yoga pose works to create the optimal functional benefit for the practitioner.