Product Description

See inside every yoga pose! With clear, expert instruction and full-color, detailed anatomical drawings, Yoga Anatomy depicts the most common asanas to provide a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself. From breathing to standing poses, see how each muscle is used, how slight alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness, and how the spine, breathing, and body position are all fundamentally linked. Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been practicing yoga for years, Yoga Anatomy will be an invaluable resource one that allows you to see each movement in an entirely new light. Author Leslie Kaminoff is a recognized expert and teacher in anatomy, breathing, and bodywork. He is the founder of The Breathing Project, New York City s premiere yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga practice and therapy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2877 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .39" h x .39" w x .39" l, 1.43 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

About the Author
Leslie Kaminoff has more than 20 years of experience and is an internationally recognized specialist in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy. He is cofounder and head instructor of the Breathing Project, a New York City-based yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga practice and therapy. He currently practices yoga therapy and teaches anatomy in New York City and Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and advises various yoga schools on the anatomy content of their national certification program. He has led workshops for many of the leading yoga associations, schools, and training programs in the United States, and he has helped organize international yoga conferences and symposia. Kaminoff is the founder of the highly respected international yoga list e-Sutra, and he has been a featured yoga expert in Yoga Journal and the New York Times, as well as online at WebMD, FOXNews Online, and Health.com.

Customer Reviews

See "Inside" Your Yoga Poses
Yoga Anatomy is a book that gives the reader a look inside the human body as it is put in various yoga positions.

Chapter 1 covers the dynamics of breathing and actually covers some breathing physiology as well. Chapter 2 talks about the spine and gives some pretty detailed spinal information. Chapter 3 is short and covers the asanas.

The rest of the book, Chapters 4 through 9, make up the "meat" of the book and contains most of the anatomy information most readers probably bought the book for- what muscles are used in what poses. The way the book gives you the information is quite handy- it has a section on standing poses, sitting poses, kneeling poses, on-your-stomach poses, on-your-back poses, and arm supported poses. Sooo, all you have to do is pick a position/pose, and there you'll find pictures of what muscles are involved (and let me say, they show you some great angles of the poses to make sure the reader can see ALL the muscles that are involved). In addition to learing what muscles are involved, the book also tells you what joint actions are involved, as well as what body parts are working AND which ones are lengthening- neat!

A great reference book, its simply perfect for the yoga enthusiast that has become acquainted over time with muscles they never knew they had- but will now after reading this book! Also recommend The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution if plantar fasciitis pain keeps you from doing your yoga.

Yoga Anatomy
I guess I'm one of those people that likes to understand the how and why of everything I do. Therefore, whenever I workout, I find myself wondering about the purpose of each particular exercise. Am I actually working, strengthen, or stretching my muscles in a way that is beneficial to my body or am I just wasting my time? Am I doing the exercises correctly or am I setting myself up for an injury? Perhaps that's why I love the Anatomy series from Human Kinetics. They have a number of different books that take a deeper look at Stretch Training, Stretching, and Yoga exercises.

Yoga Anatomy has full coloured pictures of the body for a wide variety of movements: breathing, standing poses, sitting poses, kneeling poses, supine poses, prone poses, and arm support poses. These pictures show which muscles are in use during a particular motion. Extra information is then included about which joints are involved and which muscles are lengthening and working during the process. Each entry also notes proper breathing as well as information on any challenges associated with the pose.

In this way, there is no guess work involved. I know exactly what each posture is meant to do, which muscles I'll be working, and how to prevent injuries. I can then take full responsibility for my health and fitness.

Good reference for students and teachers
This new book is one of very few available on the specific subject of yoga and anatomy.

The nice thing about this book is its accessibility - it has pictures of a range of poses in the style shown on the book cover, illustrating the muscular-skeletal system in the asana and highlighting the muscles being utilised (some postures shown from several angles). In some illustrations, the internal organs are also shown.

This helps you to relate anatomical and physiological knowledge to the actual asanas of yoga. The book also includes notes on breathing and the action of the joints in each posture.

Not as in-depth as the Coulter book, but at a good 400 pages shorter, that is to be expected. What this book offers instead is a more visual, illustrated approach and a great reference tool for serious students and teachers.