Anatomy of Hatha Yoga

Useful both as a textbook and as a reference Anatomy of Hatha Yoga is a book that all serious yoga teachers and practitioners will want on their shelves. Special emphasis has been placed on the musculoskeletal, nervous, respiratory, and cardio-vascular systems – the musculoskeletal system because that is where all our actions are expressed, the nervous system because that is the residence of all the managerial functions of the musculoskeletal system, the respiratory system because breathing is of such paramount importance in yoga, and the cardiovascular system, because inverted postures cannot be fully comprehended without understanding the dynamics of the circulation. Most of the emphasis is practical – doing experiments, learning to observe the body, and further refining actions and observations. The discussion is intended for an audience of yoga teachers, health professionals, and anyone else who is interested in exploring some of the structural and functional aspects of hatha yoga. The work can also serve as a guide for students of alternative medicine who would like to communicate with those who place their faith more strictly in contemporary science.