Download Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology Overview

Anatomy and Physiology and Kinesiology: Overview for Yoga
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Basic tissues
o epithelial: linings and sheets; epidermis, inside of mouth and stomach, fascia sheathing
organs
o connective tissue: girds the body, usually has collagen for strength; inner layers of skin,
tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bone, fat tissue, blood
o muscle tissue: specialized tissue that can contract, has actin and myosin proteins that slide
against each other to allow movement
o nerve tissue: generates and conducts electrical signals; has two types of cells, neurons and
glial cells; in brain, spinal cord, and through body
Basic organs, systems, and their interrelationships
o muscular (skeletal muscles, smooth muscles)
o skeletal (bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments)
o respiratory (nasal passages, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs)
o circulatory/cardiovascular (heart, blood, blood vessels)
o lymphatic/immune (lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, white blood cells, T- and B- cells,
spleen, thymus, tonsils, lymphoid tissue)
o endocrine (Glands: pituitary, pineal, hypothalamus, thymus, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal;
ovaries, testes, pancreas, kidneys, stomach, small intestine, liver, heart, adipose tissue)
o nervous (CNS: brain, spinal cord; PNS: sensory and motor nerves) (somatic NS connects CNS
with skeletal muscles and senses; Autonomic NS connects CNS with internal organs and
glands and is divided into symp and parasymp)
o digestive (oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, gall bladder,
teeth, salivary gland, liver, pancreas)
o reproductive (testes, prostate gland, scrotum, penis, ducts, ovaries, uterine tubes, uterus,
mammary glands, vagina)
o urinary/excretory (kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra)
o integumentary (epidermal, dermal, cutaneous sense organs and glands)
Basic techniques for mobility and strength training
o passive static—props hold you in place, gravity stretches you while the lengthening and
opposing muscles stay relaxed (and certain, but not all, connective tissue is stressed)--yin,
restorative
o active static—slowly getting into and holding postures that stretch one muscle group by
engaging the opposing muscle group, e.g., Iyengar
o active dynamic—moving in and out of postures, e.g., suryanamaskar, Ashtanga vinyasa
movements, Viniyoga vinyasa movements
o ballistic—bouncing in and out of postures--out of favor
o resistance/PNF—Resistance Flexibility and Strength Training
o cardio endurance—getting heart rate and breath rate up, e.g., running, cycling
o resistance training—many approaches with different emphases, but can be done with body
weight, partner’s resistance, or objects that have resistance or weight
o plyometrics—combines cardio (explosive movements like jumping get heart rate up) with
resistance training (mostly using body weight against gravity)
To Review and Go Further:
Long, Ray, “Key Poses of Hatha Yoga,” p 1-31 (but ignore his “methods of stretching” list on p 10, as it is
incomplete and incorrect, unless he practices a very bouncy sun salute)
Cooley, Bob, http://www.thegeniusofflexibility.com/resistance-stretching/rfst.html and other pages at his
website (but change “you MUST” to “you CAN” in most places :-)
Clark, Bernie, “Complete Guide to Yin Yoga,” pp 1-9 and pp 29-61.
Lasater, Judith, “Relax and Renew,” and other books and articles on restoratives.