We're probably all familiar with at least some of our bad habits.

Maybe this starts with how we (don't) get out of bed in the morning, or the distractions that keep us from our morning practice. Or was that efficient work? During our Yoga practice, do we favour certain postures and avoid others, po...

Lower back compression is a common occurrence in back bending postures. This can be one sided back bends such as front splits, or warrior one, as well as two sided back bends like camel or wheel.

Pain in the back in back bends arises from joints or tissues running out of space to move before the po...

Integrated yoga anatomy is about bringing the body to life.

It’s stepping up from just learning muscles, bones and levers, to learning how to improve postures and movements.
If you want a functional body that can move and practice sustainably, you need to integrate your anatomy.

One of the biggest ...

Do you still remember your first yoga class?  The challenges to your mobility, your balance, your strength? Don't you wish it could have been easier?

When I first went to yoga classes, I was so disappointed with myself. I thought I was fit and capable. I was running, cycling, surfing and doing some...

As it turns out, not very much.
Alignment can look good.
Sometimes it makes postures and movements easier.
But what get’s us to a certain alignment?
It’s the actions and engagements of muscles.
Maybe let’s focus on that. Engagement is important.

Let’s take a step back to get the bigger picture.

Alignm...

Oslo Yoga, www.osloyoga.no  hosted a panel discussion on yoga anatomy as part of their international yoga festival www.yogafestivalen.no on January 4, 2021.
On the panel were:

Mark Stephens www.markstephensyoga.com

Anna Kristina Kavli www.iyoga.no,

and me, Chris Kummer www.anatomyshow.com/about...

Modern hips.

Modern hips are hips used to sitting on chairs. Or simply sitting a lot.

How many people have told you already that sitting too much can make your hip area tight? This tension can include the hip ligaments, the hip-flexor muscles and a lot of  other associated muscles and fascia membr...

This yoga anatomy tip will help you improve your balance in handstand and othert balance postures.

Anytime you want to attempt to practice a balance yoga posture you need to follow this principle to be successful. if you aim to balance for longer than it takes to take a quick photo.
These balance pr...

Your Ankle Position Influences Your Knee Function

The inside structure of your feet is not clearly visible from the outside. When you learn about the significance of the foot structure at the ankle joint you can understand the influence of your foot arches and the ankle position on the knee joint.
The...

In the range of postures associated with modern yoga practice, front splits are one of the most frequently aspired to, along with wheel pose, and head- and hand stands.

Difficulties accessing and practicing  front splits / forward splits / hanumanasana, are often considered to be tight hamstrings.

O...

It’s quite common to hear people say ‘I’m going to my yoga class now’ or ‘I'm going to practice yoga’.
Many teachers and instructors also promote ‘yoga off the mat’.
All this sometimes really puzzles me.

Even if we were to reduce yoga practice to postures and movements - don’t tell me sitting on a des...

Watch this video for a look at locust pose to support your sitting posture.

Don't we often find ourselves sitting slumped using our arm or hand to prop us up when at a desk or table? This is quite an external body support.

In this video, we’ll take the first step and focus on the muscles along the spi...