When we learn anatomy for yoga teaching and we get to the point that we think we have a good baseline of knowledge, it can be helpful to test our knowledge to see if we’ve indeed learned it. One of the challenges of the yoga industry is there is no academic test that teachers take administered by a central agency, unlike in the sports trainer world where NASM for instance, administers a test to ensure you know the content.
So, when I teach anatomy to teachers, I often take them through a format to test their knowledge. One of the important things to remember is that we’re not looking to know EVERYTHING but the important things as it relates to knowing anatomy for yoga teaching. This may seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how many posts and blog posts I see that get so far into the nitty gritty of anatomy that it’s completely overwhelming for teachers.
So, here’s a quick format you can use and apply to any pose, because honestly, that’s what we’re learning anatomy for.. to better cue our students in the poses! Here’s the format:
- Anatomical Actions of the pose: These would be things like flexion of the hip or extension of the shoulder
- Muscles in action: This would refer to what muscles are contracting in the pose
- Muscles lengthening: This would refer to muscles that are lengthening
- Suggested Cues: This would be divided into an action cue, an anatomical cue and speaking to mind/body and spirit because we can’t forget about that part too!
Over in my anatomy workgroup on Facebook, I walk through poses using this format in my videos. To join, click here.Â
Another helpful thing to get is my free PDF that breaks down the study of anatomy into key steps. Get that here.Â
And, lastly, check out my free recorded webinar on Cues. You can watch that here.Â
These are all helpful resources that will help build your anatomy knowledge.
Let me know what you think!