Hatha Yoga A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners by HH. David Coulter With a Foreword iy Timothy McCall, M.D. 2002 Winner Benjamin Franklin Award for Health, Wellness, and Nutrition__-—— ANATOMY OF HATHA YOGA A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners by H. David Coulter Foreword by Timothy McCall, M.D. Body and Breath,‘Text and ilustrations ©2001 by #1, David Coulter Foreword ©2001 hy Tianothy BeCall Author's photugraph ©2001 by yee Barone ody and Bresth Inc. 1409 Wosteide Ave, Honesdale, PA 18431 UBA, oy o8o7 op os a4 VBTO5 PRECAUTIONARY NOYE: Phis is not a medical text, but a compendium of remarks concerning how anatomy and physiology relate to hatha yoga. Any medical questions regarding contraindications and cautions or any questions regarding whether or not to proceed with particular practices or postures should be referred either to health professionals iho have an interest in medical problems associated with exercise, stretching, and breathing, or to hatha yoga teachers who have had experience working with medical probleme in « therapeutie vetting: supervised by health professionals, All rights reserved, With certain exceptions enumerated below, no part ofthis book may be repreaced, tore it retrieval sto o transmitted in any form or By any means slectronic, mechanial, photneopying, recording or ctherwise—without written permission frm the publisher There are three exceptions. Fist brief quotations of upto 300 wars that are embedied in eiical articles ned reviews ene ued foe 2 lore ec Uy are prope acknowledged. cond: blanket permission is granted for institutional and ind vidual photoespying, properly acknowledged, of up to ene hundred expres totaling ne more than 25,000 werds foreach copy with accompanying illustrations (approximately ‘one chapter) or alternatively, a series of extracts from the entire book totaling no more than 25,000 wos, for purposes of teaching o for rvcatch und private study, eneepting that no deletions, alteration or exclusions within individual pags are permitted. For ‘ocample: eutting and pacing of Mlustrations for student syllabi expressly forbidden. (Onky incvidunl pages in their entirety are tobe photocopied, including text if any) and all running heads, captions, and labels that are incorporated within each page. ‘Third rermission for scanning af text, halftones, anata drawings, cca, aed bles either in ioltion oF altered as desired is granted only for trials of eketronie or hard copy Publishing layouts; permission must be sughl trom the publisher (Body and Breath Ine) ‘to use such ilstrations for any kind of electric ee meshavial transmission or in other publications Printed in China, Library of Congress Catsleging-n-Publestion Data Coulter, H. David (Herbert David, 1989 ‘Anatomy of Hatha Vogt manual for stadents, tochers, and practitioners hy H. David Coulter ;freword by ‘Timothy McCall Includes hibilogeaphical references and inde: ISBN 0.9707006-6-1 (alk. poper) 1. Yo, Hoth Physologea aspects 2. Human mechanics. 2. Human anatomy: ‘Tite. RATBI.7.088 2001 era 7046-1 2ontnznean ‘To my parents, ‘who guided me lovingly, watched my life with joy and enthusiasm, supported my academic and personal interests, and always thought the best of me.mrcomoyrreys af evougonyae(2) "Weg de youneverfind anything written about that iduryr- cratic thought you advert to, about your fasctration with something no one clic understands? Because i up te you. There ts someting youflnd interesting, far a reaton hard fo Laie. bes hard to cpl Uecrate yous Hv never read it cn any page: there yeu begin, You ware aad and tet here te give voive te this, yewr own aitenttinent.” — Annie Dillard, in The Writing Life CONTENTS Foreword Preface 43 Introduction — 15 Basie Premises wv Chapter One - MOVEMENT AND POSTURE. a ‘The Neuro-musculoskeletal System .. ‘The Nervous System REMERES enone "The Vestibular Systom, Connective Tissue Restraints Stretching “Phvee PLU Putting It All Topether Chapter Two - BREATHING ‘The Design of the Respiratory System “The Museles of Respiration How Breathing Alfets Pusture ‘The Somatic and Autonomic Systems ‘The Physiology of Respiration Thoracic Breathing... : cel OB Paradoxical Breathing. 107 ight, end "Touch Supine Abdominal Breathing 108 Abdominal Breathing in Siting Posture . an Diaphragmatic Breathing nnn - 120 A Traditional Warning ee Chapter Three - ABDOMINOPELVIC EXERCIS 139 Crunches and Sit-ups ‘The Foundation of the Body Supine Leg Lifts Youn Sit-ups ‘The Sitting Bost Postures 7 rm "the Peacock . 178 ‘Tho Pelvis and The Anatomical Perineum 1 Ashwini Mudra a 182 Mala Bandha : 183‘Agni Sara a 188 ‘Uadiyana Bandha, The Abdominal 105 Nal 201 Gontraindieations 204 Benefits 205 Chapter Four - STANDING POSTURES ‘The Skeletal System and Movement Anatomy of the Spine «.. Symmetry and Asymmetry Standing Postures Four Simple Stretches . Backward Bending Forward Bonding. Side Bending - What Makes Postures Difficult? ‘The Triangle Postures ‘Two Balancing Postures Benefits Chapter Five - BACKBENDING POSTURES 273 ‘The Anatomy of Flexion and Extension nn 218 Breathing and Backbending ~ se 280 ‘The Cobra Postures nA ‘The Locust Postures ‘The Prone Boat Postures ‘The Bow Poctures ‘The Knee Joint Supine Backbending Postures 312 peeling Backbend—The Camel 320 raindications 323 324 fer Six - FORWARD BENDING POSTURES . 325 vard Bending: Head, Neck, and Chest 826 oliac Nutation and Counternutation vard Bonding at the Hip Joints FR Nard Bending at the Ankles and in the Feet 334 Rgical Matters and Cautions - 387 asterior Stretch z 340 249. 352 Breathing and Forward Bending... ‘Soctiline Mexibility Hip Flexbility Benefits Chapter Seven - TWISTING POSTURES ‘The Fundamentals of Twisting ‘The Skull, the Atlas, and the Axis ‘Movernents of the Head and Neck... ‘Thoracic Twisting .. Lumbar Twisting ‘The Lower Extremities a Stalag Tie “0 Inerad Triste ‘ot Biting Sil ‘wit ‘os Dene ‘se Chapter Light - THE HEADSTAND . sar Te Cains Sytem ‘at Te Two Heston ‘i Te Upper Extrem. ‘ss Sir! Inaloce “n ies tenes i an Developing Strength and Flexibility Bending and Twisting in the Headstand You Tae enn Benefits Anatomy of ‘The Shoulderstand Inverted Action Postures ‘The Shouldersiand ‘The Plow ‘The Lifled Shoulderstand and Plow Gireulation = Respiration Sequelae 7 Benefits nnn 7 Ss Chapter Ten - RELAXATION AND MEDITATION Museular Relaxation ‘Two Relaxation Poetures Breathing and Relaxation‘Lhe Autonomie Nervous System Deepening Relaxation ‘Meditation Postures ‘Maintaining the Geometry Props ‘The Six Postures Mula Bandha Mastering the Situation Knower of the Veil Glossary Additional Sources o.oo vnes6 OF Acknowledgments 609 Index of Anatomical ‘Terms ou Index of Practices 619 Biographical Sketch 623 meomoyerry(g vf coongonr 7a (2) FOREWORD Hata yn ts teacher and serous studonts are consinoed of ts power to Jui stecnth and eandence to improve lexility and balance, and to foster aad pee und contentment, And beyond ier alba preventive med aaaeessany of us als beliew in the power of to eal to i in recovering frets cncrything from low back stan to carpal tunel syndrome and to Belp soon et chenicprctlenetiken-thrits, multiple selersis and infection with fhe human immunodeficiency virus ‘Bat dept te recent bao in jogs ppl, mest scientist and phy cians ave haen low to embrace this discipline. "To rany of them perhaps, i ca ns netic pursils unssrelion with ite basin inthe medern erie eience Ins odie! profesion now lf dinate bya near religous Terence for the mandomize, contre study, Knemiedge acquired through Tecan of yrs of erect ebeervetin, intrpeciony snl tial and error may erm quaint. ‘ats ths West has dy open the past dade to Faster, experiential True folds he neupunchare ae pert of» fresteraccplanen of alternative tnadicine in gener_yoga has bagun to stake its claim. Conept ike prana or Ai homever are ot worm recetved hy skeptical scents To win em over Sin noat to provide the Kind of evidence they buy. Studies, Preferably iblshed in peocreview journals. And you need to propose mechanisms of tion that conform with sence ea thy derstand st *signifcnnt breakout was provided hy Dr. Dean Ornish, « California sed fardologiat who inlerupted ieee years to study with Si Swa Sutchiananda: His work published in 1990 n the prestsious British medical Journal the Lancet, showed that a program that combines athe yor with ‘tary caugen exercise, and group therapy con actually reverse Blodages in the hent’s main arteries—-which doctors used to think wasn't possible. Tm 1998, rewarch led by Marian ‘Garfinkel of the Medial College of Penman and published in the Journal of the American Bedicel “Asciaton found that Iyengar yoga could effectively reduce the symptoms of tarpal tnel eyo, unalad) of men epidemic ropetions inthe comutr tr Of ole, Gores study lasted ony eight srt and yet the intervetion proved ees Serius ys proctitoners reali of curse that though come Tent may be noticed after ven a single Cass, oan’ mest profound effects accrue over yenry—oven decades--not weeks, Yoga ie indeed powerfel medicine Tn itis slow moaicne More studies wll be needed to convince the medical establishment, but that roveare could also be stow incoming. Funding is a perennial problem. Unlike the situation with, sy, phurmeccuteals, there it no private industry 10 tankral the scientific investigation of hatha yg. Given the incredible eat of Tengerange sttiles-which are more likly to demonstrate effectiveness — Ticpect that were unlikely t we any time soon the Kind of overwhelming Troot tha sepia scintts want. This presents @ pilsopbica question‘When you have an intervention which appears safe and effeetive—and when its side effects are almost entirely positive—should one wait for proof before tuying it? This value judgment lies at the heart of the rocont debate over many traditional healing methods. Tronically, though, even within the world of alternative medicine yoga seems underappreciated. Two years ago, [attended a four-day conference on alter- native medicine sponsored by Harvard Medical School. A wide range of topics from herbs to prayer to homeopathy were covered in detail. Yet in the dozens of presentations T attended, yora was mentioned just once: In a slide that accompanied the lecture on cardiovascular disease, yogu was one of several modalities listed under “Other Stress Reduction Techniques.” Yous is certainly a stress reduction dovioe but to reduee it to just that misees so much, Given the situation, how welcome then is David Coulter's Anatomy of Hatha Yoga. David combines the perspectives of a delieated yogi with that of « former anatomy professor and research associate at two major American medical schools. THe has set himself the ambitious youl of combining the modern scientific understanding of anatomy and physiology with the ancient practice of hhatha yoga. ‘The result of an obvious labor of love, the book explains hatha yoga in demystified, scientific terms while at the same time honoring its traditions, It should go a long way W helping yogn achieve the selentifle recognition it deserves. Useful as both a textbook and us u reference, Anatomy of Hath Youa is a book that all serious yoga teachers and practitioners will want on their sholves, If will also be welcomed by sympathetic physiciane—and there are more of us all the time—as well as physical therapists and other health profissionals. Speaking as a doctor who had already studied anatemy in deta (though forgotten more than I'd care to admit) and as a dedicated student af ‘yoga, I can happily report that this book heightened my understanding of both hatha yoga and anatomy and—az a nice bonue improved my personal practice. T realize, however, that to those who lack scientific training Anotoney of ‘Hatha Yoga may seem daunting, Some sections use terminelogy sind concepts that may be challenging on first reading. If you feel intimidated, my suggestion Js to adopt the mentality many employ when reading the ancient and some- age difcl tet of they triton Rend with an pn art adieu ge rated, try another part or come back to it another day. As with yogg itself, t students will be rewarded with an ever-greater understanding. ‘Timothy McCall, MD Boston, Massachusetts January, 2001 ‘Timothy MeCall is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and the hor of Examining Your Doctor: A Patient's Guide to Avoiding Harmful cal Care. His work has appeared in more than a dozen major publicalions iding the New Englond Journal of Medicine, the Nation and the Los yes Times. He can be found on the web at wwviarmocall.com 2 1 PREFACE The origins ofthis ook date trom twents-fve years ag when Iwas teaching aaa Seuroience, musencpic anatomy and eemertary anatomy courses ihe stment of Cal Bislogy und Neurosnatomy’ at the University of Minnesta At the aime tine Tas learning abot jogs in dase al the Miuttahien Center tn Minneapol, Duving thous years, Swann Rams, who tent Halen Itt cen eared n Mets ad on of enaige was tat yr vas noterexerase no align, uta steel he Tontal moder biomed eience to examine it sn tha light. One of i or caring tothe Wet as to ring his shout, purpose whch is Permad ty the name he selec for the ietitute that bo founded Tho ‘Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy. The idea of Gunting yoga with modern sence reondled with m2 and the convict tren third be a pert af such u quest Sam after [communicated my Freres, Swan called and suppested that T pay hi ws to talk aout Aer eut en anatomy and ath: And Uhl how thie project bagan inisys ‘ert fom soverl fe starts and neal ror, Iie wating on tain sujet between 1976 and 1988, but fill Themed frm students uclions in courses on anatomy and baths yogn at the University of Minnesota (Extension Dison), move comprehensive cores on yoguanetomy foe graduate stants atthe Hiaayan Institue in the Tae 1980s, anatomy tied pilogy cours inthe midigp0s for the Pace Insitute for rental Mado (NYC), and Bor 990 to the present teaching nalomy for stidents bf Ohashi «etd of Oriental Bodywork. These ourses brought me in touch wth mang telling questions fm sins itereted in arous aspects ff balistie medicine; without thom, the ceed planted by Swami would never Rave tured “hand a wont, from a working draft inthe suminew of 976 to 195, when afler many gentle and not-so-gentle nudges, Swamiji insisted that my time was tps wast hnsh te book nah no, and runaway. ICT red to exape, Ie evowed, he wuld follow met the ends of the eath wha he would do wpe Finding nes better let una Happy be saw an eit compe dato tho ont eye before his peeing Noveribr of 1096mrcomoyrrrys of evougonyae(2) INTRODUCTION ‘A comprehensive statement on the anatomy and physiology of hatha yous ‘ought to have been written years ago. Butit hasn't happened, and my aim is to remedy the deficiency. After considering the subject for twenty-Live ‘years it's clear that eich a work might well interwaaue two themes: for the hhenefit of completeness, a traditional treatment of how to do yoga postures (yoga asanas) using anatomically precise terminology, and, for correlations ‘with medical science, an objective analysis of how those postures are realized in some of the great systems of the body. In that regard, special ‘emphasis is placed here on the musculoskeletal, nervous, respiratory, and ‘cardiovascular aystems—the musculoskeletal system because that is where ‘llour actions are expressed, the nervous systam bersase 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 systcin because inverted postures cannot be fully comprehended without. understanding the éynamies of the circulation. ‘Most of the emphasis is practical—doing experiments, learning, to observe the body, and further refining actions and observations, ‘The discuesion is intended for an audience of yor 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 a ‘a guide for students of alternative medicine who would like to communicate ‘with those who place their faith more strictly in contemporary science. To help everyone in that regard I've included only material that is generally ‘accepted in modern biomedical sciences, avoiding comment on non-physical ‘concepts stich as prana, the nadis, and the chakras, nono of which are ‘presently testable in the scientific sense, and none of which have obvious ‘Parallels in turn-of-the-millennium biology. ‘The book begins with un intruductory discussion of some basic premises that set a philosophical tone and suggest a consistent mental and physical approach to postures. ‘Ten chapters follows, the first three fundamental to ‘the last seven. Chapter 1 summarizes the basic principles of the anatomy ‘and physiology of hatha yoga. Broathing is next in chapter 2 since the manner ‘in which we breathe in hatha yoga is important for expediting: movement ‘and posture. Breathing is followed by pelvie and abdominal exercises in ‘chapler 3 for three reasons: many uf Uhose exercises use specialized methods ‘of breathing, they are excellent warm-ups for other postures, and the pelvis ‘and abdomen form the foundation of the bod. Standing postures will hen De covered in chapter 4 beceuse these poses are s0 important for beginning 5students, and because they provide a preview of backbending, forward ending, and twisting peatores, which are covered in detail in chapters 5, 6, and 7. The headstand and shoulderstand, including a brief introduction to cardiovaseular function, are included in chapters 8 and 9. Postures for relaxation and meditation are treated last in chapter 10. It will be helpful to experiment. with each posture, preferably in the order given. This approach will lead you logicelly through « wealth of ‘musculoskeletal anatomy, bring the academic discourse to life and pers ‘you to understand the body's architecture and work with it safely. I'some of the sections on anatomy and physiology seem formidable, there is an easy colution. Turn the page. Or turn several pages. Go directly to the next section on postures, in which most of the discussion ean be understood in context. Just keep in mind, however, that knowledge is power, and that to ‘communicate effectively with laypeople who have technical questions as ‘well as with health professionals to wham you may go for advice, it may be desirable to refer back to the more challenging: sections of this book as the need arises. And those who do not find these sections particularly demanding, ‘can look to Alter's definitive Setence of Flexibility, as well us to other sources that are listed after the glossary, i they require more tochnieal details than, are provided here. mrcomoyorry sy evougonyae(2) BASIC PREMISES The tant hal of the trontiath contury suw mang schools of hatha yor take root in the West. Some are based on authentic oral traditions passed down through many generations of teachers. Some are pitched to meet modern needs unl expectations but are still consistent with the ancient ‘rt, scionce, and philosophy of yoga. Still others have developed New Age tangents that traditionalists view with suspicion, Picture this title placed rear the exit of your local bookstore: Ger Rich, Young, ancl Bewtiful with “Hotha Yoga. Vvo not seon it, but it would hardly be surprising, and T have to admit that I would look carefully before not buying it, Given human differences, the many schools of hatha yoga approach even the most Lusic postures with differing expectation, and yogn teachers find themselves facing a spectrum of students that. ranges from accomplished dancers and gymnasts to nursing home residents who are afraid to lie down oon the floor for fear they won't be able to get back up. That's fine; it’s not ‘0 problom (o transcend such differences, heeause for everyone, no matter ‘what their age or level of expertise, the most important issue in hatha yoga ig not flexibility and the ability to do difficult postures, but awareness— awareness of the body and the breath, and for those who read this book awareness of the anatomical and physiologicsl principles that underlie each posture. From this awareness comes control, and from control comes fgrace and beauty. Even postures approximated hy beginning students ean amy the gorm of poise and elegance How to accomplish these goals is another matter, and we often see disagreement over how the poses should be approached and taught. ‘Therefore, Une guidelines that follow are not set in stone; their purpose is to provide a common point of reference from which we can discuss the ‘anatomy and physiology of hatha yoga. FOCUS Youn ATTENTION Lock your attention within the body. You can hold your concentration on breathing, on tissues that are being stretched, on joints that are being streseed, (1 Une speed of your movements, or on the relationships between breathing and stretching. You can also concentrate on your options as you Imove in and out of postures, Practicing with total attention within the body is advanced yoga, no matter how easy the posture; practicing with {Your attontion ecattored is the practice of beginner, no mattor how difficalt BBE posture, Hatha yogs truins the mind as well sa the body, so focus your ‘attention without lapse.