Anatomy for Yoga, Tension or Compression

My grand baby, doing happy baby 

As part of my Yoga Teacher Training at Bodhi Yoga, I need 20 hours of Human Anatomy study, besides that which is included in the Training. To fullfill this requirement, my amazing friend Renae invited me to watch a series of DVD's, Anatomy for Yoga, by Paul Grilley. I don't know about Renae, but I was prepared to endure a few hours of boring lectures, to fullfil the requirement.

Well, I was most definitely wrong and how wonderfully so! Paul Grilley does a terrific job of teaching anatomy with many visuals and practical demonstrations of how our anatomy  shapes our Yoga. Absolutely fascinating!

In the first 2 hours we learned about Compression. Here is a paragraph from an essay Mr Grilley wrote on this subject, Tension or Compression: The Fundamental Distinction

When we practice Yoga asana the fundamental distinction to make is this: “Are the physical restrictions I am feeling tension or compression?” Tension is due to the stretching of muscle or connective tissue but compression is determined by the shape of our bones.

This idea has turned my Yoga world around, and I will probably write more about it later. Can't wait to continue watching!