Book Review: YogaBody

This book, YogaBody, was written by physical therapist, Judith Hanson Lasater, and as a yoga instructor and teacher of new teachers, I really enjoyed this read. It's older, published in 2009, but I found it one of the better and more enjoyable reads on yoga anatomy, kinesiology, and asana practice.

In my own training, not because of either of my own mentors, but just because of the resources themselves available to students, there is a lot of teaching that is nothing more than hearsay. Anatomy is the least favored aspect of yoga teacher's training, but as a clinician, it's part of what I love. I want to cue safely and effectively, and I want to understand how I can tailor my instruction to the needs of my individual client and also, understand the science behind those recommendations.

As a scientist, I am well aware that it takes on average 17 years for new information to be implemented in a mere 30% of clinical practices. Change is very slow, so what most clinicians practice today is outdated, and because yoga instructors are not often academic scholars and researchers, I am going to assume the integration here is even longer. Many yoga instructors repeat what they are told, and haven't the background to really understand the physiology, which is certainly reasonable, but this makes for some wild cueing at times.

Dr. Lasater has written a book that is not only an easy read, but she offers a plethora exercises for applying these complex teachings. Her book works through the locomotor system, the vertebral column, the lower extremity, the trunk, and the upper extremity. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the body, and unique to her approach, she separates the abdomen from the diaphragm.

The first exercise in the first chapter focusing on the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and nerves walks the student through their own bony prominences. As a yoga teacher who enjoys teaching with an emphasis on embodiment, I find these exercises incredible tools for learning about ourselves, for noticing.

There is an exercise in which the student is guided into a forward fold, to identify the tightness of the hamstrings. How easy is fold? Does it happen in the hips or more in the rounding of the back? To identify if any limitation in this position is related to tight hamstrings, one can then move into a cat/cow flow in a tabletop position which will demonstrate the movement of the hips without being limited by tight hamstrings. If moving into the all fours position does not improve one's ability to tilt their pelvis forward, then there is likely restriction not related to the hamstrings. This may be tight hip joints, but an orthopedic may be helpful in this scenario, or a physical therapist. Once the student recognizes how to tilt her pelvis in this hands-and-knees position, she will then be better able to do the same in the standing position.

There are a plethora of these application opportunities to the anatomy starts to make sense for the reader and the teaching of our yoga instructors can truly elevate. Enjoy.