A monthly newsletter that explores all things Yoga – from adjusting your asana to discussing philosophy – and how to make all of it your own.

Happy Month!

Hello Reader,

It's the holiday season, and I am celebrating with ALL the festivities I can manage! Plus, I'm reminded of the power of deep breathing – especially when you're three years old and feel incredibly frustrated that the round balls keep. rolling. GAH! (The struggle is real.) Even a few decades later, taking those deep breaths can get us through stress – whether it's the fun "too many parties" stress, or the less exciting "too much family" stress ¬.¬

May your continued practice, in or out of studio, be merry and bright this month!

Anatomy Spotlight: Transverse Abdominus

People love to talk about “working on your core” or “supporting your core” – but do you really know what that’s made up of? The group of muscles that make up the core set (or your literal, natural, muscular corset) have distinct names and functions. There’s a deep set, which surrounds and supports our abdominal cavity, and a dynamic set that facilitates torso movements. We can observe what movements muscles are designed to do based on muscle fiber direction. Over time, we can use our yoga to isolate various sections and support ideal bodily function.

Transverse Abdominus, or TA, is a large muscle with horizontal fibers, that acts as the majority of the “wall” of your abdomen; it’s part of your deep core. It runs from both sides of your spine, circles your waist, and meets in a tendon “seam” in the front, and its fibers run perpendicular to the spine. Its job is to help support the fluid cavity where your organs are suspended, and can provide minor internal massage when activated – essentially squeezing your guts. In yoga, it is also key to spinal support – by smooshing the fluid of the abdomen towards the spine (when you draw bellybutton in firmly), you support the lumbar vertebrae (think of putting your spine on a waterbed….ahhhh💆).

Pose Breakdown: Warrior 1

Among my Yoga Engineer colleagues, we joke about the “dirty dozen”: cues that are ubiquitous in public classes, but rooted in a misunderstanding of functional anatomy. One of our dozen is “dropping the tailbone” in Warrior 1. 🤬

The theory is, if the low back feels overextended, lessening the curve from the bottom (tailbone) will reduce strain. However, this fails to take into account that you have legs, and since they’re placed asymmetrically, dropping the tail simply transfers strain to hips and knees! You need your pelvis to create space for the back leg. So let’s try setting up correctly.

Plant your feet firmly in shape, with correct width (which will be another newsletter!). In order to make room for your rear leg extending, allow tailbone to draw back and up. To support the low back, draw bellybutton strongly towards the spine, engaging transverse abdominus; if there is still a “crunching” sensation, allow heart to lean forward, making room near the top of the lumbar curve. From here, keeping feet rooted and TA engaged, lift up through the sternum and raise the arms. Can you feel the strength from root to crown?

Thanks for joining me!

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