Everybody needs a little helping hand sometime, and going from urdhva prasarita eka padasana (standing splits) to adho mukha vrksasana (handstand) is one of those times that you can give or get some assistance. I developed this assist because both the assistor and the assistee get to do yoga at the same time! And together we get better!

When looking at anatomy, it is so easy to get lost in the fancy jargon and the multitude of details, details, and details. "Superior spine" this and "lateral epicondyle" that... Sometimes we get so lost in those details that we don't even remember what we are talking about anymore. So I have found it helpful when teaching anatomy to new yoga teachers to take a step back and look at what I call "The Big Picture". The big picture is just an overview of functional anatomy and an attempt to keep it simple. I find it easier to first get an overview what is going on in general and then come back to fill in the details later. Enjoy the video excerpt about "The Big Picture" from a recent teacher training lecture below. So, let's start at the beginning...

Hey all! I had a great time presenting an assisting and adjusting master class last week at Corepower Yoga Lakeview. Thanks to everyone who came out! Here's a little clip of a super fun assist that we did for helping a student get into ardha chandrasana chapasana (half moon bow pose/sugar cane) or to help a more advanced student deepen the pose.

Does burning or shaking during a yoga pose mean that "good things/change is happening"? I was recently told that this is a common idea in the yoga world, but I honestly have never heard it before. Now that I have heard it, here's my two cents on the topic.

I received a few questions last week about twists. Do twisting postures wring the toxins out of our spines, and are there toxins in our spines? Or do twists provide just a digestive benefit? How big is this benefit? If you twist left instead of right will it constipate you? What's a yogi to do!?!?

In my first article, we reviewed the starting point of anatomy with anatomical position. If you missed it, you can read Anatomy Language: Part I here. From here we can move on to naming some major movements. In this article, we'll review the major movements of flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, external and internal rotation.