For the well-seasoned athlete to the 9-5 office employee, Staugaard-Jones offers a refreshingly accessible guide to avoiding injury and staying healthy with a wide variety of strengthening and stretching exercises.
As an amateur yogi, it’s relatively easy to learn a pose simply through observation without a true understanding of what’s occurring on a physical level. For example, I might appear to be in parivrtta trikonasana (rotated triangle pose), but appearances can be deceiving. Without the right instruction, I could easily hurt myself in a yoga class over an extended period of time.
While I know that proper alignment and awareness of my body in motion are essential to avoiding injury and maximizing the benefits of my yoga practice, it’s difficult for me to explain why. To encourage more mindfulness and awareness of movement in my practice, I’ve recently referenced The Anatomy of Exercise & Movement: for the study of dance, pilates, sports and yoga by Jo Ann Staugaard-Jones. The handbook is an especially helpful resource for those who wish to advance their yoga practice, as well as for any individual—from the well-seasoned athlete to the 9-5 office employee—really looking to deepen their understanding of how their joints and muscles are engaged in action.
I personally found the anatomical illustrations paired with the various stretching and strengthening exercises in each chapter educational and readily accessible for those unfamiliar to kinesiology. Each chapter is concluded with a few fitness myth busters in regards to each section of muscles in the human body as well. The emphasis on strength rather than appearance in the core of the human body, for example, was especially enlightening and refreshing:
“The look of the abdominals is secondary; whether flat or round, the all-important thing is strength. People that have the flattest stomachs because they are thin can sometimes have the weakest ones. This can lead to lower back pain or incorrect posture. So, just because someone is thin, does not mean they don’t have to exercise. On the other hand, possible overweight or ‘out-of-shape’ people need the correct exercises and the patience to understand how the body has to work to achieve results. It is surprising that so much attention is brought to the look, when many people are not happy with how they look no matter what, and would just feel better if they were stronger and more well-balanced.â€
Staugaard-Jones’ handbook to exercise and movement encourages me to not dwell upon my appearance achieved through my yoga and fitness regime, but rather to understand what exactly makes my body feel strong, centered, and balanced.
How are you meeting your body’s needs? Do you find that understanding and awareness of how each muscle and joint functions in your body enhances your fitness routine?
I tend not to focus on my muscles or joints unless they become sore or painful after exercise. Is there a particular ankle or knee stretch that you’d recommend?
I’m always learning and I don’t presume to be an expert, but you may want to avoid overloading your knees. This happens a lot in yoga in various poses and can usually be avoided if you distribute your weight evenly on both legs. If you look in chapter 9 of the book, you can find some good diagrams of stretches that involve the knee but strengthen the knee extensors–like a lunge for example. Good luck!