The following pages illustrate muscles that can be activated in successive rounds of Vinyasa Flow. Each round deepens the postures as the body warms up. Each suggested muscle group, in turn, refines the poses. The figures below are numbered for consecutive rounds of the series.
FIGURE 1 Begin by contracting the quadriceps. The cue for this is to lift the kneecaps and straighten the knees.
FIGURE 2 Next, engage the gluteus maximus, erector spinae, and quadratus lumborum to lift and slightly arch the back. Raise the arms by activating the anterior deltoids. You can feel these muscles contract at the fronts of the shoulders during this movement. Straighten the elbows by engaging the triceps. The long head of the triceps also rotates the scapula. Activating this muscle enables you to lift the arms higher.
FIGURE 3 Contract the lower third of the trapezius to draw the shoulders away from the ears and free the neck. Use the image to help you visualize this muscle. Externally rotate the shoulders by engaging the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the rotator cuff.
FIGURE 4 Press the balls of the feet into the mat by contracting the peroneus longus and brevis muscles on the outsides of the lower legs. Then attempt to draw the soles of the feet apart. They will not move because the mat constrains them, but this cue for abducting the feet will activate the tensor fascia lata and gluteus medius at the sides of the hips. These muscles, which also internally rotate the thighs, will turn the femurs inward and bring the kneecaps to face forward.
FIGURE 1 Activate the quadriceps as you bend forward into Uttanasana. Train yourself to gradually increase the force of this muscle contracting as you go into the pose. This acts to straighten the knees, stretching the hamstrings. Engaging the quadriceps also produces reciprocal inhibition of the hamstrings, helping them to relax into the stretch.
FIGURE 2 In the next round, engage the hip flexors (the psoas and its synergists) and the abdominals to flex the hips and bend the trunk forward. Attempt to squeeze the torso against the thighs to contract the psoas. Activating these muscles signals the gluteus maximus, erector spinae, and quadratus lumborum to relax into the stretch.
FIGURE 3 Plant the hands firmly onto the mat by pressing down the mounds at the base of the index fingers. Attempt to drag the hands forward away from the feet by contracting the anterior deltoids and biceps. Because the hands are fixed and won’t move, these muscles act to flex the torso further into the pose. As you deepen the asana, create a bandha by engaging the quadriceps. This signals the hamstrings to relax into the stretch due to reciprocal inhibition.
FIGURE 4A For this round, press the balls of the feet into the mat by engaging the peronei at the sides of the lower legs. Then attempt to drag the feet apart, thereby engaging the tensor fascia lata and gluteus medius. This cue internally rotates the thighs, bringing the kneecaps to face forward.
FIGURE 4B The pelvis tends to drift back in this pose. Counter this by pressing the fleshy part of the big toes into the mat. This engages the big toe flexors. Note how this works to bring the pelvis forward, aligning it over the ankles.
FIGURE 1 Typically, we jump or step back into Chaturanga Dandasana from Uttanasana. Relax when lowering, and then at the last moment, activate the pectoralis major to hold the upper body off the floor. A cue for accessing this muscle is to attempt to draw the elbows toward one another. At the same time, engage the serratus anterior to stabilize the scapulae (the shoulder blades) and prevent them from “winging” upward off the back. Use the image to visualize this muscle contracting. Support the elbows by activating the triceps. This prevents the elbows from bending more than ninety degrees and maintains the forearms at a right angle to the floor. Engage the quadriceps to straighten the knees. The cue for this is to lift and draw the kneecaps toward the pelvis.
FIGURE 2 There can be a tendency for the body to sag a bit when lowering into Chaturanga Dandasana. Anticipate this and prepare to counteract it. Relax the body when jumping back, and then, before the body sags, engage the rectus abdominis and psoas muscles to support the midsection and pelvis and maintain the body as a plank (the common name for this pose).
FIGURE 3 Balance the hip-flexing action of the psoas by engaging the main hip extensor, the gluteus maximus. This produces opposing forces across the pelvis, thereby creating a bandha. Synergize the gluteus maximus by activating the adductor magnus, which in addition to drawing the legs together, also extends the hips. The cue for contracting this muscle is to attempt to gently squeeze the legs towards one another.
FIGURE 4 Once you are warmed up from doing a few rounds of Vinyasa, attempt to “scrub” the hands forward while at the same time trying to press the feet backwards (as if you were pushing out of a runner’s starting blocks). Press the mounds of the index fingers into the mat to engage the pronators teres and quadratus of the forearms. Then attempt to bend the elbows and scrub the hands forward to activate the biceps, brachialis, and anterior deltoid muscles. The elbows won’t actually bend and the hands won’t move, but the force of contracting these muscles stabilizes the shoulders and upper extremities. Pressing off with the feet activates the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves, stabilizing the ankles. The net effect of this action—scrubbing forward with the hands while pressing off with the feet—is the creation of a bandha throughout the body that helps to stabilize the pose.
FIGURE 1 Take the general form of Upward Facing Dog Pose by straightening the elbows and extending the knees. Do this by contracting the triceps and quadriceps.
FIGURE 2 On the next round, firm the buttocks to engage the gluteus maximus. This extends the hips and, at the same time, signals the hip flexors (the psoas and its synergists) to relax through reciprocal inhibition. Add to this the adductor magnus, a synergist of the gluteus maximus that also extends the hips. To activate this muscle, gently draw the legs together.
Then, move up the back and into the trunk to contract the spine extensors, including the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum. Engaging these muscles produces reciprocal inhibition of the abdominals at the front of the torso, relaxing them into the stretch.
FIGURE 3 Now focus on the arms and shoulders. Press the mounds at the base of the index fingers into the mat, engaging the pronators teres and quadratus. Move up the arms to the triceps, contracting them to straighten the elbows. Then externally rotate the shoulders by activating the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the rotator cuff. Working your way up the arms in this fashion produces a combination of opposing actions—internally rotating the forearms and externally rotating the shoulders. This creates a helical bandha in the arms, stabilizing them.
Complete the round by engaging the rhomboids and lower third of the trapezius to draw the shoulder blades together and down the back. This opens the chest and frees the neck.
FIGURE 4 Finally, use the accessory muscles of breathing to expand the ribcage. Hold the shoulder blades (the scapulae) in place with the rhomboids. Then lift the ribcage upward with the pectoralis minor, and expand the chest outward with the serratus anterior. Inhale deeply as you go into Upward Facing Dog. These muscles help you to do this.
Relax and take five breaths in Dog Pose. Work through the body with each successive breath.
FIGURE 1 Straighten the elbows by contracting the triceps. This action will press the body back onto the feet. The biceps and brachialis muscles also lengthen. Extend the knees by activating the quadriceps; this stretches and relaxes the hamstrings.
FIGURE 2 On the next breath, press the mounds at the base of the index fingers into the mat by engaging the pronators teres and quadratus of the forearms. At the same time, externally rotate the shoulders by contracting the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the rotator cuff. Turning the palms down (internal rotation) and externally rotating the shoulders creates a “wringing” effect up and down the arms, stabilizing them.
Draw the tops of the feet toward the fronts of the shins to dorsiflex the ankles. This cue activates the tibialis anterior. It can be used to bring the heels down onto the mat, stretching the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves. Activating the tibialis anterior also produces reciprocal inhibition of the gastrocnemius/soleus complex, relaxing these muscles and allowing the heels to descend.
FIGURE 3 Next, press the balls of the feet into the mat to engage the peroneus longus and brevis muscles at the sides of the lower legs. Then attempt to drag the feet out to the side, away from one another. The feet remain constrained on the mat, but this cue engages the abductor muscles at the sides of the hips—the gluteus medius and tensor fascia lata. These muscles originate from the iliac crests. Contracting them in this way pulls on the iliac crests, freeing the sacroiliac joints so that the sacrum can tilt forward—a movement known as nutation. Note how this deepens your pose. The main hip abductors also internally rotate the thighs. As a result, engaging them turns the femurs in slightly, bringing the kneecaps to face forward.
FIGURE 4 Complete Downward Facing Dog Pose by contracting the quadratus lumborum and erector spinae muscles to extend the lumbar spine and the psoas to flex the hips. These muscles also tilt the pelvis forward into anteversion. Arching the lower back, tilting the pelvis forward, and flexing the hips draws the origin of the hamstrings, the ischial tuberosities or sitting bones, upward. This action stretches the hamstrings. At the same time, activate the quadriceps to produce reciprocal inhibition of the hamstrings, relaxing them into the final part of the pose.
The foundational Vinyasa sequence can be varied to accommodate poses that are seated or supine, such as forward bends or backbends. In this variation, instead of returning to Tadasana, we jump or step through the arms into Dandasana, or Staff Pose. This requires some training of the muscles of the upper body, trunk, and pelvis. You can also use blocks to gain extra height for lifting the body.
FIGURE 1 This image illustrates the entire sequence. Jump forward from Dog Pose, lifting the legs and slightly arching the back by contracting the hip and back extensors—the gluteus maximus and quadratus lumborum. This is a key to bringing the trunk over the shoulders. These muscles help to produce the momentum that is critical for this technique. Then, once the trunk and pelvis are lifted, fold the hips into flexion to bring the feet between the arms, as shown.
FIGURE 2 Use blocks to gain height and to get a feeling for lifting the body with the arms. In the beginning, you may need to keep the feet on the floor. This is fine, as it will build the strength necessary to eventually lift the weight of the legs as well.
FIGURE 3 As you gain strength in the arms to lift the torso, add the hip flexors and the rectus abdominis to lift the legs. Activate these muscles to flex the hips and trunk. At the same time, extend the elbows by firmly contracting the triceps, pressing down onto the floor or your blocks with the hands. Engage the lower third of the trapezius to descend the shoulders. Depressing the shoulders with the elbows straight and the hands fixed on the mat acts to lift the body.
FIGURE 4 Jump or step through into Dandasana. Once in the pose, make it active by engaging the quadriceps to straighten the knees. The feet tend to “sickle” or turn inward. Counter this by opening the soles of the feet outward, everting the ankles slightly. This cue contracts the peronei on the sides of the lower legs. Then activate the toe extensors by drawing the toes toward the trunk. These actions—everting the ankles and extending the toes—open the soles of the feet. Balance this by engaging the tibialis posterior muscles to stabilize the bones of the lower legs. This inverts the ankles and dynamizes the arches.
Move up the body into the hips, flexing them by engaging the psoas. The psoas also acts synergistically with the quadratus lumborum to lift and create a slight arch in the lower back. Press down with the hands by extending the elbows, using the triceps. Contract the forearm pronators to press the index finger sides of the hands into the mat, and then spread the weight evenly across the palms.
Finally, on your inhalation, engage the rhomboids to draw the shoulder blades toward the midline, opening the chest forward. Then lift and expand the ribcage by contracting the pectoralis minor and serratus anterior.
