Each yoga posture has its own unique form and function. Muscles that engage in one posture may be stretching in another. For this reason it helps to have a road map for navigating your way to the optimal pose. Better still is the ability to create your own road map. The Bandha Yoga Codex shows you how to do this.
There are five elements to every asana. These are the joint positions, the muscles that engage to produce these positions, the muscles that stretch, the breath, and the bandhas. Understanding the joint positions enables you to determine the muscles that produce the posture. Engage the prime movers to sculpt the pose, and polish it with the synergists. Once you know the prime movers, you can identify the muscles that are stretching. Apply physiological techniques to lengthen these muscles and create mobility to deepen the pose.
Then there is the breath. In virtually every posture we can benefit from expanding the chest. Combine the accessory muscles of breathing with the action of the diaphragm to increase the volume of the thorax. This improves oxygenation of the blood and removes energetic blockages in the subtle body.
The bandhas are the finishing touch. Co-activate the muscle groups that produce the joint positions and you will create bandhas throughout the body. Then connect these peripheral locks to the core bandhas. This produces stability in the pose and accentuates the sensory imprint of the asana on the mind.
The Bandha Yoga Codex is a five-step process that teaches how to identify these elements and decode any pose. This is your guide to creating a road map for combining science and yoga. I use Natarajasana to illustrate the Codex on the following pages.
STEP 1 Define the position of each joint in the pose. This will guide you to the muscles to engage. Look at the major joints, including the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and trunk.
For example, in Natarajasana, the back hip extends. The back knee flexes. The standing-leg hip flexes. The standing-leg knee extends. The back extends … and so on throughout the body in the pose.
STEP 2 Identify the prime mover muscles that act on the joints to create the pose. Contract these muscles to align and stabilize the skeleton.
For example, engage the back-leg gluteus maximus and hamstrings to extend the hip.
STEP 3 Identify the antagonist muscles of the prime movers. Stretch these muscles to create flexibility. Use facilitated stretching and reciprocal inhibition to relax these muscles and increase their length.
For example, contracting the gluteus maximus and hamstrings of the back leg signals the psoas and rectus femoris muscles of that same leg to relax into the stretch.
STEP 4 Expand the chest. Use the cues in this book to train yourself to isolate and engage the accessory muscles of breathing.
For example, draw the shoulder blades toward the midline and then engage the rhomboid, pectoralis minor, and serratus anterior muscles to lift and expand the chest.
STEP 5 Create a bandha. This “locks” or stabilizes the pose, strengthens the muscles, and stimulates the nervous system.
For example, engage the quadriceps of the back leg (by trying to straighten the knee) and the triceps of the arm that is holding the foot (by trying to straighten the elbow). Pull forward with the arm to engage the latissimus dorsi. Maintain this position for a breath or two and then go deeper into the pose.
