Anatomy of Yoga for Posture and Health (IMM Lifestyle Books) Improve Alignment, Build Core Strength, Relieve Back Pain, and Understand What Happens Inside Your Body During Key Yoga Poses

by Nicky Jenkins, Leigh Brandon

144 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Em]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for providing me with a digital ARC to read and review.

As a longtime yoga practitioner and part-time teacher, I was especially interested in this book’s focus on anatomy and its practical application to yoga. While anatomy is introduced in most teacher training programs, the most impactful teachers I’ve learned from—a physician and a physical therapist—brought a depth of anatomical understanding that clearly elevated their teaching. This book reflects that same level of thoughtful integration between movement, structure, and function.

"Anatomy of Yoga for Posture and Health" by Nicky Jenkins and Leigh Brandon is exceptionally well organized. The table of contents makes it easy to navigate, and the overall structure supports both targeted reference and more in-depth reading. Although I read this as a digital ARC, it is very much a book I would prefer to have in print for regular use.

The visual elements are a standout. The color-coded illustrations are clear and purposeful, making it easier to understand how different muscles and systems are engaged. The charts—especially those that break down movement analysis—are informative and practical, reinforcing the connection between theory and application.

I also appreciated the inclusion of the biomechanics of breath, which is often underexplored but essential to a well-rounded yoga practice. The addition of meditation content was an unexpected bonus and fits naturally within the broader theme of supporting overall health.

This is not a beginner-friendly introduction to yoga, and new practitioners may find it dense. However, for those in teacher training or anyone looking to deepen their understanding of how yoga works in the body, this book is an excellent resource. The inclusion of modifications, along with a glossary, index, and further reading, adds to its value as a long-term reference.

Overall, this is a comprehensive and thoughtfully designed guide. It’s the kind of book I wish I had during my teacher training and one I expect to return to regularly.

[Kate]

2.5, but rounding up.

This was okay. I'm an anatomy nerd (former university anatomy TA over here) and a dance/stretching nerd (and do dabble in yoga), so I was excited to read this. I own several yoga anatomy books from Human Kinetics publishing, so I was interested to read this book from a different publisher.

I was underwhelmed. I'm not sure who the audience is -- it's not scientific/detailed enough to be for clinicians, and it doesn't seem to be targeted to yoga students or at-home practitioners, as it has a laundry list of medical terminology and planes of movement, but doesn't actually do much to contextualize why it's important. It feels like a hodgepodge of taking random pages from an anatomy textbook and throwing them into a short book on posture. I guess maybe for people studying to become a yoga teacher, it might be helpful? But also there doesn't seem to be anything in here that someone couldn't lookup easily with Google (or even ChatGPT).

Some of the graphics are also a bit misleading.

I also didn't love that there were statements like "research shows....." and then there weren't any studies cited. The reference list itself is sparse (and includes chiropractor sources, which is a hard pass for me. Maybe look at an orthopedic journal?). It also appears as though this book has been published multiple times before, so I'm not sure if/why there's a new edition or what has changed?

I'll stick with Yoga Anatomy from Human Kinetics instead. This book doesn't seem to fill a void in the anatomy and yoga literature. Unfortunately it's a miss for me.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

[Regina Mastrogiacomo]

I always wanted to know what Yoga actually does for the body, and this book explains it in detail what happens when you do certain poses. As I've gone through the book, the first thing that comes to mind is that I would have preferred an actual physical book because it would have been easier to flip through the pages and compare the visual with the description of what's happening in the body, then going back and forth with a digital copy. The second thing I kept thinking is that the book would be great for Yoga teachers or Sports doctors because the explanation of how a pose effects the body is so detail that it would definitely be helpful for them to know what's happening and how to explain to others what is happening. Finally, I did fine the layman's explanation of what Yoga poses does to the body helpful and interesting. and was worth the read.

I want to thank Fox Chapel Publishing | IMM Lifestyle and NetGalley for an advanced copy of a book all about the benefits of Yoga

[Deepa]

This was actually really perfect. A. First I love the science behind yoga. My mind loved this. It really reminded me how much I love learning science and how much more I want to learn. B. I love credit. Yoga comes from South Asian cultures. There are whole industries that utilize this as newly discovered knowledge. I appreciate more anything to see original names and history of poses and practices included. C. There are so many diagrams. They are clear and abundant. It’s a measure above last book by one of the co-authors/institute. This is reference I am going to use and re-use often. Loved this entirely.

Thanks NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing/ IMM Lifestyle for an arc in exchange for an honest. review.

[Lauren Larry]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I read this book as yoga teacher, I’ve been teaching for over a decade. It’s one of those books I wish I had during my first YTT. It’s clear, shows the body and has great explanations. Put this on your yoga TBR for yoga teachers right next to Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Highlight it and discuss it. I will definitely mention this in future yoga teacher training classes.

I recommend this book for yoga teachers needing a refresher, yoga lovers that have been practicing a while and folks in yoga teacher training!

[Lee Lee]

Anatomy Of Yoga - Nicky Jenkins, Leigh Brandon

I would have enjoyed this book more if the positions were demonstrated by actual people rather than in sketch form, but hey who am I?

I think the Corpse pose is as good as I’ll get these days. Lol and the fact that it’s repeated numerous times within the book is a sign that’s what I’m destined for. Lol I used to practice yoga almost daily but after 2 C-sections, back injury and Freddy Fibroid I struggled a lot with even the most simple exercise. 🙄

This book overall is clearly written and informative but extremely repetitive.

[Lucy]

4**** solid intro/beginner book that describes poses to address different postural types. The poses are mostly basic, with short and direct descriptions of how to do them. There’s limited advanced poses or advancement options, but not well suited for advanced yogis or those who have a strong baseline familiarity with stretching and rehab bodywork.

Thanks for NetGalley for a copy for review. Opinions here are strictly my own.

[Chelse]

This is a very helpful guide to yoga and what muscles you are using. I’ve been doing “YouTube yoga” for over a decade and never really learned from a proper teacher. This book explains the poses as well as the anatomy of what you are doing. I find that interesting and helpful to my practice. This was a quick read and something I can reference in the future.

[Becca]

I love yoga, and I love learning more about anatomy and how it can help me in my practice. While this was somewhat limited in scope by design, I loved the structuring (with muscle focus, adjustments, etc) and sketches. Will likely look for this in non-ebook form in the future.

[Hanna Bexley]

This book is an incredible combination of medical knowledge of the body and posture problems, such as kyphosis and lordosis, with detailed anatomical illustrations and a thousand-year-old yoga practice. Would totally recommend it to anyone who looks for practical addition to their library.

[Susan's Reviews]

Anatomy of Yoga for Posture and Health by Nicky Jenkins provides an in-depth approach to instructing readers about the mechanics behind the various yoga postures, and how they can be beneficial.



The medical/anatomical terminology might be a bit daunting for some readers, even though the authors do explain the meaning and function and the mechanics for every muscle or skeletal part involved in the various posses.

Regardless of your level of comprehension of medical terminology, this book would be extremely helpful for those of us with skeletal abnormalities (such as scoliosis, muscle injuries, etc.). The authors explain in detail how everything moves and functions together, even when we merely unconsciously flex or twist a muscle or joint as we perform a yoga pose.

If you are looking for detailed information this book, with detailed graphics to illustrate each part of the anatomy under discussion, is probably going to supply you with some answers.

Highly recommended for professionals and laypersons alike. It is obvious that a lot of hard work, detail and analysis went into creating this book. My thanks to the author, Nicky Jenkins, her publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. (Note: the image used is a free graphic from the internet, due to copyright restrictions.)