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Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga is the only modern authoritative source that correlates the study of hatha yoga with anatomy and physiology. Hatha yoga is comprised of stretching, strengthening and breathing exercises in upright, lying down and inverted postures. Yoga teachers and students, personal trainers, medical therapists, or anyone who is curious or troubled about how the body responds to stretching and exercise will find in this book a cornucopia -- partly new and partly old -- of readable and reliable information. It was written and edited to meet the needs of a general audience largely unschooled in the biomechanical sciences, and yet to attract and challenge the interests of the medical profession. This book features 230 black and white photographs and more than 120 diagrams and anatomical illustrations.
Chapter 1 summarizes general principles of anatomy and physiology as applied to hatha yoga. Breathing is next in chapter 2 because yogic breathing expedites movement and posture. Breathing is followed by pelvic and abdominal exercises in chapter 3 because the pelvis and abdomen form the foundation of the body. Standing postures will then be covered in chapter 4 because these poses are so important for beginning students, and because they provide a preview of backbending, forward bending, and twisting postures, which are covered in detail in chapters 5, 6, and 7. The headstand and shoulderstand, including an introduction to cardiovascular function, are presented in chapters 8 and 9. Postures for relaxation and meditation are treated last in chapter 10.
WINNER, 2002 Benjamin Franklin Award for Health Wellness, and Nutrition - Publishers Marketing Association.
624 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2001
263 people are currently reading
2493 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 23, 2017
There are many books on anatomy for yoga, and I’ve read my share, but this is my favorite.
What did I like about it? First, Coulter examines the anatomy and physiology of breathing in some detail, and that’s an important topic that is overlooked by many others. A lot of yoga anatomy books stick exclusively to the musculo-skeletal system. Second, this book doesn’t mix science and pseudo-scientific mythology. Sometimes books shift from talking about arteries and veins to nadis and chakras in a manner that can be confusing and counterproductive. Third, the book discusses how postures can be safely varied for individuals with limits, as well as discussing the most advanced expression of postures for more flexible or skilled students.
What’s the catch? There must be a downside? Well the book is dense and it’s a challenging read. It’s not that the writer uses too many technical terms. That isn’t the case at all. In fact, Coulter is careful not only about using anatomical terms, but also avoids reliance on Sanskrit names as well. It’s just that there is a lot of material that one must read painstakingly while visualizing and--in some cases—tactically probing around one’s body (or someone else’s--if they’ll let you.) I don’t know that there’s much that could be done about this, given the desire to convey the material that the book does—and it’s valuable information. The book has a large number of graphics that mostly consist of anatomical drawings and photographs of the various versions of the postures. It’s possible that more graphics could have been used to reduce the amount of descriptive text, but—on the other hand—reading it slowly and carefully is a useful and productive exercise. And, if you’re not reading it for your RYT-500, you can take your time and read it section by section, as time permits, over the course of more than a year as I did.
The ten chapters of the book are mostly divided up by classes of posture (asana.) Chapter 1 is about “movement and posture” and provides the necessary background that one will need to understand the later chapters. Chapter 2 is on breathing--both the musculature involved and the physiology of it. The rest of the chapters are on core exercises, standing postures, back bends, forward bends, twists, headstands, shoulder-stands, and meditative postures, respectively.
The book has a glossary, a short bibliography, and two indexes (one by anatomical parts and the other by practices/postures.) I normally don’t bother to mention indexes, but in this case it’s useful to know because the book’s organization is by type of posture, and so it’s not always straight forward where various muscles or tissues are being covered.
As I say, I found this book to be tremendously informative. I recommend it for yoga teachers as well as intermediate / advanced practitioners.
What did I like about it? First, Coulter examines the anatomy and physiology of breathing in some detail, and that’s an important topic that is overlooked by many others. A lot of yoga anatomy books stick exclusively to the musculo-skeletal system. Second, this book doesn’t mix science and pseudo-scientific mythology. Sometimes books shift from talking about arteries and veins to nadis and chakras in a manner that can be confusing and counterproductive. Third, the book discusses how postures can be safely varied for individuals with limits, as well as discussing the most advanced expression of postures for more flexible or skilled students.
What’s the catch? There must be a downside? Well the book is dense and it’s a challenging read. It’s not that the writer uses too many technical terms. That isn’t the case at all. In fact, Coulter is careful not only about using anatomical terms, but also avoids reliance on Sanskrit names as well. It’s just that there is a lot of material that one must read painstakingly while visualizing and--in some cases—tactically probing around one’s body (or someone else’s--if they’ll let you.) I don’t know that there’s much that could be done about this, given the desire to convey the material that the book does—and it’s valuable information. The book has a large number of graphics that mostly consist of anatomical drawings and photographs of the various versions of the postures. It’s possible that more graphics could have been used to reduce the amount of descriptive text, but—on the other hand—reading it slowly and carefully is a useful and productive exercise. And, if you’re not reading it for your RYT-500, you can take your time and read it section by section, as time permits, over the course of more than a year as I did.
The ten chapters of the book are mostly divided up by classes of posture (asana.) Chapter 1 is about “movement and posture” and provides the necessary background that one will need to understand the later chapters. Chapter 2 is on breathing--both the musculature involved and the physiology of it. The rest of the chapters are on core exercises, standing postures, back bends, forward bends, twists, headstands, shoulder-stands, and meditative postures, respectively.
The book has a glossary, a short bibliography, and two indexes (one by anatomical parts and the other by practices/postures.) I normally don’t bother to mention indexes, but in this case it’s useful to know because the book’s organization is by type of posture, and so it’s not always straight forward where various muscles or tissues are being covered.
As I say, I found this book to be tremendously informative. I recommend it for yoga teachers as well as intermediate / advanced practitioners.
June 30, 2007
It's a little like reading a stereo manual for fun. I find both anatomy and Yoga fascinating so it's a wonderful resource that will give you a thorough understanding of the inner-workings of the human body in many interesting positions. Sometimes you have to put the book down and get into a Yoga pose; think really hard about what you just read... and then you can say to yourself "Oh yeah, I get it". A MUST have for Yoga instructors!
April 3, 2010
A must-have reference book for any hatha yoga teacher. Tough to read cover-to-cover (although it's incredibly informative!) but fabulous to have on the shelf. I've address several students' questions with it.
April 4, 2018
I found this book to be a useful manuel for learning specific postures that I have difficulty performing. The author identifies the muscles and joints that are stretched in various poses, and suggests realistic goals for beginners, intermediate, and advanced yoga enthusiasts. He estimated the amount of time in takes to become more flexible in various poses. The index was excellent. Anatomical illustrations were mostly helpful, and there were pictures of a variety of options for many poses. Some of the descriptions of movements were highly technical, and difficult for me to comprehend. Although I have previously taught a high school anatomy and physiology course, I still had to rely on YouTube to finally enlighten me as to what mutation and counter-nutation movements were, for example. Chapters 4-7 included most of the exercises I have experienced in my yoga class, so I read them completely. The author expounded on the anatomy and fundamentals, as well as the correct techniques and obstacles for numerous standing, back-bending, forward-bending, and twisting postures. I was not as interested in abdominopelvic exercises, headstands, shoulder-stands, and meditation chapters - which looked like a bit of a slog for a novice like me!
July 18, 2019
This is a very good book and is one that is good for someone who has a deep interest in anatomy.
The illustrations are excellent, however, it is indeed daunting for someone who is not a student of anatomy. What I would have liked, was to have more line drawings (or photographs) of some of the exercises/asanas he describes. Without these, it became a bit difficult to follow along
This is a valuable book for serious practitioners and teachers. Students? Only for those with an interest in, or knowledge of, anatomy.
The illustrations are excellent, however, it is indeed daunting for someone who is not a student of anatomy. What I would have liked, was to have more line drawings (or photographs) of some of the exercises/asanas he describes. Without these, it became a bit difficult to follow along
This is a valuable book for serious practitioners and teachers. Students? Only for those with an interest in, or knowledge of, anatomy.
August 8, 2018
A good anatomy book, actually is my first one but I found a little too much technical and in some points was way too much for me, I'm an intermediate level yoga student and maybe with the fact that actually I never took part on a teacher training camp was way too much detailed for me, at my level, even I have been doing yoga for 5 years, and I think is too much for beginners, I don't recommend it for them, but this is my personal opinion! Just for this I give a 3 Stars
February 20, 2021
Great for anyone who needs an anatomy lesson to understand how yoga works our body and how our body responds to yoga. Now that I have the scientific side, I want to find a book with the same structure (images and descriptions in this book are amazing), but describing the practice and its poses from a more holistic and spiritual approach. Any suggestions?
November 18, 2018
Not a book I sat down and read page to page, but I believe a necessary book for yoga teachers to refer to and use to freshen up knowledge of any hatha training and if you teach under the umbrella of hatha.
December 30, 2016
This will be a great reference to me in my own practice of yoga and as I become a teacher. I will be going back to it again and again. So much detail, so interesting, and great illustrations!
November 12, 2017
Timeless reference.
January 13, 2021
EXCELENTE manual de Anatomía del yoga!
April 11, 2021
I WANT TO READ THIS. PLEASE SEND ME.
January 4, 2022
Would probably be good to reread, but was still came away with useful insights despite not dwelling on the more technically complex sections
March 18, 2016
Not light reading! However, David Coulter (whom I worked with at the International Himalayan Institute for Yoga Science and Philosophy) has written the bible of all things yoga. Coulter calls it hatha yoga only, but in order to practice all branches of the yoga tree, hatha yoga is the branch that ties it all together and makes it possible to practice all aspects of yoga. I readily admit I haven't read the book in it's entirety, but that's because it is the most in depth description of anatomy, what happens to that anatomy (physiologically as well) during a yogasana, discusses various physical conditions and how to work within your limits and which asanas to focus on if you are rehabilitating yourself, or just for self improvement.
This book is not exactly a page turner, but it is definitely my most used reference book for understanding the body, how hatha yoga can strengthen your anatomical functions and keeps all those feel good hormones and chemicals healthy and busy. Great book to have on your shelf, especially in combination with the "Anatomy Colouring Book". As a teacher, I find it super helpful when explaining an asana and what's happening anatomically. As a student, a practitioner, and one of the lucky ones with chronic, mystery diseases, this is my go to book when working on specific areas of pain, such as my sacral lumbar and coccyx areas. I need to KNOW, not just blindly practice, and/or listen to what a teacher tells me to do. Knowing the anatomy of hatha yoga gives you the advantage of being able to visualize what's happening to the body during asanas. And as most folks now know, if you can visualize what you want in any area of your life, you are far more likely to get what you want.
There is just too much in this book for an in-depth review, complete with substantiated examples and quotes. The human body, as with most mammals, has too many parts to attempt even just a skeletal outline in a mere page. Just get the book! Oh, and get thyself to a yoga class!
This book is not exactly a page turner, but it is definitely my most used reference book for understanding the body, how hatha yoga can strengthen your anatomical functions and keeps all those feel good hormones and chemicals healthy and busy. Great book to have on your shelf, especially in combination with the "Anatomy Colouring Book". As a teacher, I find it super helpful when explaining an asana and what's happening anatomically. As a student, a practitioner, and one of the lucky ones with chronic, mystery diseases, this is my go to book when working on specific areas of pain, such as my sacral lumbar and coccyx areas. I need to KNOW, not just blindly practice, and/or listen to what a teacher tells me to do. Knowing the anatomy of hatha yoga gives you the advantage of being able to visualize what's happening to the body during asanas. And as most folks now know, if you can visualize what you want in any area of your life, you are far more likely to get what you want.
There is just too much in this book for an in-depth review, complete with substantiated examples and quotes. The human body, as with most mammals, has too many parts to attempt even just a skeletal outline in a mere page. Just get the book! Oh, and get thyself to a yoga class!
August 16, 2016
This book is like a diamond found at the junk yard of superficial "oh-so-spiritual" New Age literature.
The book is written in a highly professional and detailed way. We become familiar with each pose very deeply, down to each muscle, each bone and tendon used. The author explains connections between all anatomical structures and how they affect body systems and overall health of a person.
The instructions are so detailed that you sometimes get lost and need to read them over and over again because they are filled with anatomical terms taught at medical school.
This is not a book that can be read and understood in a week. It will take months (or even years) to go through all the poses and learn to execute them correctly.
I wish there was a video series where everything would be shown practically. The book is great, but describing exercise on paper often gets too abstract.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in yoga and wants to gain all the physical benefits from doing it properly!
The book is written in a highly professional and detailed way. We become familiar with each pose very deeply, down to each muscle, each bone and tendon used. The author explains connections between all anatomical structures and how they affect body systems and overall health of a person.
The instructions are so detailed that you sometimes get lost and need to read them over and over again because they are filled with anatomical terms taught at medical school.
This is not a book that can be read and understood in a week. It will take months (or even years) to go through all the poses and learn to execute them correctly.
I wish there was a video series where everything would be shown practically. The book is great, but describing exercise on paper often gets too abstract.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in yoga and wants to gain all the physical benefits from doing it properly!
September 18, 2015
I kid you not, after practicing for months with nothing much to show for, I managed to do my first textbook style "walked in" headstand without a wall after seeing some illustrations in this book and understanding the role of hip flexibility in this pose.
I also benefited from the detailed account on spinal twists and breathing.
Some Yoga manuals can be overly academic whilst others, hardly touching on the science of Yoga. This book presents a good balance.
My only wish is that the author include more sections to cover forearm balances and handstands...
I also benefited from the detailed account on spinal twists and breathing.
Some Yoga manuals can be overly academic whilst others, hardly touching on the science of Yoga. This book presents a good balance.
My only wish is that the author include more sections to cover forearm balances and handstands...
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March 17, 2007Great book... So good that I will have to read it again. There was no way for my brain to take it all in. At times it was a little to "heady" for me, but there is a ton of info presented here, so much so that it will require most readers to keep the book handy so that they can go back over it from time to time.
October 4, 2008
Amazingly in-depth analysis of the effects of yoga on breathing, musculature, and the nervous system. Be prepared for serious anatomical lingo. I happened to read this while taking Anatomy And Physiology and it was the best study guide I had. Once you are comfortable with the jargon, this book will help yoga practitioners understand what those poses are supposed to do for and to your body.
November 21, 2020
This has it all, definitely too much information, but all the bases are covered for offering a thorough understanding of the links between human anatomy and physiology for specific yoga poses, as well as for work on breathing, the chakras, and meditation. Yet another massive reference text for constant future use
October 2, 2008
This is an excellent book. Very well written an completely approachable for all levels of practitioners.
My only complaints are it can be hard to find specific bits of information and it can be a bit wordy at times. Still, I refer to it enough that it's a great reference volume.
My only complaints are it can be hard to find specific bits of information and it can be a bit wordy at times. Still, I refer to it enough that it's a great reference volume.
Currently reading
February 14, 2011A great resource for my "Experiential Anatomy for Yoga Teachers" class. It is written like a college textbook - you have to be wide awake to read this one! Dr. Coulter was an medical college anatomy professor and experienced yoga practitioner, so he is an expert on the subject.
May 10, 2014
The newer version has colour-coded pictures, which are more helpful than black and white. Very good descriptions of poses, and pictures of modifications. I think the Maehle books might have better, more in-depth descriptions, though I have not finished either yet.
January 8, 2012
What a great resource. I can't count the times this book provided important information of a highly specific nature. Think of the most obscure question about a pose, this book won't be stumped. It's unstumpable. It's informative and even fascinating. But then again, I'm an anatomy nerd. 8)
February 18, 2014
awesome book.very informative and full of details. Good for yoga teacher or students who want to deepen their knowledge. I tried to read it carefully and will read it again someday so I wouldn't miss any important informations inside
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November 28, 2016I expected this to be a book with a dozens of poses, each one accompanied by anatomical drawings.
What I got was almost no pictures at all. There does seem to be a great deal of interesting information here just not what I wanted at this point.
What I got was almost no pictures at all. There does seem to be a great deal of interesting information here just not what I wanted at this point.
August 14, 2007
If you do yoga or are thinking about it, this is a great reference book to see what yoga is doing for your body.
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August 25, 2007Who doesn't like coloring books? And, by extension, who wouldn't like a coloring book where you can learn tons of shit about the body from?
June 25, 2008
A book I'm always going to reference
December 5, 2007
This is a must have for every yoga teacher.
January 26, 2008
Amazing Reference book.
Seem to only use it as a reference & not as a read through kind of book.
Very useful on how categories of asanas effect the body.
Seem to only use it as a reference & not as a read through kind of book.
Very useful on how categories of asanas effect the body.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews