Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined

by Jules Mitchell

Yoga Stretching Redefined provides a unique evidence-based exploration into the complexities of human movement and what a safe, effective yoga practice entails. The emphasis is taken off flexibility and centered around a narrative of body tissue adaptation. Conventional approaches to modern yoga are examined through a biomechanist's lens, highlighting emerging perspectives in both the rehabilitation and sport science literature. Artfully woven throughout the book is a sub-text that improves the reader's research literacy while making an impassioned plea for the role of research in the evolution of how teachers teach, and how practitioners practice. Yoga teachers and yoga practitioners alike will discern yoga asana for its role in one's musculoskeletal health. Yoga therapists and other allied healthcare providers can apply principles discussed to their respective professions. All readers will understand pose modifications in the context of load management, reducing fears of injury and discovering the robustness and resilience of the human body.


Coverage includes -

Biomechanics Basics; Force, Applied/Modified Loads, and Stress; Progressive Overload and Specificity; Conventional Stretching; Stretching and Performance; Eccentrics; Mechanical Properties of Connective Tissue; Tissue Behavior, Structure, and Composition; Tissue Adaptation, Capacity, and Tension; Exploration into Soft Tissue Injuries; Alignment and Posture


Features include -

Highlights meaningful, evidence-based applications and examples of yoga and/or stretching.

Provides guidelines for non-researcher's critical interpretation of research, helping them to avoid making poor choices based in well-worn beliefs and hackneyed assumption.

Pushes teachers to a deeper understanding of biomechanics, beyond simply memorizing anatomy, empowering them to make smart choices for instructing a variety of populations in both private and group class settings.

Encourages variety in popular modern-day asana, using props and a keen eye, given our understanding of how the body's tissues adapt to applied loads.

Educates yoga teachers to think beyond the scripted yoga education they received, stretching their minds to further understand and redefine stretching of the human body.

Genres: Nonfiction

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2019

Reviews

[Kristin Juurmaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the hardest books I have ever read. I really liked it, though.
Every night before going to bed taking 10-20 pages which were full of A LOT of different and new information. As I am not a scientist nor haven't I studied in any other similar field (I teach yoga and I want to go deep in this.), it was pretty hard to read and demanded a lot of translation and googling. I actually enjoyed it, it just took me 3 times more time to read than any other same size book.
The hardest for me was that almost every paragraph was talking about something new so I felt it somehow running over information even though she went really in detail in many things. I felt that the whole book explained a lot of informaton in only 230 pages. I would have needed more explanation to understand everything in details myself or just a bit easier language. I do not complain though, I got some really valuable information from this book which I am already using in my classes. I am planning to reread this book in one year, maybe I could absorb even more then!

[Hannah Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't believe I read this whole book (did so to keep up with a book club). Probably took in 3%. But that 3% is interesting. Much too technical for my level of understanding. I could do with the last chapter as the first chapter and some additional follow-up with laymen's terms around muscle biology. This is a textbook for sure. Honestly feel like yoga wasn't even a necessary framing for the book. Ultimately we are talking about biomechanics as a whole and yoga is just one way bodies might move. Understandably this is Jules Mitchell's angle as a yoga teacher. But I question whether applying this level of biomechanical scrutiny to yoga is necessary at all since the practice is a tradition rooted in certain shapes (which are different in different lineages). What is being shared here is not yoga - great movement ideas, sure, but a different tradition entirely. The message to me, as someone who could not comprehend the technical aspects of the text, is that all movement is good. It's especially good if it changes over time. And trust the wisdom of the body. Maybe we needed all the thorough research to tell us that conclusively.

[Ashley Heggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished this incredibly dense and wonderful resource for yoga professionals, nearly a year after starting it. I took my time, reading and re-reading each section until I was sure I was grasping (at least minimally) the complex and vitally important concepts presented. I have no doubt I will review it again and again in the future to refresh and develop my understanding.

In my opinion, this book should be required reading for yoga instructors, yoga students, and really any movement professional or coach. Jules' explanations of key biomechanics and tissue mechanics concepts is distilled enough for someone without her impressive background to grasp while not sacrificing the complexity and nuance the subject matter demands. This book - and really all of Jules' teaching and the teaching of those at the forefront of evidence-based yoga instruction/practice - has completely changed how I teach my students and approach yoga as a movement modality. Can't recommend it enough!

[Carrie LeAnne]

Received my copy 5/3/19.