Spinal Movements

Lesson Materials

Assignments:

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Spinal_Movements_Assessment

Please answer any one of the following in the Forum:

  1. Name the six directions of spinal movement and the two additional types of movement relevant to asana practice.
  2. Give a pose example for each.
  3. Understand the objective of spinal / axial extension poses.
  4. Describe “compression” and when it’s desirable.
  5. Describe some teaching considerations related to spinal alignment in forward bends, backbends, lateral bends, twists, spinal extension and inversions.

Spinal Movements

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, we explore the movements of the spine and how they inform teaching.

Objective

Become proficient in using accurate terminology related to spinal movements and how to apply knowledge of the movements to inform teaching of the various categories of asana.

Description

Name the six directions of spinal movement and the two additional types of movement relevant to asana practice. Give a pose example for each. Understand the objective of spinal / axial extension poses. Describe “compression” and when it’s desirable. Describe some teaching considerations related to spinal alignment in forward bends, backbends, lateral bends, twists, spinal extension and inversions.