Bands to the Aid

Up until now, a lot of my posts have alluded to or discussed myofascial (myo=muscle, fascia=connective tissue) lines or tracks in the body, largely based on the work of Myers (2008, 2e), and how they integrate into asana practice or mindful movement and participation in life. These lines are vertical or longitudinal and they are also functional in the sense that they relate primarily to movement.

There are, however, other fascial 'bands' or 'straps' that run horizontally around and through the body, which, as you shall see, are related to (familiar) yoga concepts and are instrumental for healthy alignment and integrated movement in asana practice. My sources for this post are The Endless Web: Fascial Anatomy and Physical Reality (Schultz, R. L., and Feitis, R., 1996, e-book), a workshop and presentation by Doug Keller (April 21, 2012) at the Fairfax location of Sun and Moon yoga, and my own practice and experience.

While each body is unique in shape, size, proportion, and contour, that is, some of what constitutes one's gross and energetic silhouette, all bodies have patterns that are common to them. These retinaculae or bands/straps (retinaculum is the single and comes from the Latin verb retinere (to retain)) run horizontally around the body "where there are no traditional anatomical connections from front to back" (Schultz, R. L., and Feitis, R., 1996). They function as retainers holding in the soft tissue and are relatively independent of muscle tissue.

When I think of these bands, I think of an oak barrel (the body and its contents) and the hoops that hold it together (the bands), with the small but important difference that humans move and oak barrels don't (at least not in the same way). In movement, these retainers, which resemble tendons and ligaments in structure, seems to run not only around but through the body like planes, segmenting the human body in this way and giving it its distinct human shape. Relative to the segments that the bands' existence brings about/begets, the bands themselves are relatively inflexible and have the quality of breaking the wave (or flow) of movement, thus providing stability for both movement and breath.

So, what are these bands? There are seven of them:

1. Pubic band: The lowest band in the torso, which extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx. Think pelvic floor/ diaphragm, mula bandha, muladhara chakra, piriformis, earth, hinge between sacrum and tailbone. (Hinges are discussed below.)
2. Inguinal band: The band across the lower abdomen. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior superior spines of the ilia or hip points). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bones (ilia), ending at the lumbosacral junction. Think sacrum, swadhisthana chakra, fire+water, hinge between low back and sacrum, uddiyana bandha/lower abdomen.
3. Belly/umbilical band: The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in location. It may cross at the umbilicus, or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the mid-costal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to form an  arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the eleventh rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Think navel, manipura chakra, solar plexus, fire, uddiyana bandha/upper abdomen, hinge between chest and low back.
4. Chest band: The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest; the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the mid-lateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back ribs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine (T4-T5). When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid-chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing. Think heart, lungs, anahata chakra, water, diaphragm, bottom tips of shoulder blades, dorsal hinge (back of heart).
5. Collar band: The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae. Think throat, vishuddha chakra, air+water, shoulder girdle, hinge between upper back and neck (C7).
6. Chin band: The area below the chin is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebra (atlas). Think ajna chakra, air, neck, lower brain, hinge between neck and head.
7. Eye band: The topmost band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull). Think sahasraha chakra, air, upper brain, skull, skull hinge/sphenoid.

Why are these important?
These bands or retainers manifest themselves where the spine's curves reverse direction, that is, where the vertebral bodies change shape and function and where, therefore, there is the most potential for movement and thus the most tendency for overuse and injury. These bands attach to these hinge points in the spine to create stability, where we are the most vulnerable, the body creating its own genius way of keeping itself whole and integrated.

As the colored sections above indicate, these hinges and their bands are also associated and have a relationship with the chakras, commonly described as energy/life force/prana centers in the body. Anatomically, the chakras are situated just in front of the spine, where the autonomic or visceral nervous system lies (ANS), controlling and affecting things such as heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, perspiration, salivation, sexual arousal, among other important functions. The hinges in the spine discussed above are associated with the most complex ANS activity. As Doug Keller eloquently puts it: "where there is ease of movement at these junctions, there is stimulation of nerve impulses that control metabolic activity; these are the points where the chakras express themselves through the nervous system, providing a continuum between physical and subtle" (Keller 2012).

How can we be informed by these latitudinal fascial bands in our asana practice? A comprehensive answer to this question is beyond the scope of this post, but simply being aware of their existence can be the beginning to mindfully integrating them into your own asana practice and to beginning your own personal quest to feel these bands and understand where the work lies in your body. For me, creating a lift along the frontal surface of my spine has done wonders for allowing me to integrate my pubic, inguinal, and belly bands, but this only came after I worked for quite some time on untucking my pelvis (as in a few years and an ongoing process). Smiling with my neck has been instrumental in aligning my collar, chin, and eye bands and showing me where I hold patterns that are useless and downright detrimental to my well-being. What about that well-known hinge where the low back ends and the upper back begins, the infamous T12-L1 juncture? I have had great experience with the following actions in my practice to alleviate pressure at this hinge and begin to stack my ribcage and my shoulder girdle on top of my pelvis (i.e. tadasana alignment): assuming things are all lined up below, draw the bottom of the breastbone (xyphoid process) into the body (not necessarily down), which in turn will allow you to expand/broaden the ribcage laterally, and then exhale through your upper traps draping them back and slightly down (without pulling your arms down).

Was that long enough for you? Me too. Peace out!

The seesaw principle and the deep front line

You are in yoga class in a standing pose with the front knee bent, as in virabhadrasana 1 or 2 (warrior) or parsvokonasana (side angle), and you hear the dreaded instruction: descend the top of the thigh bone down towards the floor. You try and one or more of the following happen: your front hip crease starts gripping and naggingly hisses at you that it's time to get out of this misery, and/or your back leg collapses down towards the floor, and/or gluteal muscles start overworking and causing pain in the sacroiliac (SI) joint or in the back of the pelvis. Sound familiar? Read on..

So, I recently spent a good chunk of my time on long flights going across the ocean to visit family and take a side trip to Rome. I wanted to find a way to keep the tops of my thigh bones rooted (in the back plane of the body) while sitting in the airplane seat and remembered the principle of the seesaw:

Seesaw from http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/about-this-show/physics-of-seesaws.htm

In terms of anatomy and movement, the seesaw principle states that when one end of a bone (or body part) is moved in one direction, the other end of the bone is moved in the opposite direction (see Keller 2001). This is a particularly useful principle when addressing knee hyper-extension as shown in the image below:

Hyper-extended knee and seesaw principle from http://www.doyoga.com/book.pdf. Now, imagine both "seesaws" of the leg bones, moving in the opposite direction with the base of the thigh bone and the top of the shin bone becoming "light" and the top of the thigh bone and the base of the shin bone becoming "heavy" from the point of view of the seesaw mechanism and you will see how this principle can address knee hyper-extension and the postural issues resulting from it.

This is all very well in straight-legged poses/positions. What about when the knee is flexed as in one of the poses mentioned above or when sitting in an airplane seat? In my view, absolutely. So, back to sitting on airplanes: I placed one of those mini-pillows they give you on long flights under the base of my thigh bones, just above the backs of my knees, so that the tops of my thigh bones at the level of the hip creases were lower than the base of the thigh bones just above the kneecaps. It certainly made a difference for me.

Now, back to yoga poses where the knee is flexed. Next time you are in virabhadrasana 1 or 2 or parsvokonasana, instead of trying to press the top of your thigh bone down, which will very likely create some hardening in the hip crease area, try lifting the base of the thigh bone up from below (top back of the knee area or knee pit). You will most likely notice the top of your thigh bone descending into the sling of your hamstrings, even if just a bit. Further, this idea is especially helpful in poses where the knee is in even deeper flexion, such as virasana (hero), eka pada raja kapotasana (pigeon), padmasana (lotus), vrksasana (tree), to name a few. In this way, you will be creating much needed space in the back of the knee joint, helping your thigh bones set deeply into the hip socket, thus tapping into the sweetness of yoga asana practice, when movement is not stressing you out and creating physical, mental and emotional drag.

Going deeper, I think this idea is also useful with regards to accessing the deep front or core line in these postures. If I think of lifting the base of the thigh bone up as described above, I am directly speaking to my core line via the popliteus, the back of the knee capsule, and the adductors (inner thighs), which in turn connect to my psoas complex and therefore my spine, my breath, and my heart above (see Myers, last page, figure 7) and deep compartment of the lower leg and the arches of the feet below. Long live the seesaw!

Turn the Key, or How to Optimize Your Shoulder Alignment

When talking about shoulder alignment in yoga classes, the practitioner most often hears about the upper arm bone (the humerus) and the shoulder blade (the scapula). It usually involves some kind of language which instructs the practitioner to take the arm bone in the back plane of the body with the aim of positioning/keeping/securing the shoulder blade onto the back, that is, it deals with movement/articulation in the glenohumeral, or shoulder, joint, the place where the upper arm bone and the shoulder blade meet. This is true regardless of whether you weight bear directly on your hands or "just" have to keep your arms up or out to the side for example. This is true irrespective of the type of pose: forward bend, backbend, twist, arm balance, etc. If the shoulder blade is not optimally positioned on your back, then something above or below it will take the brunt such as your neck and head, elbow, hand, upper spine, ribs, even hips and sacrum. Optimal position of the scapula is beyond the scope of this post and I will leave that to the expert voice of Tom Myers.

What I want to draw attention to is the other shoulder bone, the collarbone (or clavicle), which forms the other shoulder joint or the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, which is the junction between the clavicle and the acromion of the scapula. If this already sounds like gibberish, here is a visual:

Shoulder from http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00394

The collarbones are largely forgotten in yoga class, besides the occasional instruction to broaden them during centering. In my experience, they are key to shoulder alignment. And I use the word "key" on purpose. Because the etymological root of clavicle means "key." It comes from the Latin clavicula, meaning small key or bolt. Doug Keller first drew my attention to this connection, and although I was impressed, it took a bit of time for me to make further connections. The same etymology goes across languages: ключица (klyuchitsa) in Bulgarian, meaning key bone; Schlüsselbein in German, meaning key bone; etc. This is also where clé or clef (key) come from in French. So, knowing the etymology was the first step to greater understanding. On an intellectual level, I understood that somehow the AC joint was instrumental in optimizing shoulder alignment, and the clavicle was like the key in the lock that unlocks that potential. This also made me remember the "broaden the collarbones" instruction  and practice it in a variety of poses.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was in yoga class doing jathara parivartanasana, let's say, taking my legs to the right, trying to will my left outer shoulder blade to stay on the floor, when I heard the teacher say, "Broaden from the right collarbone through the left collarbone," and it just worked like a beauty. Bringing my awareness to the collarbones brought about easier and more refined alignment to the arm bone-shoulder blade complex:

Jathara parivartanasana: revolved abdomen pose, from http://home.comcast.net/~raoulsch/bwy/bwy_prac.htm

Needless to say, I remembered all that Doug Keller had said about the "key" bone and went about exploring enthusiastically in my practice. The following muscles attach to the clavicle: trapezium, deltoid, the SCM, the pec major, the subclavius, and the sternoclavicular (or sternohyoid) plus a couple of ligaments. This would make the clavicle a key bony station in at least 3 of the 4 arm lines (see Myers above) as well as the deep front line via the sternohyoid.

To be clear, I am not saying to ignore the arm bone-scapula (shoulder) joint. This is the joint that primarily determines shoulder positioning and alignment. But I do think that the clavicle and its articulation at the AC joint with the shoulder blade is nothing to sneeze at if you are seeking refinement and more optimal shoulder alignment in your practice. As Wikipedia says about the AC joint: "The AC joint allows the ability to raise the arm above the head. This joint functions as a pivot point (although technically it is a gliding synovial joint), acting like a strut to help with movement of the scapula resulting in a greater degree of arm rotation."

So, in practice, what has helped me is to think of absorbing the distal edges of my clavicles into the body, in essence articulating my AC joint, plugging the key into the lock and turning it, so that I can then open wide the door of the shoulder (arm bone-shoulder blade) joint. Like a waving lucky cat when its paw is raised and facing forward. Doing that lucky cat wave (with the elbow bent) and having the fingertips of your other hand on your clavicle will show you what I am talking about (try having the fingertips at different points of the clavicle, starting from the center, closest to the sternum and then moving out towards the shoulder blade to get a sense of how the clavicle is indeed like a key that turns into a lock). So, when you bring your awareness to the clavicle and articulate at the AC joint, you are creating the conditions for the top chest to spread, lift, and broaden and for the shallow shoulder joint to express the mobility that it is known for (at least in theory). Think about absorbing the edges of your collarbones into the body next time you do pincha mayurasana (forearm stand) or set up for urdhva dhanurasana (wheel) and see how it goes and whether it helps you with moving your shoulder blades more fully onto your back. Then, start turning the key in other poses as well and see what doors it opens for you.