Twists in yoga set up a rotation in the body by using a combination of opposing forces. They are hugely beneficial for cleansing the body of toxins and for flushing blood through the organs. The spine can roughly be divided into three parts, the neck, thorax (rib cage) and the lumbar (lower back).
The vertebrae in the rib cage are designed to rotate. The vertebrae in the lumbar are designed to flex and extend. The vertebrae in the neck are designed to do both.
The junction between the ribs and the lumbar is the most mobile part of the mid back. That is where most twists gain their maximum leverage. That junction (T12 / L1) lies right behind the diaphragm and between the kidneys. The diaphragm covers the stomach, important nerves to the abdomen, the gall bladder, liver, the kidneys, the spleen and a collection vessel for lymph glands. The major organs like the liver, kidneys and spleen act as a huge reservoir for blood.
Imagine when you are doing a twist that you are doing a liver squeeze, or that you are bringing your kidneys round or lifting them. It is like squeezing a sponge over the bath and filling it again with fresh water. Healthy kidneys for instance, can pump 1.2 litres of blood in a minute. You might notice after a good yoga session that your urine is darker or more in volume. That is the flushing action of the twists.
There is however a much wider benefit to twisting. Have you ever carefully examined the fibres of a rope?
Not only the main strands are twisting but also the fibres within the strands. A twisted rope is stronger than the individual fibres. The design of the human body uses the same principles to increase strength. Let me give some examples. Your pectoral muscles run from the where the first six ribs anchor to the sternum into the front of the top of the arm bone (the humerus). The insertion lies right next to the insertion of latissimus dorsi and teres major. Both pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi insert into a very small area by twisting the fibres at the last minute. That hugely increases the strength of the muscles as a whole. Another example is the achilles tendon. The achilles connects the calf muscles, gastrocnemius and soleus into the heel bone (the calcaneus). If you examine the fibres closely you find that they are twisted like a rope. Another example is the uterus. When contractions start how does the uterus force the baby down into the small pelvis through the cervix? First of all it sets up a battering ram known as "the waters". They open the cervix and cushion the head. If a well intentioned obstetrician breaks the waters too soon the head becomes the battering ram. The muscles of the uterus itself are twisted so that when the contract the head is forced downwards taking the body with it.
Finally let's think on a microscopic scale. Looking at the structure of DNA under an electron microscope you will see a double coiled helix structure. The human body itself is built on a foundation of a twisted rope. Even water going down a plughole forms a vortex or twisting action. I have always wanted to test which way the water goes down the plughole in the Southern hemisphere compared to the Northern hemisphere. As a boy I used to stir the bath the opposite way to see if I could persuade the whirlpool to twist the other way. I used to canoe with a friend down the Serpents Tail at Llangollen in North Wales. Once when I was following him he disappeared down a hole. He said later that he saw his kayak twisting down the whirlpool ahead of him. It is a wonder that we reached adulthood.
By setting up twists in yoga using opposing forces you increase the strength of individual muscles.
I use this principle when I am treating someone with an injury, the shoulder for instance. Sometimes the fascia constricts around the muscles and squeezes them into a tight space. They cannot fully stretch. By raising the arm and twisting you can unwind the fascia. You could use that principle in a class. Don't ask the class to simply raise an arm in Utthita Parsvakonasana for example. Ask them to swing the arm in front of the body then upwards. It is much easier because it unwinds the fascia in the shoulder.
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Muscle Spasm
Why do muscles sometimes go into spasm? There are lots of reasons:
Muscles are tiny spindles linked together by proteins that slide over each other. They are enclosed in a bag or sheath called fascia. It is the whitish elastic stuff that you see if you carve a leg or shoulder of lamb.
Muscles spindles need a nerve supply and nutrition. The nerve endings form a kind of flower spray arrangement into the muscles. Nutrition is supplied by good blow flow bringing glucose, sodium, potassium, magnesium, oxygen and water. There are tiny power stations called mitochondria inside the cells of the muscles. The power stations need energy. Enzymes convert nutrition into energy. Co enzyme Q 10 is one of the key enzymes that enable energy production. The unit or currency of energy transfer is ATP or adenosine -5- triphospate.
Muscle fatigue is caused by:
Poor circulation or blood flow
Overusing muscles that you are not used to using
Medications that affect the production of Co enzyme Q 10
Dehydration and low electrolyte levels
Poor breathing or anything that prevents oxygen from reaching the muscles (hypoxia)
Old damage to muscle fibres from past injuries
Diabetes or any other condition that affects the circulation
Damage to the nervous system that stops the muscles from relaxing. A stroke for instance will 'switch on' the flexor muscles that bend the joints.
Once when I was walking in the Bavarian Alps I suffered from heat stroke. After 8 hours of steep walking in hot sunshine I started to sweat profusely through my head. Being totally alone on a mountain pass I stopped to try and drink. I felt waves of nausea every time that I tried to drink water. In my first aid kit was a pot of soda bicarbonate mixed with salt. I made myself lick the dry mixture. Within a few minutes I could eat a bowl of muesli with rich Alpine milk. That and some water kept me going for another four hours of steep walking with a 20 kg rucksack. Next time I will leave more kit behind.
Muscles also go into spasm as a protective measure. If we suddenly slip when doing something we make tiny changes to the bones that anchor the muscles. The muscles are put under a sudden strain. The brain perceives that the ligaments that bind the joints together will be strain and splints the joints. The only splint available is the muscles. Ligament pain is acute and disabling. The body needs careful re-alignment to enable the muscles to relax. That is why I am never out of work!
Muscles are tiny spindles linked together by proteins that slide over each other. They are enclosed in a bag or sheath called fascia. It is the whitish elastic stuff that you see if you carve a leg or shoulder of lamb.
Muscles spindles need a nerve supply and nutrition. The nerve endings form a kind of flower spray arrangement into the muscles. Nutrition is supplied by good blow flow bringing glucose, sodium, potassium, magnesium, oxygen and water. There are tiny power stations called mitochondria inside the cells of the muscles. The power stations need energy. Enzymes convert nutrition into energy. Co enzyme Q 10 is one of the key enzymes that enable energy production. The unit or currency of energy transfer is ATP or adenosine -5- triphospate.
Muscle fatigue is caused by:
Poor circulation or blood flow
Overusing muscles that you are not used to using
Medications that affect the production of Co enzyme Q 10
Dehydration and low electrolyte levels
Poor breathing or anything that prevents oxygen from reaching the muscles (hypoxia)
Old damage to muscle fibres from past injuries
Diabetes or any other condition that affects the circulation
Damage to the nervous system that stops the muscles from relaxing. A stroke for instance will 'switch on' the flexor muscles that bend the joints.
Once when I was walking in the Bavarian Alps I suffered from heat stroke. After 8 hours of steep walking in hot sunshine I started to sweat profusely through my head. Being totally alone on a mountain pass I stopped to try and drink. I felt waves of nausea every time that I tried to drink water. In my first aid kit was a pot of soda bicarbonate mixed with salt. I made myself lick the dry mixture. Within a few minutes I could eat a bowl of muesli with rich Alpine milk. That and some water kept me going for another four hours of steep walking with a 20 kg rucksack. Next time I will leave more kit behind.
Muscles also go into spasm as a protective measure. If we suddenly slip when doing something we make tiny changes to the bones that anchor the muscles. The muscles are put under a sudden strain. The brain perceives that the ligaments that bind the joints together will be strain and splints the joints. The only splint available is the muscles. Ligament pain is acute and disabling. The body needs careful re-alignment to enable the muscles to relax. That is why I am never out of work!
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