Poses by Anatomy

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Here's how to strengthen and gain mobility in your upper back

Incorporate these poses from Nicole Sciacca, Chief Yoga Officer at LA's Playlist Yoga, into your daily routine to strengthen your core muscles and help you maintain a strong and flexible spine.

The trendy go-to remedy for a tight IT band—foam rolling—can actually do more harm than good. Here’s why, plus 3 yoga poses that’ll help you keep this thick fascial tissue healthy.

Yoga and Pilates teacher Trina Altman shares why she practices and teaches a lot more than basic asana. Here, three big ways she’d love to see asana practice advance in the near future.

Flexible and strong, hamstrings are key to a healthy, happy yoga practice. Here's what you need to know in order to lengthen and strengthen these muscles.

Strengthen your back and open your shoulders and chest as you move step by step into Dhanurasana.

Need a boost? Expect this sequence from Valerie Sagun (aka Big Gal Yoga) to open your heart, silence negative thoughts, ease stress—and show you everything there is to love about your body.

This joint plays an important role in knee and foot health, balance, and more. Here’s what you need to know about your ankles.

Your yoga practice is an excellent way to give your ankles the attention they deserve, helping to reverse past damage and keep you injury free for years to come.

Move into backbends more safely, knowing you can consciously engage the muscles needed to protect the lumbar spine.

Want to unleash the true potential of your middle? 
Turns out crunches—yes, the exercise you’ve avoided for years in favor of holding Plank—are key to a stronger core and more stable yoga practice. Discover how they can serve you in every pose.

Practice these four poses to heal an injury or strengthen your shoulders to prevent one.

Binds are a wonderful way to open the shoulders, create a safe, stable haven in a pose, and build prana in the body. Within these 5 binds, you’ll find some of the most elegant, graceful shapes that ask you to rise to the occasion.

The intensity of Virasana can feel as daunting as the hero’s journey in your favorite adventure story. Choose the variation on the pose, ranging from gentle to fiery, to fit the narrative of your personal story on the mat today.

Maintaining flexibility and stability in the hip joints is crucial for lower-back health and cultivating overall freedom and ease in our bodies.

Tias Little offers 3 ways to modify Jathara Parivartanasana if needed 
to find safe alignment in your body.

Garuda Mudra is named after the eagle that Vishnu—the lord of preservation—rides. It can help you cultivate the discipline you need to stick with your daily yoga practice when life gets busy.

Master teacher Sianna Sherman takes us step by step through Padma Mudra.

When done properly, twists have the potential to help your low back feel great. Here are three poses to help you relieve low back pain.

Ray Long, MD, explains the anatomy of twists and how to support the action with proper muscular engagement to prevent low back pain.

These poses help to awaken the psoas, activating different parts of the muscle so that it’s ultimately easier for the brain to fire it up.

When yogis talk hips, it's generally about opening them. But your hips CAN be too open... Learn why balancing strength and flexibility in the hips is so important.

Do you practice yoga regularly but still feel “stuck” in certain spots? Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Allison Candelaria created this muscle-and fascia-freeing flow to tune up the lateral sides of your body.

Yoga teacher Giselle Mari shows you how to use your chakras to resolve any negativity or emotional issues holding you back so you become a lighter, brighter version of you.

This sequence is designed to help you ease tension by putting your spine through its full range of motion.

Every yogi can melt hip tension with this Monkey Pose sequence (with mods!) from the yoga teacher, body-positive advocate, and Instagram star.

Practicing this twisting sequence is beneficial for anyone who sits for a good portion of the day, suffers from chronic back pain, or loves activities like running, cycling, and hiking.

Whatever the root cause of your slumping, your yoga practice can help alleviate any resulting pain or dips in mood by bringing more balance to the muscles in your chest, upper back, and neck.

Stretch the upper back, spine, and shoulders; opens the chest; help release chronic tension in the shoulders and neck in Extended Puppy Pose.

Balancing forces is particularly crucial when it comes to addressing the feeling of “tightness” many of us have in our hips.

To work on activating the muscles of the hips to find more balance, try this sequence.

Consider this grounding sequence a reorientation to your foundation.

Do you practice yoga regularly but somehow still feel “stuck” in certain spots? Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Allison Candelaria created this fascia-freeing flow to find more mobility in the backside of your body.

Want to hone your intuition? We went behind the scenes at YJ LIVE! in NYC to bring you this third-eye-activating practice from master teacher Seane Corn.

Here are 4 yoga-inspired, belly-toning exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home, on your own time.

A droopy butt is a common side effect of pregnancy but you can prevent it—or correct it—by strengthening the right muscles.

Most women know they should be strengthening their pelvic floors, but what about lengthening? Try this 10-step practice for strong and supple muscles to support childbirth, your vital organs, and even your love life.

A simple, mindful big-toe adjustment can create stability in the bones, ligaments, and muscles of the feet, enhancing the mind-body connection and creating a secure foundation for safe and comfortably aligned poses.

Think of the word “core,” and terms like “hard" and “tight” likely come to mind. But the secret 
to a strong middle is actually to soften in your practice. This sequence shows you how.

Whether or not you ever find yourself in the full expression of Monkey Pose, you can still enjoy the journey with these very effective preps from Two Fit Moms.

Happiness is a mind-body endeavor. It only takes two minutes to deploy this self-massage to stimulate our belly brain, the enteric nervous system, which regulates mood and immunity.

Start to ease lower back discomfort and counteract the effects of too much sitting by swapping some of your standard Surya Namaskars for this core-focused variation.

We spend hours in front of our computers and phones, and the repetitive movement patterns can cause neck and shoulder strain. This sequence will help.

Relieve hard-to-release back tension by unlocking your QL muscles.

The yoga splits, or Hanumanasana, are a lifelong journey for many yogis. Fortunately there’s more than one way to skin a Monkey. These four variations of the pose each offer their own value and benefits.

Master Baptiste Yoga teacher Leah Cullis demonstrates 10 poses that tone and strengthen your arms without adding bulk.

Master Baptiste Yoga teacher Leah Cullis presents 9 poses to help you tone and strengthen your glutes and legs. Your yoga pants will thank you.

Our writer spent a day with Annie Carpenter at YJ LIVE! and came away with a newfound respect for her feet. Use this sequence as your owner’s manual.

Got low back pain? Adopt these three slow, subtle yoga strategies from Tias Little to get more relief out of each practice.

Practice these backbends and inversions for increased flexibility and strength and feel the freedom of greater range of motion in your chest and shoulders.

This minor muscle is a major player in backbends. Expand it—and its web of connective tissue—for greater range of motion in your chest and back.

This is a practice for mothers, focused on building your core—physical and 
emotional—to sustain you through the overwhelming love and challenges of motherhood.

Steal these three three core-building balance moves from The YogaSlackers to cultivate slackline-ready strength.

Understanding the anatomy of the spine is essential for both yoga teachers and practitioners. Injury-proof your practice with these three key tips.

A feeling of youth, even as you age, requires a flexible spine. In order to stay agile, practice forward bends, backbends, and twists regularly.

Maintaining a feeling of youth, even as you age, requires a flexible spine. Try this sequence to open your back and shoulders.

In order to stay agile as you age, make forward bends, backbends, and twists a regular part of your practice. Start here.

This sequence emphasizes moving safely into backbends that open the heart and shoulders and challenge balance.

Twisting poses are a top cause of SI joint injury. Learn how 
to safely anchor yourself before moving into your next twist.

The hunch in your shoulders and knots in your neck aren’t just uncomfortable, they carry an orthopedic risk. Amy Ippoliti created this practice to counteract "tech neck."

NASA rocket scientist/yoga teacher Scott Lewicki balances a highly technical day job with creativity on the mat. Use this innovative practice to find new space in often forgotten muscles.

Just in time for summer, here are Two Fit Moms' top 8 yoga poses to work the core.

Do you have open hips? While that might let you get into advanced postures, too much range of motion can actually work against you. Here are 3 steps to go from hypermobility to stability.

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YJ LIVE! presenter Rolf Gates walks us through the nuances of designing a 7-part yoga sequence that touches on each of the seven chakras.

Masumi Goldman reveals the trick to mastering the overhand grip in Dancer and One-Legged King Pigeon Poses is often in (surprise!) the psoas.

Healthy movement in your tailbone may 
influence your whole spine.

Release tension and pain by working with your tissue. Bo Forbes shows you how to target hotspots in the shoulders and lower back.

Use these heart-opening poses to synchonize your yoga practice with the energy of the special pink full moon and lunar eclipse.

Your wrists bear weight in so many yoga poses—not to mention every time you do a vinyasa. These 8 poses can help you keep your wrists pain-free.

By nature, our wrists are particularly prone to injury. Learn how to protect them in your practice.

A strong, balanced backside is key for a stable and pain-free practice. Learn the anatomy of this important muscle.

Once you understand the anatomy, you can delve into making its parts work together more intelligently. Here, Tiffany Cruikshank teaches how to fire all its muscles at once.

Get to know the anatomy and better understand the actions of your body's most vulnerable joint to prevent injury intelligently.

UFC reminds Kathryn Budig of what else? Yoga. Her favorite shoulder opener bears a striking resemblance to Ronda Rousey's signature "straight armbar."

Although standing orients your spine into proper posture, standing for too long can cause back pain. Incorporating a yoga routine can help relieve pain.

This heart-opening pose is perfect for Valentine’s Day. When you are open and available, you are present to truly give and receive love.

Grab a partner and celebrate American Heart Month with this chest-opening sequence from Two Fit Moms.

Integrate your entire being from head to toe to experience a vast connection between your innermost self and all things.