Chapter Page
Gratitude vii
How to read this book ix
Preface xi
Foreword xiii
Summary of key concepts 1
Volume 4 The Upper Body 11
Chapter 1 Overview of the upper body 15
Bones of the upper body 16
Muscles of the upper body 16
Fascia of the upper body 19
Nerves and neurodynamics 29
Movements of the upper body 31
Overview summary 36
Chapter 2 The shoulder complex 37
Form 38
The architecture of the shoulder complex 39
Bones and cartilage 40
Joints and ligaments 58
Muscles of the shoulder complex 63
A biotensegrity view of the shoulder complex 73
Function: Application in yoga postures 75
Movements within the shoulder complex 75
Normal ranges of motion of the whole shoulder complex 101
Skeletal variations' effect on poses and postures 113
The shoulder complex in yoga postures 120
Shoulder pain and pathologies 124
The shoulder complex summary 135
Chapter 3 The elbow and forearm 137
Form 137
The architecture... of the elbow and forearm 138
Bones and cartilage 139
Joints and ligaments 150
Muscles of the elbow and forearm 158
Function: Application in yoga postures 168
Normal ranges of motion 168
The elbow and forearm in yoga postures 179
Elbow pain and pathologies 195
The elbow and forearm summary 201
Chapter 4 The wrist and hand 203
Form 204
The architecture of the wrist and hand 208
The bones of the wrist and hand 209
Joints and ligaments 216
Muscles and tendons 222
Function: Application in yoga postures 229
Normal ranges of motion 229
The wrist and hand in yoga postures 238
Wrist and hand pain and pathologies 251
The wrist and hand summary 254
Volume 4 Summary 255
Appendix: Myofascial meridians of the upper body 257
Endnotes 262
Volume 5 Asymmetries and Proportions 287
The power of symmetry 289
The allure of perfect proportions 290
Aesthetics versus function 292
Chapter 1 Asymmetries 293
Categorizing the types of asymmetries 294
Asymmetry of the legs 295
Asymmetry of the pelvis 303
Asymmetry of the spine 306
Asymmetry of the shoulders 312
Asymmetry of the arms 314
Summary: The myths and misunderstandings about symmetry 318
Chapter 2 Proportions 319
Torso to legs proportions (the Cormic index) 323
Intra-limb ratio for the leg 329
Arm-to-torso proportions 334
Humerus-to-head/neck proportions 335
Intra-limb ratio for the arm 338
Arm span to height proportions 339
Summary: The importance of proportions 349
Volume 5 Summary 350
Endnotes 352
Index 356
Sidebars
It's Important
The flaw of averages 2
Stability and the close-packed position of the joints 18
Our internal rotator muscles are much stronger than our external rotator muscles 68
Allow your palms to face in the direction your arms are moving 99
Allow the arms to abduct in the scapular plane 104
Active versus passive ranges of motion 112
Are you a member of the 180° club? 118
Your carrying angle will affect your hand positions 142
When bearing weight in the hands, pronate! 164
Teaching children how to differentiate clockwise from counter-clockwise 166
Pronate to push; supinate to pull 176
Reviewing pronation and supination 180
There are three ways to turn the hands outward 239
Notice when alignment cues are inconsistent in their logic 248
Reconsidering symmetry 299
It is okay to work your right and left sides differently 308
For golfers: A personal story of asymmetry 317
Babies and children are not miniature adults! 322
It's Complicated
Statistics 3
Deep fascia of the upper body 24
Scapular movements are complex! 33
Other variations of the scapula 47
Parameters of the humeral head 56
Bursae and articular discs 61
Variations in the muscles of the shoulder complex 71
Closed-chain versus open-chain exercises 123
A different paradigm for ligaments and tendons. The collateral ligament complexes and annular ligaments may not exist 154
A larger olecranon increases the triceps brachii moment arm 162
The axis of rotation for pronation and supination 172
Closed-chain hands on the floor change everything! 182
Variations in the distal ulna 211
Leonardo da Vinci's perfect proportions 291
The many definitions of asymmetry 296
It is not easy to determine leg length differences 301
Variations in the Cormic index 326
Note to Teachers
Helping your students determine their ranges of external and internal rotation of the arms 93
It is okay to let the shoulders rise during arm elevation 102
Don't over-focus on where the hands are 107
Where the eye of the elbow faces is only relatively important 184
What to say to a student whose arm is not straight 192
Cueing the hands in Down Dog (Adhomukhasvanasana) 240
How to estimate your students'leg length difference 302
It is okay to ask students to play around with their asymmetries 313
Allow the arms to be wider to increase arm flexion 337