Ray Long (1)

If you like to understand what's happening to your body while you use it and you know some basic yoga, I recommend this book (though it's very pricey). Arranged by muscle groups, it has beautiful pictures of how the muscle connects to your skeleton. It then explains how the muscle works and the other muscles around it that help it do its job. Finally there's an section with asanas for activating the muscle, awaking awareness of the muscle, contracting the muscle, and stretching the muscle. show more The illustrations show a skeleton doing the asana with the activity of the muscle highlighted. show less

Ah, a yoga book absent any woo-woo. Anatomy is not faith-based.

Remarkable computer-generated graphics show muscle positions and functions with great clarity. It suggests that the chakras are associated with different spinal nerves. Not as much mechanical detail as "Anatomy of Movement", but the pictures are very cool.

Master the science behind the arm balances and inversions of Hatha Yoga. Dr. Ray Long guides you on a visual narrative through the anatomy, biomechanics, and physiology of this ancient art, decoding each pose along the way. The Mat Companion series provides you with beautifully illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to use scientific principles to obtain the maximum benefit from your practice. Each book includes the Bandha Yoga Codex, a simple five-step process that can be applied to show more any pose to improve strength, flexibility, and precision -- no matter what style of yoga you practice.

About the Author:

Ray Long, MD, FRCSC, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and the founder of Bandha Yoga. He is the author of the bestselling series, The Key Muscles of Yoga and The Key Poses of Yoga. show less