PATTERNS &PROCESSES

The Human Skeletal System & Yogic Practices Kevin and Danielle

POINTS OF DISCUSSION
What is the skeleton? What are its major components? What Happens in the aging process that reduces the efficiency of our skeletal system? How does a sedentary lifestyle affect bones? How does yoga strengthen bones? How does yoga make our spinal column more flexible? How does the health of our bones connect with our overall human experience? Yogic pose demonstration & description by Kevin & Danielle

THE HUMAN SKELETON

In an adult Human there are 206 bones Babies are born with 300, but as they grow older some fuse together Bones act as support, aid for movement , and protection.

http://askabiologist.asu .edu/bone-anatomy

SPINAL COLUMN
Cervical are the Lumbar vertebrae Vertebrae are five vertebrae (L1-L5) that make up 7 Cervical Vertebrae first 7 bones making up the the spine in are the lower back. neck. They commonly Here the spine starts curving referred to C1-C7. Cervical toward the abdomenThe vertebrae The coccyx (ormovement tail) is the give joint between the L5 and S1 lowest part of the vertebral and support for the skull. 12 Thoracic enables the hips and pelvis to http://www.orthogate.org/patientcolumn andthe is attached Vertebrae swing when body runs by or education/cervical-spine/cervical-spineanatomy.html ligaments to the margins of walksThe lumbar vertebrae Thoracic vertebrae, T1 -T12, thesupport sacral hiatus. When a help the weight of the are attached to the rib cage. person is sitting, pressure is body, and permit movement. http://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/skele The vertebral arch protects exerted on the coccyx, and tal/lumbar-vertebrae-lateral the spinal cord with an 5 Lumbar it moves forward, acting The sacrum is a large bone at increasingly Vertebrae sort of like triangular acircular shock the base of the lower spine. The sacrum is vertebral foramen, which a strong bone absorber. and rarely fractures. The five vertebrae that make up the http://www.innerbody.com/image_s gets smaller as sacrum the are separated in early life, but gradually Sacrum kelfov/skel38_new.html vertebrae themselves become fused together betweenget the eighteenth and thirtieth The weight larger from the years. T1 down to of the body is transmitted to the legs the T12 vertebra. through the pelvic girdle at these joints. Coccyx
http://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/skele http://www.innerbody.com/image_skel05/ tal/thoracic-vertebrae-lateral skel14_spine.html

HANDS
There are 27 bones in the human hand. Phalanges are small bone that make up the skeleton of the hand. They are divided up in to three parts: The distal phalanges Intermediate Proximal Phalanges Metacarpal bones are five long cylindrical bones in the body of the hand. The heads of the metacarpal bones form the knuckles. Carpals form the wrist. There are eight small carpal bones in the wrist that are firmly bound in two rows of four bones each. The mass that results from these bones is called the carpus. The eight bones are : pisiform bone Triquetrum hamate bone capitate bone trapezoid bone trapezium bone scaphoid bone lunate bone
http://www.innerbody.com/image/skel13.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/101313/Bone s-of-the-hand-showing-the-carpal-bones-metacarpal-bones

FEET
There are 26 bones in the human foot. Like the hand there are 3 phalanges (distal, intermediate, proximal). Metatarsal bones make up the central skeleton of the foot and are held in an arch formation by surrounding ligaments. There are seven tarsal, or ankle, bones. medial cuneiform bone intermediate cuneiform bone lateral cuneiform bone cuboid bone navicular bone calcaneus, or heel bone- It helps to support the weight of the body and provides an attachment for muscles that move the foot. Talus
http://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/skeletal/legfoot/ankle-foot
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/101314/Bones-of-thefoot-showing-the-calcaneus-talus-and-other

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR BONES AS WE AGE?

http://rentedbodiesyoga. blog.com/page/2/

 Although bone seems as hard as a rock, its actually living tissue. Throughout your life, old bone is removed and new bone is added. These two processesbone resorption and bone formationare twin components of the bodys continuous bone turnover known as bone remodeling. If bone resorption and formation occurred at exactly the same pace, bone mass would remain the same. But that isnt the case. After age 35 or so, bone resorption outpaces formation and bone density begins to decline. Some loss of bone density is normal. Only when the process accelerates does osteoporosis become a threat. http://www.ccfa.org/assets/pdfs/boneloss.pdf
What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," is a condition that causes bones to gradually thin and weaken, leaving them susceptible to fracturesAlthough all bones can be affected by the disease, the bones of the spine, hip, and wrist are most likely to break. In elderly people, hip fractures can be particularly dangerous because the prolonged immobility required during the healing process can lead to blood clots or pneumonia, both of which can have fatal consequences.
http://women.webmd.com/guide/understanding-osteoporosisbasics

HOW DOES A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AFFECT OUR BONES?

Extended periods of sitting lead to muscular shortening, tightening and weakening; Lack of weight-bearing activity contributes to osteoporosis; and Lack of movement and stretching leads to joint deterioration and loss of flexibility
http://www.yoga-science.rs/eng/sciarticles2011/21-santosh-kumar-mishra.pdf

Many health concerns have been linked to the sedentary lifestyle which is typical for many older peopleThat life leads to the following: Reduced joint flexiblity Arthritis/bursitis Osteoperosis Low back pain Chronic pain
http://www.yoga-science.rs/eng/sciarticles2011/21-santoshkumar-mishra.pdf

HOW DOES YOGA STRENGTHEN BONES?

In general, any physical activity that promotes movements which exert pressure on the bones (i.e., running, walking, etc.) are termed weightbearing exercises. Such exercises stimulate the retention of calcium in bones, allowing for the production of more bone mass Yoga incorporates plenty of weightbearing poses which stimulate the retention of calcium in bones.

Bakasana Crow Pose

Vrschikasana Scorpion Pose

HOW DOES YOGA MAKE OUR SPINAL COLUMN MORE FLEXIBLE?

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360859209000916

Through forward/back bends, inversions and twists Sun salutation incorporates all of these posture 1reinforces the postural muscles and promotes a healthy lower back. posture 2provides a stretch for the complete spinal column Postures 3 and 10promote increased flexibility in the hamstrings and and gluteal muscles postures 4 and 9promote mobility of lower back, knee and ankle. The hip flexors are also benefitted. posture 5strengthens upper body, abdominal, and lower back muscles. posture 6strengthens the abdomen, back, shoulders, and arms. posture 7promotes increased lower back flexibility. posture 8stretches the hamstrings, increases upper body strength and promotes increased flexibility to the chest and mid back.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360859209000916

HOW DOES THE HEALTH OF OUR BONES CONNECT WITH OUR OVERALL HUMAN EXPERIENCE?
Orthopedic related problems are on the riselow backache is a leading health problem in the world. Rheumatoid arthritis still remains an enigma. In injuries related to trauma, we are able to fix any type of fracture combinations but are unable to control what goes on in the mind Studies have shown that mental stress induces a significant increase in muscle tensionmusculoskeletal pain may also be stress induced.
http://www.journal-cot.com/article/S0976-5662(11)60051-9/abstract

http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/stress-gray-hair-1.jpg

http://physioworkspakenham.com.au/wpcontent/uploads/2011/03/musculoskeletal-disorder300x240.jpg

www.femside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/yoga-harmony-destress.jpg

http://www.pittmandmd.com/images/collage_2.gif

TRIANGLE POSE

BOW POSE

Promotes full back bend which, with practice, increases the flexibility of the spinal column.
Expands thoracic chest region. Deep stretch in the neck, shoulders, arms and legs