Modes of Practice

THE KINETIC CHAIN

Week #3 Modes of Practice and Kinesthetics

KINESIOLOGY: the dynamics of movement

Kinesiology is the study of the dynamics of movement. This knowledge can be indispensable in encouraging the coalescence of the body needed as a foundation for exploration of deeply embodied states of consciousness.  

• Toning the Spine

It is practical and essential to yoga practice that the spine be strong and maintain its curves...this process I call "toning the spine." When the curves of the spine are maintained, the force of movement is distributed properly throughout the body, avoiding injury,  and one is able to take a FULL UJJAYI BREATH.

• Curves of the spine and development
• The spine develops curves in utero, and then after birth. When a child is born, they have lived as a fetus in fetal position! so their spine is in KYPHOSIS (convex). The initial process of development 
• Maintaining natural curves of the spine

• Symmetry and Alignment
• no one has a symmetrical body, and this asymmetry creates (and results from) our "habits" (Samskara (mental habits/desires) and "Vasana" (the habits that arise from samskara)).

• Kinetic Chain: One concept in kinesiology is a model of body dynamics called the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain describes the interrelated groups of body parts, connecting joints, and muscles working together to perform movements and the portion of the spine to which they connect. It views the human body as a system of overlapping segments (e.g. hand, arm, shoulder, rib cage) connected by a series of joints.
• Movements occurring within each segment are expressed in either “closed-chain” or “open-chain” patterns -- dependent on whether the distal end (furthest from the spine) of the chain is fixed or free to move without restriction, each movement is classified as either closed or open.  
• Open-Chain movements are those where the distal end of an extremity moves freely in space—such as when one raises their hands over their head or if one’s feet are suspended above them in a headstand. 
• Open-chain movements involve more shearing forces at the involved joint compared to closed-chain movements and tend to recruit the musculature associated with only a single working joint, resulting in less integration. 
• Closed-Chain movement refers to a position where the most distal part of a given extremity is fixed to the earth or another solid object, which results in the body moving about the fixed joint. Once movement is initiated, the repositioning of the joints and surrounding musculature-- moving through the chain -- are modified due to this fixed position. 
• For example, when the feet are planted on the ground during utkatasana, the rest of the leg chain (i.e. ankles, knees, hips, and spine) will move toward the fixed end of the extremity—the feet—as the body lowers into the squatting position.
• Closed-chain movements promote joint stabilization and have the potential to recruit more muscles and their associated joints; encouraging somatic integration. 
• WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
• You may modify your postures in an effort to conform to “making the right shape” -- although, this modification may be inappropriate for your functional anatomy. 
• For example, in virabhadrasana I (warrior 1), you may turn out your front foot, increasing the external rotation of the same hip, so that they may go more “deeply” into the posture. This deepening seems desirable because you mistakenly see wider legs with the thigh parallel to the ground as “better” (a sacred geometry). In fact, this is only a geometric imposition on an organic form; your true warrior 1 is achieved in a stance that is in accord with your anatomical structure and capacity to fix the position of the front foot whilst squaring the hips (e.g. degree of flexibility). 
• Another example would be when you turn their front foot inwards when practicing parvrita parsvakonasana (twisted side angle). This increases the internal rotation of the hip on the same side and provides a wider frame for balance. This may allow you to enter a deeper twist, because in disengaging the hips which normally act as the center of gravity, the spine curves, weight is shifted to the front foot, and the structural integrity of the knee and groin are imperiled. This accommodation occurs (and is sometimes taught!) to enable a you to make a “shape” (get the elbow on the outside of the thigh or the hand on the floor), at the expense of sound body dynamics. Instead, students should be encouraged to keep their hips engaged and only twist as far as this engagement can be maintained. This arises from the theory that asanas create effects and are not unassailably idealized shapes -- that yoga is practiced to achieve grace in the mind/body.
• In yoga practice we endeavor to engage the entirety of the body. From the perspective of the kinetic chain model, all actions would then approximate "closed chain movements" -- even when the more distal portion is not secured on a surface of some kind. This involves utilizing techniques that “mimic” a closed chain by enlisting the muscles and joints of a chain in a way that creates  resistance; as if the distal portion is positioned on a stable surface. 
• For example, when one balances in Virabhadrasana III (warrior three), you reach through the elevated leg as if you are pressing it against a wall. This engages the lower chain as if it is one unit, allowing it to work in unison. It is this integration (along with continued hip engagement and the resistance to gravity achieved by pushing the floor away with the standing leg) that allows for balance.
• This introduces an important refinement of the kinetic chain model when it is applied to yoga practice. Because yoga seeks to integrate the body/mind into a unified whole, imagining the body as two chains linked together through segments of the spine may be too fragmented. What is it that unifies the upper and lower chains and the spine? It is not where one places the hands or feet (as the kinetic chain model may suggest), but what happens to the hands and feet because of the action of the hips; and this is governed by what is initiated by the mind and the breath. 
• When one transitions from standing to a backbend in a sun salute, the mind initiates the forward movement at the hips. This movement is coordinated with an inhale and, in equal measure, the abdominals lengthen while the thighs are drawn into extension. This extension from the center of the body radiates to both distal extremities, reaching its maximal point at the same time that the breath reaches its fullest expression. The whole body is unified in creating a high arch through this process. The entirety of the body is engaged to some degree in any performed action, within or outside of yoga practice; it does not work segmentally in natural movements. This is the essence of embodiment; in yoga, the level of awareness of the unified body/mind gives us insight into the nature of self.
• LINKS IN THE CHAIN: It follows then, that the kinetic chain also needs to include what is between each link; the muscles, fascia, ligaments, tendons, and other anatomical structures.
• instability in a joint will create instability in the joints closest to them and up the chain (proximally and distally). When one creates variations it is important to recognize that mobility in a joint will affect mobility in the next joint in the kinetic chain. 
• Flexion in the elbow, supports flexion and rotation in the shoulder; flexion in the knee, likewise increases flexion and rotation in the hips. Therefore, one can make a posture or movements more accessible for students with tight hips or shoulders by creating variations with the knees or elbows bent or passing through bent positions towards straightening (bent limbs still must be instructed so that the whole of the chain remains engaged). 
• This knowledge allows you to experience the connections within their bodies, facilitating higher levels of embodiment.

• The Laws of Side-Bending and Rotation in the Spine
• In addition, the spine rotates and bends in predictable ways depending on whether the segment is lordotic (concave) or kyphotic (convex). 
• The law of rotation and side-bending designates that in the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) sections of the spine which are lordotic, side-bending rotates the head of the vertebrae in the same direction as it bends (spina rotate in the opposite direction). 
• In the thoracic (upper back), which is kyphotic, side-bending rotates the head of the vertebrae in the opposite direction of the bend (spina turn in the same direction). This knowledge allows you to understand how to deepen a posture without creating compression in the spine. 
• For example, if one is teaching a standing side bend, the shoulders will turn in the opposite direction of the bend and the pelvis will turn toward it to find the maximum side extension; likewise, in posture like trikonasana (triangle) and parsvakonasana (side angle). When a teacher disregards these kinesiological rules, they constrain students’ ability to explore the physical and experiential depth in a posture and risk injuring them.

• Gravity and other forces
• Resistance: essential to create opposition in yoga practice which fosters stability
• isotonic tension remains the same, whilst the muscle's length changes. Isotonic contractions differ from isokinetic contractions in that in isokinetic contractions the muscle speed remains constant. While superficially identical, as the muscle's force changes via the length-tension relationship during a contraction, an isotonic contraction will keep force constant while velocity changes, but an isokinetic contraction will keep velocity constant while force changes. A near isotonic contraction is known as Auxotonic contraction.
  There are two types of isotonic contractions: (1) concentric and (2) eccentric. In a concentric contraction, the muscle tension rises to meet the resistance, then remains the same as the muscle shortens. In eccentric, the muscle lengthens due to the resistance being greater than the force the muscle is producing
• isometric: Isometric contraction
  Isometric contraction occurs when muscle length remains relatively constant as tension is produced. For example, during a biceps curl, holding the dumbbell in a constant/static position rather than actively raising or lowering it is an example of isometric contraction. Although the forces generated during isometric contractions are potentially greater than during concentric contractions, muscles are seldom injured during this type of contraction. Isometric exercises are often used during the early phases of rehabilitating a musculotendinous injury because the intensity of contraction and the muscle length at which it contracts can be controlled
• The exhale breath and apana=GRAVITY (a force to be dealt with)

• Laws of movement
• torque:force of twisting
• tension; resistance
• traction: pulling and pushing
• leverage: using a fulcrum to create force around.