Dear Yogis,
I’m forever fascinated by the body-mind connection: what a miracle it is to just think of moving a finger and voilà, it moves! Our mind is so powerful, we have probably scratched only the shallowest surface of it abilities. Yet, it’s a two-way street, even recognized by the ancient Romans in their proverb “mens sana in corpore sano” - a healthy mind resides in a healthy body (this little phrase is over 2000 years old!). In order to keep our mind fresh, focused and sharp lifelong, we also have to exercise our muscles and keep them healthy, lifelong. What kind of fitness routine is best? I’ve always believed that the availability of yoga to everyone, any time, from childhood to the end of our days, is enough to recommend it, and the latest studies conducted by medical researchers confirm it. A daily fitness routine of yoga, supplemented by frequent cardio-stimulating brisk walks, will slow down the loss of muscle mass which occurs after the age of 50. It’s the best prescription for an enjoyable, healthy, injury-free life.
In our asana practice, we pay a lot of attention to our muscles, so let’s brush up together on our knowledge of them. First the basics: there are more than 600 muscles in our body, making up about 40% of our weight. They’re divided into 3 types - smooth (involuntary muscle movement, not under our control = our intestines, blood vessels etc.), cardiac (= the heart), and skeletal (= attached to the bones).
They’re made of special cells called muscle fibers whose main feature is contractibility which means the muscles can shorten or lengthen as needed (this gives us movement).
They’re attached to the bones by tendons. Not sure what the difference is between a tendon and a ligament? Tendons attach muscles to bones, ligaments connect one bone to another in our joints.
Muscles usually work in pairs - when one shortens its corresponding muscle lengthens (think bicep/tricep - when we curl our arm, the bicep is shorter, the tricep on the other side of our arm is longer).
Muscle movements produce about 85% of all heat inside our body, so it makes sense not to do cardio outside on a hot day, we can truly overheat and harm ourselves. When we’re cold and we shiver, it’s our muscles trying to warm up the body.
The largest muscle? Gluteus maximus which enables us to walk upright.
The smallest muscle? The muscles of our inner ear (tensor tympani, stapedius). They connect to our eardrum, hold the inner ear together and reduce the amount of sound that enters the ear, protecting it.
The strongest muscle? The muscle of the jaw (masseter) which can close our jaw with a force as great as 200 lbs on the molars.
The hardest-working muscle? The heart - it never rests, works 24/7 our whole lifetime.
The busiest muscle? The muscles controlling our eye movements (each eye has a set of 6 muscles). In one hour of reading, our eyes make a many as 10,000 coordinated movements.
As we go through our asanas, let’s pay close attention to what works well and what doesn’t. Allow your body to educate your mind about what needs to be done to help them both on their symbiotic health journey.
Donations of $5 - $15 per class, thank you! (U. S. veterans are free)
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Private or In-Person Classes upon request
Fridays 7pm EST Gentle Restoring Yoga
Sundays 10 am EST Gentle Yoga Plus - Level I
Mondays 7pm EST Gentle Yoga/Meditation/Yoga Nidra
Wednesdays 7pm EST Gentle Strength-Building Yoga
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