Yoganatomy

Is It Okay To Start Wheel Pose By Pressing Your Head On A Block?

David Keil — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Starting wheel pose with your head on a block can work around tight hip flexors making it feel hard to press up, but could also stress the neck.

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Going Forward With Ashtanga: Tradition, Myth, And Community

David Keil — Tue, 19 May 2026 12:00:31 +0000

Practitioners are the lineage of Ashtanga yoga. It's up to the community to decide what aspects of the tradition to retain and where to evolve.

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What Muscles Are Working In Warrior Two?

David Keil — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:00:23 +0000

Many muscles are working in warrior two, not just the quadriceps. You may feel the quadriceps, the hamstrings, or others working.

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What Does It Mean To Be A Good Yoga Student?

David Keil — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:45 +0000

A good yoga student shows up with curiosity, an openness to learning new things, and respect for the process.

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Does The Action Of The Latissimus Change When The Elbows Bend?

David Keil — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:31 +0000

Tension in and action of the latissimus is not directly affected by bending the elbow joint because the lats don't cross the elbow joint.

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Teaching The Stages Of A Life-long Ashtanga Practice

David Keil — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:03 +0000

Teaching students how to shape the stages of their Ashtanga practice into a life-long relationship, not a static achievement, is essential.

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What Happens In Pigeon Pose With The Hips Squared?

David Keil — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:24 +0000

When you do pigeon with the hips squared, you create leverage for rotational force into the hip joint which stretches the lateral hip rotators.

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What Makes A Sustainable Ashtanga Practice?

David Keil — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:00:32 +0000

Elements of a sustainable Ashtanga practice include using structure without rigidity, cultivating breath, awareness, and concentration. It requires developing comfort with the ambiguity of not knowing how our practice will unfold each day, and the agency to practice anyway.

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Is It Helpful To Work With Kapotasana On A Wall?

David Keil — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:00:18 +0000

To work with kapotasana on a wall, move closer to the wall. Send the hips forward and reach for the wall. Then, when your fingertips touch the wall, push away from the wall and send that energy and force into moving the hips forward as best you can.

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Yoga, Risk, And The Myth of Perfect Alignment

David Keil — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:00:56 +0000

Instead of fear-based cueing and broadly overused alignment cues, let’s talk about how to adapt yoga to each individual. Let’s include a real discussion of risk in that conversation, and acknowledge how that’s influenced by our expectations of yoga.

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