Customer Reviews

Anatomy for Yoga with Paul Grilley

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Paul Grilley has made a name (sometimes infamously) for himself in the Yoga community with this informative DVD on anatomy and Yoga. Grilley is a proponent of "Yin Yoga," an approach to practice that focuses on long, passive stretches as a way to gently mold the muscular, ligamentous, and fascial tissue into a more pliable state. His anatomy DVD comes out of that conception of the human body, which will fascinate some and irk others.

The main component of the DVD is a lucid exploration of anatomy through two major themes: compression and tension. Tension is something that most of us are familiar with: relative tightness or tone of a muscle. Most yoga practices focus on "tensile" stretching, which seeks to lengthen and stretch the belly of the muscle to create greater flexibility. Because of this, according to Grilley, most Yoga practitioners ignore the "compression" aspects of a practice. Compression occurs when two surfaces (bones, soft tissue, body mass, etc) "hit" in such a way that more movement is not possible. Compression, Grilley argues, has more of an impact in practice than we would normally think, leading to frustration as we try to go "deeper" into poses, thinking that the restraint is muscular. Occasionally, Grilley says, this is really boney or structural blockages, and this is something we will not be able to get around.

The DVD journeys joint by joint through the body, with Grilley providing a number of excellent examples through audience members . Each person demonstrates either an extraordinary amount of mobility or an equal extraordinary lack of it. Both are fascinating, especially as the models take some classic "problem" poses, such as Urdhva Danurasana (Wheel), Adho Mukha Svasasana (Downward Facing Dog), and Virabhadrasana B (Warrior II). Yoga instructors will find their jaws hanging in amazement as seemly intractable problems with students become instantaneously more clear: it's not the muscles, it's the bones! Any yoga instructor worth their salt will watch this DVD and immediately apply its principles to the ways they approach asana practice, and such thorny areas as hands-on adjustments in particular poses.

A part that may irk some teachers is his presentation of hypermobility in certain joints (elbows and knees) as being natural, and one that should be exploited. One can almost hear that agonized yells of exercise science graduates, for whom the idea if nearly heretical, if not downright dangerous. However, Grilley's thoughts on the issue are sound: why shouldn't people explore, in their own practice, their range of motion, regardless if hyper or hypomobile. I do not think that Grilley is suggesting that people should lose their ability to control these joints through muscular ability, which is the primary concern of exercise science. Instead, he is focusing on the capacity as no more or naturally than "average" mobility or hypomobility.

Grilley's excellent presentation, humor, and use of real-live models demonstrating hyper- and hypomobile ranges of motion make this one of the most immediately practical tools on the market. This is an essential part of any practicing Yogis library, and indispensable for teachers.

Paul Grilley has given me an entirely new outlook on yoga and why someone like me (who is fairly flexible to begin with) cannot do lotus pose easily...while my husband who (along with other muscles)has the tightest hamstrings on the planet, can do it with ease. It's all in your bones! If you are a teacher, serious yoga practitioner, or just would like to understand why you and some of your yogi counterparts differ so dramatically in the appearance of your postures...you must own a copy of this dvd.
We have to stop beating ourselves up for not looking a certain way during our yoga practice, and start tuning into ourselves, and the sensations achieved rather than aesthetics.
Have confidence in exploring your own full range of motion, while always being aware of the 2 major limitations explored on this dvd...is it tension (muscular) or compression (skeletal). Tuning into these sensations can make all the difference, and allow you to explore modifications, or alternate postures altogether.
Paul Grilley is a very thorough presenter, and very easy to listen to and learn from.
They say you usually retain 10-15% of what you hear in a lecture, I retained at least 90% of what I heard in Paul's demonstrations.
I highly recommend this dvd for yoga practitioners of all levels.

Solid, clearly presented anatomical breakdown of yoga postures, free of dogma and jargon, yet respectful of yoga (and Taoist) philosophies and the concepts of yin and yang qualities in relation to the yoga practice.

Most importantly Grilley separates limitations in range of motion into two kinds: Muscular tension (changeable with practice) and skeletal compression...i.e. one bone meeting another and stopping motion at that point (fixed).

Key poses are performed by students with a wide range of body types and bone structure in order to demonstrate how this comes into play in postures involving pivotal joints (shoulders, neck, pelvis, spine, etc.)

Overall, Grilley's theories about working within the unique body to create a suitable personal practice present yoga (rightly) as inclusive and liberating as opposed to fixed, systematic and binding.

This is a wonderful DVD for yoga practitioners. First, anatomical knowledge is benefitial for yoga practice because it explains what each pose does, what it's supposed to do, and how to prevent harm. Second, Grilley's view that everyone's different is valuable in a competitive society, where everyone wants to be the same. Accepting ourselves, our good and bad qualities, is something that yoga helps with. To be dogmatic about yoga may be contradictory. So, Grilley's words are both insightful and reassuring. Fighting what nature gave is futile. Work with what you've got, not against it. I feel I understand my limitations better.

Having just completed my Level II yoga certification, I purchased several books and DVDs regarding anatomy to prepare for the certification test. This DVD was the most helpful. Paul Grilley does a nice job of making the material clear and memorable through words and with students modeling the different concepts he is presenting. Clear, enjoyable and educational.

I started doing yoga 3.5 years ago. Because I needed to use so many props, I stopped for a period of time to focus on weight-training...to increase my upper body strength. After watching this video, I realized that, while the weight-training did help, the CORE of my problem was short arms and short legs...relative to my torso! I will ALWAYS need props (blocks) when doing yoga simply because of my body proportions. I also realized that I will NEVER be able to do certain poses (such as headstands)...again, because of physical proportions (arm length) and lack of adequate neck extension relative to arm length. With the information in this dvd, I was able to immediately modify my power yoga in a way (using props) that allowed me to get the maximum benefit of various poses without feeling that I was 'cheating'! While I recommend this dvd to everyone doing yoga, I especially recommend it to individuals who have short arms/legs! With blocks, I can now maximize the benefit I get when doing my poses!

mary

Every DVD Pranamaya produces is first class, in-depth yoga education. Paul's Anatomy DVD is no exception. It is absolutely sensational. "Anatomy for Yoga" has many great ways of showing the skeleton and how it works, including wonderful 3-D images and videos. Plus, Paul has tremendous wisdom of the body and a graceful way of explaining complex material. Every yoga teacher and serious student should have this DVD. I rate it a 6 on a scale of 1 to 5.

I agree that this DVD does gloss over a lot, and is hardly authoritative, but, it's a DVD not 14-week college course. Given the time restraints, I think this DVD does provide a great deal of useful insight. I think his technique of using live models of different body types really helps the viewer retain the key points he's making. I think some of the areas are more complicated that he's got time to address -- in particular hip rotation -- but no one would watch, let alone buy, a 12-hour dvd set. As it is, it's the best 2-hour introduction (or is it 3?) to anatomy for yoga that i've come across. Of course any yoga teacher interested in this approach should also have the Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, a book which will take you way, way more than 2 hours to read.

Grilley's DVD offers great insight to the limitations and differences in the skeletal system. He stresses the importance of this knowledge in evaluating your own practice and that of your students (if you teach). Essential for any yoga student and teacher.

I am a Yoga Instructor and this DVD was recommended by another instructor. It was easy to watch, very informative and interesting. Not only does Paul show you the Poses or Asanas, but he also shows the Pose anatomically and what muscles, bones and joints we are engaging while practicing yoga. A great tool for Instructors and students. I would highly recommend it !