Hands, Wrists, & Forearm
The hand is comprised of 27 bones. When we combine the movements of the scapula, shoulder, & forearm rotation, we can essentially rotate our hand
Learning to Fly with Tangled Wings believes in the power of knowledge & hopes to empower the reader with anatomical knowledge to prevent & mitigate possible injuries. When we are discussing the major anatomical compositions of any energetic center, let’s remind ourselves that while we may refer to individual muscle groups & functions, the whole of our physical bodies are intrinsically connected by sheaths upon sheaths of fascia that allow the body to function as one unit rather than separate & isolated components. I have given summaries of major anatomical components as they relate to our practice, but as we know, yoga & rope incorporates tissues throughout the body, not just those at the area we are targeting. What I have provided is by no means a list of our entire anatomical composition. Rather, I hope to provide a baseline understanding of our physical bodies as we approach different movements, poses, & postures in our yoga & ropes practice.
Please note: I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice.
Learning to Fly with Tangled Wings is committed to safety. Both rope and yoga can be dangerous & may cause injuries. It is beyond the scope of this site to discuss all the possible risks & injuries associated with rope, yoga, & breath practice. By reading this site, you absolve Learning to Fly with Tangled Wings & all contributors of any & all liability should you sustain an injury. Use what you find here at your own risk. Always use caution when practicing rope, yoga, or breathing exercises & do not try what you see in the photos at home. It is up to the practitioner to evaluate the safety of their practice. I am not a medical or fitness professional. Rather, I am a student on my journey, just like you.
The hand is comprised of 27 bones. When we combine the movements of the scapula, shoulder, & forearm rotation, we can essentially rotate our hand
The deltoids wrap around the top of the shoulder from front to back & span the clavicle, the acromion, & lateral half of the scapula.
The latissimus, “the swimmer’s muscle”, is a powerful extender, adductor, & internal rotator of the humerus located along our back body. It has a broad
The pectoralis is a large, broad muscle located at the front of the chest. It runs from the clavicle to the sternum & onto the
The rotator cuff is comprised of the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, & teres minor. All of these attach into to a common tendon that impersonates a
The triceps brachii is a muscle located along the back of the humerus (upper arm bone) that is responsible for extension of the forearm. It
The shape of the scapula can vary quite substantially depending on your genetic makeup. This influences how well it fits together with the humerus at
The humerus, scapula, & clavicle together makeup the shoulder girdle. The clavicle attaches to the sternum in the front body via a small disc of
The abdominals form the front & sides of the trunks of our bodies & help to support & stabilize the spine. They are comprised of
Curves of the Spine The curves of the spine add immense strength to this columnar structure. These can be divided into primary (thoracic & sacral)
The psoas, also referred to as the “muscle of the soul”, is the most significant structural & postural muscle in the body. It effects posture,
The pelvis is comprised of three bones – the ilium, the ischium, & the pubic bone. The ilium is the large flat bone along the
The adductors are located along the inner thigh & serve to adduct (draw the leg toward the medial line), flex the hip, & medially rotate.
Underneath the gluteus maximus are the deep six lateral rotators on the back & side of the hip joint. When we are in anatomical position,
There are three gluteal muscles on the back & lateral side of the pelvis. The gluteus minimus is located deep within the grouping & is
The Iliotibial (IT) band is a thick piece of fascia, with little to no “give” in the fascia, that runs along the outer thigh. Proximally,
The quadriceps femoris, translated as “four-headed” muscle group, is located in the front of the thigh & is comprised of the vastus lateralis (outside), vastus
The femur, tibia & patella come together at the knee, also known as the femoro-tibial joint. It’s important to keep the alignment in the upper
The movements of the foot & ankle are directed by muscles in the foot & foreleg. The ankle is capable of extension (plantarflexion where the
Thanks to connective tissue, our bodies are intrinsically interconnected. The foot is the foundation for our lower kinetic chain, that is, the hip-knee-foot chain. This
In our yin yoga & ropes practices, we hold poses for a longer amount of time. This targets our deepest connective tissues of bone, cartilage,
Skin is the human body’s largest organ. On average, adults have about 20 square feet of it. Our skin contains sensory nerves, while the tissues underneath contain motor nerves. Nerves are similar to long, slender wires that facilitate an information exchange between the body & mind.
Sensory nerves communicate information to our brain from stimuli (such as the temperature of a surface we touch). Anatomically, our body uses various receptors to process & permit sensations of touch, heat, pain & pleasure.
Motor nerves facilitate movement by communicating information from our brain to our muscles to either tense or relax. The rate of communication between the two is so rapid that our interpretation of the energy is often experienced as reflexive.
Damaging the sensory or motor nerves via compressive or shearing force can have impacts that lasts from hours to days, weeks, or even years. Compressive force may occur when the rope is too tight for too long, thus interrupting the blood supply from the very small blood vessels that run the length of the large nerves. By interrupting the blood supply, we also interrupt the oxygen flow to that nerve. Shearing force is especially important to note as it relates to our suspension practice, as these injuries tend to happen when the rope moves across a limb that is already being compressed, such as during a transition.
We discuss the major nerves in our body to be aware of in our rope bondage practice with the hope of empowering rope tops & bottoms with the information to better communicate their individualized tie & time thresholds for their specific bodies & practices. Treatment for nerve damage is beyond the scope of this site. Just as we each differ in our own unique body compositions, so too do the placement of our nerves. To better envision approximate placement of the nerves, the Zygote Body website offers anatomical illustrations of the human form. As always, we encourage you to do your own research & listen to your body, as you know it best.
Nociception, or our perception of pain & associated thresholds, vary both by individual & practice. Though, if we examine pain through the lens of our ego & intelligent minds & coordinate those perspectives with the feedback time of the associated pleasure & pain of our decisions, we see patterns start to emerge.
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