In the run up to his introduction to anatomy and physiology applied to yoga workshop in July, former doctor turned yogi Andrew McGonigle tells us how, when it comes to yoga, anatomy can transform your asana…
After originally training to become a doctor, I left the medical profession ten years ago and have been practicing yoga and meditation ever since. After training to become a yoga teacher I began teaching anatomy applied to yoga on yoga teacher training courses across London and internationally. My aim is to make anatomy fun and accessible and to deliver it in a way that is relevant to the asana practice of yoga.
I believe that whatever stage you are at in your yoga path, a basic knowledge of anatomy is really important. Here are my main reasons why:
Empowerment – knowledge is power! The more we know about our body the more we can work with our body in a healthy way and pass this knowledge on to others.
Go deeper in one’s practice – by understanding some of the basic principles of movement and stretching we can go much deeper in our yoga practice and overcome certain limitations.
Prevent injury – by becoming clear about what our body is designed to do and designed not to do we can prevent injury on and off the yoga mat.
Rehabilitate from injury – a deeper awareness of the parts of our body that may already be injured can allow us to move back towards health.
Accept certain limitations – this can be a humbling experience and the more we understand about our bodies and how unique we are, the more we are likely to achieve this acceptance.
The why should inform the how – as a teacher we should understand exactly why we are asking a student to do something and as a student we should be inquisitive, explore and question!
Andrew McGonigle has been teaching yoga and working as a massage therapist in London since 2009. He now teaches and massages exclusively at triyoga. For more information please visit www.doctoryogi.co.uk
