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Torso
Your spinal extensors
engage to resist gravity’s
pull, maintaining a neutral
spine. Your abdominals engage
strongly to stabilize your spine
and compress your abdominal
organs. Your middle and lower
trapezius engage to stabilize
your scapulae.
Neck
Your upper trapezius
and deep cervical
extensors engage to
stabilize your neck,
resisting gravity’s pull to
drop the head forward.
Arms
Your shoulder exors engage
while your latissimus dorsi
stretches. Your anterior
deltoids also contribute to
shoulder exion while your
posterior deltoids are in a
lengthening position, yet
engaging slightly to stabilize and
externally rotate your shoulders.
Your triceps extend your elbows.
Standing leg
Your hip exors are strongly
engaging, while your extensors
stretch. Your quadriceps engage
to extend your knee, while your
hamstrings engage and lengthen.
Your ankle dorsiexors help your
ankle move into deeper dorsiexion
as you transition into the pose. Your
bularis muscles help to stabilize
against swaying. Press your big
toe down for balance and feel your
exor hallucis longus engage.
External oblique
Trapezius
Upper trapezius
Splenius muscles
Gracilis
Adductor magnus
Semimembranosus
Semitendinosus
Rectus femoris
Vastus medialis
Gastrocnemius
Knee
Tibialis anterior
Flexor digitorum longus
Soleus
Flexor hallucis longus
Extensor digitorum longus
Ankle
Brachioradialis
Biceps brachii
Triceps brachii
Deltoids
Latissimus dorsi
Serratus anterior
Elbow
Shoulder
KEY
Joints
Muscles
Engaging
Engaging while
stretching
Stretching
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