Bernie Clark

So, alignment rigidity is not Eastern or Western or universal, it is a consequence of TT programs trying to make it simpler to mass-produce teachers.

It is not our intention to duplicate such work, so we will not spend much time describing which muscles articulate which limbs and which muscles resist movement; we will cover these in a generalized, overview fashion. For the reader who wants to learn more about the muscles, one highly recommended resource is Leslie Kaminoff’s Yoga Anatomy. We will spend even less time describing the pervasive effects of our fascia and its contribution to tensile resistance. This is not to imply that fascia is unimportant—it is very important. Fascial restrictions can contribute far more to restrictions in our range of movements than short, tight muscles ever will. This topic is simply beyond our scope of investigation and requires a detailed book all on its own.

When we apply this overriding intention to the investigation of yoga, we quickly come to a question that will be repeated numerous times in this volume: “What stops me?” Sometimes we will simply abbreviate it to “WSM?”.