My latest article for Shut Up and Yoga is now published! Check it out here: Maximize Motor Learning & Control in Yoga Asana
“A trained powerlifter walks into his first yoga class. He can bench 1.5 times his bodyweight and squat 2 times his bodyweight. The teacher cues a challenging arm balance. Will he nail the pose?
If the ability to perform a given pose was based on muscle strength alone, we might say our powerlifter friend would effortlessly float up into that handstand. Unfortunately for him, motor skills like yoga poses, require both adequate strength and motor control. Motor control is the process by which the nervous system (e.g., the brain) coordinates muscles to achieve desired movements.1 So to get into that handstand, our friend would have to train not only his muscles but also his nervous system through a process known as motor learning.2,3″
Head on over to SUAY to read the rest of the article!
Special thanks to Katya @katyauspenskaya for the amazing artwork and Jaimee @scientist_yogini for her editorial prowess.
Kerry McInnes Yoga — An Evidence Informed Approach to Movement 