Pain in inevitable;
Suffering is optional.
Therapeutic applications of
offered by
Michael L. Ward
Certified Anusara Yoga® Instructor & RYT500 Neuromuscular Therapist & NC LMBT#4573
This handout is complied from manuals and/or words written and/or spoken by John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga®.
Assume for copyright and plagiarizing purposes that this entire booklet/handout is paraphrased and/or directly quoted from John Friend’s writings or from notes taken directly by Michael Ward during his trainings.
As a certified Anusara Yoga Instructor, Michael Ward teaches yoga therapy based on Universal Principles of AlignmentTM and claims
no credit for these techniques, but does stand by their efficacy and healing potential.
Remember the highest purposes of the practice throughout the process of applying these techniques: Connect to the Source so revelation is possible.
Center yourself before performing any therapeutic application of yoga. Become clear with your own heart and your intention to stay plugged into and connected to the highest purposes of the
practice.
Remember to be kind and compassionate; act safely and with confidence.
Perform your own breathing exercises, asana practice and center yourself BEFORE offering yourself into the service of healing facilitation.
Always remember that you are the facilitator; the student/client is their own healer. Stay open to the big picture so your ego stays away from “I can fix this.”
Adjustments are improvements, not fixes. A posture is never inherently bad or wrong, so don’t go there. People should never be made to feel they are inadequate. Keep your own attitude in check at all times when working therapeutically.
ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE GOOD FIRST, then offer refinement. Remember, you are supporting your friends. Be sensitive to them. The concept of “Eagle Eye Vision” is a must to maintain when
working therapeutically with anyone. See the big picture. While an ailment may be specific, remember that yoga therapy is a big picture paradigm that treats the body as a whole and is a holistic practice.
Sequentially examine the following categories of those you assist: 1. Attitude, breath & intention
2. Outer form- structural placement of the body including foundation, shape, degree of evenness of curvature and overall symmetry of form
3. Muscular Action 4. Spirals & Loops 5. Organic Energy
ALWAYS GO BACK TO ATTITUDE. WITHOUT AN OPEN ATTITUDE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HEALING, HEALING
WILL NOT OCCUR.
The most important principle of assisting friends, students, clients or patients with yoga therapy is: Sensitivity, Stabilize, then Adjust: SSA
(Should you adjust first before taping into sensitivity and stabilizing
Therapy for Common Structural Ailments & Misalignments Feet & Shins
Common conditions: plantar fasciitis, bunions, shins splints, ankle sprain, Achilles tendon sprain
(the 4 corners of the foot are the mound of the big toe, the inner heel, the mound of the little toe, and the outer heel)
Walk in place while standing. After several seconds, stop and observe how the feet are positioned in the normal stance to become aware of the common tendency in foot placement.
Which foot turns out more?
Where is most of the weight (inner, outer edges or
front/back)?
Shape and quality of the toe placement, extension or
contraction or soft/rigid, or tightly bound or spread?
Is the foot drawn upward towards the hips (high arches;
Muscular Energy) or melted down away from the hips (flat feet; Organic Energy)?
Which way is the Ankle Loop flowing? What is the alignment of the shins?
Corrective Alignment
1. Press the mound of the big toe and spread toes
2. Press inner heel, lengthen foot and gently squeeze the shins toward the mid-line
3. Press mound of little toe. Inner Spiral, broaden foot and widen out thighs
4. Press the outer heel
Note: Lift toes to increase Muscular Energy & Soften toes to increase Organic Energy
Key Actions: 1.) Anchor four corners of the foot, 2). Strong Muscular Energy, 3). Ankle Loop- stretch calves
Toes up the wall
Adho Muka Svasana with bent knees (downward facing dog
pose)
Uttanasana with a blanket roll under metatarsals (standing
forward fold)
Parsvakonasana (side angle pose)
Trikonasana with a blanket roll under metatarsals (triangle
pose)
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold) Virabhadrasana I (warrior I pose)
Parsvottanasana
Vajrasana & Virasana (sitting on heels or in between heels)
Knees
Conditions include: ligament and/or meniscus damage, popleteus sprain, hyperextensions, knock knees, bow legs
1. Observe the person standing with feel separated only a couple of inches apart.
2. Does one foot turn out more than the other?
3. Do the knees point in the same direction as the feet? 4. Are the knock-kneed or bow-legged?
5. Do the knees hyperextend?
6. Which shin bows out more- the one on the injured side? 7. Do the legs carry more Organic or Muscular Energy? 8. Is there swelling around the knee?
9. Is the soft tissue behind the knee puffy, swollen or sensitive? 10. What is the shape and quality of the calf muscle?
11. How much tighter and larger is the outer calf than the inner calf?
Palpate the knee and determine if the knee is too flexible/unstable or too tight/compressed. If too flexible/unstable, perform straight leg & 90 degree poses. If too tight/compressed, do more bent leg poses.
Remember always to check adjacent joints when working with any joint ailment.
Poses to facilitate Knee Health:
Key Actions: 1.) Align foundation, 2.) Align foot with knee, 3.) Shins in, thighs out, 4.) Calf Loop
Virasana & Vajrasana with blanket roll behind knees (seat
between feet)
Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose) Uttanasana (forward fold)
Lung Pose
Parsvakonasana (side angle pose) Virabhadrasana I (warrior I pose) Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold) Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) Utkatasana (fierce or chair pose)
Supta Padangustasana prep, knew toward chest (bent knee
big toe pose)
Eka Pada Bhekasana (thigh stretch on belly/hips)
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep with thigh stretch (pigeon
thigh stretch)
Thighs
Conditions include: Iliotibial band spasm, adductor strain, hamstring pain
For quadriceps AND hamstring strains, emphasize Muscular Energy while stretching.
For ITB problems, emphasize Inner Spiral and Organic Energy in backbends.
Poses to facilitate Thigh Health:
Key Actions: 1.) align four corners of foundations, 2.) Strong Muscular Energy in the legs, 3.) Shins in, thighs out- emphasizing the widen component of Inner Spiral
Uttanasana (standing forward fold) Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold) Parsvakonasana (side angle pose)
Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose)
Parivrtta Trikonasana (twisted triangle pose) Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose)
Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold)
Upavista Konasana (seated wide legged forward fold) Hanumanasana (front/back leg splits)
Hips
Conditions include: piriformis syndrome, sciatica, psoas/groin strain, hip subluxation
1. Look at the pelvis and hips in Tadasana (mountain pose) and observe from all sides.
2. Which hip is rolled forward and which is rolled backward? 3. Which pelvic bone is tipped forward, which is backward? 4. Which hip is higher, which is lower?
5. Where is the pelvis in relation to the midline?
6. Manually check the position of the greater trochanter in relation to the anterior superior iliac spine. Which side is broader, which is narrower?
7. Manually check top rim of pubic symphysis. Which side is elevated? Which side is forward?
8. Manually check ischial tuberosities. Which sitting bone is closer to the medial line? Which is posterior; which is anterior?
9. With the person lying in a resting pose (savasana), look at the alignment of the hips and legs. Which leg turns out the
most? Palpate the inner thighs and quadriceps. Which leg is weaker, stronger, looser, tighter?
10. Note the general condition of all the hip, buttock and inner thigh muscles, their tone, strength and flexibility. Poses to facilitate Hip Health:
Key Actions: 1.) strong Muscular Energy in the legs, 2.) strong Calf Loop, 3.) Inner Spiral- ground top of thighs, 4.) Outer Spiral- Pelvic Loops, 5.) Organic Energy out of the Focal Point in the pelvis
Uttanasana (standing forward fold) Trikonasana (triangle pose)
L-pose at the wall with block; bent knees working towards
straight
Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose)
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep (pigeon pose) Eka Pada Bhekasana (thigh stretch on belly/hips) Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) Supta Padangusthasana (big toe pose)
Sputa Virasana- or half variation (sitting between feet,
lying back)
Setubandhasana & Urdhva Dhanurasana with a block
(bridge and wheel poses) Lower Back
Conditions include: disk damage, sacroiliace (SI) subluxation, spinal subluxation, muscular spasms
Note: the lumbar spine has a lordotic curve and the coccyx (tailbone) has a kyphotic curve. L5-S1 is the most commonly injured spinal disk.
1. Observe lower back alignment with person standing in casual Tadasana.
2. Is lumbar too flat, too arched, crooked (S-curve), rotated or subluxated?
3. What is the alignment of the sacrum and the coccyx?
4. Check alignment of upper back and shoulders, since they are all interrelated.
5. Check thighbone alignment. If the thighbones are forward, then the alignment of the lower back will be negatively affected. Typically, the more the thighbones protrude, the flatter the curvature of the lower back.
Lumbar should be first arched, then elongated (Inner Spiral, then Outer Spiral).
If the lower back is too flat, then Inner Spiral should be
emphasized. Therapeutic poses in general include standing poses, inversion and forward bends (backbends are typically easier for those with flat lower backs).
If the lower back is too arched, then Outer Spiral should be emphasized. Therapeutic poses in general include standing posers and backbends (forward folds are typically easier for those with hyper-lordotic backs).
Sacroiliac Diagnostics:
Check the SI with the person standing . Place tips of thumbs in the SI notch. Ask the person to step in place slowly. If the thumbs lift on the side that the leg is lifting, then the SI joint is out of place or subluxated. Pain can be experienced in the SI on the opposite side to the side of the subluxation due to torque pressure. Many times tightness in the front groin/psoas will cause a tight reaction in the upper rotator muscles which pull the sacrum out of alignment. SI Adjustment:
1. Loosen lower back and gluteal muscles though simple stretches.
2. Ask person to lie on stomach. Manually bring the legs parallel and turn the legs inward. Fold one leg at a time to bring foot ward buttock in order to stretch thigh and release gluteals. Use one hand on buttock to press down to keep Pelvic Loop and the sacrum/lower back lengthened.
3. Once gluteal muscles and lower back muscles are stretched and softened (don’t rush this), bend knee on subluxated side to 90 degrees. Take hold of the base of thigh just above knee. Lift thigh until the top of sacrum tips gently down into
the body. Rotate tigh internally so back of pelvis broadens. Keeping leg elevated and rotated, pres down on buttock just to the side of the base of the sacrum. (in some cases, gently lift the thigh upward while pressing downward)
Poses to facilitate Lower Back Health:
Key Actions: 1.) Inner Spiral- creating proper lordotic curvature taking top of thighs back, 2.) Outer Spiral- creating proper lengthening in low back
Uttanasana (standing forward fold) Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Parsvakonasana (side angle pose) Supta Padangusthasana (big toe pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold) Janu Sirsanana (head to knee pose)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (twist) Setubandhasana (bridge pose) Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose)
Shoulders & Upper Back
Conditions include rotator cuff injury, bursitis
1. Observe Tadasana alignment while person is relaxed; compare sides.
2. Which side if further out of alignment in relation to the Optimal Blueprint?
3. Which shoulder is lower? While humerus is more internally rotated?
5. Observe alignment of the and neck. Is the heck or head tipped to one side or forward?
6. Do you observe a difference in the shape on one side of the neck- are muscles sticking out?
7. Observe the flow of skin and muscles on the top of the chest. 8. Does it flow down from the collarbones to the breasts? Does
it flow medially from outer collarbones to sternum?
9. Which shoulder blade sticks out more away from the back? Which shoulder blade is more elevated?
10. Touch thoracic spine. Check uniformity of curvature. Is the change in position from one vertebrae to another
consistent? Does one vertebrae stick out more than another? If so, note the horizontal line on the upper back. Along this line is usually where shoulder blade and upper back muscles will be in spasm because of their weakness.
11. Check shape of sternum and its corresponding relationship in shape to the upper back.
12. Ask the person specifically to locate where the pain is in the shoulder. Ask which positions or movements make the pain worse. Have them demonstrate the movement of the arm and shoulder that cause pain. Particularly observe the position of the head of the humerus. How far forward in the socket does it move and when?
Neck:
1. Position head so neck has optimal curve (lordotic). Palpate both sides of neck simultaneously with one hand by lightly gripping the back of the neck with thumb on one side of the spine and the fingers on the other. Which is tighter?
2. Form behind, massage levator scapulae (upper should-blade up side of neck) with thumb tips. Observe which side is
tighter. Shoulder Tests:
1. Stand to the side of the person, who is also standing. Ask them to relax. Place the heel of one of your palms with the fingers pointing up on the bottom, inner tips of the person’s scapulae. Place your other hand on the front deltoid with the fingers pointing up. Use your torso to press the person’s elbow slightly forward in order to keep the lower arm in the front plane. Lift the humerus up until it is square or level
across with the clavicular notch. If the arm is rigid or in trama, then manually hold the armbone on the medial side just
below the armpit and lift up until the head of the armbone is square with the collarbone. Press shoulder-blade flat onto the back with slow steady pressure. Then press head of armbone back as far as possible. The head of the humerus must move back directly so the arm does not medially rotate. Create Should Loop manually. Ask person to turn lungs to the opposite side away from the adjusted shoulder. Observe quality of stiffness of movement in the shoulder joint. What part of the shoulder seems particularly stiff (shoulder-blade, head of humerus, collarbone)?
2. Hold the upper arm strongly and externally rotate it while keeping the elbow in front place, the head of the humerus in the back plane, and the shoulder-blade flat on the back. To
increase the effect, instruct the person to turn the chest away from the arm.
3. Manually set the head of the humerus in position and then slowly move the arm in a radon range of motion while keeping the hand/wrist in the front plane.
Poses to facilitate Shoulder / Upper Back Health:
Key Actions: 1.) Muscular Energy along four sides of the arms and shoulders- take the head of the humerus back, move the outer shoulder-blade and the inner deltoid back at the same rate, 2.) Shoulder Loops, 3.) Organic Energy0 widening the shoulders and upper back
Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) Clasping hands behind back
Uttanasana (standing forward fold) Parsvakonasana (side angle pose) Chaturanga Dandasana (stick pose) Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Slabhasana (backbend on belly straight legs) Vasihtasana (side plank pose)
Elbows, Forearms, Wrists & Hands
Conditions include: tennis elbow, bursitis, tendinitis, RSI (repetitive strain injury), carpal tunnel syndrome, ganglion
1. Check shoulder alignment and mobility
2. Check carrying angle of the arm in supination (palms face up). If the angle is large, then flexors will tend to be tighter. 3. Extend hand back and observe flexibility and the quality of
4. Palpate flexors and extensors. Determine difference
between the two in terms of tightness, laxity, and uniformity in tissue quality.
5. Palpate flexors at belly of forearm, while supinating forearms and flexing and extending forearm back and forth.
Determine if movement is limited in any way, and if connective tissue hyper-contracts when arm is flexed. 6. While holding hand like shaking hands, manually squeeze
ulna and radius toward each other, then lightly pull had from forearm.
Poses to facilitate Arm Health:
Key Actions for elbow issues: 1.) Muscular Energy in the arms- very strong along inner forearms, 2.) Forearms spiral in, upper arms spiral out
ALL SHOULDER POSES
Claw with your Paws (always claw the finger tips into the mat
when weight bearing on the hands and wrists. When flat palmed, the index finger mount NEVER LIFTS)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Vasihtasana (side plank pose) Virabhadrasana II (warrior II pose) Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Key actions for hand and wrists issues: 1.) aligning the four corners of the hands as the foundation of the pose, 2.) Strong Muscular Energy- lifting the center of the palms, lifting the inner forearms
Claw with your Paws (always claw the finger tips into the mat
when weight bearing on the hands and wrists. When flat palmed, the index finger mount NEVER LIFTS)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Neck & Jaw
Conditions include: cervical subluxation, headaches, vertigo, TMJ pain/dysfunction
1. Observe and palpate neck as described in the Shoulder section.
2. Manually check cervical alignment while person is upright. 3. TMJ is the most used joint in the body. Observe TMJ
function when person opens and closes mouth. Does it track evenly?
4. Manually check TMJ function while person is in supine position. Place fingers at hinge of jaw and ask person to open and close the mouth a few times. Which side of the jaw is tighter?
Poses to facilitate Neck & Jaw Health:
Key actions: 1.) Shoulder Loop- creating proper cervical curve, 2.) Skull Loop
ALL SHOULDER POSES
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold) Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Parivrtta Sukasana (twisted cross legged seated pose) Setubandasana (bridge pose)
Optional asana sequence: remember “curves before length”
Center and invocation Toes up the wall
L-pose at the wall with block; bent knees working towards straight Lung Pose
Adho Muka Svansana with bent knees (downward facing dog pose) Uttanasana with a blanket roll under metatarsals (standing forward fold) Clasping hands behind back
Utkatasana (fierce or chair pose) Parsvakonasana (side angle pose)
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold)
Trikonasana with a blanket roll under metatarsals (triangle pose) Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose)
Chaturanga Dandasana (stick pose) Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Vasihtasana (side plank pose) Virabhadrasana I (warrior I pose) Virabhadrasana II (warrior II pose) Parsvottanasana
Sputa Virasana- or half variation (sitting between feet, lying back) OR Virasana & Vajrasana with blanket roll behind knees (seat between
feet)
Eka Pada Bhekasana (thigh stretch on belly/hips)
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep & with thigh stretch (pigeon & thigh
stretch)
Slabhasana (backbend on belly straight legs) Setubandhasana (bridge pose)
Urdhva Dhanurasana with a block (bridge and wheel poses)
Supta Padangustasana prep, knew toward chest (bent knee big toe
pose)
OR Supta Padangusthasana (big toe pose) Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (twist)
Parivrtta Sukasana (twisted cross legged seated pose)
