P. Grilley; Anatomy for Yoga

**Mirjana** · 01-24-2008, 04:00 AM

I'm planning to buy Paul Grilley's DVD Anatomy for Yoga. But first I want to ask you if anybody knows it and can give an opinion about it?

Thank you!

Sonia · 01-24-2008, 05:49 PM

Last year I took a week-long anatomy workshop with Paul Grilley. Great experience. His DVDs are expensive, but worth the price because they have so much useful, practical information. The anatomy program is a great resource for yoga (& other physical disciplines) instructors, because it teaches how to analyze various body structures and types. He also stresses the function of the poses, not how we think they should look.

InnerAthlete · 01-24-2008, 06:17 PM

I'm not familiar with his work.

**Mirjana** · 01-25-2008, 04:51 AM

Thank you for the replies. Good to hear such a positive comment from you Sonia. The price is a bit spicy but maybe my co-students will want to share the DVD & costs. Otherwise we are studying from Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by David Coulter and I think this DVD could be a good additional material. It supposed to demonstrate how the bones differ significantly from person to person, and how to use that knowledge in gaining a much deeper understanding of our individual practices.
I found it by a simple google searching about anatomy and yoga.

**Nichole** · 01-25-2008, 12:27 PM

Pozdravljena Mirjana,
Mukunda's senior teacher, Mangala, has this DVD set and just from the little that I saw of it, it looked amazing.
I think it would be great investment if this type of study works well for you.

This is stretching the topic a bit, but maybe you find this with your own studies too: I buy gorgeous anatomy books and I study them; then I do the asana and then I feel it. After feeling it, then I know which muscles are involved and how they are involved. Then I have a good laugh at myself because I have always had what I needed for the asana to be felt and known. Does that make sense? I am working to get past the need to externalize the knowing before I can internalize the knowing.

Namaste

**Mirjana** · 01-26-2008, 03:46 AM

Pozdravljena draga Nichole (you gave me such a big smile

inside - out)

I know what you mean. It makes a big difference sometimes when you study something and than you try it on the matt. And you know exactly which part of the body and muscle to use and focus. Suddenly it makes sense and the pose feels more stable and easier. The language of anatomy is anyway quite technical and a bit dry sometimes, don't you think? It makes everything more alive studying with the matt next to it. I feel I have to study more. Especially the anatomy, it always takes some effort for me to focus on. I prefer other subjects

But I know the more you learn and understand the more interesting it gets. Learning together with my friends and co-students in a class and sometimes out of the class is also very motivating.

I ordered the DVD. I'm looking forward!

Maatumn · 03-03-2008, 11:54 PM

This DVD is worth the money. Not only does he give you mounds of information, he has a very relaxed vibe and is easy to understand. The DVD has interactive options included so you can move through different areas of the body/learn about them. It is very essential as a training tool to see different ranges of motion in individual bodies. Important to remember that not everyone can go into pose same way (not to push people into poses, bodies are shaped differently.) I learn a lot from watching his lessons!

victw · 03-04-2008, 09:22 PM

In all fairness I wasn't able to watch the whole thing. Once you get the point that everyones body's are different - it seemed to just repeat that same point over and over with illustrations of the different body parts.

I just couldn't stick with it. And for that reason can't imagine needing to own it. I'd check to see if the library, netflix or a friend have it - and borrow it. Maybe others can concur with whether they have used it repeatedly as a reference source.

Maybe some of the folks with positive reviews could say what other points they got out of it.

But for me - everyone is different is a given - although it was cool to see this illustrated.

Vic

cathy · 03-05-2008, 03:40 AM

FABULOUS DVD! It helped me become a better teacher but also helped me understand my own body. When in dandasana (staff pose) my palms don't reach the ground. I have had teachers who have admonished me for not trying harder to reach the floor. Well, my arms are SHORTER than others. The palms aren't going to EVER reach the floor. I stopped worrying about the "little" things and started just being with the yoga experience. I will never be able to reach my arm through my leg in Matsyandrasana.

I truly recommend the DVD if you are serious about yoga!

Cathy

sqcloud · 03-06-2008, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mirjana

Thank you for the replies. Good to hear such a positive comment from you Sonia. The price is a bit spicy but maybe my co-students will want to share the DVD & costs. Otherwise we are studying from Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by David Coulter and I think this DVD could be a good additional material. It supposed to demonstrate how the bones differ significantly from person to person, and how to use that knowledge in gaining a much deeper understanding of our individual practices.
I found it by a simple google searching about anatomy and yoga.

How much is the DVD again?? I want to buy that...

**Mirjana** · 03-06-2008, 05:10 AM

Thank you all! I bought the DVD in the mean time. I agree it is fantastic. After watching it I gave it already to my co-students. I think we all should see it. When I get it back I will watch it probably more times again. The only thing that I was missing a bit was that he cooperate with advanced students only and not also with the beginners. So it was clear that their limitation in the postures is not tissue tension but compression of the bones. Would be great if he would invite also the beginner students and compare the tissue tension.
But I like a lot his strong and clear meassage. To see the difference when the resistance in a posture is beacuse the tissues are not elastic enough or when bone hit the bone. And as you mention Cathy the proportion of the bones. So he encourage us to find our own way how to use the standards to serve as best and not the other way around. Just like all other practices and teachings of yoga right? How often do we also see in our society that we are serving to the rules...
Sqcloud, you can find the DVD on Welcome to Pranamaya, Inc. ($39.95) or amazon.com ($36.93)
I bought it in Holland so I paid in EUR.

Mangala · 03-08-2008, 05:39 PM

I have this DVD and it has some extreme range of motion. These are generally unhealthy and lead to weakness because you lock into the jiont instead of using the musculature.

Sonia · 04-27-2008, 12:18 PM

The price-- I paid 39.95 or something, but it's two discs. Would Netfilx have it? Good question, worth investigating.
In spite of how much Grilley talks, and he's very thorough, I learn something every time I watch it. As some of the others have commented, it helped me understand and honor my own anatomy and know what to look for when watching my students.
Om shanti, Sonia

aby3x3 · 04-28-2008, 11:23 AM

Hey Marjana, the paul grilley dvd is a very useful tool, it can be of great assistance in figuring out your range of motion being mindful of what he is trying to convey, this is especially useful if you are a teacher as well ( getting rid of our pre conceived notions of how a posture should look, sometimes we teachers are guilty of that, its more about how it feels ).

The anatomy is good for reference & the lectures help so that each time i come back to it, it sticks a little more.

I can recommend it, but if you buy it & do not like it just sell it on at an auction site or to a keen student, no harm done.

Namaste.

**Mirjana** · 04-29-2008, 03:34 AM

Hello aby3x3, welcome to the forum! I have this DVD already and I agree that it is useful.

Thank you!

01-24-2008, 06:17 PM	#3
InnerAthlete Mostly Good Egg Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Certified Purna Yoga Teacher - Seattle, WA Posts: 1,035	I'm not familiar with his work. __________________ ---- http://www.yogamojodojo.com http://www.teamyoga.com http://www.innerathlete.net/forum

01-25-2008, 12:27 PM	#5
Nichole SYT Moderator Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Boulder, Colorado Posts: 797	Pozdravljena Mirjana, Mukunda's senior teacher, Mangala, has this DVD set and just from the little that I saw of it, it looked amazing. I think it would be great investment if this type of study works well for you. This is stretching the topic a bit, but maybe you find this with your own studies too: I buy gorgeous anatomy books and I study them; then I do the asana and then I feel it. After feeling it, then I know which muscles are involved and how they are involved. Then I have a good laugh at myself because I have always had what I needed for the asana to be felt and known. Does that make sense? I am working to get past the need to externalize the knowing before I can internalize the knowing. Namaste Last edited by Nichole; 01-25-2008 at 08:58 PM. Reason: chickened out

04-28-2008, 11:23 AM	#14
aby3x3 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ayr-scotland Posts: 1	Hey Marjana, the paul grilley dvd is a very useful tool, it can be of great assistance in figuring out your range of motion being mindful of what he is trying to convey, this is especially useful if you are a teacher as well ( getting rid of our pre conceived notions of how a posture should look, sometimes we teachers are guilty of that, its more about how it feels ). The anatomy is good for reference & the lectures help so that each time i come back to it, it sticks a little more. I can recommend it, but if you buy it & do not like it just sell it on at an auction site or to a keen student, no harm done. Namaste. __________________ Omji ;~)

01-24-2008, 04:00 AM	#1
Mirjana Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 269	I'm planning to buy Paul Grilley's DVD Anatomy for Yoga. But first I want to ask you if anybody knows it and can give an opinion about it? Thank you!

01-24-2008, 05:49 PM	#2
Sonia Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 3	Last year I took a week-long anatomy workshop with Paul Grilley. Great experience. His DVDs are expensive, but worth the price because they have so much useful, practical information. The anatomy program is a great resource for yoga (& other physical disciplines) instructors, because it teaches how to analyze various body structures and types. He also stresses the function of the poses, not how we think they should look.

01-25-2008, 04:51 AM	#4
Mirjana Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 269	Thank you for the replies. Good to hear such a positive comment from you Sonia. The price is a bit spicy but maybe my co-students will want to share the DVD & costs. Otherwise we are studying from Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by David Coulter and I think this DVD could be a good additional material. It supposed to demonstrate how the bones differ significantly from person to person, and how to use that knowledge in gaining a much deeper understanding of our individual practices. I found it by a simple google searching about anatomy and yoga.

01-26-2008, 03:46 AM	#6
Mirjana Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 269	Pozdravljena draga Nichole (you gave me such a big smile inside - out) I know what you mean. It makes a big difference sometimes when you study something and than you try it on the matt. And you know exactly which part of the body and muscle to use and focus. Suddenly it makes sense and the pose feels more stable and easier. The language of anatomy is anyway quite technical and a bit dry sometimes, don't you think? It makes everything more alive studying with the matt next to it. I feel I have to study more. Especially the anatomy, it always takes some effort for me to focus on. I prefer other subjects But I know the more you learn and understand the more interesting it gets. Learning together with my friends and co-students in a class and sometimes out of the class is also very motivating. I ordered the DVD. I'm looking forward!

03-03-2008, 11:54 PM	#7
Maatumn Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: oregon Posts: 1	This DVD is worth the money. Not only does he give you mounds of information, he has a very relaxed vibe and is easy to understand. The DVD has interactive options included so you can move through different areas of the body/learn about them. It is very essential as a training tool to see different ranges of motion in individual bodies. Important to remember that not everyone can go into pose same way (not to push people into poses, bodies are shaped differently.) I learn a lot from watching his lessons!

03-04-2008, 09:22 PM	#8
victw Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: California Posts: 10	In all fairness I wasn't able to watch the whole thing. Once you get the point that everyones body's are different - it seemed to just repeat that same point over and over with illustrations of the different body parts. I just couldn't stick with it. And for that reason can't imagine needing to own it. I'd check to see if the library, netflix or a friend have it - and borrow it. Maybe others can concur with whether they have used it repeatedly as a reference source. Maybe some of the folks with positive reviews could say what other points they got out of it. But for me - everyone is different is a given - although it was cool to see this illustrated. Vic

03-05-2008, 03:40 AM	#9
cathy Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 35	FABULOUS DVD! It helped me become a better teacher but also helped me understand my own body. When in dandasana (staff pose) my palms don't reach the ground. I have had teachers who have admonished me for not trying harder to reach the floor. Well, my arms are SHORTER than others. The palms aren't going to EVER reach the floor. I stopped worrying about the "little" things and started just being with the yoga experience. I will never be able to reach my arm through my leg in Matsyandrasana. I truly recommend the DVD if you are serious about yoga! Cathy

03-06-2008, 05:10 AM	#11
Mirjana Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 269	Thank you all! I bought the DVD in the mean time. I agree it is fantastic. After watching it I gave it already to my co-students. I think we all should see it. When I get it back I will watch it probably more times again. The only thing that I was missing a bit was that he cooperate with advanced students only and not also with the beginners. So it was clear that their limitation in the postures is not tissue tension but compression of the bones. Would be great if he would invite also the beginner students and compare the tissue tension. But I like a lot his strong and clear meassage. To see the difference when the resistance in a posture is beacuse the tissues are not elastic enough or when bone hit the bone. And as you mention Cathy the proportion of the bones. So he encourage us to find our own way how to use the standards to serve as best and not the other way around. Just like all other practices and teachings of yoga right? How often do we also see in our society that we are serving to the rules... Sqcloud, you can find the DVD on Welcome to Pranamaya, Inc. ($39.95) or amazon.com ($36.93) I bought it in Holland so I paid in EUR.

03-08-2008, 05:39 PM	#12
Mangala Teacher Trainer Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 29	I have this DVD and it has some extreme range of motion. These are generally unhealthy and lead to weakness because you lock into the jiont instead of using the musculature.

04-27-2008, 12:18 PM	#13
Sonia Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 3	The price-- I paid 39.95 or something, but it's two discs. Would Netfilx have it? Good question, worth investigating. In spite of how much Grilley talks, and he's very thorough, I learn something every time I watch it. As some of the others have commented, it helped me understand and honor my own anatomy and know what to look for when watching my students. Om shanti, Sonia

04-29-2008, 03:34 AM	#15
Mirjana Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 269	Hello aby3x3, welcome to the forum! I have this DVD already and I agree that it is useful. Thank you!