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Yoga Anatomy, Physiology and Mental Health: A Guide for Yoga Teachers
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 11 2026
Pages: 262
Weight: 0.78
Height: 0.55 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Most yoga anatomy books teach you the names of muscles. This book teaches you what to do when a real student, with a real injury, a real diagnosis, or a real mental health struggle, walks into your class and unrolls their mat.
Written by David Scott Yglesias, E-RYT 500, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Kinesiologist, this book draws on more than two decades of hands-on teaching experience to bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and compassionate, in-the-room teaching. It is the resource that turns anatomical facts into practical wisdom.
Inside, you will find:
- A clear, narrative introduction to anatomical language, movement, and the body's connective architecture, explained through real yoga poses, not just diagrams
- Region-by-region guidance on the most common injuries and conditions you will encounter, from plantar fasciitis and ACL tears to disc herniations, frozen shoulder, and sciatica
- An in-depth look at yoga's effect on the nervous system, breath, hormones, and digestion, grounded in real research and explained in plain language
- A full chapter on mental health, covering anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, ADHD, autism, personality disorders, schizophrenia, dementia, and substance use disorders, with practical, compassionate teaching strategies for each
- Real case studies drawn from the author's own teaching career, including a complete recovery from a severe disc herniation that a neurosurgeon believed would require surgery, and the story of a student with a traumatic brain injury who found her way back to standing in Tree Pose
- A practical final chapter on building a safe classroom: intake forms, red flags, scope of practice, referrals, emergency procedures, and documentation
- An appendix of research references connecting the book's claims to real published studies
Who this book is for:
Yoga teacher trainees preparing for certification, practicing yoga teachers who want to deepen their knowledge, studio owners building safer programs, massage therapists, fitness professionals, and any serious practitioner who wants to understand their own body more deeply.
This is not a textbook that sits on a shelf. It reads like sitting in on one of the author's teacher trainings: warm, direct, and full of the kind of knowledge that only comes from thousands of hours on the mat with real people.
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