Got back problems? Join the club. The cause might be the way you sit or stand or sleep. Or it could even be your yoga practice. But what if you learned that it's not the muscles in your back that are responsible for your pain, but the underlying connective tissue? And why does it even make a difference?

Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet the brilliant yoga anatomist Paul Grilley while taking his class on connective tissue at the YOGASTUDIO in Larkspur (he also did a class on bones, but it sold out before I could get in). At the workshop, I learned that the majority of the stiffness we feel in our bodies comes not from these "tight muscles" that we always talk about, but from tight underlying connective tissue, which results not only from natural things like aging, but also from contraction that happens when there are emotional and energetic blocks.

Active asana (or Yang Yoga) is helpful in building muscle, but when you want that tightness in your connective tissue to release (think: lower back and IT bands), you have to hold poses for longer periods of time. This is why Paul is such a big proponent of the more restorative Yin Yoga.

The info-filled workshop was not my first experience with Paul's teachings on anatomy and yoga. I was first introduced to Paul through his yoga DVD (with local company Pranamaya) called Anatomy for Yoga, which I highly recommend. In it, he explains why your bone structure makes a huge difference in regard to what your practice looks like. For instance, people literally have differently shaped hip sockets, which either permit or limit external rotation at the hip joint. (See the bone slide show on Paul's website for more on this.) And you thought you were just "stiff"!

Getting our muscles confused with our connective tissue, and our so-called "stiffness" confused with our actual structural limitations is not only hard on our ego ("Why can't I just do this already?") but also hard on our bodies (injury—ouch!) I think these teachings should be mandatory for anyone practicing yoga—and, even more so, for those teaching it.

________________

PS: FREE YOGA FOR LEAP YEAR! Thanks to a partnership with Lululemon, yoga classes are free all day on 2/29 at any Yoga Tree location.