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The notes below are designed to give prospective readers an idea of what to expect from the book, and to aid in making a decision on whether to buy it.

Yoga Therapeutics, Harvey Deutsch

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Harvey is one of the best PTs, healers, knowers of anatomy, and teachers that I know. I would encourage the purchase of his book Yoga Therapeutics, but more importantly that you take his class. His book really needs the context of his class, and then is a handy reference forever. Find below some of my takeaways after studying with him for 150 hours. 

 

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Things to consider teaching

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• Teach students to learn. You don’t know what yogis bring to their mat. Everyone does their best at every movement. “Wow, is this your best?” is the internal question. Empathy is dropping thoughts 100% and listening. Sympathy is being able to understand. Listen and retain. Ask follow ups. Showing that you are in it too is the key to their success. 

• Spin hands like light bulbs (queen hands).

• Sitting on back with knees up and pull one in with hands on knee, then hands overhead on the inhale. Exhale hands forward.

• Also feet up with knees bent and block between the thighs. Push on thighs with hands. Engage the core.   

• Block in hands by pulling it overhead to touch the ground then back to touch the belly. Engage core. 

• Listen and don’t assume you know who walks in a room.

• Stabilize your sacrum.

• Yoga Nidra, so amazing.

• Breath is something you have to practice. Can you play a musical instrument without practice?

• Return to the breath of birth, to clear yourself back to how you were born. Use your diaphragm.

• Inhale slowly as if the first breath of the day after a good night’s sleep. Exhale and sigh. Let something go.

• Observe a class and give it what they need, not what you want to give it. 

• My goal is to facilitate helping you be your own best healer. 

 

• Forward folds and headstand good for hypothalamus, pituitary, and pineal glands.

• Halasana, Shoulder Stand, Rabbit, Pachimottanasana and Janu Sirsasana for thyroid and parathyroid. 

• Twists, Child’s pose, Pachimottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, Peacock for Pancreas.

• Setu Bandha Sarvagasana, Bhujangasanasa for testes and ovaries.

• Half Lotus, Peacock, and Breath work for Adrenals.

• Pineal glands helped with covering eyes and looking at third eye.

• Thymus stimulated via Shalabasana, Camel, chest opening, psinix.

 

• Hypothalamus controls the Sympathetic Nervous system via the Adrenals and Adrenalin. Fight or flight and decease blood flood to gastrointestinal. 

• Hypothalamus controls Pituitary which releases cortisol.

• Parasympathetic Nervous System slows heartbeat, stimulates digestion, stimulates gallbladder, contracts bladder, and contracts pupils.

 

• Plank: wrap lower traps and wrap scapula into the side of the ribs. Don’t pull together (no retraction or protraction). Pull belly in. 

• Introceptors sense ANS (nerve ending for respiration and digestion. Different from extroception for the outside world and different from proprioception which you sense where your body is by walking in dark.

• Balls in case under back of neck. Move chin up and down.  

• If your breath is loud it will quiet the mind. If you breath is quiet it will quiet the body. We take over 6 million breaths a year or about 20,000 per day. 

• Respiration causes an exchange of cells. Gas exchange linked with circulation via the lower respiratory tract, not the upper part. 

• Diaphragm is the most important muscle in breathing. Innervated by the phrenic nerve linked to vagus nerve from the C3/C5. Central tendon is not attached to bone. Diaphragm only attaches to zyphoid process, spine, and 6 lower ribs (1 true, 3 false, 2 floating). Inhale via the nose to filter, heat air, and humidify via the mucous.

• COPD is caused by a flat diaphragm and it not being domed. Emphysema, asthma, also result in not being able to get air out. 30% of people have dysfunctional breath. 

• 80% of anxiety issues are linked to the breath. Short breaths produce anxiety.  

• People who have their butt out typically have weak abs and a weak diaphragm. This will cause lower back pain over time.  

 

• At wall sequence. 

  1. Hamstrings (hands at wall with flat backs). Raise one leg at a time.

  2. Side stretch one hand on the wall with other hand up and over.

  3. Scapula stabilizers (plank at wall, rotate push offs from wall on hand without moving hips. Lean on one side on the wall and push off and back. 

  4. Butt at wall with hands on sit bones, butt on wall, knees bent. Tighter hamstrings should have feet further from the wall. Hands on shins or ankles or maybe floor. Thumbs crossed at chest. Repeat whole sequence 4x.  

  5. Quad up wall. On all fours and then back foot goes up the wall. 

  6. Bird Dogs at the wall.  

 

• Add your own special piece at the end of sequence. Let your kids make it their own. 

• Sit on bolster, roll pelvis forward and back. Find middle. Root into sit bones. Pull up. Ensure ribs do not go out. Thumbs on hips and fingers forward. Inhale sit bones apart. Exhale together. Rib cage and pelvis should move in unison.  

• Sit with an anterior pelvic tilt. Make sure the back of the skull is at the base of the spine. Cross thumbs at heart chakra and feel the warmth, healing, and humanness. Reach arms behind you and reaching fingers as energetic prongs. Thigh rotates internally and forward fold.  

• Move sub occipital muscles on the back of the neck. Move eyes side to side.  

• Poses for hyperkyphotic T spine: Tadasana, Rib awareness, angle at wall, Genie corner (hug arms, sit against wall). Hands out wide. Cat/cow with bending to 45 degrees to feel pecks and core. Utkatasa, Camel. T Jacket. 

• Tree pose stress the roots. 

• Mullah Bandha bridge and pull egg up via penis and tracking down the fabric. 

• Clam shells inspires the function of the multifidi and stabilizes the spine. 

• Hands forward, baguettes under arms being squeezed, and open almond butter jars. 

• Tense all muscles for 2-3 seconds from jaw head to feet. Then relax totally. 

• Inhale to Visnhnu. Between breaths to Brahma.

• Chalk trace at end of sequence. 

• Cat cow talking about sending a wave. 

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Theory

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• Muscles are either stabilizer or mobilizer. 

• Keep natural curves, don’t flatten them.

• You must create a safe environment before you can work through trauma.

• Asian women are often hyper mobile—they can mobilize but lack ability to stabilize. 

• Less is more with stretching. Consider tonicity not just ranging contractions. 

• Compressed discs lower our heights. 33% of height in body is space between bones.  

• “The minute you feel your spine round, you’ve gone too far.”

• Ask students where they feel it.

• Cervical spine has the lots of flexion and some rotation but less than thoracic, more than lumbar.

• L4/L5 have 50% of the flexion and takes so much stress because so much flexion/extension is available. 

• Thoracic spine has much more rotational ability versus lumbar has extension/flexion. 

• Sciatica is caused either by a disc herniation from the spine or by pyriformis syndrome. 

• Sacrum is super strong and the last bone to break down after death and therefore sacred. 

• Forward folds load and compresses the discs.

• Backbends good unless there are facet issues.

• Don’t let students do things you would not do.

• Learn to laugh. 

• Ask if students are modifying. 

• Yoga is a body, mind, and spirit system. 

• Do not take joins past anatomical alignment, even if it feels okay. It is long-term risky.

• If a student is flexible, promote stability.  

• Proprioceptors are the stop signs in the ligaments.

• Perceptions of stress can come from survival signs (adrenaline), internal stress (monkey talk), environmental stress (deadlines, anxiety), fatigue and overwork (PTST, builds up and stays).  

• Obesity comes from chronic stress.  

• Stress lowers energy to the digestive and reproductive systems. 

• Focus on what you can control. 

• Laugh and try to forget about the pain.  

• Suboccipital muscle at the back of the neck has 35x more proprisectors than the glute max.  

• Parjvotanasias, block near forward foot, back hand on sacrum to lengthen it, back foot at 45 degrees. Stretches hamstring and IT bands. 

• Yoga Nidra is interchangeable with sleep, similar to meditation, complete relaxation without sleep. 

• Samskara is like when mom goes to McDonalds when sad. 

• You develop a much more acute sense of pain if you focus on it. 

• Injury at different parts of the spinal cord can affect different muscles and organs and body parts. 

• Different vibrations produce different sensations. 

• Breath is the equinity of emotion.

• Diaphragm massages liver, stomach, lungs, heart, and so many other organs.  

• Anju Compassion with integrity; non duality; cannot love anyone until you love yourself; master listening to get to enlightenment; I become lighter via.

• Crano sacrel and sacrel float stimulates the PNS. 

• You cannot drive it for students. Don’t cheerlead. 

• Ease into adjustments. 

• Bring your A-game as a teacher. 

• Be open to feedback as a teacher. 

• Do not let people have unrealistic expectations of you as a teacher. 

• Closing chant, circle, hold hands, give gratitude and find special place in your heart to store this energy - you will have it for the rest of your life. 

• Stem cells are where we all start. They are undifferentiated biological cells that can specialize and divide to produce more. In adults progenitor cells are like stem cells but more specific and differentiated.

• Cells make tissue which makes organs which makes organisms which makes society. 

• Heal via increased blood flow or in loading via increased pressure on tissues.  

• RICE is outdated. Heat brings in good things, cold draws out bad things. Ibuprofen weakens the structures. 

• Structural vs functional differences.

• Weight bearing can help bones before they break. 80% of bone breaks in white and Asian women under 80 lbs. Re-absorption exceeds generation somewhere between 25 and 35. 

• Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease hits 60% of men and 70% of women over 65%. Unsure why. Hawaii helps. 

Doshas

• Vatta: Air and aether. Light and mobile. Up there. Narrow bone structure. Wrestles and curious. Easily excited. Do not fast. They need 3 meals a day. Easily depleted of sexual energy. 

• Pita: Fire and water. Hot and flow. Focused, intelligent, transforms things, body structure in the middle. “Pitta moment” is road rage, judgmental, hyper critical. Be careful of alcohol as it causes liver issues because too much fire. 

• Kappa: water and earth. Grounded with stability. Robust with thicker bones. Have a sloth issue and see mucus in stool. Need spicy food (radish, cayenne pepper, arugula, etc). Lots of sexual energy. 

 

• 3 sources of disease with Ayurveda:

  1. Paja Pardana. Disrespect of the intellect.  

  2. Disrespect of the senses.

  3. Payama, passage of time. Natural time for living and death.  

• Awareness is 50% Ayurveda. 

• Disturbances start in the digestive system. Sour causes burning and heat. Flatulence and burping come from excessive air and results in constipation. Heavy after eating from pizza or others are from excessive earth and causes mucus in the stool.  

• If you don’t address it then you will further upset the body. Pittas upset liver, vattas upset neuro-system. Kappas upset lungs. 

• Western medicine only sees it as cirrhosis or asthma or later stages. 

• Go for a hike and see nature. It calms you and you need to know yourself in stillness.

• Angi is digestive fire and the heart of Ayurveda, you build a campfire with good logs. 

• Amma is waste materials, undigested food, toxins. Clots in arteries in the mind if you don’t digest ideas. 

• Weak Ami is a sign of too many toxins - lose taste, not hungry, lower vigor, bad breath). Fast to resolve. 

• When eating: sit and eat food, avoid distractions, imagine loving hands, eat energy of preparers, give thanks, have at least ½ cup of warmwater. 

 

• General Ayurveda practices:

1. Tongue scraping.

2. Netti pot.  

3. Rosewater face wash.

4. Oil pulling sesame oil rinse for 10 minutes or dry rub for Kappa.

5. Oil ears (peroxide for Kappas).

• Karmas (past lives) => Samskaras (patterns) => doshas (types) => different fixes. 

• Tamasek is sea or lake. For vattas it’s suicide or anger. For Pittas it’s destruction of others, violence, dictator. For Kappas it’s extorting others for personal growth or hoarding. 

• Rajasic is expressive with excitement. Pittas turn inwards. Kappas become manipulative.

• We all just want to be at a place of clarity. Vattas want an adventure buddy. Pittas are natural leaders and want people to follow them. Kappas want unconditional love and nurturing. 

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Organs and Systems

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• 4 types of tissue: nerve (cannot contract or stress, only floss), epithelia (avascular, good regeneration), muscle (only ones that stretch and somatic system via skeletal links), and connective. Ligaments have poor blood flow; tendons are even less elastic and vascularized.  

• Two types of fibers: collagen in skin which is glue and fabric and elastin which is elastic. Connective tissue is mostly collagen. Cartilage is a type of connective tissue. Many types (hyaline, fibrocartilage, and elastic) from nose to discs to ear lobes. 

• Herniated disc has slid into the faraymen.

• Skeleton is 10% regenerated annually.  

• We are born with 305 bones, but adults have 206 bones as they fuse together. 

• Endocrines are garlands that regulate. Hypothalamus is the main gland (general) and release hormones; Pituitary Gland (Colonel) secretes hormones too; pineal (Major) gland controls sleep; thyroid and adrenals (captain); nervous system is faster; hormones are slower triggers. Adrenals regulates cortisol (anti-inflammation), Aldoserone (regulates blood pressure); and Androgens (regulates sex hormones).  

• HPA or Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis controls Adaptive Homeostat with stress, temperature, mood, immune system, etc. 

• HPT (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis controls energy Homeostat.

• Hypothalamus-Pituitary. Thymus Axis is the Immune Homeostat. Determines the body’s ability to fight cancer and disease. 

• Pancreas helps in digestion via enzymes, also releases insulin to lower blood sugar. 

• Adrenals - Cushing’s is too high of cortisol; Addison’s is too little cortisol (fatigue, weight loss); General Adaption Syndrome (GAS): Adrenal Fatigue—perpetual fight or flight - lethargy, IBS, PMS. Twists are good for adrenals.

• Parasympathetic system is responsible for “feed and breed.” To “rest and digest.” Uses acetylcholine which is a neurotransmitter to reduce stress and inflation.

• Nose is where the Ida and Pingala meet and go down.

• Mouth is linked to the sushumna via kundalini.  

• Breath and eyes are conscious and unconscious. They link the sympathetic and parasympathetic. 

• Vagus nerve is the most potent nerve in the body. It’s the 10th Cranial nerve, motor fiber supply including to larynx and pharynx. Supplies stomach, pancreas, small intestines, spleen, colon, kidney, and bladder. Also heart and lungs.  

• Chanting or “bees breath” or singing helps stimulate the vagus nerve. You salivate when related via vagus nerve. Laughter, long slow breaths also help it. The tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth or cold water wash for face also help. Crystals may help, as will being outside. Light touch, blanks, sand banks, and darkness help with PNS.

• Acidosis causes CNS depression leading to comatose state. Alkalosis causes hyper-excitability of the CNS.

• If we lower hydrogen levels (linked to CO2) we lower breath rate (why we relax after exercise). If we raise hydrogen levels our speed of breath increases.  

• Rib ring closure via engaging upper transverse abdominals to close the lower rib cage and pull it in and down. Send the breath. Energy follows the intention. We are sending blood and oxygen to the area of target.

• Inhale engage Mula Bandha. Diaphram will move down.

• Exhale engage Uddiyana Bandha (TA) and diaphragm will relax and move up into a resting position. 

• Left nostril is cooling. Right is heating.  

• Diaphragmatic breath long inhale and exhale of equal length.

• Kapalabhati body cleansing lower alveolar CO2. Short forceful exhales with automatic inhales. 

• Bellows similar to Kapalabhati except small puffs of air and blow out to glowing coals, which increases CO2 intake.

• Your breath regulates your state of mind. 

• PT on chest focused on vibrations to move fluid around. Side hunk, hands touch overhead, top leg is long, bolster student belly, therapist cups hands and applies flipper hands. Skin to skin. It decongests, increases energy. Do not use with cancer patients as it can spread it.   

• Pain vs sensation. A fibers move at 20 m/s versus C fibers move at 2 m/s.  If you cannot hold a pose for 2 minutes then it’s pain.  

• Cranial nerves are linked with altruism and compassion. 

• Long fibers take longer to recover than shorter fibers. 

• To change fascia, need sufficient hydration, hold stretches at least 2 minutes, be patient. 

• Heat increases viscosity and allows fascia and muscles to move a bit more. 

• Levator scapula has an attachment at the side of the neck on the shoulder and causes shoulder knots.  

• Sterno clydomastoid links the sternum during sympathetic activity and is linked from the back of the skull to the mid shoulder. 

 

 

 

Muscles

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• Traps have 3 bellies in different directions. Does so much work. Lower traps reach up and pull down. Upper traps linked with head and upper clavicle. Middle and lower traps used to wrap around and pull down scapula. 

• Traps/Pecs/Lats work on inhalation when hands are weight-bearing due to insertion and origin rotation. 

• Muscles at top of chest help with inhalation. Abdominals and lower muscles help with exhalation. 

• Tensor fasciitis is above the glut. at the top. It is where the glut. max. attaches to. Important to hydrate it. IT tract is critical to posterior pelvic tilt. 

• Hamstrings including linea aspera; semineufomsis—from IT to nobs on tibia. Bicep formois from sacrum to SI joint. Connected to glut. max. Adductors are the 4th hamstring (activated via baddkonasa). Legs up with strap, then forward with sacrum flat, then back up, then over to one side. Push heel out and soften the calf.

• Rotator Cuffs - both a stabilizer and a mobilizer. All of scapula to humerus. Subscalum, lesser tuberlosicty, greater tubererical, furris muri, supraspantas (on top of scapula), supraspintus (sub-scapula),  

• Somatic Nervous System is affecting the skeletal muscles via neuromuscular interventions. Different from autonomic (PNS, SNS) which affect glands and internal organs. 

• Psoias stimulates digestion via walking. Contracting it causes lordosis of the lower spine. Lay on your front, flex shins up if back ache that is caused by psoias.

• Do opposite of typical motion to stretch.  

• Glena humeral - ball and socket joint. 

• Fascia lives in extra-cellar matrix (floats in fluid). Change with fascia is very slow. It is closely linked with acupressure. 

• Longus coli is the long muscle of the neck that activates Jahlendra bandha. 3 bellies from C5 to C1 and onto oblique. It lengthens the spine. Whiplash is when it is stretched too much. 

• Scalene are anterior from C spine to 1strib. C3-C6. 

• Deep 6 muscles with hips. Lateral rotators. Stabilizers of the pelvis and most importantly of the hip. They pull the femoral head into the assitabular head. On greater troanctore there are 9 attachments. Nor as powerful as the glut. max., but deeper. They all go from pelvis to femur and include:

  1. Operator externis.

  2. Quadris Femoris.

  3. Operator interins.

  4. Superior genis.

  5. Superior.

  6. Pyraformis.  

They all act to help as internal rotators when in a forward fold.  

• Frog is a great way to stretch the deep 6. 

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SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan)

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• Where here? 

• Discriscoptors with symptoms. 

• Ask Diagnosis if they have it. 

• Goals? 

• What most pressing? 

• Past treatments? 

• Typical day? 

• Occupation? 

• Stressors? 

• Food, water intake? 

• Cardiovascular exercise? 

• Time willing to commit to treatment? 

• Try to agree with it or not. Understand past medical history. 

• Major falls, surgeries? 

• On meds? 

• Sleep quality?

• Have you been seen by a doc, PT, chiro? 

• Scale of discomfort 1-10? 

• Body scan front and back. Movement - forward, backward, rotation—see how they do it. 

• Which poses they like or dislike. 

• Lay patient on back. Raise up one leg, flex foot and pulls back and forth to test dura.  

• Stenosis is narrowing of the central canal

• For those with trauma think about EMDR

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDhfLsar1WU