Amy Arnzen
EXS 322
Lab #1
Applied Forces & Tissue Behavior
1. Looking at the entire body as one tissue, describe what modifications that would cause
tissues to compress, cause traction, bending, and torsion.
Within the pose Adho Mukha Svanasana, if in the correct position shoulders are externally
rotated hips positioned and pushed backwards, legs straight, feet are a little less then
shoulder width apart with heels positioned as close to the ground as possible. The
connective tissue in the body can be considered elastic in a sense. There comes a point
during the stretch when you can no longer perform that stretch. This happens when the
stretch reaches its limit, if any other sort of force or tension were to happen at this point in
the stretch, the tissue will begin to pop. The popping in the tissues is due to micro-tears
within the tissue. In the move Adho Muka Svanasana modifications can cause the tissue to
bend, compress, cause some sort of traction and or torsion from the movements in the
move itself. However, we use the term ‘walking’ within the move and this is simply lifting
the heels up which creates a stretch in the gastrocnemius and achilles. After lifting up your
heels go a head and reapply them to the ground and doing what you just did to the other
