Anatomy Trains

Myofascial meridians · Tom Myers · Tap a line to explore

Most yoga teaching treats muscles as separate, isolated targets. Anatomy Trains offers a different lens: the body’s fascia forms connected pathways running through multiple muscles and joints at once. Tap any line below to see how it maps across the body, and which poses in the SomaAxis library engage it.

Front

Back

Superficial Back Line

SBL
Primary line Secondary line

The body's longest myofascial line — running from the soles of the feet to the top of the skull along the entire posterior surface. Its primary function is to support upright posture and prevent forward collapse. In yoga, forward folds create full length through this line; backbends and Locust compress and tone it. Hamstring 'tightness' is often a SBL phenomenon that also involves the plantar fascia and suboccipital muscles.

Yoga poses

Primary — SBL · Superficial Back Line defines the pose

Archer•Cat–Cow•Child's Pose•Cobra•Dolphin•Downward-Facing Dog•Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe (Front)•Forward Fold•Forward Fold (Arms Overhead)•Half Lift•Half Split•Hand to Big Toe•Hand Under Foot•Head-to-Knee•Knees to Chest•Legs Up the Wall•Locust•Low Cobra•Monkey Pose•Plow•Puppy•Pyramid•Seal•Seated Forward Fold•Shoulder Stand•Standing Split•Supine Hamstring Stretch•Supported Child's Pose•Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog•Turtle Pose•Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend•Wide-Legged Forward Fold•Wide-Legged Forward Fold B•Wide-Legged Forward Fold C•Wide-Legged Forward Fold D

Secondary — supporting role

Compass•Cow•Dancer II•Dolphin Plank•Floor Bow•Forearm Hollow Back•Forearm Stand•Half Bow•Headstand•High Lunge Hands on Floor•Humble Warrior•Inverted Staff•Mountain•Prone Twist•Reclined Twist (Eagle Legs)•Revolved Head-to-Knee•Revolved High Lunge (Hinge)•Revolved Triangle•Shoulder Bridge•Sphinx•Staff•Sun Salutation A•Supine Twist•Supported Fish•Tabletop•Upward Salute•Upward-Facing Dog

Myofascial Lines

Read: Fascia Yoga — What Anatomy Trains Can Add to Your Sequencing →

Understanding anatomy like this is what makes sequencing intentional, not accidental. SomaAxis is a yoga sequence builder that helps you turn that understanding into complete, thoughtfully built classes.

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