Coulter’s Anatomy of Hatha Yoga is what I’m familiar with. It retails for $30 but the information is priceless. The first time I saw the plum line of gravity drawn through a lateral view of a skeleton, intersecting major bony landmarks while others lie anterior or posterior, the balance that is achieved by this, I became fascinated with the design of the musculoskeletal system and how it functions with gravity during movement. This book goes way beyond the musculoskeletal system although any book detailing that alone is a good start in my opinion.
One of the most fascinating things I found in the book was the anatomy of the respiratory diaphragm. Not only is it the primary muscle involved in respiration, it spans from front to back, side to side, separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Only three holes are allowed to pass through the diaphragm: the esophagus, vena cava, and aorta. That alone should tell you the importance of having an active, well conditioned respiratory diaphragm. (sorry I always have to hijack a thread with a tangent and like you guys don’t already know the importance of proper breathing habits…)
The only thing I don’t like about this book, and I was warned of this before I purchased it, is that it’s so damn heavy! My hardcover copy of War and Peace weighs half as much. I didn’t know they made paper out of lead.
