Body and Breath - Test Yourself

These questions may be used for any purpose other than electronic transmission or publication in books or pamphlets so long as the source--bodyandbreath.com--is acknowledged. Their purpose is to provide teachers of body and movement therapies with a bank of questions that can be used in examinations or for self study.

Each month a new set of questions will be posted. The answers to the previous months questions can be found on The Answers page. ( View Archive )

81. Which three of the following six postures/exercises are not expressions of isometric muscular action?

a) nauli
b) warrior I
c) fire exercise (chapter 3)
d) boat with a keel
e) bellows breathing
f) intermediate level locust

82. In which one of the following circumstances is paradoxical breathing appropriate?

a) Lifting up as high as possible in the cobra (not supported substantially by the upper extremities)
b) Full capacity standing whole-body backbend
c) Buffy slays the vampire
d) Lillian Gish saves the children from Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter
e) Alan Ladd polishes off Jack Palance in Shane
f) Paul Newman's Cool-hand Luke eats 50 eggs

83. In which two of the following circumstances does the glottis have to be closed?

a) uddiyana bandha
b) even breathing
c) A and P breathing
d) spinal twist
e) nauli madhyama

84. Which two of the following curvatures are kyphotic?

a) cervical
b) thoracic
c) lumbar
d) sacral

85. Which six of the following ten backbends are relatively passive, in that the use of the deep back muscles for maintaining the bend is optional?

a) camel
b) advanced locust
c) upward-facing dog
d) classic cobra
e) pigeon
f) intermediate locust
g) beginner's whole-body standing backbend
h) bow
i) prone boat
j) advanced lumbar backbend

86. What is unique about the posterior stretch (paschimottanasana) for highly flexible students who can come fully into the posture?

a) inhalation increases tension and exhalation decreases tension
b) the stretch is initiated with a straight back
c) there is an emphasis on bending from the hips
d) the abdominal organs are compressed
e) the pose is completed by flattening the back

87. Comparing three classes of postures (forward bending, backward bending, and twisting), which two of the following are not unique characteristics of twisting?

a) always asymmetric
b) inherently neutral with respect to gravity
c) creates axial compression
d) compresses abdominal organs
e) exercises respiratory diaphragm
f) creates torque

88. Which three of the following seven muscles are not part of the rotator cuff family?

a) supraspinatus
b) infraspinatus
c) latissimus dorsi
d) subscapularis
e) teres minor
f) pectoralis minor
g) trapezius

89. In comparing three other classes of postures (standing forward bends, standing backward bends, and standing twists) with the shoulderstand, which three of the following characteristics are not unique to that inverted posture?

a) gravity returns blood efficiently from the lower extremities
b) forced flexion of the head and neck
c) functional residual capacity (FRC) is markedly reduced
d) venous return increases from the abdominal organs
e) intra-abdominal pressure is invariably low
f) increase in tension for inhalation occurs
g) whole-body expression of energy is the rule

90. Which seven of the following eleven autonomic nervous system reactions are facilitated by the sympathetic as opposed to the parasympathetic nervous system?

a) constriction of the pupil
b) secretion of salivary digestive enzymes
c) increase in heart rate and strength of contraction
d) inhibition of blood flow to the stomach and intestines
e) constriction of bronchioles in the lungs
f) resistance to the initiation of urination
g) free flow of urine
h) constipation
i) impotence
j) sexual excitation
k) orgasm