Our yoga practices are influenced by the Myotatic Stretch Reflex and the Clasp Knife Reflex. Reflexes are not defined as having lightning fast reaction times. For example the ability to react fast enough to catch a glass just before it crashes to the floor. This is often interpreted as “good reflexes”. Reflexes are actually unconscious motor responses to sensory stimuli. They occur within the nervous system as an unconscious response. So while executing postures certain nervous system signals travel to the spine and back to the required part of the body the posture is influencing. Nothing is communicated to the brain itself. This is why reflexes are not conscious. How a posture is approached during a practice will stimulate the Myotatic Stretch Reflex or the Clasp Knife Reflex.