Body · Reading
Bones
The five types of bone, and what the skeleton does.
Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.
Structural anatomy
The adult skeleton has around two hundred bones, classed by shape into five types.
Long bones, such as the femur and humerus, are longer than they are wide and act as levers. Short bones, such as those of the wrist and ankle, are roughly cube-shaped and give stability. Flat bones, such as the skull and ribs, protect organs. Irregular bones, such as the vertebrae, have complex shapes. Sesamoid bones, such as the kneecap, sit within tendons.
Bones support the body, protect the organs, give the muscles something to pull against, make blood cells in the marrow, and store calcium and other minerals.
Diagram
Related
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, pp. 11–12, anatomy cards