By Faye Martins
Is yoga a reliable method for spinal health? Adult students of all ages participate in yoga training sessions for pain relief, but students often ask why it works. It would help if you learned this during your foundational 200-hour yoga certification course as a teacher. Still, most students know little about spinal or skeletal health unless they have experienced chronic joint pain. Let’s go over the basics in case you want to have a short workshop for your students to give them a deeper understanding of how and why they are feeling better after a class at your yoga school.
About Your Spine
The spine has three distinct parts, Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar. Each part carries the body’s weight in different ways. Every component is susceptible to injury at any given time if it is overworked. The cervical region is located at the top of the spine. This area contains the topmost vertebrae and carries the brunt of stress from life and work.
The asanas can relieve depression, anxiety, and stress. The thoracic area contains the following twelve bones of the spine. This section supports the ribs and is a vital part of good posture. This area needs to stay in alignment to keep the body in line.
The lumbar section consists of the last five vertebrae. The lumbar is the most frequently injured spine area as it holds up the entire upper body. For anyone who cares about injury prevention due to all the moving parts, yoga has become a preventative and reliable method for spinal health.
Understanding Basic Spinal Movement
The spine works like the control center for the body. It should be kept as straight as possible when exercising. Five natural Yoga movements support the spine to be healthy and strong.
1. Flexion is curling the body in a fetal position. Poses that include this movement are the child pose, downward facing dog, and cat pose. These all help the spine keep its natural position.
2. Axial Rotation is the twisting of the spine. Yoga moves that use this are Half Spinal Twist, Half Lord of the Fishes Twist, and the Sage Twist. Performing these movements will strengthen the spine and prevent twisting injuries.
3. Extension is the normal movement that allows the spine to stretch and get longer. Asanas that perform this movement are the Cobra pose, Camel pose, and Upward-Facing Dog. This helps keep the spine and vertebrae from compressing.
4. Lateral Flexion bending from side to side. Yoga poses that strengthen the spine in this manner are the Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose and the side stretch.
5. Axial Extension is not common in everyday movement. There are no specific asanas that help alone. Some movements do incorporate this extension or stretching.
Summary
Hatha yoga is a healthy way to exercise and keep the mind and body in top shape. For those suffering from back pain, there are some yoga training exercises (asanas and warm-ups) that can ease the pain and, with continued use, can prevent it from coming back. As a holistic method for spinal health, yoga only requires steady practice.
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Related Research
Andersson GB. Epidemiological features of chronic low back pain. Lancet. 1999;354:581–5.
Sawyer AM, Sarah KM, Warren GL. Impact of yoga on low back pain and function: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Yoga Phys Ther. 2012;2:4.
Williams KA, Petronis J, Smith D, Goodrich D, Wu J, Ravi N, et al. Effect of Iyengar yoga therapy for chronic low back pain. Pain. 2005;115:107–17.
Cramer H. Yoga for chronic low back and neck pain. Gen Med. 2013;1:107.
Chou R, Huffman LH. American Pain Society, American College of Physicians. Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low back pain: A review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:492–504.
Erik JG, Marisa S, Douglas C. VA San Diego Healthcare System. USA: University of California San Diego, SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology; 2013. Yoga as a treatment for low back pain: A review of the literature; pp. 332–52.
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