Yoga to recreate, strengthen and maintain the spinal curves.

Yoga to recreate, strengthen and maintain the spinal curves.

Skepticism in yoga and its benefits highlighted my past few weeks. My wife and I hosted one of our long-time friends- a seasoned scientist and an executive in an oil corporation. The discussion started with meditation and mindfulness and ended up in universal energy (she disagreed when I called that God), refinement (we disagreed, again, when she said “we need only common sense to achieve it”), and the path of yoga, karma and soul haven. My task after five hours of discussion, over three Moscow mules, turned ominous when Bindhu inclined to my friend. “Yoga folks oversell it”, my friend concluded when we called it a day (rather, night); and I, dubiously, conceded. I had been there when challenged for evidences and proof for myriads of benefits embodied in yoga, mindfulness and meditation. When I direct to the scientific studies they quip: “It’s a small sample”; “a good model to that sample”; “even placebo would do the same”…

A woman has been practicing yoga with me for a long time; attended many of my workshops and have been a committed yogini. Few months ago she mentioned she had breast cancer and would be out of the class for some time dealing with it. When she came back last month, I was happy to see her and enquired how she was doing. I was stricken by her momentary silence. She grabbed a piece of paper from her bag and said, “This is my report.” I peered through the clinical jargon. A single highlighted line at the end caught my attention: “The tests show no indication of cancerous tissues.” I congratulated her for the resilience and perseverance during the treatment. Her comment was, “It was all natural, I spent lots of time in yoga, meditation…as you say” I was happy and felt the sense of achievement.

When I told this story to my quest she quoted Robert Langdon (in Angels and Demons), “Faith is a Gift I have yet to receive”

Leaving stories behind, I took a middle ground for the theme of my classes for next few weeks: Yoga to recreate, strengthen and maintain the spinal curves. Of the umpteen definitions of this thousands years old art, philosophy and science, therapeutic duo sequences resonated the most with many who attend my classes. They seek relief from shoulder and neck pain, lower back pain…These few pair-sequences in yoga are simple and our body is designed to do these movements with minimal efforts (and there are plenty of anatomical evidences to it):

1.       Cat/Cow

2.       Crescent moon/ pyramid

3.       Pascimottanasana/ Poorvottanasana/ Vasishtasana (It’s a trio)

4.       Pavanamukhtasana/ Dwipadapidasana or sethu bandhanasana

5.       Viparithakarani/Supported shoulder stand/ Fish

What is the science behind these vinyasas?

1.       These sequences relax and strengthen the agonist and antagonist muscles to recreate and maintain the spinal curves.

2.       They enhance the “diaphragmatic space” for lumbar curve.

3.       They offer an opportunity to engage the three major locks- kegel floor, diaphragm and chin.

4.       You don’t need lots of faith for these poses; your body is rightfully designed to do that.

If you have any questions how to use combine these poses, please do not hesitate to call, email, message or talk to me. Hope to see you in one of the classes. Jay