When Terry teaches his classes this is his focus…

Spinal Yoga.

Thirty-one vertebrae of the spinal column.

1. Seven Cervical, neck.

2. Twelve Thoracic or Dorsal, upper back.

3. Five Lumbar, lower back.

4. Sacrum, pelvis.

5. Coccyx, tailbone.

The sacrum is made of five fused bones.

The coccyx is made from four/five fused bones

Vertebrae are designed for different movements:

1. Cervical: rotation, side bend, forward bend, backbend.

2. Thoracic: forward bend, limited in back-bending and rotation.

3. Lumbar: rotation, back bending, side bending, forward bending.

Spinal movement:

1. Forward bend (fb) flexion.

2. Backbend (bb) extension.

3. Sidebend. (sb)

4. Rotation. (r)

5. Traction = lengthening.

6. Compression = shrinking.

Some Yoga postures and their relationship to spinal strength and flexibility.

Forward bend: prasarita, janu sirsasana, paschimottanasana

Back bend: bhujangasana. urdhva dhanurasana. shalabhasana.

Rotation: Side lying spinal twist. Ardha matsyendrasana.

Compression: sirsasana. sarvangasana.

Traction: adho mukha svasana

Compression and Traction are minor movements.

Discs are fibrous cushions between each vertebra.

Para vertebral muscles: Are the main muscular supports, running either side of the spine.

There are too many to go into any detail in this piece of writing, but we have Google for any further or deeper enquiry if you wish. Suffice to say, different muscles will influence and effect movement in various directions, e.g. the hamstrings on the back of the legs if overtight will limit forward bending.

Nerve supply: The brain sits in the cranium tapers at its base and descends down the spinal column as the spinal cord. Nerves split from the spinal cord and exit between different vertebra sending and receiving signals to and from muscles and organs. Affarent nerves fire impulses from sensory organs back to the brain. Efferent nerves send signals from the brain to muscles and organs. The Autonomic nervous system runs along either side of the spine and serves a different function.

The point of this piece of writing is to emphasise the function of the spinal column. Through ongoing yoga practice, we strengthen and create more flexibility in it, improving posture and nerve supply to all area of the body.

The mysterious Kundalini is said to reside within the Sacrum, the triangular shaped bone that sits between the Ilia bones at the centre and back of the pelvis. We needn’t worry too much about such things, as in, whether a coiled snake actually does reside within the sacrum, the point is we energise ourselves by breathing deeply using pranayama exercises, and as mentioned already, we improve the function and structure of the spinal cord and column through yoga postures.

🙏