Our spine is called meru danda in yoga. Meru is the legendary mountain known to be the axis of the universe. Danda means a stick. Meru danda here symbolises as the center of the neuromotor activities, the axis of the microcosm of our universe, our body.
Our spine is constructed in the form of discs called vertebrae, and like a snake it is capable of making serpent like movements with its flexible construction. In yoga it is said that you are as young as your spine is erect. As your spine begins to get stiff or deformed due to wrong posture, it fails to stay erect. Slowly as the muscles supporting your spine grow weaker, the shape of the spine begins to distort and you begin to slouch or bend the spine, which is a sign of wearing out or ageing. You would notice people with mental (nervous) and physical disabilities are not able to sit straight or keep their spine erect.
Spine primarily gets deformed due to wrong sitting postures. Yoga advises to keep the spine erect at all times like a danda—meru danda. That is because these discs or vertebrae hold or protect the spinal cord, through which the brain sends and receives signal from the rest of the body, through the nerves, sympathetic and parasympathetic system. Even gravity has the least effect on spine when it is held erect.
Wrong sitting postures like slouching or bending inhibit he circulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the spine, which results in malfunction of the nervous transmission and response from the body and may result in early ageing, psychic and physical disorders. Spinal column is also the seat of the chakras in the body. Assuming wrong sitting postures, the chakras that correlate on the physical plane also get affected and there’s restriction in the free flow of prana through the sushumna nadi that runs along the spine. This results in blockages in chakras and signals that chakras give out to the areas that they control in the body, causing disharmony and disease in the physical.
This is the reason why all yogic meditation postures hold the spine erect and Hatha yoga prescribes various asanas to strengthen the spine to maintain youth and vitality in the body.
Regular spinal massage, yoga asanas and pranayam are essential for maintaining erect spinal postures.
Asanas for spine: Sarpasana, Advaasana, Jyeshtikasana, Makarasana, Ardhshalabhasana, Yaanasana, Bhujangasana, Tadasana, Tiryak Tadasana, Kati Chakrasana, Vyaghrasana, Marjari asana
Pranayam: Ujjai and Nadi shodhanam
For more details regading asanas, please contact us at dhyanfoundation.com
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Eye opener. Very informative .