// My top two tips for a healthy spine with yoga //
This month I wanted to share my top two tips for keeping your spine healthy and strong through yoga. Whether you’re a teacher or a student, these insights can make a big difference in how your body feels, both on and off the mat.
1. Do More Prone Backbends
We have four main ranges of motion of the spine: flexion, extension, side-bending, and rotation. In yoga, and everyday life, we spend a lot of time in flexion (think rounding forward over your desk as you work). Over time, focusing too much on one range of motion can reduce our ability to move well in the other ranges. This can lead to stiffness, weakness, and a higher risk of injury or arthritis down the track.
One way to balance this out is by adding more repetitive prone backbends. As a teacher, you might guide your students through several rounds of Baby Cobra consecutively, rather than just one like we usually do in our sun salutations. The same goes for Ardha Uttanasana—try incorporating a few in a row to create more extension in the spine. This simply starts to bridge the gap that is found in our yoga practice of continuous forward folds and an uneven balance of extensions.
2. Understanding Spinal Mechanics and Ranges of Motion
Education is powerful. Knowing which parts of the spine are best for certain movements can help you and your students practice more safely and with greater benefit.
For example, the thoracic spine (upper/mid back) is where most rotation naturally occurs. When you’re in a twist, encourage the rotation to come primarily from the thoracic region rather than the lumbar spine, which only has about 15 degrees of rotation. Forcing too much movement into the lumbar spine can lead to stiffness, pain, or even injury over time due to its reduction in range of motion here as well as the shape of the disc structures. Using cues when your student is in a twist such as rotate from your shoulders, breast bone or ribs can help students move better, and feel better.
I hope these tips inspire you to explore your practice with more curiosity and care. If you have any questions, or if you’d like more resources on spinal health, feel free to connect with me ~ I’d love to hear from you!