You’re as Old as Your Spine is Flexible

In yoga we believe that you’re as old as your spine is flexible – but how flexible is your spine supposed to be???

Well, we want to keep the spine supple – not over stretching the muscles to cause any strains, and certainly not doing so many repetitions of a movement so as to cause repetitive strain injury. So this is going to mean different levels of flexibility for different people. As such the outer shape of a posture may look very different from person to person.

The key to a good yoga practice is to keep your focus on yourself. Yes to listen to instruction and yes to pay attention to demonstrations but not to look at the person in front of you and copy what they are doing.

In some postures it’s good to work with the eyes closed and in many postures we are laying on the front or back of the body where the sight is not relied upon for balance or information. This improves self-awareness.

When we keep the focus internalised, we can feel how the movement is affecting the joints and muscles. The feedback we get from our nervous system will let us know if the movements are sufficient or need to be altered. The body naturally likes to stretch and move; this is the way that we move fluids around both for elimination (through the lymph) and to plump up the intervertebral discs (which keep the space between the vertebrae). Getting used to the sensations in your own body is how you will find your perfect movements to keep your spine flexible.

It’s a good idea to visualise what’s happening internally when we do our yoga movements – to be focused and mindful of what we’re doing will reduce the risk of any overworking or injury. This is particularly helpful if you have an injury or any restriction of movement.

I’ve found some fascinating YouTube videos of how the spine works – so if you have a few moments do have a watch…