![\"Spine](\"http:\/\/yogavibes.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/yogavibes-yoga-online-spine.jpg\" "\\"Yoga")
<\/p>\nIs your spinal health something you give much thought?\u00a0Most often, spinal health takes a back seat. We mind our spines only in the aftermath of something gone wrong. Let\u2019s not, however, allow it to reach that point. Let\u2019s, instead, take our spines to yoga.<\/p>\n
Yoga is a blessing to the spine. Supporting strength, flexibility, mobility, and proper alignment, yoga helps to prevent spinal degeneration and potential injury. Maintaining a diligent, mindful yoga practice will render your spine strong and healthy, and also, enhance your total state of health.<\/p>\n
Spinal health is a solid indicator of overall well-being and vigor. In yoga, the spinal column is referred to as Brahma-danda, which literally translates as \u201cthe walking stick of God.\u201d This implies that the spine is pretty darn important. According to master teachers, “A Yogi is one whose spine is full of energy.”<\/p>\n
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Yogis consider the spine to be a channel through which the power of the universe may manifest. It is through Sushumna Nadi, the central channel within the spinal column, that the potent Kundalini energy rises from its dormant state at the base of the spine to the crown of the head.<\/p>\n
The Sushumna, the most essential Nadi (channel), plays the most important role in the expansion of our intellectual, moral, and spiritual journey. It is the path through which our vital energies travel upward, resulting in self-realization, union with the divine, and enlightenment or nirvana. When your chakras are balanced and aligned, a current of Kundalini energy is free to flow and flourish through this channel.<\/p>\n
Because of this upward movement of energy, it is important to maintain a “yoga spine” during a meditation practice. Remaining vertical and erect is paramount to facilitate this vertical surge of energy. Asanas are intended to support the development of a yoga spine. By strengthening and realigning the spine, an asana practice will help prepare you for a deeper, sustained meditation experience.<\/p>\n