At the request of some of our yoga
students I am writing an entry about the nervous system, how it
relates to the curves of the spine, and how we can affect it through
conscious exercises such as yoga.
Nerves are bands of fibrous tissue that carry messages throughout our bodies. They are much like the wiring in a computer. They are just as real
and palpable as blood vessels,
muscles, and organs. Because nerves are a physical
structure they can be affected by tight muscles, injuries, and
unhealthy posture. Nerve roots are the part of a nerve that exits the spinal cord between two vertebra before it travels out to the rest of the body. They are the place where the two parts of our nervous system communicate.
A
compressed nerve root refers to an actual squeezing
of the nerve as it comes out from between two vertebra on its way to the
rest of the body. If you squeeze a hose that has water running through
it the water flow will be impeded and pressure will build up. The same
thing happens in our nerves where the nerve is the hose and the water is the impulses that carry messages back and forth between the brain
and the body.
Our central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain
and spinal cord. Our peripheral nervous system (PNS) is comprised of
all the nerves that run throughout the rest of our bodies. These two
nervous systems communicate with one another via the nerve roots mentioned previously.
There are two branches within
the peripheral nervous system. They are the Sympathetic branch and
the Parasympathetic branch. Each of the branches holds an opposite
function and our body is constantly adjusting how much each branch is
activated.
The sympathetic branch is responsible for the 'fight or
flight' response. This system is activated in times of stress and
danger and leads to adrenaline being released, heart and breath rates
to quicken, the pupils to dilate, and blood flow to increase. The
parasympathetic branch is responsible for the 'rest and digest'
response. This system is activated in times of low stress. It leads
to blood moving to the organs, the heart and breath rates
to slow down, and an overall sense of relaxation and restfulness.
Problems occur when one of the
branches is overly stimulated for an extended period of time. Because
of our culture, jobs, and life structure, Americans tend towards
having their Sympathetic branch chronically stimulated. This leads to
health issues such as anxiety, chronic stress, weight gain, tight
muscles, headache, low immune system function, difficulty sleeping,
and high blood pressure among others. In order to balance this a
two-part solution must take place. The first is to lower the function
of the Sympathetic branch and the second is to stimulate more
activity of the Parasympathetic branch.
There are many ways we can affect the
branches of the peripheral nervous system. Because the peripheral
nervous system starts in the spine at the junction between the
vertebrae we can affect it by adjusting the spine. Chiropractic care
is an example of how this approach can be employed.
Alternatively we
can send signals from other areas of the body back to the roots of
the nerves to tell the body to calm down. Acupuncture is a good
example of this method. Because there are different approaches it is
important to make use of the different healthcare modalities
available to us and integrate them together to receive the most
effective care.
We can also engage our bodies and
nervous systems on our own without the assistance of someone else.
This is an important approach to take as well because it empowers us
in our bodies and in our lives. It makes receiving other treatments
more effective, longer lasting, and ultimately puts us at a place of
power in our own lives. Yoga is a way of using this approach to
health.
Before we talk about specific yoga
alignment let's take a closer look at the spine. The human spine is
comprised of roughly thirty two bones. There are four curves in the
spine. Two of them are concave and two of them are convex. Bones are
connected to other bones by ligaments and to muscles by tendons.
Between all the layers of muscle there are additional layers of
connective tissue that hold everything together. Misalignments in the
body can be due to bones, muscles, or connective tissue. The spinal
cord runs through the center of the bones of the spine and, along with
the nerve roots, are affected in shape and functionality by the
posture of the spine.
Many systems of yoga and other
exercise use alignment based on old research that showed that
accentuating the natural curves in the spine lead to injuries in the spine
and nerves whereas making the back flat, tucking everything under,
and taking the curves out of the spine lead to greater stability.
There are several problems with these studies. The first is that
since these studies have been accepted and used as the basis for
healthy alignment in our body no one has researched other possible
alternatives. For over sixty years we've accepted that those studies discovered everything we needed to find about proper alignment in the
spine. Secondly, the studies looked at overarching the lower back.
What they didn't look at was the method in which the back was arched.
Simply put, the back can be arched either by collapsing into it and
compressing the vertebrae or by engaging the muscles of the legs to
create a deep but spacious curve in the low back that matches the
spine's natural alignment. Lastly, the studies all looked at arched
backs where the last thoracic vertebrae (T12) in the middle of the
spine poked out. None of the studies looked at alignment where T12
moved in and up, which only happens when the spine is arched through
muscular engagement.
When the curves are taken out of the
spine it causes the nerve roots to become compressed and sends
signals to the brain that the Sympathetic branch needs to be
activated. When the natural curves are put back in the spine it
signals the brain to activate the Parasympathetic nervous system.
Our Sympathetic activation is
exacerbated by the large amount of time that people spend sitting at
desks. Sitting this way leads to several problems. It takes the
natural curve out of the low back, it takes the natural curve out of
the neck and when the chin is lowered it pulls on all the muscles in
the jaw, neck, and upper shoulders, and, finally it tightens our hips
and groins which also stimulates the Sympathetic branch. This also causes the bones of the legs and arms to be pushed forward out of their sockets.
Tucking under requires the engagement of the butt muscles from the top of the butt to the bottom of it. This engages the muscles from the insertion to the origin. We engage every other muscle in our body in the opposite way - from the origin to the insertion. Why would it be that one of the strongest muscles in our body should be the only one that should be engaged opposite from all the other muscles? In the new system of alignment the butt muscles are engaged from the origin to the insertion (bottom to top) which naturally creates a deep spacious curve in the lower back as a result.
If an exercise class is using an old system of alignment it is basically creating the same posture we end up in sitting at desks and in cars. We end up creating the same problems we're trying to fix. The new system of alignment reverses these tendencies and reintroduces the natural curves back into the spine. Some basics of the
new system of alignment I use in my teaching are:
1) Make the legs strong
2) Use this strength to create a
spacious, deep arch in the low back until T12 moves in and up
3) Allow the upper back to soften and
the ribs to move towards the ground
4) Look up and make the curve in the
neck match the lower back
5) Extend the whole body in both
directions from T12
Here is another way of looking at it:
When an animal is afraid or upset they
round their lower back and neck, and tuck their tail between their
legs. This is the same action of "tucking the tailbone"
under that we have all been instructed to do in the past. This is an
example of what animals do when they are in Sympathetic dominance.
Another example is a cat arching its back when it hisses at
something.
When an animal is relaxed and at ease
and has just woken up from a nap it takes a nice big stretch as seen
here. The lower back is rounded, the groins are soft, the hips are
pressing back, and the chin is lifted to create a curve in the neck.
Here are more photo comparisons:
In the first set of photos we can see
the difference between the old and new styles of alignment. The
bottom picture shows a rounded spine, rounded neck (though usually
the rounding is even more severe), and and overall look of unease.
The top photo shows strong legs creating a natural arch in the lower
back and the chin lifted to create a matching curve in the neck. The
shoulders are lifted and the ribside is extended.
The second set of photos shows the new
alignment and how it matches with the way animals align their bodies
in a stretch. In the top photo I could have even more bend in my
knees so as to lengthen the spine and extend the hips back more. Notice how overall the arches of the spine and alignment of the shoulders and hips match up.
The new system of alignment activates
the Parasympathetic nervous system while at the same time
strengthening and toning the body. Because the spine is naturally
curved the nerve roots have the least amount of pressure put on them
when the spine is in its natural alignment. By putting the spine in
this alignment and then using our muscles to lengthen the curves it
creates space between the vertebrae which takes pressure off the
nerve roots, thus sending a message to the brain to activate the
parasympathetic nervous system. Less obstruction and compression on
the nerves creates feelings of ease and restfulness.
When the natural curves of the spine
are supported by clear engagement of the muscles and healthy
alignment of the limbs there is more than enough stability to support
the curves. Old systems of alignment try to take the curves out of
the spine because it is believed that the hyper-mobility of the lower
back and neck are too unstable and easily injured. This assessment is
only true if there is no muscular engagement supporting the arches in
these parts of the spine.
Finally, when we allow the ribcage to descend towards the ground we allow gravity to gently pull on all the connective tissue surrounding our internal organs. When we surrender in this way it further activates the Parasympathetic branch. This isn't to say that the abdominal muscles aren't engaged. They are, but instead of contracting and shortening them we engage them while they stay long and extended.
These are some basics of the way our
nervous system works in conjunction with our anatomy and alignment.
There are many different systems of exercise and alignment available
and it's good to explore many different ones in a safe way so that
you can become more empowered in your own body. Following, I've
included more pictures for comparison.
~Joshuah Ciafardone, L.Ac
The new method of alignment is from the
Sridaiva system of yoga developed by Desi Springer and John Friend.
