Where to Start ? How Yoga Works

The spine is our body's central support structure. It keeps us upright and connects different parts of our skeleton. It also transmits motor commands from the brain to the body, sends sensory information back to the brain, and coordinates reflexes. So, a healthy spine is essential for maintaining the body's structural integrity and ensuring the proper flow of information between body parts.

Both Ayurveda and Hatha Yoga highlight the importance of maintaining spinal integrity. Ayurveda sees a healthy spine as essential to maintaining vital energy flow (or prana) throughout the body. When the spine is out of alignment, it can obstruct the flow of prana, leading to stagnation and disease. In Hatha Yoga, this principle is practically addressed through poses that focus on spinal alignment, flexibility, and strength.

Many yoga poses aim to decompress and realign the spine, such as Cat-Cow (Chakravakasana), Twists, and Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). These poses work to gently stretch the vertebrae, allowing more space between them, improving posture, and relieving pressure on the nerves. The improved spinal health also allows for better circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, which nourishes the brain and nervous system.

Furthermore, yoga poses that promote spinal mobility indirectly benefit the endocrine system. The spine houses the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion. By maintaining the health of the spine, yoga helps to keep the nervous system balanced, which in turn supports the regulation of hormonal processes. 

Both Ayurveda and Hatha Yoga recognise stress as a major disruptor of these systems. In modern healthcare, yoga is increasingly used as part of treatments for endocrine disorders like diabetes, thyroid issues, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Tailored yoga routines, including postures and breathwork, can help regulate hormones, reduce stress, and improve overall wellbeing.

The body is a complex set of systems, but yoga seems to focus on two key areas: the endocrine system and the spine. These are crucial for promoting balance and overall health.

The endocrine system controls many important functions by releasing hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones impact mood, growth, metabolism, and more, keeping both our physical and mental states in check.

Hatha Yoga offers a powerful means of recalibrating the body’s endocrine system. Through asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), and meditation, yoga gently stimulates various glands - like the pituitary, pineal, and adrenal glands - helping them function more efficiently. For example, Gentle twisting actions stimulate the pancreas and adrenal glands, enhancing circulation and supporting their role in energy regulation and stress management. When the twist involves the neck, there’s also a subtle influence on the thyroid and parathyroid glands, helping to promote balanced metabolism and calcium regulation. The rhythmic compression and release of these areas supports overall endocrine health, contributing to a balanced hormonal system.

Furthermore, the practice of deep, conscious breathing helps regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, crucial for managing stress.

Further Reading

Do What You Can : Not What Others Can

Stress Triangle  : The First To Get Tense

Our Daily Practice : Balancing The Doshas

More Insights