Stuart Murray of Spirohealth writes:
Having been in practice for just over 10 years , I have seen a fair amount of people from many different walks of life. What I noticed was that Yoga teachers and those that have been doing yoga a long time, had a lot of wear and tear and instability in their lower backs. They all had a similar body shape too. So I had a theory of what is happening and decided to put it to the test. If that interests you please read on.
If you have practiced Yoga yourself, you will know that it comes in a variety of styles, some have been bastardized by the west to make it an exercise class of sorts. The main premise, from my limited understanding and talking to those that know infinitely more than I do, is that it is supposed to be a gentle movement based meditation. Where you are using the body to become more present allowing you to calm the chaos in your head. Through my own experience I have felt this along with many of my clients. It can enable you to de-stress and be a better version of yourself. I cant imagine anything else more helpful in this day and age.
Now the problem…
We exclusively use Advanced Biostructural Correction™ (ABC™) in the practice. The premise of this technique is that bones pushed forward in the spine cannot be corrected by the body as there is no muscle or group of muscles to pull the bones backward.
Now, in Yoga there are a lot of positions that aim to extend the spine. However, your lumbar spine is supposed to extend a maximum of 25-35 degrees ( this is in a healthy person and not forced). As such, people are moving into poses that hyper-extend the spine, which then pushes the bones forward in the lower back (lumbar spine). The vertebrae get pushed forward repeatedly and this creates a change in the shape of the spine. This shape change distorts the ability of the body to deal with mechanical stress, in some cases giving relief to other areas that were getting harsh stress, but in the long term locking in a pattern of great stress and strain in the lower back, which will lead to premature wear and tear (arthritis).
This theory was tested a few months ago when I got together with a group of Yoga teachers and one of my clients. I adjusted him and got rid of any bones that were stuck forward; he popped up and was breathing better. He did a single pose (I cannot remember which one) for no more than a couple of seconds and by the time he got up his body had collapsed; the vertebrae had been pushed forward. We did this for hours, back and forth and have come up with a handful of yoga poses that will not wreck the human frame.
We at Spirohealth, working alongside Yoga instructors, are currently working on putting together a class that will be ABC approved allowing everyone to enjoy the benefits of yoga and Advanced Biostructural Correction™
Contact us here for more information
