Applied Yoga Anatomy: The Spine

Question 1

What is the human spine made of?

Answer 1

a series of interconnected bones called vertebrae.

The human spine is made out of a series of interconnected bones called vertebrae.

Question 2

How many vertebrae do we have?

Answer 2

33

We have a total of 33 vertebrae in our spine.

Question 3

How many vertebrae do we have in our neck?

Answer 3

7

Question 4

What is the name for the part of the vertebrae in our neck?

Answer 4

cervical

Question 5

How many vertebrae do we have in the middle of our back?

Answer 5

12

Question 6

What is the name for the part of the 12 vertebrae in the middle of our back?

Answer 6

thoracic

Question 7

How many vertebrae do we have in the lower part of our back?

Answer 7

5

Question 8

What is the name for the part of the 5 vertebrae in the lower part of our back?

Answer 8

Lumbar

Question 9

How many vertebrae in our sacrum?

Answer 9

5 and they are fused together.

Question 10

How many vertebrae in our tail bone?

Answer 10

4 and they are fused togeher.

Question 11

What is another name for our tail bone?

Answer 11

coccyx or coccygeal vertebrae

Question 12

What is in between our vertebrae?

Answer 12

Inter-vertebral discs.

Sitting between these bones are the inter-vertebral discs.

They are jelly-filled sacs that protect the bones from weight-bearing stress.

Question 13

What is the purpose of these jelly filled sacs?

Answer 13

These jelly-filled sacs protect the bones from weight-bearing stress.

They help cushion, just as tires of a car or shock absorbers in machines.

Question 14

What is nestled within the vertebral column?

Answer 14

the spinal nerve.

The spinal nerve, branches out to different parts of the body between the vertebrae.

It is through this central nerve that messages from the brain reach the different body parts and vice versa.

Question 15

Which nerve is the nerve where messages from the brain reach the different body parts and vice versa?

Answer 15

The spinal nerve.

Question 16

What is a neutral spine?

Answer 16

It’s a balanced spine. It’s the ideal distribution of weight through proper positioning of the body.

Question 17

For all poses that do not directly manipulate the spine, what spine position do we want?

Answer 17

A neutral position.

For all poses that do not directly manipulate the spine, we want to maintain a neutral position.

Question 18

When it comes to the spine, what do we want to cue our clients for all standing upright poses?

Answer 18

we want to cue people to scoop the tailbone, navel inwards and upwards, and both front and back of the ribcage are even and parallel.

Question 19

If someone cannot scoop the tailbone or draw in their ribs, they can learn this how?

Answer 19

They can learn to do this by lying on their backs.

In fact, for the beginner first learning about alignment, making them lie on their backs is a good way to ensure that they are safe from injury. When they learn to do it in this position, then you can turn them upright.

Question 20

In backbends, it’s important to remember what about the spine?

Answer 20

That the whole spine is involved in the movement.

Most people concentrate only on bending from the lower back to do a backbend. This puts a lot of pressure on the lumbar spine.

Question 21

Explain how the whole spine is involved in a backbend movement:

Answer 21

the sacrum or tailbone scoops in so that the lumbar spine can bend back more while the scapula lift the ribcage up extending the spine further back, and the axial extension from the cervical vertebra gives more length to allow for a deeper bend.

Question 22

In some ways a backbend can also be called what?

Answer 22

A chest lift.

In some ways, the backbend can also be called a “chest lift” due to the experienced feeling of the scapula pushing up on the thoracic spine.

Question 23

Talk about the neck when the chest lifts to go into a backbend?

Answer 23

When the chest lifts to go into a backbend – the cervical spine is also involved – the neck must have muscular support also when bending back.

Question 24

How do we give the neck muscular support when bending back?

Answer 24

we slide the chin in and back to activate the muscles of the neck to support the head (note the differences between this and just lolling the head back.)

Question 25

The sizes of the vertebrae differ – larger at the bottom and smaller on top. So when we twist, just like a backbend, the smaller vertebra of the thoracic and cervical spine are the ones that can twist deeper.

Answer 25

The sizes of the vertebrae differ – larger at the bottom and smaller on top. So when we twist, just like a backbend, the smaller vertebra of the thoracic and cervical spine are the ones that can twist deeper.

Question 26

How to coach a twist?

Answer 26

a twist starts in “the belly”. AKA the lumbar spine area and travels up into the chest, the crown of the head being the last to be involved in the twist.

Think cat cow.

Question 27

What does it mean when we say “inflating kidneys”?

Answer 27

There is a space just inside the lower ribs where you can send your breath.

If you put your hands on someone’s lower ribs while they are in child’s pose you can feel this effect.

Question 28

Why is it important to know about inflating kidneys?

Answer 28

Because of its importance in Arm Balances and the higher inverts.

This also has the effect of drawing your ribs in by activating the musculature surrounding the lower ribs (in the back) tilting the front of the ribcage downward. This is also called “Kidney Loop”.