As I was beginning my own yoga practice the other day, feeling a little stiff-spined in the morning, I thought - hey, where did my low back curve go? Tilting my pelvis forward slightly, and bending my knees gently, a familiar feeling returned. Ahhh, my curve.
Suddenly flashes of students in stiff downward dogs with flat or rounded low backs appeared before my eyes. How could I have stood by silently for so many hours!
Some might call it an "aha moment". Although some flattening of the natural curve in our low back may occur in downward facing dog, our curves are there for a reason. We don't want to move in the opposite direction either, increasing our curve until our facet joints in our low back jam into each other. But there is, as they say, a middle path. When we round our low back, our discs move backwards, into a position where they are most vulnerable. In turn, we loose our connection with our core, which naturally enables a curve.
Next time you are on your mat, see what it feels like to you. Bend your knees and tilt your pelvis until you become aware of the curve in your lower spine. This might feel awkward or different from what you are used to. But it just might be the smarter yoga.
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