In yoga, we say that we are as young as our spine is flexible. If we consider any experience with back pain, we may see truth in this adage. Along with the breath, our yoga practice prioritizes the spine. We aim to move the spine through all of its motions with each practice, working towards understanding spinal alignment and strengthening postural muscles to alleviate potential back pain.

In this section we will look at the four ways the spine moves:

1. forward folding or spinal flexion
2. backward bending or spinal extension
3. side bending, left and right
4. twisting, left and right