Get to know your spine up close and personal.

"Tiang Seri" or the main pillar of the house, the Malays calls it, is regarded as the center of the house, In the old atap houses like the one I grew up in, they tie a red cloth and sometimes hangs a coconut for this is where the house spirit or "Semangat Rumah," resides. From this vertical structure all else is built. When doing meditation whatever form one does, albeit Yoga or Zen, the spine is the vertical reference that the rest of the physical body aligns to. The perpendicularity of the spine is erected through the initial deep and somewhat forceful breathing, this helps to align the body upright. The spine when is in an effortless state of vertical position the rest of the body, hangs from it relaxing every tight muscles and allowing energy to flow unobstructed throughout the body. One comes to a point where the body becomes light and almost weightless that it is forgotten; sometimes one even experiences a sense of lightness of being.

The Japanese are very conscious of their posture when they stand of sit and in the old days even when they sleep paying great attention to the spine being in a comfortable erect position. The manners of the Samurai warriors when they sit facing their Lord is the epitome of being in a well balanced and aligned posture. Seldom do you see these warriors sit in a slouch which would be frowned upon by their peers. From this perfect sitting posture the Samurai can spring into action if and when the occasion demands it. Being able to sit for hours without moving a muscle like a stone Buddha was and perhaps still is a mark of accomplishment for the traditional Japanese. To attain this feat one has to constantly practice being comfortable effortlessly and this is done through the art of breathing, aligning the whole boy into one immovable unit.

Practically in all Yoga Postures while doing Hatha Yoga is focused upon Breathing as well as the alignment of the spinal column. Through constant practice of the Asanas or postures the spine is being kept as flexible as possible, this is so that our spinal column does not become stiff and often petrified causing all kinds of  stiffness, aches and pains to the rest of the body. Doing yoga exercises and various other forms of spine related stretching will no doubt help in the prevention of lower back pains and stiff necks. As boring a subject as it may seems, it is beyond words to express how important it is for one to maintain a good upright posture for good alignment of the rest of the body.