Part 13: Mid back
21 Yoga Practices For Body Flexibility
Mid back is the area found below the upper back and above the lower back. Of all the three distinctive parts of the spine, namely cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, mid back occupies the space in the lower half of the thoracic spine. Also, this area is covered by the rib cage. Hence, individual or independent movement of the vertebrae is not possible for the thoracic area of the spine.
Pain in mid back may happen due to poor postures, improper weight lifting or gastric issues. It may also be due to a fall or sports injury out of continuous practice without taking any rest.
It may be surprising to know that short tempered people tend to have mid back issues due to tightness of the muscles, which causes discomfort at the physical level and pranic block at the physiological level (as the free flow of prana is restricted due to muscle tightness). As the mind is connected to the body, the mind may sometimes take sudden decisions without giving room for thinking, and outbursts in the form of anger (a psychological expression) may occur.
With pain and discomfort on one hand, and the inability to hold prana for a considerable amount of time on the other hand, the so called “short tempered” persons get a sorry figure among their friends.
Without knowing the reason behind their sudden anger, these people are blamed for their behavior, unaware that the real culprit is their physical body.
That is why pranayama and meditation is said to bring the anger under control.
The solution is to maintain the body without any tightness. Any tightness in the body reflects in the mind and manifests in the body through body language or verbal abuse.
If we find the real cause for the anger, i.e., if we respond to the problem instead of reacting to it, we need to open up the body by doing some simple yoga practices demonstrated here.
“Pacha Kudira" is a folk game of Tamilnadu, India, usually played by 2 people or as a group. One group of players will stand in a row in a half bent position. They will position themselves in different heights starting from four legged pose to half bent pose. They will lock their knees with the help of their hands to stand firm and with stability. The one who challenges the height will run from a distance to place his hands at the mid back of the standing persons and jump over them one by one. The game will be played in turns.
When such games are played, the players have a chance to prepare their mind for the pressure they are going to experience while playing the game. The mind gets prepared, and the massaging of the mid back happens as the game is played. The enthusiasm to face the challenges keeps the mindset of the players light.
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This practice was developed in accordance with Yoga Therapy, a branch of yoga that requires the ailing person to perform a set of asanas to cure prevailing health issues. Read more about Yoga Therapy here.
Read the previous title in this article series. Part 12: Upper back
Read the next title in this article series. Part 14: Low back
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