October 16th was World Spine Day. The theme for World Spine Day 2025 was 'Invest in Your Spine', highlighting the need to prioritize spinal health through preventive care, rehabilitation, and lifestyle practices.

A few statistics:

· 8 in 10 Americans will experience back pain in their lifetimes. This can be acute or chronic pain.

· 619 million people globally are affected by back pain.

· $635 billion is the annual cost of back pain to the US economy.

· Back pain is the 3rd most common reason for a doctor visit.

· Exercise is one effective way to relieve back pain.

In yoga class, we move the spine in 6 different directions to keep it healthy and mobile:

· side bends right and left, (1 and 2)

· twists right and left, (3 and 4)

· forward bends (5)

· back bends (6)

As you will see below, different sections of the spine have different movement abilities, making the six directions essential for the spine. As a bonus for yoga, we strengthen the muscles around the spine keeping them healthy and strong for good posture, keeping hyper kyphosis from developing or progressing.