All About Supta Matsyendrasana aka: Supine Spinal Twist
Alright, light beings, time to talk about our spine! It is basically the root of our existence here on earth, so lets pay it proper respect. From our coccyx to cervical disk #1, we hold the root of our entire being. ALL energy flows through our spine, so lets give it mad respect. Our 7 main chakras align with the spine. Every organ in our body is innervated by nerve cells originating in our spine. In Chinese medicine, the Du channel runs the length of our spine, & contains acupoints that can stimulate every single system in our body. Our kundalini energy? Yeah, it runs up your spine.
We want our spines to be a conducive vessel for energy to flow. That’s why maintaining ideal posture is, well, ideal! We literally build our entire asana practice around lengthening, aligning, strengthening & detoxing the space around our spine in preparation for optimal health!
In supine spinal twist, the act of balanced compression detoxes the space surrounding your vertebrae, ultimately creating space & encouraging the flow of energy through your entire body! What are we detoxing? Emotional stress, negative experiences, stagnant blood cells & synovial fluid, unmoving qi & prana – just to name a few! By twisting your spine, you’re not leaving anyone out of the game, as we are ultimately detoxing our entire chakra, meridian, & nervous systems. The act of detoxing our spine is just as important as strengthening our spine. If you invite fresh energy into your body, but have blockages somewhere along the root, then the energy will not get to its desired destination. Potentially organs could become depleted of vital nutrients & qi, causing pain or disease that has the potential be life threatening.
Ok guys, rule number 1 for spinal twist — or maybe its number 2, since number 1 will forever & always be: lengthen your spine! So, rule number 2: twist to the left first! If you’re twisting to the left first, you’ll likely be compressing the right side of your body first. There is a reason we want to compress the right knee to chest first! If you’re human, most of your energy runs from your base, up & in a clockwise direction. If you don’t believe me, ask your colon. On the right side, exists the beginning of your large intestine, your ascending colon. On the left, exists the very end of your digestive system, your descending colon. From there its pretty much just fecal matter & toilet. If you compress your right side first, then left, you’ll stimulate the movement of your bowels! Don’t constipate yourself by stimulating the descending colon first & reversing the flow of energy. Your body will thank you.
Remember, divine beings, while western medicine is downplaying the efficacy of natural healing modalities, leaders of Big Pharma are going to jail for fraud, bribery & raccateering. Look into it yourself! Unfortunately the mainstream media doesn’t broadcast it in an attempt to not scare the shit out of people & keep some semblance of control, but they definitely confirm it. That’s why this blog exists. I’m not here to scare anyone, just to offer the profound truths in healing that I have observed & studied during my life that everyone has the right to know. Natural medicine (& yes I’m talking about yoga, chinese medicine, chiropractic, nutrition, etc) is proven repeatedly to heal people with minimal side effects, while opiods alone, have caused over 64,000 deaths in 2016. The New York Times calls it “an epidemic killing people at a faster rate than HIV in its peak.” Lets now ask the question, How many deaths have yoga or chinese medicine caused in 2016? If you guessed zero, you’re right! Unfortunately the amount of lives SAVED by these modality are difficult to measure.
Lets end on a positive note, yogis & meditators! We all have the right & ability to take our lives into our hands because, guess what? Your unique DNA, within every one of the 38 trillion cells in your body, hold all of the instructions for healing that you could possibly need. Your DNA is like, the tiniest most comprehensive medical textbook in existence for your unique case! Celebrate THAT! Every time you make an adjustment that benefits your life, you have a new resource to share & potentially help other people benefit their own lives! Somewhere you can start is by detoxing all of the false information & stress out of your spinal system to start fresh with love & health. Start with supine spinal twist.
Peace, love & abundance
Namaste,
Kelly Bailey
Meditation:
Optional props: 3 pillows
Start in fetal position on your left side. Rest your head on your left arm, bend your knees towards your chest. Make sure that your hips are stacked on top of each other. If you want to get some props involved, place a pillow between your thighs. This will help to keep your pelvis form alignment. From here, extend both arms out long in front of you, then reach your right arms towards the ceiling and mindfully bring it to the mat behind you. If your right shoulder doesn’t reach the earth, place a pillow under it and another pillow under your left knee. Make sure your right shoulder and your left knee are rooted to something. If the expression still feels like too much, bend into your right arm and place your hand on the lateral aspect of your chest or wherever it falls comfortably. In addition, if you feel like you want more in this asana, send your left leg long in front of you. So your lef follows the length of your spine. Now, let your gaze fall towards your right arm. If that’s too much on your neck, just rest on your left cheek. Are you cozy? Good. Now focus on taking deep inhales through the nose followed by equally long exhales through the mouth. Set your times for 3 minutes.
When your timer sounds, roll back to fetal position on your left side. Take 7 deep breaths. Roll to your back. Gently draw your knees to your chest & rock side to side, inviting some movement to your spine. Now, rock to fetal position on your right side, and follow the same steps!
Once you’re finished, rest in savasana, corpse pose, for a minimum of 3 minutes while your body absorbs the work you put in.