Spine, in Sanskrit, is called Meru Danda, after the sacred Mount Meru or Sumeru which is a five-peaked mountain considered as the axial center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes. Like Mount Meru which is supposed to be the centre around which an entire solar system is supposed to revolve, the spine is supposed to be the axis which acts as a connecting link between the Earth and the cosmos.
As the mythology of Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean of milk) goes, gods and the demons (titans) joined together in the humongous task of churning out the nectar of immortality (amrita) from the ocean. They took help from Mount Meru which worked as the churning stick/ axis on which Vasuki, the serpent, was solicited as a churning rope. Similarly, according to Vedic scriptures, our spine acts as Mount Meru with the serpent energy (Kundalini) at its base, which when churned gives out the nectar of immortality pertaining to a disease-free and blissful life.
The spine denominates the quality of our life since it is the seat of the seven major chakras (energy points or meridians), and the three Nadis (energy channels) – Ida, Pingala and Sushumna – which carry the Kundalini energy, the primal evolutionary force. In fact, the first thing that takes form in a mother’s womb from the embryo is the nervous system including the spine, nerves and brain.
The Story
Deva, a middle-aged engineer who had spent almost 20 years of his life shuffling between work and home with the scale of the balance heavier on the work front, approached me with a complaint of chronic back pain. Deva had irregular working hours extending to attending calls and visiting the site at nights and even on weekends and holidays. He was chronically suffering from back pain but did not attend to it nor did he pay heed to the umpteen times his body called for rest.
A sudden attack one day made him stop his work abruptly. With frustration built up for not being able to support himself and his family, he started pondering the reasons for his now frequent and long bed rests. His MRI reports indicated lumbar spondylosis showing disc bulges, degeneration, desiccation and herniation of disc, spinal stenosis, and lumbar lordosis. After multiple non-invasive treatment interventions, his doctor had suggested surgery. His quest to avoid surgery and medicines made him share his journey with me. We decided to work on this healing journey together.
What Causes Chronic Back Pain?
There may be innumerable reasons for chronic debilitating pain of the back including but not limited to occupational hazard, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, age-related degeneration, etc. resulting in spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and spinal disc herniation. Approximately 20% of all occupational activities appear to be associated with pathological spinal load, natural daily stresses and minor…
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