Yoga as a Complement to Chiropractic

Shared Philosophy-Above Down, Inside Out

In 1920, BJ Palmer & JH Craven wrote:  

“The union of the East and West, which is coming about, is greatly to be desired. They will learn something from us; we must see to it that we learn something from them. And now that we are beginning to come together, the progress of those portions of humanity who have so long been separated and have carried on their process of evolution isolated from each other, making discoveries of different kinds, will be more rapid than ever before.”1 In the exploration of his question: “Want to let Innate contact you?” BJ goes even further when he states:  

“The yogis of India have the RIGHT principle, mentally. The sincere yogi would make an  
excellent chiropractor for getting sick well if he had knowledge and ability to correct the
intermediary adjustment to restore power of internal innate, to perfect greater
understandings. Yogis assume what is, to each, the most RELAXED posture, which they
assume for hours or days. In this way, THEY attain the peace and poise of plenty, and
become 'In Tune With the Infinite’ (Sheldon).”2  

Thus we can see that the Developer of Chiropractic himself respected the similarities in the two disciplines. The interested reader can locate more references to Indian culture and religion in the texts: Around the World With BJ, Upside Down and Right Side Up With BJ, and The Bigness of the Fellow Within, according to Rosenthal.3

So let us explore some of these similarities between yoga and chiropractic philosophy. Firstly, within the 33 Chiropractic Principles of are contained our philosophical heritage. The very first principle---so-named The Major Premise---reads, “A Universal Intelligence is in all matter and continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence.” From this starting point of Universal Intelligence, we come to Innate Intelligence (the flow within ourselves) and then to Educated Intelligence (what we are taught). Similarly, yogic philosophy describes the Brahman, the personal Atman, and finally the ego-sense. Both philosophies attribute man’s suffering to their third aspect---the mistakes of the intellect (Educated Intelligence and ego). There is some speculation that DD Palmer (the Founder of Chiropractic) may have been exposed to yogic philosophy just prior to performing his first chiropractic adjustment in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa. Two years earlier, the Hindu Swami Vivekananda embarked upon his mission to bring yoga westward with his extensive Chicago lecture tour. For four years he lectured throughout the States, took a two-year hiatus back in the East; then returned for three more years, disseminating India’s Vedantic lore. It is reported that even such greats as the electrical genius Nikola Tesla studied under this swami.  

Rosenthal muses:  
“DD was an extremely progressive, open- minded, alternative healing-oriented
individual. He was a practitioner of magnetic healing, which has some similarities to the
Reiki of today. He may have studied under such animal magnetism (magnetic healing)
greats as JPF Deleuze or one of his disciple- instructors. DD was observed visiting Dr.
Andrew Still to learn more about Still’s discoveries in osteopathy. DD was hungry for
the truth, wherever it could be found. It’s hard to believe the elder Palmer didn’t hear Swami
Vivekananda firsthand.”

Next, we can look at the idea that healing is not only physical plane work, but energy work as well. Rosenthal states, “The subluxation is a multilevel phenomenon, with only a portion of its effects demonstrable through empirical process of the physical plane. [therefore] Understanding kundalini may help to alleviate some of this frustration, by increasing understanding of the energy dynamics of the subluxation.”  

What is kundalini then? Let us look at the three levels of reality that chiropractic and yoga are operating within. First there is the obvious level of physical reality where we move things around in our physical universe. This is the level where we attend school (Educated Intelligence) and we develop a sense of identity in the world (ego). If we then take Innate Intelligence (Atman) as energetic reality, and Universal Intelligence (Brahman) as spiritual reality, now we have the playing field of kundalini. Yoga’s concept of life-force (Hindu prana running through the nadis; and Chinese chi running through body meridians) is concerned with our energetic reality, and yet the very word ‘yoga’ stems from ‘union’ as in union with spiritual reality. So with the awakening of our kundalini force in yoga practice, we bridge the gap from our subtle energies to our very spirit-being. Later we explore how some chiropractors now consider this kundalini force to be the movement of cerebro-spinal fluid around the spine and brain.   At the very least, the flow of life-force achieved through yoga   lies akin to the flow of the chiropractic mental impulse transmission. Opposing this natural vital flow are the concepts of ‘chakra obstruction’ (in yoga) and ‘vertebral subluxation’ (in chiropractic).

Bearing in mind that the vertebral subluxation is “a multilevel phenomenon,” we must next consider the value of our intention in our technique. Rosenthal inquires as to how chiropractic may assist in the kundalini energy flow of the human body, noting the connection between the Autonomic Nervous System and the chakra system. That is, the location of our neural plexi are overlain perfectly by the light- emanating chakras. Dr JK Sarkar states, “...possible anatomical parallels between the physical level and the nadis and chakras are demonstrated. These authors project how the two main nadis that run along the spine in the subtle body may be analogous to afferent and efferent spinal cord tracts. The seven chakras may be analogous to the ganglion of impar (1st chakra); hypogastric plexi (2nd chakra); coeliac or solar plexus (3rd chakra); cardiac plexus (4th chakra); cervical ganglia (5th chakra); and the pineal body (6th chakra).”4 Thus Rosenthal concludes, “If this bridge is a reality, subluxations can be either an effect or a cause of chakra obstructions; therefore the adjustment may very well have an effective impact. Symptoms related to chakras can be helpful to chiropractors as a part of their chiropractic analysis in a similar way to nerve tracing.”   The panchakarma yogic postures remove the chakra obstructions and spinal fixations by stimulating flexibility and energy flow—be that blood, lymph, or cerebro-spinal fluid. In his vein, Rosenthal names the chiropractic adjustment “instant yoga.” Furthermore, Rosenthal points out that perhaps the Logan Basic technique of placing pressure indirectly on the ganglion impar could in fact be stimulating the kundalini flow; and in this way “helping the entire organism both in restoring day-to- day life force distribution, and for assisting in our ultimate goal of transcendence or enlightenment.” In addition, Concept Therapy---developed in 1939 by chiropractor Thurman Fleet-- -bridges yoga theosophy, chiropractic and psychology in a sort of psycho-spiritual treatment. If these subtle flows can be influenced by chiropractic, then we are back to basics with the Above Down—Inside Out orientation inherited from chiropractic’s founding Palmers. Until now, modern allopathic medicine has focused on alleviating physical symptoms, and in this upside-down process achieving little positive effect upon the subtle causative levels of the human being. If we are truly ‘correcting the cause’ as we claim in chiropractic, can this be done by mere physical adjustment? However, as Rosenthal adroitly points out, we tend in our modern world to focus solely on physical plane effects because this is the time when “double- blind studies prevail as the governing factor for validity.” Good point, making it quite an academic challenge to corroborate far-reaching effects within the healing art professions that soar far beyond the physical only.   Dr. Rosenthal summarizes the benefit yoga certainly has as a complement to chiropractic care by stating, “As a yoga instructor, I am always bewildered as to why more chiropractors are not rushing to become yoga teachers. Yoga postures are mostly about the spine and may be the best exercise program to strengthen and increase flexibility of the  spine, thereby helping patients hold their adjustments. In her book Back Care Basics, orthopedic surgeon Mary Pullig Schatz, MD, includes story after story about how yoga postures dramatically helped patients with failed back surgeries.” Preferring to witness a return of chiropractic art to the more subtle levels upon which our philosophy is based, Dr. Rosenthal proclaims, “Chiropractic philosophy IS yoga philosophy, flavored by the genius of both Palmers and other great chiropractic pioneers. We are living in a world ready and hungry for the truth: that the spiritual and energy aspects of chiropractic are as important as its physical approach. This holistic vision will bring peace and healing to the bodies and minds of chiropractors and their patients. The resulting opportunities for the profession and for humanity are limitless.”

In closing of this section, a quote from a Palmer book seems apropos, “The East has very much to instruct the West in… they can instruct us in things related to the soul and meditation.” Our great fortune in chiropractic may be to go forward with the help of this ancient art of yoga.5

Yoga’s Benefits

In the latter part of the 20th Century, perhaps beginning with Henri Gillet’s popular theory of joint fixation, the attention of healers has turned towards the benefits of movement therapy. It is now common physiological knowledge that immobilization leads to degenerative changes; therefore, movement disciplines are receiving more and more acknowledgement as harbingers of a healthy lifestyle in modern societies today. Yoga, with its slow stretching motions and its multi-dimensional wealth of “peace and poise” (as BJ Palmer puts it), stands in the forefront as a discipline with a great deal to offer modern man. The stretching motions can also break up the ligamentous adhesions that form when ligaments fold over themselves and get stuck in a poor position, limiting our normal range of motion for each joint.

Today, a plethora of yoga information is available to even the casual seeker---in magazines, on the Internet, and in community classes. Here we discuss a few of the currently- substantiated benefits of this ancient art.

Dr Roger Cole---workshop Iyengar Yoga teacher and physiological research scientist---offers an interesting approach to improved blood circulation in the extremities when he points out the benefits of quieting the body’s sympathetic nervous system with yoga postures that activate the calming parasympathetic nervous system.6  Dr Cole explains how it is the experience of stress, anger, and even upright postures that can cause the sympathetic nervous system to fire off the norepinephrine that constricts arteries. Therefore, activities that shut off the sympathetic nervous system will encourage greater blood-flow to warm the hands and feet. He further details the head-down postures that can help shut off the sympathetic nervous system by stimulating the baroreceptors (blood-pressure sensors) which instead cause relaxation in those extremity muscles surrounding blood vessels. Cole advises remaining for a long (hour) uninterrupted time period to “allow plenty of time for excess  norepinephrine that is circulating in the bloodstream to break down.” Figures 1-4 are examples of the recommended postures for increased extremity blood-circulation. 7 Postural benefits of yoga practice are perhaps more commonly known in the West, as we can readily observe the excellent posture of the yoga practitioners we meet in daily life. Less commonly-known postural benefits may include healthy neck position and also help for scoliosis. It has been estimated that 80% of our US population holds the head forward, adding approximately 10 pounds per inch of forward head translation to the work of the supporting muscles in the neck and shoulders. Yoga teacher Richard Rosen states, “A forward head… leads to a mixed bag of bothersome aches and pains in the head, neck, and back; reduced neck and shoulder mobility; and breathing limitations… Misalignment of your head in a posture can result in unbalanced loading on the cervical spine.”8

Rosen recommends re-learning what we knew in childhood: to find the root of our neck, so that we can recover the proper neutral position of our heads.  He describes the ideal upright head as “perched lightly atop the atlas (the aptly named first cervical vertebra) and supported by the underlying column of bones and minimal muscular effort in the back of the neck and shoulders.” Figures 5-8 are some of the simpler yogic poses Rosen offers to strengthen the neutral head; and a few poses for neck extension afterwards.  

He also delineates some fascinating exploratory exercises to do with a partner in the discovery of one’s head position, then repositioning to open energy channels through the neck. Without a partner, one can stand against a wall with scapulas firmed into the back; and then “press your fingertips against the wall at the level of your hips and push the wall toward the floor.” Rosen states that this simple exercise will “help deepen and descend the scapulas to clarify the neck root.” His conclusion is that improved posture enriches the basic quality of daily life. “Over time, you’ll feel lighter and taller—you may even be taller—and your head and neck will be more integrated with the rest of you, making for a happier body and a calmer mind.”

J. Vertebral Subluxation Res. July 19, 2007