Hey, I didn’t mean to imply that you were. I simply wanted to state my counterpoint to your argument because I suspected you might have additional thoughts to share. You are apparently an experienced practitioner in your field. I am, on the other hand, a layman. Do you think my reasoning is credible or do you see any obvious flaws? I appreciate your well wishes.
That is interesting since I wasn’t making an argument. Therefore a counterpoint is unnecessary.
Note my original statement is that it is not something [B]I would do[/B]. In my teaching I go to great lengths not to tell others what is best for them or what they SHOULD do. I have no interest in convincing people to study with me, to accept yoga, to try yoga, etcetera. I offer only to those who already want what I have to offer.
In the practice, as I view it, we are a petri dish of one, a lone scientist looking for what works in us. It is not ONLY the science of reproducing a result across a population for that lacks intuition and therefore it lacks balance. Instead it is a combination of the masculine force (rational thought replicated over a population) and the feminine force (intuition and feeling that is NOT replicated but rather individualized).
So when it comes to you I am the layman and you are the experienced practitioner. If this thing resonates for you and speaks to you and you are aware of what it is and what the residue (results/consequences) then have at it. Yoga is not about right and wrong. It is only about mindful decisions and living with them (otherwise known as knowing yourself and taking personal responsibility).
The larger question here is “for what”? What is the intention of the practitioner? Is it mobility? Stability? Is it an attachment to pleasure or an avoidance of pain? Is it the hope of bliss or nirvana or samadhi. So to me the question isn’t a matter of should I or shouldn’t I but a matter of “how will my living be moved in so doing”.
I think you’re speaking wisely here, but I don’t see that it necessarily has to be part of our discussion. I started this topic to explore the potential physiological consequences of a certain yogic practice. I presume it’s possible to reason about this on a purely scientific level. So you made a well thought of point about the practice I referred to, and I made a differing point. Since I’m not a trained yoga therapist, I surmise that you are more qualified to evaluate the physiological implications. If not, maybe someone else will take a stab it.
Bottom line, I’ve explicitly tried to refrain from turning this into a spiritual discussion. I simply question what will happen to the spine if one undertakes this practice. I’ve made a number of observations in my next to last post, and hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will appraise their credibility.
Well, It reminds a mountain tadasana pose…
I think we need to maintain these secondary curves. They are there for purpose. 
There are good articles related to this http://www.yogajournal.com/for_teachers/1013#comment_sent
sebastian,
Unfortunately Google does not work the same for all of us. Google somehow takes the sum of your searches and produces the ones it “thinks” you are most likely looking for.
This was demonstrated to me one day when my husband and I, side by side at our computers, did a Google search on the exact same term, and received completely different responses on the first page.
When I Google “flat back yoga”, I do not find any other website with a reference to this particular practice of straightening the spine one vertebrae at a time. It does not seem to be a widely known practice, therefore, it could be suspect. What if some current yogi developed it and it has not been something usually practiced? What if it is not widely known because in general, it is not a safe practice unless you are very advanced in yoga?
I think I would probably ask a qualified yoga teacher before undertaking something like this.
For meditation purposes, I think it is best to strengthen the back and spine so that it is easy to remain in a seated meditative position for long periods.