The Cervical Spine It is always rush hour in the neck Boat Pose Yoga. The strongest and most important reflexes function side by side with the ultimate of human volition Boat Pose Yoga: every bite, every breath, almost every movement and sensation, and each spoken word involves passage of impulses through the neck. In addition to housing the most autonomic and the most voluntary aspects of human life, the neck must be supple and versatile enough to turn in every direction as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
The vertebrae are smaller and finer, yet a major artery, the vertebral artery, weaves into and out of them on its way to the brain. Osteoarthritis erodes the integrity, distorts the fine angles, truncates the delicate fits, and mars the supple symmetry of the cervical spine. Turning your head creates a noise and brings an uncomfortable strain, and your shoulders tend to swivel along with your eyes to compensate. Sometimes your neck aches without any apparent cause, and lying down, instead of giving rest, may produce a sharp twinge. At times, osteoarthritis narrows the cervical neuroforamina, the openings between the vertebrae through which nerve roots pass from the spine to the arms, hands, and viscera.
