Can Spine Surgery Affect Our Spiritual Growth?

Sadhguru answers a question on how spinal and brain surgeries might affect spiritual sadhana, and explore the importance of the spine in enhancing our perception.

Read in Telugu: వెన్నముక శస్త్రచికిత్స ఆధ్యాత్మిక ఎదుగుదలని ప్రభావితం చేయగలదా….???

முதுகுத்தண்டு அறுவை சிகிச்சை ஆன்மீக வளர்ச்சியை பாதிக்குமா?

Q:  Sadhguru, if people had a surgery or other medical procedures done on their back or brain, does that affect their kundalini and their spiritual sadhana?

Sadhguru: Fortunately, surgeons are not operating on the chakras, they are operating on the body. You are not going for brain surgery unless something is seriously wrong, so there is no need to comment about that. Maybe you would go for hair transplantation, but you could avoid that. It would save a lot of time and give you extra time for sadhana if you don’t have hair!

However, spinal surgeries could affect people. We would always advise to strengthen your spine rather than going for surgeries and procedures. That region should not be touched except by those who are really aware of what is happening.

Your spinal column is the basis of everything that you experience right now. If you want to transcend the limitations of who you are right now, this is the most important part of your body. This is why it is also advisable to avoid massage therapy, chiropractic procedures and similar things, not because they are necessarily doing something wrong. It is just that if you want to expand your perception, your perception grows from your spine. So when it comes to spinal procedures, it is best to avoid them unless something very serious has happened in an accident or an injury that cannot be fixed without a surgery. If there is just a little bit of pain and trouble, these things can be fixed. It takes work to build it, but you can build it. The spine regenerates very well compared to any other part of your body. Thousands of people who had worn out discs have completely recovered from it by simply doing certain practices.

In terms of life, the spine is such an active place that you can very easily rejuvenate and regenerate cells that have been lost there. It is also very easy to do that in your brain. If people who are suffering from dementia and the like do the right kind of things, they could regenerate that. Even in your life right now, how many neurons are active varies in a big way depending on how you are using your mind. When you are a little down, intoxicated or depressed, the number may be much less. By doing the right kind of things, you can enhance this. This would definitely be a boon for every human being, it does not matter who he or she is. The world could do with a little more intelligence.

Henry Markram has done a phenomenal amount of research on the brain in the Blue Brain Project. This is the first time that the human brain has been fully mapped. They are creating a virtual, electronic brain – they will have a simulated human brain with a keyboard attached. Right now your problem is, you got a brain, but you don’t have the keyboard. Something works, something doesn’t work. If you could have a full-fledged keyboard to your brain, if you could type out whatever you want, you would become a thousand times more capable because the human brain is capable of such complexity of action. This brain is such a complex machinery, most people have never been trained as to how to use it. It would take a certain level of dedication and focus to learn to use it. I think most people are only using a fraction of the capabilities of their computer. There are so many ways to use that machine, but not everyone knows how. The same thing with the brain – it is capable of many things, but it is not at your fingertips – that is the problem.

Editor’s Note: Excerpted from Sadhguru’s discourse at the Isha Hatha Yoga School’s 21-week Hatha Yoga Teacher Training program. The program offers an unparalleled opportunity to acquire a profound understanding of the yogic system and the proficiency to teach Hatha Yoga. The next 21-week session begins on July 16 to Dec 11, 2019. For more information, visit www.ishahathayoga.com or mail info@ishahatayoga.com