Is It Stress, Or Is It Something Your Spine’s Trying to Say?
Photo by Shiva Smyth
We talk a lot about nervous system healing these days. Polyvagal theory, somatic work, safety states, and the idea of regulating from the inside out have all become common language, especially for those paying attention to how stress shows up in the body. But sometimes what we call stress isn’t just mental. Sometimes it’s physical. Sometimes it’s the spine trying to speak.
In Chinese medicine, the spine plays a central role. It’s not just the body’s scaffolding—it’s a signal tower, a messenger, and a live wire. It holds memory. It carries instinct. It keeps score. The spine tracks what we’ve been carrying, how long we’ve been carrying it, and how much it’s costing us, even if we’ve learned to ignore
The Alignment We Ignore
Highly attuned people are often praised for how much they notice, but rarely asked how much they’re carrying. Many of us are walking around wildly out of alignment without even realizing it. We’re managing a constant flood of other people’s emotions, expectations, and unspoken needs. We absorb stimuli from every direction—someone’s mood, the pressure to perform, the tension in a room—and somewhere along the way, our spine starts to send signals.
But we override them. We adapt. We bend. We keep going.
Eventually, the body speaks louder. The aches show up. The stiffness creeps in. The heaviness settles across the back or shoulders, and we can’t seem to find a comfortable way to sit, stand, or rest. We sense something is off, but we can’t name what. It just lingers—subtle, but constant. Like the body is waiting for us to finally pay attention.
The Spine as Messenger
Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that the spine reflects the overall health of the body. But in many ways, it also reflects the health of what we’ve held—physically, emotionally, and energetically.
In TCM, the spine is closely linked to the Kidney meridian, which stores Jing, our foundational life force. This essence governs vitality, growth, and resilience. When Jing becomes depleted—often through long-term stress, overwork, or unaddressed energy drains—the spine and nervous system begin to show signs of strain.
The spine also houses the Du Mai, or Governing Vessel, a primary meridian that runs from the base of the spine up the midline of the back, over the head, and down the front of the face. Known as the “Sea of Yang,” this channel plays a major role in regulating the brain, spinal cord, and the overall nervous system. In TCM, it’s believed to influence not only physical posture but also mental clarity and spiritual alignment.
In other words, the spine isn’t just a structure. It’s a spiritual channel. It holds memory, instinct, and energetic truth. It’s the live wire of the body—deeply connected to systems like the vagus nerve, which may not run through the spine itself but is intimately tied to everything the spine carries. If we pay attention, the spine will tell us what we’re ready to see—about ourselves, and about the world we’ve been moving through.
Photo by Shiva Smyth
Letting Yourself Come Forward
Maybe, just for today, instead of stuffing yourself into a version of you the world approves of,
Instead of performing the job you dislike, the smile that feels fake, the role that fits but suffocates,
You allow yourself to come forward.
Wholly.
Sensitive.
Raw.
Vulnerable.
Maybe today, even for a moment,
You let your spine breathe.
You let your body tell the truth.
And you show up—just as you are.
Because your spine knows.
And it’s been waiting for you to listen.
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Source: ¹ Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists. Churchill Livingstone, 2005.