Sometimes health care professionals tell people to avoid doing yoga, or at least doing forward bends or forward flexions of the spine. But there are ways how to safely bend forward in yoga to avoid injury to the spine and not risk further degeneration of an already fragile spine.  Indeed in some cases, yoga is the best and only safe way to overcome fragility and build strength and regain lost mobility and more functionality of the spine.   This can be achieved with care, awareness and consistent practice.    Function of the Spine  The spine is a series of interconnected bones that run from the base of your skull to the tips of your toes. It is desgined to move your body in all directions, forward bends, backward motion, twists and turns.  The spine supports your head, neck, and back. When you lengthen your spine, it gives you more flexibility and range of motion in your joints.  Let's first ask, What is the natural health of a spine? How does it move? When we think of the n