It’s not the same as Chiropractic. Yoga comprises a Hindu system of stretches, poses and exercises to enhance mind / body control. It’s great for improving your coordination and core muscle strength.
Chiropractic, on the other hand, is based on a universal principle that the adaptive and recuperative functions of the body are compromised when spinal vertebrae misalign and create nerve interference (subluxation). Specific re-alignment of these vertebrae (adjustment) is performed by a Chiropractor with a goal of restoring normal nerve flow, and eventually an optimum state of health. Chiropractors spend hours of specialized training in post-graduate and continuing education settings to perfect the art of adjusting. While it’s completely safe to perform basic yoga moves on your own, you should never attempt to adjust yourself.
Yoga can be beneficial to your health – but it is no replacement for Chiropractic. If your atlas wedges ASL under your occiput, or your L5 subluxates PRI against a sciatic nerve root, the most appropriate yoga stretch you can do is called ‘reach for the phone and call your Chiropractor.’