It's a mistake to picture the spine as a compact column of iron, like it's a steel girder. It is the central axis of of our skeleton and supports our body, and it is dense compared to the periphery, our hands and feet. Nine of the vertebrae, in the coccyx and the sacrum, are fused, but the 24 articulating vertebrae are actually arranged quite loosely, lightly, and so very flexibly.
There is also space between these 24 vertebrae, space filled with spongy spinal discs. There are 23 of them to help hold the whole intricate tower block together and absorb pressure. Health literature often describes the spinal discs as 'shock absorbers', but again we want to avoid mechanical images when we practice yoga.
Instead, picture light infusing the spine. Within the discs, in the protein jelly, is silica. Silica is not just in the spinal discs, but on the surface of our skin and in our cells throughout, as abundantly in our bodies as it is in Earth. Silica crystals are found in all of nature, the living like trees and the non-living like sand. The same shimmery, soft, crystalline material you see on the beach is also within our bodies.
There is also space between these 24 vertebrae, space filled with spongy spinal discs. There are 23 of them to help hold the whole intricate tower block together and absorb pressure. Health literature often describes the spinal discs as 'shock absorbers', but again we want to avoid mechanical images when we practice yoga.
Instead, picture light infusing the spine. Within the discs, in the protein jelly, is silica. Silica is not just in the spinal discs, but on the surface of our skin and in our cells throughout, as abundantly in our bodies as it is in Earth. Silica crystals are found in all of nature, the living like trees and the non-living like sand. The same shimmery, soft, crystalline material you see on the beach is also within our bodies.
Long Beach Island, N.J., Oct 2014 When light ether interacts with silica quartz crystal whether in our spine or on a leaf, there begins a process of lengthening and elongating. As forces are organized more into the vertical, rather than horizontal, a refinement and elegance emerge in the forms of nature. We see this in plants, grasses and grains, ('Last Gasp of Summer', Sept 21, 2014) and in the human body.
In yoga, some asanas are organized into the horizontal form and others, like the headstand (above), the vertical. No matter the weight applied in the vertical poses, there is the capacity to feel the spine lengthen and elongate. If we act consciously, with active observation, this aids the light-ether effect not just in poses but in our personal sphere, in our relationships and interactions with others, as well.
In yoga, some asanas are organized into the horizontal form and others, like the headstand (above), the vertical. No matter the weight applied in the vertical poses, there is the capacity to feel the spine lengthen and elongate. If we act consciously, with active observation, this aids the light-ether effect not just in poses but in our personal sphere, in our relationships and interactions with others, as well.
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