The 5 Gifts of the Spine

An article by Judy Scher, D.C.

Scher Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico

            Our nervous system is responsible for the functions of every joint, muscle, and organ in our body. The shape, tone, and position of our spinal cord determine every thought, feeling, and action we take. Often we think of the spine as simply the backbone, whether straight or crooked, relating it only to posture.

            However, our outward posture reflects the inner distortion or integrity of our spinal cord and the spinal nerves. There is far more going on with our spines then we realize. The nervous system to the spinal canal registers every word, thought, memory, and feeling we have. More importantly it registers the energy state we were in when we have the experiences.

            According to Dr. Donnie Epstein, Developer of Epstein Technologies, Network Spinal Analysis, and Somato Respiratory Integration, the 5 gifts of the spine are:

¨     Function

¨     Emotion

¨     Sense of Self

¨     Behavior

¨     Consciousness

            The nervous system is the first system to develop in utero and it continues to develop into adulthood.  When all of the five gifts of the spine are fully experienced  our potential is unlimited.

Function

            Our spine and nervous system our essential to all the vital functions of our body.  We often only notice our spines when there’s a problem.

            The gift of function is about self healing, self-regulation, muscle contraction, organ function, and hormone balance. When function is not operating effectively the energy of the body is diverted to ensure that survival processes can continue. The survival process shuts down ‘optional’ functions and growth. However, when the gift of Function is working well and we don’t have to consciously think of how to survive then we can put our focus and consciousness on life fulfillment.

Emotion

            Emotions are feelings and sensations that move through the body in response to situations. Our emotions are key to the actions we do or don’t take in life. Emotions are meant to move and change, often instantaneously. When we are “frozen” we are unable to feel enough to create a shift or desire to take action.  the challenge is when we have habituated ourselves to experience only a narrow range of emotions we don’t have enough energy to feel what needs to be felt in the moment. When this happens our body will express what isn’t felt in muscle tension, contraction and rigidity. The gift of the emotion is the ability to express a full range of emotion and to be able to access emotion to create change through new behaviors quickly and effortlessly.

Sense of Self

            How we posture and hold our body says much about who we feel we are. We posture differently when we connect with different aspects of ourselves. Our posture will reflect our lack of confidence, our inability to feel our heart fully, our sadness, our lack of self-worth, and our compensations. This can be directly seen in the position of the spine, the position of the shoulders, how deeply we breath, the position of our tailbone, and the position of our chest wall and heart. The gift of the Sense of Self through the spine is feeling confident and connecting to what it means to be ourselves, which will then be reflected and reinforced in our posture.

Behavior

            Our nervous system and spine coordinate how we move and the actions we take either consciously or subconsciously. Strongly related to our sense of self, the actions we take profoundly reflect our experience in life. The gift of Behavior through this fine impacts our habits and choices. It has to do with how we show up or don’t show up in our lives. The experience of coming from the place of freedom and flexibility is a gift of behavior.

Consciousness

            We are sentient beings. Through the function of our spine and nervous system, which includes our brain, we experience our life. Increasing consciousness and awareness will influence how much you live life or how much life lives you. The gift of consciousness through the spine is being self aware, present, living joyfully, and contributing to others.

Sacred Living Circle: The Art of Listening

The art of listening is a beautiful means for advancing a spiritual practice.  Consider that we communicate every day, some of us from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we retire at the end of the day.  Becoming aware of how we listen and speak to others can provide many moments of mindful practice every day.   It has been said that we are creating our world with every word we speak.

There are different circumstances, reactions or responses that may arise in any given conversation.  A good question I have found to ask myself is ‘how well am I listening to the person speaking to me?”  If I find that I am not listening deeply, I can refocus my attention in the moment and make a mental note for personal reflection later to find out what was distracting me, or not allowing me to be present and attentive to whoever was speaking at the time.

It can be powerfully revealing to become aware of the thoughts going on in our head while we are listening to someone else.  We often overlook or disregard our inner commentary that can be disruptive to our engagement with what is being spoken and the one speaking.  We may become more involved with the conversation running in our own mind than in hearing what the other person has to say.

How about those times when agitation rushes in triggered by something being said that conflicts with our opinion?  This is what we might call a “charge” or more appropriately a “trigger”.  A trigger may kick off a whole new inner dialog of judgmental thoughts and criticisms about the subject matter and the individual sharing it.  When we find ourselves caught in this predicament the discomfort we experience is usually the result of a painful circumstance from our past that is buried deep in the unconscious mind.  The pain of the incident is still with us even if we have no conscious memory of its occurrence. 

Here again we find rich soil for personal contemplation that can lead us to amazing new understandings and beneficial insights. Every trigger and charge stems from an earlier life incident that we were not willing or able to experience fully.  It may have been too scary or too painful or pass through us too quickly to give our attention to it. It may even have come to us from an opinion or belief structure that our parents held, perhaps passed on to them from their parents and on through the lineage.

Every charge and every trigger allows us to uncover some aspect of an unresolved experience, thus freeing it and ourselves to move forward to a higher expression of life.  We can do this by bringing our attention to the emotion that preceded the onslaught of negative commentary. The commentary is a distraction; a redirection the mind uses to protect us from experiencing the pain. At the time of the incident protection may have been a good thing.  However, the healing comes when we are able to allow ourselves to see and to feel what is there.

I find it quite interesting that every aspect of daily life provides an opportunity to grow spiritually.  It can easily be said that spiritual growth excels as we become more and more aware of what is happening inside and around us in every moment.  In fact, awareness defines our entire journey of awakening.  It’s quite simple, but not always easy.  Fortunately we are living at a time when spirituality is blossoming.   There are many beautiful souls willing to assist us in learning how to heal and awaken to a brighter expression of life and living.

In the long run, embracing the art of listening is an excellent way to improve, repair, or begin good relationships with those we care for.  Listening wholeheartedly to our self and to our friends, family members and partners can save hours and years of misunderstanding and hurt feelings.  We can learn to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, to listen deeply with a compassionate ear, and to become aware of what is really going on beneath the surface.  Our closest relationships are usually the ones that offer the greatest learning and growth if we pay attention.

Sacred Living - The Art of Being with 'What Is'

In a recent meditation experience I was drawn to some feelings of discontent that I found to be generally lodged in the crown of my head and solar plexus. It’s a good idea to use the body to ground our experience when attempting to access the unconscious mind.  In meditation I begin by scanning my body for unpleasant feelings, beginning at the top of my head and ending at my toes.  When I started my meditation that particular morning my first question was “Why is this happening?”  I then realized it’s just what was happening and my meditation was an ideal time for me to be present to it!

Whatever I am feeling has nothing to do with anything other than myself.  It is simply what is happening inside of me, and therefore is my responsibility to be present to the upset.  It is proven to be utterly useless to attempt to divert the responsibility elsewhere.  So I invoked the Presence of my Higher Self to be present within my heart as I sat in meditation to be with my discomfort.

To my great joy and surprise a gentle calm began to wash over me.  I thanked my Divine Indweller for the grace I was receiving.  A few minutes later the feelings of a traumatic experience during my early childhood came screaming into my calm inner space.  It was a violent incident of not being able to protect myself from an angry outburst from one of my relatives in whose care I was left while my parents were away.

I soon recognized that the memory was triggered during a gathering I attended the night before.  It was a small circle of people.  One individual in the group was feeling very unsettled and carrying a great deal of anger.  I recalled feeling disturbed by his emotional state, which was an indication that something within me was resonating with that emotion.  It offered a perfect opportunity to find out why!

With the understanding that this forgotten and buried memory held within it a potential for deep healing I allowed the fear and sorrow I was experiencing to express while I was in the safety and privacy of my morning meditation. I shook and cried, feeling the fear and hurt I have carried throughout my life because of this long forgotten incident, all the while with an underlying recognition and gratitude that my prayers for liberation were being answered.

This practice has taught me to listen more deeply to what’s going on inside of me than any other wisdom teaching I’ve encountered.  As I have learned to be present to my thoughts and feelings, my opportunities for growth and self-awareness have broadened exponentially. Through it I’ve gained a greater understanding of the complexity of my inner landscape, which allows me to also be more present to others.  This is what I regard as the blessing and gift of a community of people that comes together for the shared intention of spiritual growth.

In sacred circle, as in life, each of us is touched in some way by the other.  This is simply “what is”.  Sometimes we may think it’s a good thing or a bad thing that touches us through others.  In the greater reality it is neither good nor bad.  The real question is what each of us does with what is given.  Our reaction might show up as complaining, belittling, blaming others, anger or upset.  These are all natural and common experiences, part of the human condition.  However, when we are triggered by someone else, or disgusted by our own behavior, the art of being with what is offers a peaceful resolution if practiced sincerely.   Committing to spiritual practice offers many new options and opportunities for growth and healing that such challenges provide