Spinal spirals

One of my favorite, most fundamental exercises is the spinal spirals. My teacher taught these as part of our our warm up... yeah I find them so subtle and helpful, I spend a lot of time in this exercise and feel like I could do it every day for years to come and still be surprised by what I find.

Even though all my movements stem from my dan tien, my focus in this variation starts at the bottom of my feet. Energy coming from ground, through my feet, dual spirals of awareness wrapping around each leg. Serpents of consciousness wrap upwards around ankles, knees... and join in the hip/tailbone area.

Focal point of awareness spirals up and around each vertebrae... there will probably be a physical spiraling motion... if this feels natural, go with the, yet let the awareness lead the movement... it is often tempting to exaggerate external movements in an attempt to amplify the internal awareness, yet really this must be done the other way around. Intensify your internal awareness, and relax your body to allow for whatever external movement is needed.

Continue spiraling your attention up to your thoracic spine, around each cervical vertebrae in your neck to the base of your skull. Here, I do different things on different days... often I will relax my attention and begin again at my feet. Sometimes I will continue for a few more spirals around my brain, through the top of my head and out into the universe.

Alternate clockwise/counterclockwise spirals... these reveal shockingly different things!

Remember... where the mind goes, the qi will follow.