At 46, I grew an inch! (or yoga theraputics, part 2)

Sianna in nataranjasana

     For this post, the title says it all.  I went to the doctor last week and discovered I am a whole inch taller (can you hear the wild crazy celebration on my end?).  It all began a year and a half ago.  I attended a workshop with Sianna Sherman that started an amazing transformation, and now I'm a whole inch taller (fireworks and great rejoicing!).
    How did I do this, one might ask? It is both easier and harder than you think.  Just put your mind on the base of your spine. Sounds easy, but look at Sianna in nataranjasana (lord of the dance pose) at the left.  If I were to move into that pose without thinking, I'd put one arm up, one back and grab a foot.  That is what it looks like, but not what it is. Nataranjasana is an expression of joy, of hiddenness, of openness that begins deep within the body and ends up looking like the picture.

      We're going to explore the spinal focus in a much easier pose, tadasana (mountain pose), more commonly known as standing.  If you look to the right, you'll see a spinal column with the different sections color coded.  We are interested in the sacrum (yellow) and the coccyx or tailbone (blue).    
      Come into tadasana (mountain pose). Imagine that you can consciously move the energy in your spine.  Notice the base of your spine.  Let all of the energy in your sacrum rise up through the body.  Allow all of the energy in the tailbone sink down through your legs.  That's it.  So simple, yet so profound.
       What I have noticed is that as I rise the sacral energy (energy from the sacrum, not sacred, or holy energy), sometimes it feels like it gets stuck, or moves more slowly.  If this happens for you, just be patient, allow the energy to bloom.  Also, the tailbone energy can move more strongly in one leg or another.  Usually this means I need to lift the heel of the "stuck" leg and move it out slightly to free things up.
       The best thing about this practice is how easy it is to be so thoughtful.  This can be done waiting in the checkout line at the grocery, answering emails, or any time you are standing around, as well as adding to your daily yoga practice.

Sianna Sherman

        In the first month after the class, people began to remark on how good my posture was.  After about seven months I began to notice that I was slumping when I talked to people to try to get my eyes at the level they used to be.  After a year, I noticed I was hunching over the lectern to get my mouth back at the level of the microphone. At one year and 9 months from the class I am an inch taller!
        Added side benefit: as I was writing this post I had the great idea to check my BMI online.  The good news is that adding the inch pushed me from overweight to normal.  Now, we all know this is just in my head. I'm the same person who walked into that doctor's office, but let me tell you she feels much better about herself.
     If you'd like to learn more from this master teacher in the privacy of your own home, you can purchase her DVD,  Pranam (here's my review).  The other big thing I learned in that class is in this post.  Add this to your practice and enjoy growing taller with me!