Spine health and good communication, how does it all link together? Throughout life the curves of your spine develop and show all the twists and turns of your life experience. Just like a tree grows and reaches for the sun, you grow and reach for optimal shape, position and tone.
As you’ll have likely seen, the spine of a newborn child starts with one small arc. This is known as the “Primary curve”. Later and throughout childhood comes the neck curve with feeding, then the lower back comes when sitting up. The neck and low back are considered “Secondary curves”. Secondary curves are also found at the back of the knees and feet, which arrive when walking begins.
Thus, the shape and position of your spine are acquired through the experience of gravity. As well as the relationship we have with ourselves and other people. Since you are reading this essay, you’ll probably be sitting. How aware are you of your posture right now? I bet you just felt into your body and checked in with your spine, noticing the shape, tone and position your sitting in!
Fritz F Smith, MD. summaries these points when he said “Your mass and energetic fields support each other”. 1
Here are some novel ideas why each spine is unique, as Fritz describes in his book: Inner Bridges. He writes about how your internal energy is not only affected by spinal curves.
He also explains how the curves affect the flow of your inner energy and the shape and size of each vertebra, rib, pelvic bones and the individual bones of your skull.2
Anatomy of Your Spine
Our humanness is largely characterised by our spine and typically our upright posture. People stand tall by virtue of the osseous locks and tone of the nerve system, disc, ligaments, muscles, tendinous components, and connective tissues.
The Chiropractic lens. D.D. Palmer, the founder of Chiropractic, wrote: The Neuroskeleton is a “regulator of tension”. By tension, he meant tone: renitency (resistance), elasticity, and firmness of healthy tissues.3
Isn’t it interesting how standing is a dynamic event, even though standing is often described as “Static“.
Yet, how can standing be static? There are always changes taking place that allow the spine to express attitudes and health. All the while, your body gracefully flows with compensatory alterations from the reactions such as ground force, mass and gravity.2
Consider that unequal weight distribution and long-standing postural loading calls for compensatory changes in tone. That then causes muscular-tendinous splinting, ligament and fascial adhesion’s, excessive locking and weight-bearing of joints, bony changes and intervertebral disc distortions. All of which can be considered physical stress and strain as well as energetic drain and binding of your life energy.2
Your Health Communication
Body language is the foundation of your communication and can represent your biological experience. And in the age of information, why wouldn’t you like to be better at what is so natural?! Here are a number of questions for you about how you can pay attention while you’re communicating with friends and family.
Notice your breath; how connected are you to the sense of ‘grounding’ your feet or bum? Are you in a coherent (present) state that allows you to fully receive what is happening in your perceptions? How much of your conversation is being dictated by your posture? What’s the difference you feel when you have a phone in your hand and attempt to talk? Is there too much tone or not enough tone? What do you see, hear and feel? How good is your ability to listen and be empathetic? Is the shape, tone and position of your spine hindering, or helping, you?
References:
1. Smith F. F., 1986, Inner Bridges, Humanics New Age Atlanta, Georgia
2. Homewood, A ,E., 1963, The Neurodynamics of the Vertebral Subluxation, Valkyrie Press, St Petersburg, Florida