Peel Away the Layers

Continuing on with the teachings of John Burras, I want to stress the importance of the relationship between your Bones (living tissue) and Fascia (connected tissue). Bones are rebuilt and continue to grow every day, even if you have Osteoporosis; a condition my grandmother suffered from towards the end of her life. I now understand this degenerative condition in a whole different light. Healthy Fascia is critically correlated to healthy bones. AGE DOESN'T MATTER. You can regenerate bone growth as long as Fascia is in tact.

Bones are a store-house of calcium. When the body thinks it needs calcium somewhere else, it takes it from the bones. Hence, we should really think about why/where that calcium is going and what the body is "thinking" when it depletes it from our bones. Aging doesn't cause stiffness, stiffness causes aging. Theoretically, my grandma would have benefited tremendously from yoga and it makes me sad to know this in hind sight.

Also important in Burras' opinion - a healthy foot is a flat foot because it creates stability. FEET ARE THE GROUND FLOOR! An arched foot is a tight foot; a foot under stress. So, for all you flat-footed people out there, you can now sleep a little better at night knowing that the stigma has been wrong all these years.

Now that we understand a little about the foundation of our bodies, it's time to get to the core of who we really are. Think of yourself as the trunk of a tree. If you cut the trunk, you'll see the rings inside of it, rounding all the way through to the core. These rings can represent wounds, injuries (emotional & physical) that have yet to be processed and are now lying dormant inside of us. We need to peel away these layers to go beneath the surface to achieve actual healing. The deeper you go, the more chaotic it becomes, so we (as humans) tend to bury ourselves in armor.

Yoga is the peeling away of these layers and armor; an emotional, healing journey. Yoga is one of the many tools we can use to nourish our Fascia, but keep in mind, it's not the only tool. How we see the world, is how we create the world in our minds. Science is only one window of perception. There is life beyond science. That's what Burras is preaching in a nutshell. 

If you are willing to step out from under the "science umbrella," then it's time to understand CHAKRAS; which were best explained to me as an energy system, comprised of a series of rotating colored spheres in the body (i.e. spiritual organs). There are seven primary Chakras that rotate clockwise and they unite the three primary columns of energy moving up and down the spine. This effect is sometimes referred to as "serpent energy" because it twists up the body like snakes.

Hormones and nerves are effected by Chakras. When we make decisions in our lives, we open/close the Chakra valves to decide how to feel. These seven Chakras govern every aspect of our being; from stability & sexuality to immune system & communication. They work in conjunction with our existing organs (which are surrounded by Fascia). In theory then, the healthier we are, the more spiritual we can become. We can achieve a higher level of thinking by lining up our chakras, but it takes a ton of work. And I've only just begun....