Emotional Anatomy of the Upper Back

The upper back includes the ribs, the back of the shoulders, to the base of the neck. This area seems to transmit the energy of “participation in activities with other people.” If you are suffering from upper back pain, the question to ask yourself is: “How fulfilling is an activity that I am currently obligated to? Is it wholesome for me? Do I enjoy it? Does it produce the result in the quality of my life that I really want for myself? Am I making a contribution that continues to feed my soul? Do I feel appreciated for my time, talent, and energy?”

When you can answer these questions all YES—your back is likely to not bother you, be pain-free, and function considerably well. However, if you feel like you’re having trouble in this part of your body—you’re feeling either tightness or constriction or inflexibility, ask yourself, ”What am I doing that involves other people that I am no longer enjoying as much as before? Or is there an issue/or incomplete relationship with somebody in that group?”

Few people realize that their subconscious body will even slouch into a posture of resignation or soul-protection in order to coexist with people you are not in harmony with. But eventually, they DO notice that their back hurts and they are physically uncomfortable. Resolve that issue and very often a miracle might occur for you. That is—the pain and constriction is likely to fade away. However, there is a cause and effect that can influence change in the other direction. Improve the flexibility and strength of your back, and not only will your back feel better, but also your relationships and feelings about that person or group will improve. At the end of the article, you will find two exercises that will facilitate your progress. But what lies deeper in truth for you?

Throughout our lives, we make choices that we feel will lead to happiness. It works for awhile. We enjoy it and its fulfilling for us. However, sometimes we reach a point when it’s really time to move on. Very often, WE have changed, but the group did not; or they have moved in a direction that is no longer compatible with our own journey.

That’s the moment to say to ourselves: “This was a good thing for me. Now that this chapter of my life is complete, I want to say thank you. This has been good…I wish you well. You helped me change and grow. I will remember you fondly. Blessings to you and your family.”

When you do this regularly and confidently, you may find a sense of inner freedom and personal ease in your life.

This time of year offers us the opportunity to reflect upon the value of friends, relations, and our social networks, and spiritual communities. Even more, the economic environment forces us to strongly consider the energy and value exchange of everything we do and everything we are involved in.

I challenge you to examine your life this season. Are you on track with who you are meant to be? Are the people in your life completely supportive of you and your journey? Is it time to make some “course-corrections” on your life path?

Here are some exercises you can do that will help your body make changes that will give you greater access to your authentic self:



Seated reach back

Bliss doorway stretch

For information on how to do these exercises, please email us at mika@reposturing.com

Posture at the Level of the Feet

When a person finds out that I am a Posturist, their immediate subconscious reaction is to sit up straighter. The way one stands is a partial indicator of one’s posture, but I look at so much more. Yes, shoulders and chest are very visible indicators of posture. However, the lower body tells me so much more. Posture begins at the lowest possible level; it begins at the level of the feet.

The feet are the support system of the legs and the pelvis, which are the foundation of posture. When the feet are on a flat surface, then the pelvis can also be flat and vertical. Having the pelvis straight up and down allows the body to balance itself properly on its own axis.

Many things occur when the pelvis is misaligned. When the pelvis is tilted top-forward

• The spine rests awkwardly on the sacrum

• The organs compress atop each other

• The ribcage collapses a little

• Weight and balance are maintained awkwardly by the body

• The feet are turned, the arches fall, and the strides shorten

Today let’s talk about arch support. Here is a little-known secret: The arches of the feet are supported by the connective tissue attachments in the pelvis. When the pelvis tips top forward, the arches of the feet fall inward. The weight of the body goes to odd parts of the foot, and the feet respond by turning toes-out, or toes-in.

How the body compensates for this pelvis-feet misalignment may cause numerous common foot problems, such as: bunions, bone spurs, “flat feet”, plantar fascitis, pronation, foot numbness, hammer toes, supination, heel pain, etc.

When you are standing, perfect posture starts at the feet. Here are some rules to get you started:

1) The higher the heel, the less often you should wear them. Flat shoes are perfect for everything. However, if you must wear heels, do it like rich dessert: Not that often and not for very long.

2) IF you wear rigid shoes, ie work boots, remove them and wiggle your feet and toes to restore circulation.

3) Do stretches to improve hip flexibility.

I recommend Reposturing Stretches Step-Up Lunge and Standing Quad Stretch

The True Crisis

Let’s solve the problem we REALLY have.

Lobbyists, insurance companies, and politicians, even health care providers have been talking about “The Healthcare Crisis” as though we need a financial solution to a social health problem. Between the lines is the assumption that we are suffering in our physical body because we are being bled-dry by the cost of health care.

In my opinion, they still have it wrong. [And] if we buy into the notion that having more money will actually make us healthier, WE'VE got it all wrong. I’m saying: The TRUE CRISIS is people are not choosing to be healthy.

Hear me out: I believe SOMETHING SHOULD be done at the public policy level—I’m glad the debate has started. However, bear in mind this one fact clearly: Our current healthcare system will neither make us healthy, nor prevent us from experiencing illness—no matter how good it is, or how much money you pour into it.

If we want to achieve VITALTY, we have to do something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.

You and I have to make healthier choices in the first place. This means nutritious, preferably organic food, preferably grown locally with no use of hormones and pesticides. It means that we have to exercise, stay strong, flexible, and active in our lifestyles. It means choosing not to ingest poisonous foods, substances, and toxic news. Achieving vitality also means having a stress-management plan to balance your body's energy and anxiety—and clear our minds to focus on what's important.

For those who are dealing with health challenges, it means being willing to work with complementary health professionals whose goal is to actually increase vitality rather than merely manage the symptoms of disease.

There are natural healers in every town and community. Some of them are acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors, nutritionists, and massage therapists. As a pioneer in the health and wellness industry, I have developed a technique that helps you reach vitality through great posture. Wherever you begin your journey, you will be among people who you can relate to. Just start somewhere—today.

At the Vitality Center,in San Mateo, we specialize in using natural ways to help you experience freedom from pain, and vitality you can actually see. Call us and let us help you get there easier and more effectively. (650) 347-4565

As this summer fades into autumn, I am asking you to join me in reclaiming control of every aspect of your health. Here are some simple things you can do to get started:

1--Don’t read or watch ANYTHING that makes you feel bad. It makes you nervous, which makes you eat, drink and smoke. Instead, read and watch things that INSPIRE you and make you LAUGH, which will calm you and relax your spirit.

2--This month, buy ORGANIC foods. Ask for ORGANIC salads at your favorite eatery.

3--Choose one place to walk to, that you would have otherwise driven or taken a ride. If you are headed to the store, walk this time. If you would take the elevator, try the stairs for at least one floor, and add more later.

Finally, It’s up to me and YOU to respond to the true health crisis. What are your health goals?

What will you do TODAY that will make a difference for yourself and your family? ∞∞∞

Fire in the Belly 2

A truly inspiring person is often perceived as possessing passion with a purpose. Their energy comes from a place deep within. That place is an area in the abdomen, above or around the navel.

This energy center in the body actually operates as though it has three channels. I haven’t figured out a cool name for this energy center, but what I have seen is a person who has a sense of freedom—there’s no “binding” in their expression of life, there is circulation in their being, and there is energetic movement occurring around them. What you have is a person who is in their right-livelihood making a contribution, feeling connected with the Spirit, and fully engaged in a cooperative life-work, with other like-minded individuals.

The three channels seem to have one energy source, which will flow through one channel or the other. In an ideal and perfect world, you would have all these channels fully awake and fully energized, thus you’d be able to apply the energy in all nuclei at the same time. You can do that if your pelvis is flexible and free (different lecture).

The movement of your abdomen and flexibility of your ribcage are what keep this energy grounded and circulating, ultimately manifesting themselves in some meaningful, tangible way.

The second energy center in the abdomen is the one for passion and bliss. If you can think of a person you’ve ever been dazzled by—it’s almost as though you imagine that being with this person will awaken a part of yourself that you desire to be in touch with. Perhaps an hour or 10 minutes, a night, or a lifetime with that person will awaken the part of your soul that you’ve been longing to have access to. That’s the passion and bliss nucleus of this energy center.

When you pursue that passion—there’s something deep within you that becomes satiated in a way that you feel, perhaps even momentarily, complete. As though you’ve experienced a state of bliss, are spiritually connected with the dazzling essence of the divine.

Viscerally you reach a state of inner and outer harmony. You are physically connected and you have a rewarding unexplainable experience. It’s as though you’ve touched and become a part of another soul and gained access to your own soul in a way that no other physical experience can give you.

As human beings having a spiritual experience, passion and bliss are hardwired, into the pleasure centers of the body. It is important to recognize and nurture this important aspect of our nature. For some of us, this may demand for us to reconsider boundaries or barriers of sensuality that may have developed over the years. For others, we simply need to do a couple of exercises to release any binding patters related to this essential energy center. Whatever you do, take action and allow yourself the freedom of passion and bliss. It is your birthright.

One of the best exercises to help increase access to bliss:
Step-Up Lunge

Fire in the Belly- Emotional Anatomy

Fire in the Belly

Emotional Anatomy of the Lower Abdomen

A truly inspiring person is often perceived as possessing passion with a purpose. Their energy comes from a place deep within. That place is an area above or around the navel.

This energy center in the body actually operates as though it has 3 channels. I haven’t figured out a cool name for this energy center, but what I have seen is a person who has a sense of freedom—there’s no “binding”, there is circulation, and there is energetic movement occurring around them. What you have is a person who is in their right livelihood making a contribution, feeling connected with the spirit, and also fully engaged in a cooperative life work, with other like-minded individuals.

The 3 channels seem to have one energy source, which will flow through one channel or the other. In an ideal and perfect world, you would have all these channels fully awake and fully energized and you’d be able to apply the energy in all directions at the same time. You can do that if your pelvis is flexible and free (different lecture).

The movement of your body and flexibility of your ribcage are what keep this energy grounded and circulating, ultimately manifesting themselves in some meaningful, tangible way.

The first channel, in no particular order of importance, is the spiritual channel. This is the part of a person that longs to have a deep connection with the divine. Yes, we say our heart yearns to be with our deity. We want to feel that connection. That desire to connect comes from right below the navel. It’s different from prana energy, which comes from the pelvis. It’s more like what the ayurvedic healers call kundalini energy. This energy taps you into your connection with Spirit. When a person feels most connected with Spirit, it’s almost as though they feel that God walks through their lives, in their bodies. It’s almost as though that person can feel the divine working through them as they go about their daily lives. When this channel is open and free, there is some spiritual energy that seems to perhaps guide and direct that person toward the places they can be most useful and make the greatest contribution. That’s the spiritual channel of this energy center.

You can awaken this center in yourself with a few exercises, one of which is the Step-Up Lunge.

Instructions:
1. Using a chair and starting off close enough as if you were going to sit, measure your stretch distance by standing with the back of your calves against the front of a chair.
2. Take one comfortable stride forward. Turn around in that spot to face the chair. Now, check to see that your back foot and toe are pointing straight ahead—not to the side.
3. Step one foot fully onto the lap of the chair. With your front foot flat in the chair, lean forward until the knee and the ankle are straight up and down.
4. Look down at your back foot. The heel should be at least one inch off the floor, with your weight balanced on the front arch of the foot. The heel should not be flat at this point. You should feel this stretch in front of your hip and perhaps the top middle of the “down” leg. You should not feel this in your calf at all. If you do feel it in the calf, bend your knee so that the focus point of this stretch shifts to the front of this hip.
Special Note: Check to make sure your torso is upright, not forward. When you have your arms hanging at your sides, do your best to be so upright that they hang behind your body’s midline or even behind where your hips are.

5. So you’re in position now. Breathe five times in your nose, out your open mouth—feeling the stretch on the front of your hip going down to the front middle of your leg.
6. After five breaths, pivot or wiggle your back foot a few inches farther back, to open the front of your hip joint even more. Keep the back foot straight, headed forward, and correct your front leg and body position if you need to.

7. Breathe five times. Again, in your nose—big—out your open mouth wide open first, then breathe out.
When you are done, use your front foot to push yourself out of the chair, and catch your balance. Then, walk around to recalibrate your body’s tension balance.

Living your life infused with Spirit flowing through you carries with it the responsibility of keeping your body healthy and whole, fluid and flexible.

In doing so, you will tap into a natural resource within yourself that will leave you with a sense of accomplishment, peace of mind, and connectedness with the divine.

We will continue this discussion by going into the 2^nd channel of energy in our next blog.