Outer Spiral

by Cami
(Portland)

I will be out of town this week and will miss all of your classes! :( Any suggestions for learning the outward spiral you'll be teaching us tomorrow???


Thanks and see you soon
Cami

Hi Cami,

Well, we'll miss you this week, and it's so great of you to want to stay plugged in with the series.

Outer spiral is the compliment to inner spiral, and they always have to be performed together with what we call "balanced action." Balanced action is when two complimentary actions, which often appear to be in opposition, work together in perfect harmony to deliver us to the center of our bodies and ourselves. I touched on this last week, and this week, as much as I focus on outer spiral itself, I will be focusing on this idea of balanced action.

Outer spiral is most often pointed to in Anusara® and Anusara-inspired™ classes with the instruction to "scoop your tailbone." Technically, the current of energy we call outer spiral begins in the core of the body at the waistline, and moves exactly the opposite way that inner spiral moves, taking the outer thighs back, and going all the way down to the feet where it keeps the heels drawing inward toward the midline. Notice that if you stand in tadasana and do nothing else but try to enhance that movement of energy with your muscular action, that the tailbone will extend toward the floor. Also, if you just try to lengthen or "scoop" your tailbone down, the outer hips and thighs will move toward the back body.

Inner and outer spiral always go hand in hand, like a system of checks and balances that create a fullness and cohesiveness to the foundation (legs) and the entire pose. We always do inner spiral first, because if we do outer spiral first the larger muscles of the outer hips and buttocks can overpower those of the inner thighs and feet and ankles, making balanced action impossible. Together, inner and outer spiral in balance open and gently engage the deep core muscles, initiating an awareness of who we are in our innermost center. (Think too of these currents in relation to the cue - shins in, thighs out).

Outer spiral corresponds with the element of fire, and I will be asking the students tonight to think about this awakening of personal awareness that can be discovered as we add the action of the tailbone in outer spiral to the receptive open quality cultivated by inner spiral as the forging of our independent spirit, our personal will. With proper grounding in the first principle, in an opening to the universal web of consciousness that connects and supports us all as one heart, a well developed will or ego is to be celebrated as our unique contribution to the spectacular beauty of this universe (multiverse?) that we share and create.

Understanding the principles is a lifelong journey. We will continue to cycle through them in this series and every series.

Hope your travels are fruitful,

Love Alison

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