Lloyd Goldstein

Soft, Long and Strong: Breathing, Grounding, and Energizing the Spine
Lloyd Goldstein CMP, CYT
September 26, 2006

Soft, long and strong: These are attributes of the bodymind that we want to cultivate. In our yoga practice we encourage these qualities by deep breathing, grounding and elongating the spine. Softness is supple and yielding, supported by the earth and aligned with it. Length is also supple but energetic, pulsing with the breath. Strength is the natural response of the muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments when we ask them to support softening, lengthening, breathing, and grounding.

The main reason for practicing yoga poses is to offer the bodymind opportunities to practice being soft, long and strong in a variety of alignments to the earth. Yoga acknowledges gravity, softening and yielding to it, finding easy natural alignment with the earth, then through the action of the breath and the support of the bones and muscles, transform breathing and grounding into lengthening and strengthening. The action of a pendulum may be a good illustration. As the pendulum moves through its arc from its high point towards the earth it accelerates, gaining energy and then using that energy to swing upward away from the earth on the other side. With each grounding breath we have the opportunity to connect with the earth’s energy and use it to become long, flexible and strong.

What is a “grounding breath”? It is generally a deeper breath than usual, and one that emphasizes the exhalation, especially using the belly to actively exhale and move the navel toward the spine. The muscles that support breathing attach to various places along the spine, especially the lower spine or lumbar and to the sacrum, the back of the pelvis. In most people there is a natural curve in the lower spine, a concave curve, which leads smoothly into the opposite convex shape in the upper back, or thorax, and finally reversing again into a concave shape in the neck, or cervical spine. The spine then, viewed from the side looks like an “S”. This S-shape is like a spring. As we breathe it is possible to momentarily lengthen the lower part of the S-shape via the connecting muscles, energizing the springiness of the spine and transmitting that movement and energy up through the entire length of the S-curve. As babies our bodies do this naturally, but as adults, many of us have forgotten how to energize our spines in this way. Through conscious deep breathing, and grounding in yoga poses, as we become soft, long and strong, we reawaken the spine, and as we reawaken the spine we become soft, long and strong. It all begins with breathing and grounding. The rest follows naturally and almost automatically. It is only a matter of showing up and being present for the practice.

Barely able to keep his eyes open, bride at his side, such a large strapping man, lying propped up in the ICU bed. My mind wonders how such a strong and muscular body can be struggling so. I ask him whether he would like an upbeat piece or a relaxing, soothing piece. He says - I’ll have one of each . . . if you have the time and the inclination. I laugh. Music flows between us and for a few minutes there is no sickness, no pain or anxiety, only a musical connection of love and vibration. He has dabbled with the electric bass and is amazed at the sound of the bowed upright bass. It is with profound gratitude that I am invited into this sacred space once again.