(originally posted 5/15/2016)
We have a saying in Svaroopa Yoga: “It all begins at the tailbone”. If you come to a class at our studio, you may hear us talk about releasing the tailbone quite a bit. What does that really mean?
Your tailbone is the foundational point of your body. Your torso rises up from it, and your lower limbs extend from the base of your pelvis down to the earth. Though often underrated by medical professionals today, it is such an important part of your body. Ideally, your tailbone should extend down toward the floor when you are standing, but in many people, the spine curls inward at the base and the tailbone points toward the front of the body.
We all know that when dogs are happy, they wag their tails, and when they get stressed, they tuck their tails under. In fact, that is one of the first warning signs to look for that a dog may be about to attack! What most people don’t realize is that we humans do the same thing. Any time we feel like we are under attack, our tails tuck under like frightened puppies.
This tail-tucking has served our species for hundreds of thousands of years, and has been an evolutionary benefit for us. Imagine being alive in the time of Saber-toothed tigers. For Cave People the ability to spring into action quickly – the “fight of flight response” was critical to survival. One can imagine that when attacked by a Saber-toothed tiger, it would be imperative to be able to rev up our bodies so that we could either fight the tiger or flee. In fact, tucking our tails initiates a whole cascade of chemical reactions in our body to ramp up metabolism. Hormones are released that cause our heart rate to increase, our breathing to speed up, and even our digestion to slow down (so that all of our energy can be focused on survival).
Unfortunately, in modern times we have lost the ability to untuck our tails and turn off the fight or flight response once we are no longer under stress. Additionally, our perception of threats to our survival has changed, so that every single little barb that is thrown at us is perceived in our bodies as life-threatening. Think of it this way… you are late to a meeting. As you are driving there, you begin to feel stressed (your tailbone tucks under). Cortisol and adrenalin are released into your bloodstream which causes you to get more and more anxious – you start breathing more rapidly, you may even feel a clenching in your belly. Then you arrive at the meeting, and breathe a sigh of relief. However, your body doesn’t know that it can now relax. Your tailbone remains tucked under as you go through the remainder of your day. In short, you have forgotten how to wag your tail!
When you practice Svaroopa yoga, you begin to unravel some of that deep tension that has been curling your tail under for years. As you continue with the physical practices, your tailbone begins to lengthen downwards, and you experience what we call a state of bliss. It is truly an amazing experience, and it is what keeps students coming back for more. With each class, you will experience more and more deeply the joy that comes with wagging your tail!
