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Opening the Sacrum

sacrum /say-kruhm /noun /(plural sacra or sacrums) /a triangular bone in the lower back between the two hip bones.

The sacrum is our sacred bone. Not only is the sacrum an integral component of our pelvic cavity, but it’s also the site of our Kundalini energy that lies coiled at the base of our spine like a sleeping serpent. When there is a disturbance in our sacral vertebra we experience tightness, inflammation and pain in our sacroiliac joints, which in turn affects our center of movement –both physically and energetically. Hatha yoga is the modality that I use to bring awareness to this vital, but often overlooked area of the body.

I remember one Hatha yoga class in particular where I learned the importance of my sacrum. My yoga teacher asked that I begin class with the triangular bone in my lower back situated on a block. I stayed this way for several minutes through a series of breathing exercises. At first, I was uncomfortable. My spine felt stiff and immobile like a steel bar. Yet, the more I breathed, the more I relaxed into the sensation of the block as it pushed up against my sacrum, and opened the front of my pelvis.

Eventually, my whole attention arrived at the base of my spine and impressed upon me the existence of my sacrum within my body. As I flowed through each yoga posture in class that day, my awareness stayed on my lower back, pelvis, and hips. My entire body fell into alignment when I initiated movement from my sacral vertebra. I felt the synchronicity of the body in motion –the power and intent of action.

As I walked home from my Hatha yoga class, I felt as though my body had been taken apart and put back together like a doll with newly fitted limbs. I had been given a chance to rediscover authentic movement within my life. The connection between the stiffness and pain in my sacroiliac joints and the unevenness in my mental and emotional life were clear. I realized that when the energetic flow of my sacrum is blocked, my equilibrium is disturbed, and I end up wobbling through life on a tightrope.

When we work with the sacrum in subtle ways we are flooded with information about the health of our bodies. Hatha yoga releases tightness in the sacral vertabra and sacroiliac joints to improve the circulation of blood and stimulate the upward flow of energy, known as the Kundalini or serpent fire. The flow of the Kundalini operates like a waterfall in reverse and with it comes new levels of awareness and an abundance of creativity. For me, this occurred slow and steady over a period of time, but for others, the Kundalini releases quickly.

The wisdom of the Kundalini calls us to align our earth bodies with the higher consciousness of spirit. The Kundalini energy is often described as a spiral of light or like two serpents entwined together like the Caduceus of Hermes. If we look around us, we can see this sacred energetic pattern displayed everywhere in our modern environment –from the snake and staff figure of medicine to the double Helix symbol of DNA.

What this suggests to me is that the Kundalini is a primal energy that carries with it the knowledge of cellular life. It is the origin of life within us. When we work to open our sacral vertebrae, pelvis and hips, then we stimulate this vital energy and release it on a pathway to the crown of our heads. Along the way, this serpent fire reawakens various energy channels in our bodies, and may bring to our attention some core health issues.

To gently awaken the Kundalini energy means to release tightness, inflammation, and pain in our sacral vertebrae and sacroiliac joints. Hatha yoga postures such as back bends, forward bents and squatting are effective ways to open our sacra. This practice will also work our hips, low back, pelvis, reproductive system, and lower digestive tract. Most importantly, Hatha yoga increases the circulation of fresh blood, which brings oxygen and minerals to any area of the body that has tightened and closed off.

The small triangular bone at the base of our spines has much to teach us about our bodies and the way we move through life. We can release concentrated pain in our sacrum and open up to the knowledge of this sacred bone.

kundalini /(kŏŏn’də-lē’nē) /noun Hinduism /energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine until it is activated, as through the practice of yoga, and channelled upwards through the chakras in the process of spiritual purification /[sanskrit – kundalini, from feminine of Kundalin—coiled, spiral, from Kundalain, ring, coil, perhaps of Dravidian origin]

©Kristen McCarthy