22 - A Self-Help Series of Postures for Special Conditions

"Ninety per cent of pain is emotional. Imagination is our worst enemy. There is a spasm in the emotional field before the spasm in the spine and the body."

The normalizing posture illustrated in figure 5 can be used as a correction for flat dorsal [thoracic] spines. It is the same as the posture shown in figure 4 with the exception that the hands are placed on the back of the head for a mild stretch of the entire spine, from top to bottom. A gentle forward-and-backward rocking motion is indicated by the arrows. A deep breath is taken and used as a stretch from within, directed to anyone portion of the spine at one time, then released with a healthy grunt.

The hands may be placed on any area from the neck to the top of the head, to bring out a greater curve and stretch on the spine wherever it is needed. The pull must be very gentle, as we are working with great leverage here. A gentle physical stretch, a stretch from within by the use of the breath, and a rocking motion are the main factors in this posture.

This posture stretch, for example, frees muscle tension and energy blocks from the heart area, where anterior vertebral positions of the spine often interfere with its function. Spinal checks have proved this to be the case in many instances. A protruding chest often indicates an anterior curve