The Beauty of the Spiral

When you
feel like
you’ve lost your
center,

you must
make the time…
and then take the time
to find it again.

Sometimes by paying attention you might notice the spiral shape expressed in nature: the center of a flower, the shell of a conch, the unfurling of a fern frond or the swirl of the Milky Way.

Nature expresses herself in this spiraling pattern as a continuum of evolution and creation, the center of which is like a vortex of movement inward and outward.

We have come to realize that spirals are the master plan of nature for structure and rhythm.

At the center of our being is the heart muscle, which pumps constantly throughout every minute of every day of our entire lives. It turns out that its fibers are arranged in a complex and beautiful spiral or “helical” shape and the major blood vessels emerging from it also have a helical structure. Blood flows in the body’s vessels in spiral patterns. MRI and color Doppler flow imaging techniques have demonstrated that there is a spiral/helical/rotational property known as “spiral lamina flow,” or blood turning on a central axis as it passes smoothly along the major arteries.

In our practice we use somatic movements and yoga postures to develop “interoception,” the ability to feel deeply within. We experience a wakefulness as we undulate and rotate the column of the spine, which holds the kundalini serpentine energy.
Kuṇḍalin , a term from the Upanishads, means “circular” and is mentioned as a “snake” in the sense that it is coiled and located at the base of the spine in the Muladhara Chakra. Upon awakening, the kundalini is believed to be the upward moving force that animates the body. This magical “spiraling energy” takes place within the depths of our bodies. The experience of it in itself can lead to a greater harmony with the living world, a felt sense of connection to the spiraling trees, the orbit of the planets, the moon and our own DNA.

Upon conception the spiral begins. The path is not a straight line but one of twists and turns, much like the anatomy that is buried within us. Ancient designs like the labyrinth represent the winding journey inward that one must take if we are to truly know and love ourselves. With progress on our journey the spiral expands and elevates, we begin to take a more aerial view of the process of life. Practice becomes a return to the center of the spiral, to pure space, to embody our own true power and wisdom.

Sources:
Gil Hedly
Healicalheart.com
Vascular-flow.com
Ancestralmovement.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini

Marti Yura