#centralenergychannel

[wellbodymind]

I dreamed that I was pregnant, and that I was preparing to go into labor with lots of support, even from people far away whom I didn’t know. My Biodynamic Meditation this morning started with my posture, then breathing physiological sighs (sniff sniff ahhhh) until I yawned. Radiance at my face. Then sensing the Tide ascending and descending my central energy channel. Spacing out (heard the first mockingbird of the year singing outside — joy!). Noticing the Tide had gotten swirly and was investigating various areas: abdomen, sacrum, throat… I decided to pose a question to the healing energy: If you could find the most optimal place for healing in my system today, the place that’s most ready to heal, where would you go? It settled in my spine in the mid-thoracic region and stayed there. It was still there when my timer went off after 45 minutes, but it didn’t feel “done” so I waited 5 more minutes until it felt done. Sometimes “done” is clearly done, and sometimes it’s “done for today”. I will find out which as the day progresses. I have a slight reverse S curve in my spine, and this is a place where the vertebrae shift directions. I’ve been doing PT exercises for months to straighten my spine… Yes, you can communicate with the healing energy. In my experience, it takes time to build energetic rapport with it, to develop trust and familiarity. Even now, when I ask it a question, sometimes it doesn’t answer, and sometimes it consents…by simply doing. It doesn’t speak English, but it understands intent. It’s mysterious! So much more to learn! This communication comes after a lot of listening. It might be Biodynamic Meditation 201 or 301. I’m focusing more on preparing to teach 101 now. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #biodynamiccraniosacraltherapy #bcst #dream #pregnant #teaching #posture #physiologicalsigh #radianceatmyface #tide #centralenergychannel #swirliness #investigating #healingenergy #selfhealing #communication #intent #rapport #trust #familiarity (at Manchaca, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Coh0dBHOU-R/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Wow! Today’s Biodynamic Meditation was mostly swirliness! I had again awakened early and listened to a Yoga Nidra recording on YouTube. I’ve been sampling them. Still like Liam Gillen and also now Kristyn Rose Yoga who has one with some focus on the heart chakra. I also gave 5 mini-sessions at last night’s Community Healing Circle after being unable to work this past week. Power outage at my office due to ice storm. (It’s back on now.) I was primed for a really good meditation. I breathed a few physiological sighs until I yawned (parasympathetic sign). Felt radiance at my face and then my entire head. Tide. No stillpoint unless it was brief. I wonder if the healing energy, after 3 months of daily meditations, doesn’t need stillpoints any more because it knows my system well by now. When I work on others, a stillpoint seems like a pause when the healing energy is assessing their system and gathering resources before it starts swirling. Swirliness happens when the healing energy of the Tide changes its action from regulation (ascending and descending the central energy channel) or stillpoints (gathering resources) to healing whatever is ready to be healed (swirling where it’s needed), as best I understand it experientially. Swirliness is so mysterious and magical! It has its own agenda for healing that is extremely intelligent! I believe it’s way more intelligent than any of us could possibly be. After all, it has known us deeply and intimately, from the inside out, since shortly after our conception. Sometimes it moves really fast, zipping around. Sometimes it slows down and lingers in an area. Today it touched on all my chakras and did some more realigning of my cranial bones. Usually it feels really good! Sometimes, like today with my frontal bone, there was a brief, slight sense of discomfort until the bone was aligned with its neighbors. Photo: wave receding from lava tube, with whispering stones, at Wai’anapanapa State Park, Hana, Maui. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #bcst #swirliness #tide #stillpoints #centralenergychannel #radianceatmyface #healingenergy (at Manchaca, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSZ4mbJr_o/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Yesterday I shared the 12 states of attention … useful tools in Biodynamic Meditation and in life. It helps to notice your own patterns of awareness and expand beyond them, as well as appreciate them. You may notice that some people are primarily visual. Some are primarily externally oriented. Some are drawn more to details. You can cultivate the states you are not so familiar with, and you will have more attentional flexibility … a key factor in appreciating life. And … there’s always more. This morning I’m focusing on another aspect of attention that’s important in meditation and in life, and that is … waiting. When you bring your attention to your central energy channel, in order to sense the Tide ascending and descending, you will usually need to wait for the sensation of internal motion to make itself known. Then you may sense something, but it isn’t clear, and you wait some more for it to clarify. It’s a process of inquiry…of being curious and deciding to investigate by bringing your attention there…and waiting for indications of the Tide to be felt. This is patience. This is allowing. This is staying with. This is life, unfolding for your awareness. Photo taken by Louise Thayer, Happy Dog Ranch. (Thanks, Louise!) #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #cranio #biodynamiccraniosacraltherapy #waiting #12statesofattention #patternsofawareness #attentionalflexibility #centralenergychannel #tide #sensation #clarifying #inquiring #investigating #patience #lifeunfolding (at Littleton, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoCusQHONgN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

One of my influential teachers, Nelson Zink, investigated the 12 states of attention, which I first learned of in 2010. We have three primary ways through which we perceive: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. We have locations in which to place our attention, internal and external. The skin is the boundary. Our attention has range, narrow to broad. We come to favor a few of these states. Practicing the ones less used gives us more attentional flexibility. Since the quality of our attention is important, I thought I would share this here. When I settle my body into my sitting posture, I am using Kinesthetic, Internal, moderately Broad attention, K I B — moderately broad because I’m attending to my whole body and biofield. I tune into my central energy channel, K I N. When I feel radiance at my face, it’s K I/E B, because I’m attending to sensations at my face and the field around it. Stillpoints are K I N. Monkey mind/internal chatter is A I N. I don’t often get visual input when I’m meditating or receiving a Craniosacral Biodynamics session, but a few people who have received sessions from me have had elaborate visions, such as being showered with golden light (V/K I B). When I give sessions, I open my eyes, looking out the window into the woods and sky outside. That would be V E B. If you are curious about this, Google “navaching” and “12 states of attention” to find Nelson’s archived website and some blog posts I wrote. If you are challenged trying to sense the Tide, stillpoints, or other features in Biodynamic Meditation, you may find it helpful to access states of attention you don’t usually use. This can be very powerful! Today’s sit: breathing, posture, central energy channel, Tide, radiance at my face, cranial stillpoint, swirliness in upper abdomen, Tide. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #biodynamiccraniosacraltherapy #12statesofattention #nelsonzink #perception #visual #auditory #kinesthetic #internal #external #narrow #broad #centralenergychannel #radianceatmyface #tide #stillpoint #swirliness (at Manchaca, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoATT1ZJ74U/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Today’s Biodynamic Meditation went like this: Physiological sighs to shift my autonomic nervous system more parasympathetic Settling into my cross-legged upright posture, left hand cradling right hand, palms up, in lap Bringing awareness inside my body Noticing sensations in my central energy channel Noticing radiance at my face and my third eye and crown chakras open Notice heart and throat chakras open Noticing the Tide ascending and descending in a cycle of about 18 seconds in each direction Noticing the radiance at my face become stronger, pressing inward Being curious about my lower chakras, checking in with them, sensing solar plexus, sacral, and root chakras open Staying with the Tide, chakras open, radiance at my face the rest of the 30 minutes Photo: San Solomon Springs, Balmorhea State Park #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #physiologicalsigh #parasympathetic #posture #awareness #centralenergychannel #sensations #radianceatmyface #thirdeyechakra #crownchakra #heartchakra #throatchakra #tide #ascending #descending #rhythm #solarplexuschakra #sacralchakra #rootchakra #openchakras (at Balmoral State Park Spring Fed Pool) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9sy5ZOB4b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

This quote from Stephen Levine about being homesick for God accurately captures why I’m so drawn to Craniosacral Biodynamics, and why I want to share the practice of Biodynamic Meditation with you. Today’s sit: breathing, central energy channel, sensations, Tide, radiance at my face, swirliness in upper abdomen, sacral stillpoint. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #cranio #centralenergychannel #tide #sensations #radianceatmyface #swirliness #stillpoint (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7GGhTu7Jh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

The Tide is one way of sensing the healing energy of the inherent healing process. When the healing energy ascends and descends in the central energy channel, that’s the Tide. When I work with clients, I need to be still in both mind and body, with attention to sensations in my hands lightly touching their feet or cranium, to sense the Tide. The Tide is such a deep internal phenomenon, the motion affects every cell in the body, even moving the bones. Ever so slightly! When the Tide ascends to the cranium, the cranial bones widen and the feet rotate externally. Ever so slightly! When the Tide descends, the cranial bones narrow and the feet rotate internally, ever so slightly. It is a subtle motion found by sensing slight changes in pressure in your hands. Then staying with it, noticing it moves rhythmically. In Biodynamic Meditation, I’m inviting you to notice sensations in your central energy channel. You may feel motion ascending and descending anywhere in the channel. You may also tune into your cranium to sense it widening and narrowing. When I sense this, it’s on the sides of my head, right above my ears. I’ve taken a lot of craniosacral therapy classes and can attest that by noon on the first day, every beginning student can sense another’s Tide with their hands. Even if they wonder if they’re imagining it! That means they’re on the way, getting close! If you are wanting to sense your Tide and haven’t sensed its rhythm moving in your central energy channel yet, you might try tuning in deeply to sensations of your cranium widening and narrowing. My Biodynamic Meditation today had moments of deeper stillness. I sensed the healing energy settling in my ethmoid bone, a small cranial bone with dural membrane attached. It’s yet another observation of my cranium being subtly reshaped by the inherent healing process, most likely from the challenges of my birth. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #cranialsacral #cranio #biodynamiccraniosacraltherapy #tide #centralenergychannel #subtlemotion #healingenergy #inherenthealingprocess #stillness #sensations #rhythm #cranialbones #widening #narrowing (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4kZwYuAFU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

I dreamed I was dancing, able to leap high enough to touch the branches of trees, and to descend to the earth safely, only to do it again and again and again, higher, higher, almost floating back down, with buoyancy. How exhilarating! We were talking about the Tide, about sensing the Tide ascending and descending in your central energy channel. How to be still and bring your awareness to that channel, the channel that is home to and connects your chakras. The cranial pole of the channel (crown, sahasrara chakra) opens upward, to heaven, the cosmos, the universe, spirit. That upward direction is called levity. The sacral pole of the channel (root or muladhara chakra) opens to the earth. That direction is called gravity. Gravity and levity. Grounded and open to Spirit: balance. My dream was about experiencing levity. Who needs a dream like this? Someone who is growing a private practice in Craniosacral Biodynamics, exploring Biodynamic Meditation, teaching, making 5 trips this year for training and personal growth, who is also looking at a new location after 12 years. Lots going on. Balance needed. Today’s Biodynamic Meditation was about breathing, posture, sensing Tide. I invited a cranial stillpoint. Ajna chakra, radiance at my face, crown chakra. Swirliness in my cranium, then in my abdomen, at manipura chakra, then in pelvis, ending with sacral stillpoint. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #tide #centralenergychannel #chakras #awareness #cranial #levity #sacral #gravity #dream #spirit #grounding #balance #stillpoint #radianceatmyface #swirliness (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn2AAbIO24H/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Yesterday I wrote about discovering the Tide in you. It may take a few efforts to discover the sensation that ascends and descends in your central energy channel. That sensation forms the basis of our inherent healing process, aka swirliness. It’s there, working for us, maintaining life, all of the time, in various forms: Tide, stillpoints, swirliness. The founder of this lineage called it Primary Respiration. Bio (life) + dynamic (power). It was pouring rain during this morning’s Biodynamic Meditation. Like the solid sound of hard rain, my meditation felt solid and full. Breathing, ajna chakra, Tide, sit bones, radiance at my face, abdomen, cranium. A sensation I’ve occasionally felt before, of something almost like pressure against my body. This time, pressure surrounding my cranium. Is it shaping me? Is it trying to get inside me? Mystery. Photo from Big Bend National Park: Rio Grande. Mexico on left, Texas on right. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #tide #sensation #centralenergychannel #inherenthealingprocess #swirliness #biodynamics #pressure #mystery https://www.instagram.com/p/CnzTw24MDZi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

I’ve heard from a few people who are following these posts. Louise, whom I’ve studied Craniosacral Biodynamics with, feels the Tide whenever she tunes in, which is frequently. <3 Helene, a dear friend who is a long-time bellydancer and yogi and deeply embodied, commented that she wants to experience these things I’ve been writing about. <3 Denise meditates along with me! <3 First, some clarification. I write about experiencing my chakras a lot. I’ve been a yogi since 1982. They are part of how I experience my anatomy. Knowledge of the chakras is not required in learning Craniosacral Biodynamics, although it may be helpful. Same with Biodynamic Meditation. Not required but helpful. Notice that these 7 main chakras are on the midline of the body. What’s important here is that the midline, or more accurately mid-space, is your central energy channel. It runs between your perineum/root/muladhara chakra and the location of your infant soft spot/crown/sahasrara chakra at the top of the head. This central energy channel is what you tune into, after doing some relaxing breaths. This is where you’ll sense the Tide. If it is difficult to sense the whole channel, start smaller, with your abdomen or chest. See if you can sense motion. It could be moving up or moving down. That’s the Tide. The more you tune into it, the clearer it becomes. You can seek it in meditation. When you’re falling asleep or just waking up are other good times to tune in. It’s exciting when you first find it! With practice, you can follow its motion between crown and root. Some say the Tide is extracellular fluid in motion. Some sense it as energy moving. I can’t tell the difference! Today is Day 76 of my posts about my Biodynamic Meditations. This morning: breathing, awareness of central energy channel, sensations of Tide moving up and down, radiance at my face, sensation at root chakra, stillpoint at sacral end of channel, third eye chakra, crown chakra. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #chakras #yoga #anatomy #centralenergychannel #midline #midspace #tide #sensation #ascending #descending #fluid #energy https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnw2Oodu_9y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

“Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life.” ~ Dogen Zenji This quote from Dogen has stayed with me from my early Zen days, and I’m finding it handy when I need more focus. Yesterday I learned that I may need to find a new place to live in the coming months. This morning, my adored one messaged he’d started having symptoms of COVID. I’ve been exposed. I’ve escaped it so far, one of the few. Here I sit with change, hoping for the best outcomes on both counts, holding confidence in that. My Biodynamic Meditation was deep. Breaths, posture, radiance at my face, Tide in central energy channel. Healing energy in pelvic floor, heart center, ajna chakra. Balanced resources. Sometimes there’s so much stillness and relaxation in Craniosacral Biodynamics sessions, the practitioner’s head involuntarily nods…which instigates alertness. That happened, too. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #cranialsacraltherapy #dogen #quotes #awakening #change #newsofdifference #outcomes #confidence #radianceatmyface #tide #centralenergychannel #pelvis #heart #ajnachakra #balance #selfhealing #healingenergy #cranialnod (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuL_nKOi1b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Feeling grateful this morning, for creation. For you, me, life. My Biodynamic Meditation today: physiological sighs, settling into sitting posture, noticing tidal motion in central energy channel, monkey mind thinking, healing energy focusing for a bit in abdomen, then longer at cranium. The sensations today in my cranium were not of bones subtly becoming more aligned, but of the dura mater at my temples and behind my forehead shifting, optimizing. It’s still happening as I write, this incremental nature of healing. We are made of energy patterns that shift in response to experience. Healing is about both being present and also getting out of the way to allow our patterns to optimize. We get to witness this in Biodynamic Meditation #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #tide #thinking #presence #centralenergychannel #healingenergy #healingprocess #duramater #incrementalhealing #energypatterns #optimizing #gratitude #gettingoutoftheway #witnessing (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnr7afTpyjX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

My Biodynamic Meditation session this morning was about breath, awareness of my central energy channel, awareness of the Tide moving up and down and then settling at my sacrum as healing energy for a bit, moving up to my solar plexus region, and then to my crown chakra. The energetic sensation was that of effervescence at my sacrum and my crown, and like soothing kindness at my solar plexus. I wish I knew what was going on at a cellular level, but science hasn’t gone that far yet. All I can do is share my subjective experience…and wonder if you too might experience these sensations in Biodynamic Meditation sessions. It feels like goodness. It feels like it’s both nurturing me and strengthening my vitality at the same time. I’ve been doing these daily meditations of 30 minutes (or more) for 9 weeks now. I feel more resourceful and resilient. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #meditation #awareness #centralenergychannel #tide #healingenergy #sensation #effervescence #soothing #kindness #goodness #nurturing #vitality #resourceful #resilient (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnmiUniuuUj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Tuesday is magic skeleton day! You can do anything! Did you even know that your bones are 31 percent water? My Biodynamic Meditation this morning had a lot of Tide moving in my central energy channel. The swirliness settled in the lower part of my sacrum and then in my sphenoid. The sphenoid is a mostly hidden bone that many are unaware of. It sits behind our eyes and in front of our ears at the base of our brains. It’s shaped like a moth, with wings that come out to our temples and legs that extend down into the back of our upper jaws. Our internal jaw muscles are attached to the sphenoid. (My other specialty is TMJ Relief.) The sphenoid holds the pituitary in a cute little saddle! It touches 12 other cranial bones, and to craniosacral therapists, it’s “THE bone”. In craniosacral biodynamics, we work with the whole body and biofield…and our profession got its start from an investigation of the cranial bones well over a century ago. Today I could sense adjustments at the greater wings, particularly where they meet the temporals, on both sides at once. As I’ve mentioned before, I can sense my head slowly reshaping itself in these biodynamic meditations. This is likely from the challenge of being born as well as several previous head injuries. I don’t work with infants at present, but my officemate Liz Baker does. As for head injuries, it’s never too late for improvements. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #craniosacral #cranio #bones #skeleton #tide #centralenergychannel #swirliness #inherent healing process #healingenergy #selfhealing #sphenoid #sacrum #pituitary #cranialbones #birth #headinjuries #infants (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnhZ2iRO1Rc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Today’s Biodynamic Meditation was different. Radiance at my face from the start, after 5 physiological sighs. Tide moving up and down in my central energy channel. No stillpoint unless it was brief, more of a pause. Then…sensations in the skin, especially of my arms and legs. Pleasurable. I haven’t experienced the sensations of healing energy in my skin before, the way I did today, for most of the session. It’s mostly been internal. I felt lymph moving like water under the skin of my left thigh. Legs. Arms. Hands. Feet. Some swirliness in my pelvic region. I’m on Day 69 of Biodynamic Meditation, and my experience has changed considerably from when I first started this challenge back in November. I still do breathwork to start, and I’ve changed the type. I feel radiance at my face right away, most of the time. The Tide can appear briefly or for longer. Stillpoints can occur briefly or for longer, or not at all. Perhaps the healing energy knows my system so well by now that it doesn’t usually need stillpoints to set the stage for reorganization. It gets right to it. I welcome this! The energy of self-healing, the inherent healing process, can go anywhere in my system. It can make tiny movements, like drawing with a fine tip pen. It can make broad sweeps. Move very slowly. Move very quickly. I want to keep collaborating with it. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #cranio #radianceatmyface #physiologicalsigh #breathwork #sittingpractice #tide #centralenergychannel #stillpoint #pause #healingenergy #sensations #skin #pleasure #lymph #swirliness #practice #changesovertime #reorganization #collaboration (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cne1vSRpNmH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wellbodymind]

Years ago, a Zen teacher gave me a koan, a topic of inquiry: whole body awareness. I started exploring this, and when I reported my discovery, she’d say, “That’s one way.” That inquiry changed my life, and it’s ongoing. In Biodynamic Meditation, the quality of our attention matters. There’s the object of our attention. Is it small, large, near, far, internal, external? Known or unknown? Whole or a part? How are we using our attention? Are we seeing, hearing, feeling, or a blend? What is the intensity of our attention? Is it focused or panoramic? Is it casual gazing, looking away, coming back? Where is our attention located? In our head, heart, above, behind, in front? My Biodynamic Meditation today started with 10 physiological sighs. I brought my attention to my central energy channel. I followed the motion of the Tide. I don’t remember the Tide going into a stillpoint. If it did, it was brief. When the Tide or a stillpoint enters the swirly state can be hard to discern. There are pauses in the rhythm, the motion can slow down or speed up, and it can deviate from the midline. The healing energy paused at my throat chakra. It worked on my third eye chakra and up my forehead, at a level of tissue and bone. As I’ve mentioned before, my head is being subtly reshaped over time. My best guess is it’s from birth dynamics and past head injuries. The sensation was a little painful, as if strains in the dura mater and cranial bone tissues were being addressed. I will not be surprised if the healing energy returns to this area. We are simply made of patterns. Biodynamic Meditation and Craniosacral Biodynamics are ways to optimize our patterns from the inside out. #biodynamicmeditation #craniosacralbiodynamics #craniosacraltherapy #biodynamiccraniosacraltherapy #koan #zen #inquiry #wholebodyawareness #qualityofattention #physiologicalsigh #centralenergychannel #midline #tide #swirlystate #swirliness #throatchakra #thirdeyechakra #cranialbones #birthdynamics #headinjuries #duramater #healingenergy #optimizingpatterns #healingfromtheinsideout #selfhealing (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnXH3QXu-J-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=