Spine Like a String of Pearls? Not!

In classical tai chi literature, the spine is described as "a string of pearls hanging from the heavens." (Just what exactly are these vaguely described "Tai Chi Classics," anyway?)

This is one of the most oft-repeated visualizations in tai chi instruction, and it's not a stretch to say this idea has become dogma. ("Dogma: a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.")

And you know what? I hate it. Well, "hate" is a strong word... but I really, really dislike it, to the point I never, ever use it or say it.

Why? Let me explain.

First of all, the thought of my spine being an extension of a puppet-master string coming down from the heavens makes me feel like... well, a puppet. As if the crown of my head and my bai hui are beholden to someone else or something else. Now, we can have a debate about whether this feels freeing and liberating, or whether this feels submissive and compliant. But my second point is far less debatable...

If your vertebrae are the pearls on the string, then this becomes structurally immobilizing. The pearls are stacked, loaded upon one another. They inherently restrict each other and in turn, the entire spine. Instead of being a tensegrity tower that can even suspend itself horizontally like Kenneth Snelson's Dragon sculpture, your spine now becomes a stack of bricks. (Don't be fooled by the pretty, shiny pearls!)

But... what if we flip the origin point of the string? What if it originates from below, instead of above?

Imagine a helium balloon on a string, where the end of the string starts in your sacrum, clasped by the ilia like two fingers gently holding it:

Your head is the helium balloon at the other end, which means your spine is now suspended. Head, neck, and spine are all free to float, roam, bend, oscillate, go wherever they want to go. There are no more pearls, just the string, silken and gossamer, almost weightless, flexible movement unrestricted by blocks.

Now, of course one risk of this imagery is that you become "light-headed" or an "airhead." From a gravitational perspective, yes, you want to feel like your head is almost weightless — light, and not a burden. Just don't get dizzy or turn into a Valley Girl.

If this is too flighty and unnerving for you, take it into the water!

The Pacific giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, can grow up to 200 feet tall:

But it's the same idea: rooted into the ocean floor, your sacrum is lovingly attached to your pelvis and legs, and your spine, in its liquid suspension, just gets to wave, ebb, and flow in all of its graceful, green-blue beauty.

So to recap: instead of your spine feeling like a vertical load, weights hanging down like meat on a hook, it becomes part of the helium balloon or giant kelp in levity and flotation, escaping the bounds of gravity.

Whether you practice tai chi/qigong, yoga, Pilates, Feldenkrais, or whatever, try these images on for size and let me know how you feel!