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Do you remember standing in front of one of those carnival mirrors at the fun house where you appeared stretched, twisted, and pulled into a myriad of directions? The reflection in the mirror completely distorted your image and is a great metaphor of how life–if we let it–can easily yank us off our true north. I often felt this way before I began practicing vertical alignment on a regular basis. Interactions with family, friends, and even strangers were often draining. I felt like my energy was leaking. Energetic cords from others attached to me and literally sucked the energy out of me. Feeling muddled and confused, I had less energy, and sometimes depression would set in. Ultimately, my center was nowhere to be found.
Through a regular practice of vertical alignment, I now feel more grounded, have clear boundaries, and my energy level has skyrocketed. When life throws me curve balls, I’m able to bounce back more efficiently. Vertical alignment taught me how to stay in my own lane. When challenges arise, instead of dissolving into a pool of indecision, I now feel strong, centered, clear, and calm. Essentially I cultivated inner resilience, an essential spiritual tool in this time of radical uncertainty.
I first became aware of the benefits of moving into vertical alignment through my practice of Radiant Lotus Qigong. We began our exploration of vertical alignment by imagining an internal flow of energy that traveled through our core, along our spines, and connecting deeply into the earth. This flow of energy also ascended directly above our heads, connecting to our Soul Stars. You can think of your Soul Star as your own personal North Star. It is ever constant, available 24/7, and its only agenda is to guide you to the truth of who you really are. Your Soul loves the truth and is your finest ally, loving yet firm!
After connecting to the Earth and our personal Soul Stars, we invited each of these energies to flow into our personal energy fields to support, nurture, and heal us. Ultimately these two energies merged in our hearts in just the right blend for each one of us.
Within five days of starting my vertical alignment practice, two people who did not know that I initiated this practice commented on the difference in my energy. One friend actually said: “You seem more aligned”, and the other said, “Your posture seems so relaxed.” Practicing Vertical Alignment is now a key tool in my spiritual toolbox, one that I use daily.
So what is vertical alignment and how do we access and use it? You have an energetic light body that is like an architectural blueprint for your physical body. Within this light body is a central axis of light, sometimes called your column of light, that runs vertically along your spine from the top of your head to the base of your spine. When this column of light is strong, balanced, and lit up, spiritual teacher Adyashanti describes it as having an “inner tuning fork in perfect pitch.” Specifically, it is an electromagnetic, laser-like current of energy and light that runs deep through the core of your body and is your KEY tool to help you ground and center. When I’m not grounded and centered, I’m like a ship aimlessly drifting in the night.
It is also a thousand times easier to access our truth when we are in vertical alignment. In fact, the next time you speak your truth or hear truth being spoken notice how your body alignment may shift. You may find yourself automatically sitting straighter or standing taller. It’s as if your body aligns its internal compass to true north and says: “Listen up. The truth is being spoken here.”
In vertical alignment we have more integrity, feel more alive, and have an endless supply of energy. We are “on purpose”, we can hear our Soul’s guidance more clearly and are fully open to receiving unconditional support from the universe. As Prendergast says: “As we become more inwardly aligned and less self-centered, we become more open to this current of life and more in service to the whole of life.”
If we are not connecting to the Earth below us and to the heavens above us, it is very likely we are recycling our own ego energy in a suffocating closed loop. When this happens, we can’t see the bigger picture and our small self takes over. Life becomes frustrating. In order to keep our energy vibrant, clear, and creative, we need to replenish it with fresh resources otherwise we turn into a stagnant pool of muddy water. The Earth and Sky are some of our best, always available resources. Their energy is so massive it’s hard to imagine the number of volts contained in each! Yet through vertical alignment, we can tap into these huge batteries and easily recharge our body, mind, and spirit.
When we do we connect with the universal life force energy that flows through everything and is everything we stop pushing the river. We realize this divine current of energy is here for our highest good and is more than willing and in fact, very happy to collaborate with us. It is here to remind us that we are supported in ways that we are only beginning to imagine. Through regular use of vertical alignment, you create a solid container for embodying your spiritual light.
For a free guided meditation to help you Move into Vertical Alignment click here.