The Five Gifts of the Spine

The Indispensable Role of the Spine in Human Conscious Development

Behaviour—I'm Way More Than I Thought I Was. What Else Can I Do?

Our behaviour reveals who we are. Our actions show what is happening on the inside, whether we know it or not. That is, whether or not our behaviours are conscious, they speak volumes of the person we are being. The saying, "Actions speak louder than words" is all about the telling nature of a person's behaviour.

If you think about it, who a person is, is just the sum of all the things he or she is capable of doing and everything that he or she can't or won't do. In terms of our functional capacity, we are either physically capable or incapable of certain actions. This begins the categorization of who we are. In terms of emotional capacity, there are feelings we allow ourselves to feel and others that we cannot handle. When we retract from an action because we do not like the emotional energy it moves in us, we often experience fear, which holds us back. This puts us into another class of person type. Then when we look at our sense of self, we sum up all the things we can and can't do, will and won't do, and should and should not do. If we accept all these parameters as true, these set the limits and beliefs about the person that we are.

Therefore, when we change a behaviour, or take on a new one, we are also changing the parameters that define us. Taking on new actions, or new ways of doing things, not only requires but causes a shift in our sense of self because we have new beliefs about what we can do and who we are because of it. Our emotional range will have to change to accommodate the new feelings brought on by these new actions. Finally, functionally, we will become physically capable of the new action or behaviour.

Taking on a new behaviour and thereby becoming a new person, is a truly amazing development in our human consciousness. It means that we are tapping into the limitless realm of our potential. It involves going beyond the limitations we had previously imposed on ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally . Our functionality, or the movement of our spines, will need to accommodate the new behaviour. Our emotional range will need to expand and as a result so will our range of spinal motion. Our sense of self will also grow beyond the limitations and the spinal postures that supported the type of person that we were.

The realm of potential and possibility is energetic and flexible. It is one of recognizing what was there all along. We realize that building a whole identity around all the things we were avoiding because of fear, traumas and limiting beliefs takes a lot of energy, creates much tension and is a big distraction. In order to move into this realm, we must be free from this tension, expansive and open to the flow of energy.

Often we make this transition because a knowing within us tells us that we can no longer believe what our minds are telling us. We realize that we must not buy into the thought that our bodies are solid and unchanging. We must just let go, trust and believe that we will be more than okay. In doing so, the spine reveals a new range of flexibility that we could never have previously conceived. It has to in order for us to grow beyond who we think we are.

For this reason, the gift of behaviour, that is new behaviour which comes from a place of realizing the potential within us, is the fourth of the Five Gifts of the Spine. How readily are you receiving this wonderful gift which continuously shows you that you are way more than you thought you were? How often do you ask yourself, "What else can I do?" Just be aware that taking on new behaviours is detrimental to your current sense of self!