Radical Embodiment 1

by Megan Amal
AFO Staff

---

Your body is yours! Know your body!
Love your body! Take time for your body. For yourself.
Do not allow this culture to separate you from your body!
For yourself, your health, your wellness. For resistance, to give you strength.
Your body is yours! Know your body! Love your body!

For the first two posts of this series we will be connecting with the spine through information and physical research. First skeletally and then muscularly.

**we recognize that there is a great variety in bodily structure. All information and research prompts in this series can and should be altered to fit your needs. All physical action should be done with consideration.

Spine

INFORMATION

• The spine is made of 33 vertebrae. The vertebrae are classified in sections. There are 7 cervical vertebrae. These are in your neck and upper back. There are 12 thoracic vertebrae, located in your mid-back. There are 5 lumbar vertebrae in your low back. And 5 fused vertebrae make up your sacrum, and 4 fused vertebrae make up your coccyx.

• Vertebrae are made of the vertebral arch in the back and the vertebral body in the front.  Together these form a tunnel for the spinal cord. (The vertebrae of the sacrum and coccyx are fused and do not contain spinal cord.
• On the back of each vertebrae there are two bony transverse processes* (one on the left and one on the right) and one spinous process (extending out and downward). The spinous processes can often be felt through the skin.

• There are small holes on the side of each vertebra through which spinal nerves extend from the spinal cord out toward the rest of the body.

RESEARCH

• Lay down on back with knees bent and feet placed on the ground (or legs extended, find a sustainable position. It may be helpful to use props such as pillows or rolled/folded blankets to support the body.) Arms can be placed to the side, crossed over the chest, or in any relaxed position. (This work can also be done seated or in any other comfortable position.)

• Visualize the spine. Visualize each vertebrae one by one. Notice gravity and allow it to change your alignment. Observe the sensations of and around your spine. Breathe. Imagine the space between each vertebrae increasing. Breathe. Visualize the structures of your spine. Stay here, observing and sensing without judgement, for ten minutes. Take the time.
• Repeat this observation as often as you'd like. Experiment with different postures or with movement. Check in with your spine daily. It may be helpful to take notes about changes in your spine or changes in your relationship with your body.

Follow AFO for further information and more research prompts.

In love and solidarity,
Megan Amal