27-Jun-2010

The Seventh Rib

Source of Your Creativity

In the Book of Genesis, God creates Eve from Adam’s rib. It’s a curious aspect of the story, but with the help of yogic understanding, it becomes less mysterious and more applicable to your everyday life.

The seventh rib encases the diaphragm, one of the most important muscles in the body, the one that literally moves air in and out of your lungs. There is a flow to breath, one that gets interrupted when you experience fear. This dynamic is the source of the rib’s creative power. Just as the upstairs neighbor, the kidneys, purify the body’s water and emotions, the diaphragm and the flexible structure of the seventh rib have a role in purifying the breath of anything that disrupts the flow, namely fear. And, without fear, without the specter of “what you can’t do,” nothing is left but open, creative space—for you to write, draw, sing or dance to your heart’s contentment.

Recommended: Yogabody: Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Asana by Judith Lasater