Sinking your Boat: (2) Above the Waterline.

Above the hull is the equipment that makes the sailing boat functional – mast & boom, shrouds & sails, sheets & cleats, and a burgee if you have one. This is your upper torso.

The rigging The mast (spine) supports most of these bits of above-deck equipment – the shrouds (arms), the burgee (tiny head!), the sails, (torso – chest/back/rib cage); and the spreader (in the diagram) is a little like your shoulders running from port to starboard.  The boat in the picture even has trapezius muscles running upwards from the ends of the spreader to the top of the mast.

The mast Your spine tries to sink to the bottom of the sea, but simultaneously it is pushing upwards to support the downwards pull of everything else (sails, rigging, boom, etc.).  If

For the mast to be effective and efficient, the base of the mast needs to nestle into the hull of the boat. This is exactly the same as the relationship between your pelvis and your spine.

So whilst reading this, settle the base of your spine into your pelvis, noticing how the relationship between the two changes. As you allow the water to ‘lift’ your hull, you may find that the spine alters shape, and that your head needs to readjust itself.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ James Drewe teaches Taijiquan and qigong in both London and in Kent. Details of weekly classes can be found on the website, and there are classes for 2-person Taijiquan on one Saturday a month.

CONTACTS: http://www.taiji.co.uk http://www.qigonghealth.co.uk Email: taijiandqigong@gmail.com Phone: 07836-710281 or 020-8883 3308 _______________________________________________________________________________________________

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