The Yoga Lesson I Didn’t Understand… Until Years Later

“Think of the tailbone like the root system of a tree.”

When a tree’s roots are strong and deep, the tree can withstand storms, drought, wind, and changing seasons. It doesn’t panic when the weather shifts because its foundation is steady.

When I first began studying Svaroopa® Yoga in 1998, I didn’t fully understand the significance of the spine and nervous system in yoga. At that time, I mostly saw yoga as a fitness practice. I had been practicing Bikram (Hot) Yoga and other fitness-based classes for years before, and I loved the challenge. I enjoyed sweating, stretching, and pushing my limits. Yoga felt powerful, but mostly in a physical way.

Then one day something shifted.

I remember standing in the middle of my studio, looking around the room. There were mirrors everywhere, equipment lining the walls, and a giant stereo system (they were enormous back then! Ha ha). I looked around at all of it… and then I looked at myself in the mirror. And a very honest question arose inside me: How much more fit do I really need to be? And even deeper than that: What will I actually do with more fitness?

It wasn’t a cynical thought. It was sincere curiosity. I suddenly felt that there must be something more to yoga than simply becoming stronger or more flexible. So I asked: "Show me what’s next… what now?"

Not long after that, the answer arrived in the form of Svaroopa® Yoga.

My teacher (Swami Nirmalananda, formerly Rama Berch) had a phrase she repeated constantly: “Svaroopa Yoga is all about the tailbone.” Heads tilted. Eyes squinted, and admittedly, mine rolled a little. This was unusual in the "fitness yoga" era we were in back then.

You could ask my teacher almost anything.

“How do I get rid of my neck pain?” “It all starts at the tailbone.”

“My shoulders hurt.” “It all starts at the tailbone.”

“My hamstrings are tight.” “It all starts at the tailbone.”

It became so predictable that we’d laugh about it. Sometimes we'd feel frustrated...we wanted a quick fix...but she never budged. Those were the years of "compliance yoga". We trusted the teacher and followed the teachings, even when we didn’t fully understand them.

We practiced simple poses and folded, rolled and stacked blankets to support our bodies, melting stress tension and deepen the effects. We were taught to start at the tailbone and work our way up the spine. We followed directions to a tee.

It was blind faith for many of us...especially me. But something interesting happened. Even though I didn’t fully understand why it worked, I could feel that it did.

Over time I began to understand what my teacher had been pointing toward all along.

At the base of the spine, near the tailbone, lies the sacrum, a triangular bone that forms the foundation of the spine and connects directly into the pelvis. This area is surrounded by important nerve pathways that communicate with the lower spine and pelvic organs. When this area is tight, compressed, or held unconsciously, the nervous system can remain slightly guarded. Many people carry tension here without realizing it, especially when they are stressed or trying to hold themselves together emotionally.

When we begin to soften, breathe, and ground through the base of the spine, something very important happens. The nervous system begins receiving signals of stability and safety. The body starts shifting away from survival mode and toward regulation. Modern neuroscience describes this as activating the parasympathetic response, the part of the nervous system responsible for rest, repair, digestion, and healing.

Our tailbone (the root of the spine) strengthens the inner roots that support us. From the release there, four qualities arise that create an amazing life: the joy of being alive, the ease of being ourselves, the courage to face life, and the deep connection we share with all of life.

Yogic teachings place the Muladhara Chakra, the root center, at the tailbone, describing it as the seat of stability, security, and foundational vitality.

When this root center becomes balanced, something remarkable begins to happen within us. We start to feel grounded. Resilient. Steady. And from that foundation, something beautiful begins to arise. Hope. Not the fragile kind of hope that depends on circumstances going perfectly, but a deeper hope that comes from feeling supported by the body, by the breath, and by life itself.

This is one of the reasons grounding practices in yoga are so powerful. When we connect with the tailbone, soften the pelvic floor, and allow the breath to move deeply through the body, we are not simply stretching muscles or relaxing the mind. We are reminding the nervous system that it is safe enough to settle.

And when the nervous system settles, something remarkable becomes possible. The mind clears. The heart opens. Possibilities and solutions begin to appear. From the deepest, most authentic place inside us, we begin to recognize something yoga has been pointing toward all along: the truth of who we really are.

And yes… after all these years of practice, I can say with a smile and true conviction: it really does start at the tailbone.

Reflection: If the body carries a place where stability, safety, and hope begin ~right at the root of the spine~ what might shift in your life if you gave that place a little more attention?