A question about lower spine alignment in internal martial arts and life

A reader, Tom, commented recently on my post about training standing strengthening postures (a post I could probably add to at this point--maybe a future topic if I get around to it). Tom writes,

I'm running into some lower back issues with the flattening of the lumbar spine that occurs with the admonition to tuck (the coccyx). Lumbar discs, particularly at L5-S1, are compressed and held under compression for extended periods during YSB standing practice. It's one thing for a tuck to be a momentary phase during dynamic movement (of the spine), but to hold the tuck seems questionable to me.

The short version of my answer to this question is that I think that "tuck" is the wrong word and "drop" is the right one. For the elaborated-upon answer, keep reading.

This question has actually been one of a lot of exploration for me over the years. Worth noting first, I actually began my training of Yin Style Bagua with a rather serious chronic lower back injury, and so that entire region was one of focus and trouble for me for the first couple of years that I trained. Second, as I have learned a bit about yoga over the years, I know it's a serious question there as well, with entire camps that split off from one another about whether or not the coccyx (tailbone) should be tucked. Third, I've received a lot of admonishment about it over the years. The first thing He Jinbao told me was that "bagua is not shaolin, so don't stick your butt out," i.e. that I was under-tucking. Later, I received a correction for over-tucking. Clearly, there must be some happy medium. Fourth, I ended up studying bodywork, which included postural analysis (something I've gone on to study more carefully since), and have gleaned some insights into what these various positions do to stress various parts of the body.


In exploring all of these factors, including ridding myself of the lower back problem I bore for the better part of a decade, I believe I have struck upon the right way of approaching this question. From studying various camps within the yoga world, I know there are at least three distinct ways to describe the phenomenon in question, and exploring them mindfully yields three separate results.

1. "Tuck the tailbone." This instruction has the idea of tucking the tailbone up and under the body. I think this, taken literally, is probably dead wrong.
2. "Tuck the pubic bone." This one takes more fiddling with to find what is meant, but the emphasis goes on the other side of the pelvis (and thus involving the sacrum and tailbone necessarily). This tucking is more inward, though the feeling is still rather circular in direction. Paying close attention reveals that tucking the pubic bone leads to "tucking the tailbone," but slightly differently. 
3. What I think is right now, elaborated upon below, "drop the tailbone."

The division I'm most keenly aware of in the yoga world splits along instructions (1) and (2) above. The essential claim is that traditionally, (1) is recommended, and the proponents of (2) indicate that it's a recipe for injuries, very nearly in the same manner Tom experientially describes. I think my own instruction, dropping the tailbone (which I'm told is not unique to me and have since seen in published literature in yoga, baguazhang, other internal martial arts, and in structural kinesiology), is the most accurate way to achieve the desired structural goal.

When I say to "drop" the tailbone, I mean something akin to tucking, but instead of tucking it up and under, I mean specifically tucking it nearly straight down. The idea is almost like having a weighted plumb attached to the coccyx (or perhaps the sacrococceal joint) that is pulling nearly straight down. That is to be differentiated from tucking up and under. This force feels primarily linear, not circular.

Now, engaging in this "drop" mindfully will reveal a couple of things. First, it does, in a way, satisfy the definition of "tucking" the tailbone, but only moderately. This suggests that it fits the "happy medium" between where I was corrected for over and under tucking in my baguazhang training. Second, it naturally tucks the pubic bone also, though it is slight. Third, it one really pays attention, it brings a small amount of tonal contraction into the abdominals and gluteal muscles at the same time, which is well known now to be structurally advantageous for protecting the lumbar spine while moving or even simply being upright.

Furthermore, I think from what I've read about internal martial arts training, the dropped tailbone is consistent with the theoretical goals. First, as we know in baguazhang, there are almost always forces appearing in opposition, creating a sense of internal dynamism that is the road to development. Many people have heard the requirement (associated with the Qian, Heaven, Trigram in YSB) to feel as though the crown is elevated by a string. I would claim that this is the proper oppositional force to that one, lowering the lower spine in a similar manner while the upper spine is gently pulled upward by the crown-raising requirement.

While I indicate that the force feels nearly straight down, it is perfectly apparent by paying some attention that it results in a circular motion at the pelvis necessarily, as it is anatomically positioned only to roll into anterior or posterior tilt. The goal here, specifically, is to achieve pelvic neutrality under intentional light tension, which creates and maintains a light longitudinal tension along the entire spine so long as the head is being held aloft (as on a string) and the upper back is being lifted and opened appropriately (Gen, Mountain, Trigram requirement in YSB).

That's great. How can I find this feeling?

With attention, anyone can find this feeling just by experimenting with the orientation of their pelvis while training or standing. The feeling, given the description, is rather obvious when you stumble upon it, at which point it can be trained. I don't think it is optimal at first to look for it while standing or training, though, because there are more variables there making it more complex to find and maintain. Instead, I suggest looking for it at first while sitting.

The sitting can take place seated in a firm chair of comfortable height (thighs roughly parallel to the floor while seated, like most dining room chairs are for most people), or it can take place sitting cross-legged on the floor. The goal is to be seated in a position where your butt presses rather directly into something. The reason I think this is a useful training tool is because if you try to tuck anything in this situation, you'll very quickly find that it's very obviously the inappropriate movement. The "drop" motion makes vastly more sense and even satisfies some of the odd esoteric instructions in some meditation practices (e.g. "plug one's tailbone into the earth" apparently while maintaining orientation of the huiyin point between the legs).

If my hypothesis about it achieving the theoretical structural goals of the internal arts is correct, then this pelvic orientation should also be appropriate for seated meditation (remembering that yoga and many aspects of the internal martial arts training evolved around facilitating seated meditation is useful here). Particularly in Taoist neigong (internal work), the Du Mai (Governing Channel) up the back should be oriented for clearing obstructions to facilitate natural flowing. It seems reasonable to assume that whatever satisfies that goal while standing should also work while sitting. This "dropping" motion seems to satisfy that goal. Meanwhile, doing it sitting makes it rather apparent how the apparently linear downward force on the back of the pelvis translates into an apparently rotational upward and inward force at the pubis.

Once the feeling is discovered, translate to trying to achieve and then maintain it while standing (casually), then standing while training (e.g. standing strengthening), then moving (casually), and then moving while training (e.g. circle turning). It is a fairly comprehensive sub-study in and of itself.

Experiment with this and see what you find. I'd appreciate feedback!