Put your awareness on your spine

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation method is: “Place your whole attention in the nerve, delicate as the lotus thread, in the center of your spinal column. In such be transformed”. This technique is listed under “Techniques for Centering” and aims to help the practitioner discover and align with their inner core.

How It Is Done

To practice this method, consider the following guidance and steps:

  • Close your eyes and visualize: Begin by closing your eyes and visualizing your spinal column or backbone. It can be helpful to first look at a physiology book or anatomical structure to aid this visualization.
  • Keep the spine straight: Ensure your backbone is straight and erect. Maintaining a straight spine is crucial as it facilitates the flow of subtle energy and makes it easier to perceive the inner thread.
  • Visualize the delicate nerve/silver cord: In the very middle of the visualized spine, imagine a nerve as delicate as a lotus thread running through it. This “silver cord” is not a physical nerve detectable by physiological means, but an immaterial energy cord.
  • Concentrate on it: Direct your total attention to this thread-like nerve within the spinal column.
  • Embrace initial imagination: At first, this visualization may feel purely like imagination. However, with persistent effort (“endeavoring”), this imagination can transform into an actual perception, allowing you to “see” your spinal column from within.
  • Cultivate sensitivity: This technique is particularly effective for those who are “body-oriented” and can feel their body from within. If you find it difficult, Osho suggests developing body sensitivity by consciously feeling sensations (e.g., touching your eyes with palms, feeling water during a shower, or playing with a pillow).
Commentaries and Insights
  • The Spine as the Foundation: Tantra and Yoga consider the spine as the fundamental base for both the body and the mind. The brain itself is seen as an extension or growth of the spinal column. A vibrant and alive spine is directly linked to a brilliant mind and overall vitality.
  • The Silver Cord – The Thread of Life: The delicate nerve or “silver cord” visualized within the spine is not material; it is pure energy and is considered your very life force. It acts as a bridge connecting you to both the visible (body) and invisible (soul/existence) realms.
  • Purpose of Centering and Transformation: Concentrating on this inner thread directly throws your consciousness to your inner center. The ultimate goal of this and other centering techniques is to achieve a state of inner rootedness, which eventually leads to the experience of the navel (hara) as the existential root, regardless of the initial point of focus. When the inner thread is realized, the practitioner is filled with a new light that emanates from the spinal column, potentially extending beyond the body as an aura. This transformation signifies an awakening within.
  • Connection to Sex Energy and Chakras: The spine is recognized as having two poles: the sex center (Mooladhara) at the base, which connects to the material (Prakriti), and the Sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head, which connects to the divine (Brahman). This meditation aims to reverse the common downward flow of sex energy (towards earthly concerns) and enable its upward movement towards higher consciousness. In a deep sex act, energy naturally concentrates near the spine, making it an opportune time to attempt this visualization due to heightened energy flow and relaxation. The psychic part of sex energy, unlike its physical counterpart, can indeed rise through the spinal passage and its energy centers (chakras).
  • Experience and Warnings: As the psychic energy rises, one may feel a rising warmth and an inward light, leading to a new sense of “livingness”. Sensations at the sex center, like erections, are seen as positive signs of awakened energy, not hindrances. However, Osho gives a crucial warning: it is paramount not to leave the energy “in the middle”—meaning, not to stop the practice with energy lodged in an intermediate center. The energy must be brought completely to the head (Sahasrara) and released into the cosmos. Failure to do so can lead to “mental illnesses” or create “wounds” at the unreleased energy center. This method requires absolute privacy and no disturbance to ensure its safe completion. The head becoming hot is a sign of energy release, followed by a profound coldness and a sense of liberation.
  • Simplicity and Depth of Tantra: Like many Tantric methods, this technique appears simple but is profound. The mind often dismisses simple instructions, preferring difficulty to satisfy the ego. However, Tantra is a science of “how” to achieve truth through technique, rather than intellectual philosophy. It emphasizes direct existential experience and transformation. Tantra is amoral, accepting all aspects of human existence, including the body and sex, as potential vehicles for transcendence, rather than condemning them.
  • Centering as a Path: Centering through such methods is a path (method) to samadhi (the goal) of cosmic consciousness. It involves gathering fragmented energy to a single point, which then explodes, leading to the dissolution of the individual center into the omnipresent cosmos. The specific center used is less significant than the act of centering itself.
  • The Role of the Master: While these techniques can be attempted individually, Osho notes that initiation by a living master can qualitatively transform the experience. A master provides personalized guidance, chooses the most suitable method based on the disciple’s unique being, and can transmit energy, making the process much easier and sometimes leading to instantaneous enlightenment.