COMPANION NOTES: cerebrospinal fluid and flow

Welcome to this set of resources. You'll find images, useful links, playlists, guided practices, references to mythology, plus journaling prompts and poetry.

Making anatomy explorations more personal helps deepen our understanding of the structures and systems; they become immediate as we lift the knowledge off the page and into our body. Allow the anatomy to inspire imagery, music choices, and movement possibilities. Think outside the box and consider the language you associate with the anatomy, as well as stories, myths and archetypes.

I hope my collection inspires you to create your own unique resources.

• ANATOMY

Here is some information at KenHub to get you started. If you are a detail person, then this short animation will show the pathways that CSF follows as it circulates the brain and spinal cord, and from here, YouTube will suggest further clips that might interest you, for example about the meninges.

• GUIDED PRACTICES

I’ve recorded two practices for you, both guided visualisations, to chart a way into an awareness of the CSF and its circulation.

As a general note, sometimes exploring CSF can leave me a bit spacey - if you are into astrology, it has quite a Piscean vibe to it and certainly brings to mind the boundless feel of Neptune which can be pleasantly day-dreamy or disorientingly foggy! So, remember you have the earth in your bones and that your body as a whole resides in the pull of gravity; you can always come back to the sensations of contact with the ground or your chair etc.

Another tip would be to do something practical when you’ve finished your explorations and writing/drawing to integrate your experiences. In all my study and work with Linda Hartley and the IBMT teaching teams, there was always a plentiful supply of tea and biscuits - important moments of everyday self-care.

This first of the visualisation is about 10 minutes long and you might want to use it as a seated practice or lying-down practice. Have a note book handy for writing or drawing afterwards or you may feel like moving.