Living Your Scorpio

Living Your Scorpio: Guest Post by Dr. Stephanie Marango

Your body is energy. Modern science perceives this energy many different ways, from within your smallest bits of matter (e.g. electrons) to the quantum fields that comprise 99.9999999% of you. Ancient scientists—devoid of technology—perceived this energy more metaphorically (e.g. meridians, doshas, chakras, auras).

Enter the zodiac as a way to understand and work with your energy.

This month’s zodiac sign is Scorpio. Scorpio occupies a special place in the zodiac, demarcating a change in tempo between the signs that come before it and after it. It represents the time to move beyond your daily state of affairs and into your connection with the larger fabric of life. In order for this to take place, however, you need to metaphorically die in order to be reborn. This sign’s energy comes straight from the underworld to uproot the subconscious patterns that you have carried through lifetimes. It represents a burning of karma that sheds layers of skin time and time again. This eternal catharsis is the essence of Scorpio, who is ready to take the plunge and risk losing it all for the sake of regeneration. For the sake of knowing who she needs to be now…versus before. And so, each death brings transformation as Scorpio’s phoenix crashes and burns, only to rise from the ashes and soar once again.

Scorpio energy is very passionate. It is prone to high highs and low lows, which is why it is of utmost importance to focus on its region’s balance and stability. The region related to Scorpio is the sacral center. The sacrum is a collection of five fused bones at the end of your spine, below your lower back (lumbar spine) and above your tailbone (coccyx). The Latin root for the bone is os sacrum and means “sacred,” called so because of an ancient belief that the soul resides there.

The sacrum forms a greater region—a big, bony basin—along with your pelvis and its contents (i.e., bladder, uterus). The sacrum and pelvis unite at the sacroiliac joints; these joints possess some mobility and a lot of stability, which is important because they are the only place in the body where your entire torso connects to your lower limbs.

A properly aligned pelvis therefore forms the foundation of your musculoskeletal world. Ideally, you want each side of your pelvis to be level and directed straight ahead, not tilted, rotated, or with one side higher than the other. This neutral position prevents sacroiliac joint discomfort and promotes Scorpio self-care.

To healthily engage your sacral center and all it represents, the first step is to sense where your neutral pelvis is. Use this exercise to self-assess:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip distance apart. Arms are elongated by your sides with palms facing down.
2. Place one hand between the curve of your lower back and the floor. Extend or flex your back—just small movements are needed throughout this exercise—so that there is just enough room for the width of your hand. This position should approximate your neutral pelvis.
3. Do an anterior tilt: tilt your pelvis forward (toward your knees) so that your lower back arches and there is excess space between your back, hand, and floor.
4. Do a posterior tilt: engage your abdominal muscles to bring your pelvis back through neutral in order to tilt it the other direction (toward your head). Your pelvis should tuck so that your lower back comes flat upon the floor and your hand is compressed between the two. Your sitting bones should remain on the floor.
5. Return to your neutral position by subtly tilting your pelvis forward again. Sense how the position feels on the floor. Feel free to tilt between positions as much as necessary to establish your sense of a neutral pelvis.

After you spend time practicing pelvic tilts on the floor, the next step is to take your proprioception into different positions. For instance: Can you sense how your pelvis is directed while standing? Walking? Sitting? If it is tilted, make the necessary anterior or posterior adjustments to shift your pelvis in neutral. A neutral pelvis will help maintain a balance point for your Scorpio energy and its great passions, so that you can harness—and not succumb—to them.

Let me know how the exercise works for you or if you tried another that you prefer. None of this is absolute; it’s all relative to and in encouragement of you.

See you—and your hips—in Sagittarius,

Dr. Stephanie / StephanieMarangoMD.com

Your Body and the Stars: The Zodiac as Your Wellness Guide

The first book of its kind, Your Body and the Stars is a fun, practical, and insightful handbook that takes a revolutionary approach to holistic wellness by unlocking the powers of the stars.

Do you suffer from neck pains? Go to the chapter on Taurus and the neck. How about sore knees? Learn preventive tips and exercises in the Capricorn chapter. Is your birth sign a Leo? Then read about how to optimize your Leo qualities and health. Your Body and the Stars is the first comprehensive reference guide to go deep into the twelve zodiac signs and the specific body region each sign represents—from your head down to your toes. Each chapter integrates a self-directed program and holistic approach to health—both your emotional or mental well-being as well as the physical health of your body. Practical end-of-chapter tips, questions, and illustrated step-by-step exercises give readers the tools they need to treat what is troubling them and to integrate this new perspective into their day-to-day life to prevent further illness.

Your Body and the Stars brings together a medically trained, holistic physician, Dr. Stephanie Marango, and a talented astrologist, Rebecca Gordon, whose horoscopes have appeared in Elle and on Epicurious.com. They combine their individual expertise to bring the twelve zodiac signs to physical life, providing a lifelong guide that can both prevent and self-heal, illuminating your head-to-toe healing connection to the cosmos.