These domes are great destinations for you

Looking to discover stunning and breath-taking wonders of the world? You don’t have to go far. Inside of our bodies are impressive dome shapes that deserve a closer look and our admiration.

Let’s start with the arches of the feet. If you were an ant, you could enter these twin semi-domes underneath the feet. They are mirroring each other but are not completely the same. One arch might be lower than the other. It’s like visiting two ancient churches or mosques with beautifully arched ceilings in danger of collapse. For an ant, it could also be as strenuous as hiking the trail from Yosemite Valley to the famous geological formation of Half Dome. Not only ants can experience these domes. You can do lots of fun exercises with your feet.

Next stop is the rib cage. It’s an amazing structure that should have a lovelier name. I would prefer to use the German word for it: a rib basket. It’s a shelter for our lungs that is strong and protective but allows for breath and expansion of the lungs at the same time.

Right next to it you will find the diaphragm. Its dome shape is huge and flexible. You can imagine a parachute inside of your chest. Breathing is like skydiving inside your body. The parachute is rising up with every exhalation. Breath is the cheapest way to fly. You have your dome shaped parachute always with you. Amazing, isn’t it?

On our way up, we missed the impressive structure of the pelvis. It mirrors the rib basket. This upside-down dome is a cosy nest for organs and babies. Warm, dark, and soft. Gravity can slide you down and catapult you into a new world. Like Alice in Wonderland. The pelvis is where the magic happens. It opens up to a world that is bright, but sometimes brutal.

The roof of the mouth or palate is, in my case, a very high and oval dome. It gives my tongue, but also food, a lot of space. This egg-shaped dome reminds me of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. What a great place for food. Not the Basilica, of course, but the palate; like a palace.

And last but not least, the hand that is able to form a dome, to grab and even make a fist. Don’t miss out on the domes of the hands. For Bowspring lovers, a Dome Hand or High Dome are well known positions of the hands. And again, if you were an ant, you would be stunned and probably frightened to walk through such a Dome Hand. It might remind you of the giant sculpture ‘Maman’ by Louise Bourgeoise in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. This enormous spider challenges emotions as it is simultaneously appealing whilst also terrifying to walk through.

All of these dome shapes, and many more, are great destinations for your breath, thoughts, and body work. Let’s play and exercise with these precious body parts that can do so much.