Ilchi Lee writes that your tailbone is one of the most overlooked parts of the body, yet its position during your training exercises is the key to achieving optimal physical and mental well-being.

Jung-Choong Breathing embodies postures and breath work. It focuses on exhalation and proper positioning, letting inhalation happen naturally, without any conscious, intentional control. The angle of the taifbone is critical to the flow of energy in the body. Just as the internal organs are supported by the tailbone, so is our energy system.

In the embryonic stage, we all have a tail, but it is soon enveloped by the body as it enters the fetal stage of development. So, in fact, you still have a tail now, but it is inside your body, in the form of your very important but largely misunderstood tailbone.

You may have learned in biology that the human tailbone is “vestigial,” meaning that it is an evolutionary “leftover,” with no practical use for the modern human body. As it turns out, the tailbone is very important for the structure and support of the body-and the flow of energy throughout it.

First of all, the human tailbone acts as a cushion for the spine. The tail-bone is actually constructed of three to five bones that are loosely hinged together. Whenever we sit down, the three bones curi under, acting as a shock absorber to protect the spine.

The tailbone also supports internal organs because many of the muscles that support the abdomen connect to it. Essentially, the muscles of the lower abdominal cavity form a “hammock” that supports all the surrounding organs, attaching on the front to the forward pelvis and on the back to the lower spine and tailbone.