Taught By: Michael J. Shea, PhD. or Valerie Gora

The fifth module introduces the gesture of embodiment, which started during the fourth module. Along with the heart tube and the notochord, the gut tube is introduced. Exercises are given to give students a sense of their gut tube, especially around the umbilicus.

Many people are compromised in their intestinal tract and have inflammatory conditions resulting from diet, nutrition, allergies, etc. Such people are metabolically challenged and consequently a part of their fluid body will also be compromised. Chronic inflammatory conditions are now considered epidemic. The gut tube is becoming more and more important in the scientific understanding of human embryology. Its role seems to be as a type of midline in between the heart tube and notochord/neural tube.

The discussion now in embryology is that the gut tube is “inducing” the unfoldment of the heart and brain. This would also be true especially for the face.