I'm in pain

I've only been doing the posture for two months so I'm certainly no expert. But several years ago, I was so stressed out from our girl starting college that I actually tensed up enough to pull a muscle in my arm. It was a major pull too, took weeks and weeks to sort out. Then, when I became so ill from hrt, I was so weak and stressed that I suffered a major shoulder/neck episode that required months of therapy. You've been so physically and emotionally stressed lately, it would make sense that your body is suffering from it.

You say you are pulling your shoulders down and stretching your neck up. That just doesn’t sound right to me. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought we should just relax our shoulders down, lift our head, and tuck our chin slightly. More of a holding than a pulling or stretching. That would surely wear me out completely.

I've found that each of the postural components kind of compliments and assists the other components. When I go back to my original posture now it seems ridiculous and contorted and I wonder how I ever stood/walked that way. I do find it hard to do some of my work, and especially my outside chores in the posture. I do get some back pain then, as I would think you would caring for your little people. If you are stressed and tense at the same time, I could see your body locking up on you and giving you great pain.

Yesterday, I used the wheelbarrow for the first time since adopting the posture. I got a pretty good upper back ache. If I had been tense, rather than relaxed, I know my experience would have been much different, perhaps landing me on the heating pad or worse. The weather outside was so exquisite it negated any tension I may have had otherwise though.

I know the more experienced voices will come to your aid on this. But I really feel the posture should be approached in a not so forceful manner. When I lift my breasts my lower back curves automatically now, my shoulders move back naturally and I let them relax and drop and wiggle them a bit so I can get the proper feel, as my shoulders drop I tuck my chin slightly and my neck stretches. Christine, others, please tell me if I'm off-base with this. I want to do it correctly too! And I'm still a babe at this.

I had trouble, still do at times, getting my belly to relax. I tried to solve that dilemma by cupping my lower belly in my hands and wiggling it just a bit though the day and while walking. My husband got many a good-natured laugh at me. One day I told him, 'I just love my belly!' He assured me that he did, as well. He is a jewel.

I surely can relate to all the expense. I am still in tests, tests, tests, trying to sort out my pain. I can live with the pain. It's not knowing the source that is so very trying.

I sure hope you find some relief. You are such a dear. Echoing the desires of so many here, I want you better, you deserve it.

Love, Kit

When relaxed, you can feel the weight of your arms. Just lower your shoulders, let them hang there and see. You can use their weight to train your shoulders to stay down, to get the feel of it. If you are tense, then you won't feel the weight. Try it and see if it doesn't work for you. But then, I took a test one time and it said I was 90% different from the rest of the population!!! LOL, but that was not a physical test, more of a mental/emotional thing...my husband said he was not surprised. He was smiling when he said it so I took it as an okay thing...but I digress.

When I find myself tensing up, I like a good whole body jiggle/wiggle, even if I have to do one part at a time to get everything to cooperate. Sort of my own little personal healing spasm of sorts. But don't do it really tensed, you might break something!!! Are you smiling? You should be.

Hopefully, if I'm steering you the wrong direction, then someone will come along and straighten us both out!

I wrote a poem last night for Zelda. It is on the I'm so Sad thread if you'd like to read it. It came as powerfully as they come. Got me out of bed. An easy sacrifice for such an experience though. That's the reason for my aspiration towards a lighter mood for today. Can't stay in that deep place for too long. It's an intimate and powerful and blessed pull but there is regular life to tend to. A whole bunch of life to tend to today.

Think of me today, I got me a few worries myself. Kit

Hi ladies

I used to have continual trouble with back pain, now it is only in patches. For me the solution was to use less of my back, stomach and gluteus maxiumus muscles to get my pelvis stable in Wholewoman posture, and to use more of all the muscles within the pelvis, that join the upper femur, the pelvic bones, the sacrum and the lower and mid-back.

I had to learn some Feldenkrais to do it, as my body seemed to be closing off all the nerve signals to those pelvic muscles, and I needed to teach those muscles to work again.

The other good thing to do is the ballet workout. This is what the ballet workout is all about, getting muscles of steel from the hips down. The posture actually sits on top of the legs so the legs need to be strong, stable, balanced and responsive, that's why the plies are so vital. You cannot do them with your back and stomach muscles. Holding WW posture, you *have* to use the correct muscles or you just cannot do plies. We need to use all our muscles to keep our bodies stable in WW posture.

WW posture is not about holding your spine in a certain pattern. It is about the relationship between the sacrum and the pelvic bones, and between the pelvic bones and the legs. If you get all the muscles stabilising this area, then get the shoulders hold up everything like a solid coathanger at the top, the head will take care of itself and the lumbar curve will take care of itself. The lower belly is relaxed and there is little involvement of the back muscles, so they don't spasm.

That's how I see the theory of it anyway. I still do suffer back pain, but I now know what exercises I need to do to make it go away, and mostly it works. I have had this pain or some variation of it for twenty years or so, ever since physiotherapists started getting me to do strenghening exercises for individual muscles, which ignored the whole body effect. I am so happy with the progress I have made. I now feel that I will not have to lead the rest of my body in pain, and no doubt do it a lot of damage.

I hope my story will ring some bells for you, and that you can think your way through what is happening for you in a similar way, though not necessarily exactly the same.

Cheers

Louise

it's funny b/c since discovering my prolapse I have spent some money on myself. Chiropractic, Massage, Organic foods, Christine's book. And I can tell the difference. When I am in alignment I feel better and my prolapse is higher- When I eat well I feel better- When I am relaxed- I feel better. I just figure- what is money for if I don't feel good? I don't pay for heath insurance- and I think all those 'expensive' things sort of make up for it by keeping me healthy.
I think you need to find a good massage therapist for your whole body and have an adjustment every once and a while. It makes a huge difference.
the only other thing I can think of is to rest more. and start an exercise program to strengthen your whole body.
It will get better- but you must listen to your body and if it hurts don't do it.