Not just ANOTHER post about yoga!!

Submitted by jannah101 on March 12, 2008 - 5:38am
Body: 

Hello,

I am new to this forum, and I am so glad that I have found it. I am a fitness instructor, and I have been diagnosed with a cystocele and a 1st degree uterine prolapse. I have 2 children, and am 30 years old. I live in Amman, Jordan, where we don't have access to physical therapists, qualified yoga instructors, or even gynecologists who can answer our questions.

I HATE to post another yoga topic, but I am at my wits end. I am teaching a fitness class with several of upright yoga poses. We do poses like the warrior, forward bend, sideways facing forward bend, triangle, and tree. Having given up aerobics and weight lifting, I have found yoga to be gentle and peaceful and I have enjoyed a great response from my students.

After class, I felt an increased pressure on my bladder. I have read through all the posts on yoga in this forum, and I haven't come away with a solid answer. Should I cancel my classes? Am I harming myself with these poses?

I have a very strong core, and I wanted to throw a different slant on the "is yoga okay for prolapse question". I don't have any trouble with breathing properly or not "bearing down" as I have been trained how to breathe and hold in my core. However, I found that the actual *stretching* with the legs separated could be "undoing" the work I have been doing with my kegels. In these poses, even the "Earth Mother" pose, the legs are separated and there is a lot of stretching going on in the groin. Could this be harmful? Since I have a problem with laxity already, could the stretching be adding to the problem, or is it beneficial?

I hate to cancel my classes, but I will do it if I have to. I have done enough damage to my body through exercise...

I so appreciate all of you ladies listening to answering yet ANOTHER yoga question, and would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you, and peace to all.

kit

March 12, 2008 - 6:36am

Hi Jannah, and welcome. No worries about creating new posts of old subjects. New answers often come of it and we gain a little more ground.

Have you seen Christine's blog, Why We Need A New Yoga for Women? The blog links are on the left hand side of the screen, second list from the bottom. That particular blog has ideas for altering some poses. You can print it out also.

I'm sure Christine or someone will be around later to answer your question more fully.

We're from all over here, glad to see you here with us.

I write a little more coherently when I'm not half asleep. It's very early here in the Southern U.S. and still very dark out. We live very far apart, you and I, and here we are both on together this morning. Lovely thing, this internet---and you will find this site even more so. Good women here. You will feel at home.

Welcome again, Kit

Christine

March 12, 2008 - 9:33am

Hi Jannah,

Buy the book :)

It is high time women everywhere learn and begin teaching to others our true anatomy and how important it is to live in our rightful shape.

Your pelvis is not a “basin” with a hole in the bottom. And because of this, there is no real pelvic “floor”. The bony pelvic outlet is 100% vertical and because the pelvic diaphragm attaches from the back of the pubic bones (which are not out in front – the mons where most of your pubic hair is found is mound-shaped because it is the attachment point for the outer layer of abdominal and inner thigh muscles to the front of the pubic bones) to the very bottom of the spine, those muscles form a more vertical slope. You can find your pubic bones by reaching slightly inside your vagina and directly to the front.

Kegels are ill-conceived. In a standing straddle position, if the lower belly is relaxed and your breath flowing naturally, your pelvic organs are pushed out in front – well over your pubic bones – so they are pinned into position by the forces of intraabdominal pressure rather than forced toward the pelvic outlet.

:) Christine

jannah101

March 15, 2008 - 2:55pm

Thank you Christine for your response and Kit for your post.

I definitely will buy the book.

I went to yoga class on Friday, and was slower, and more conscious of my alignment, and I felt that may have helped. Still did the warrior poses, but with more consciousness...

Yes, I have looked at Christine's blog about the New Yoga, it was very helpful. In addition to those postures, I need to research more postures. I think, as a fitness instructor, I need a lot MORE information and training on this issue of proper pelvic alignment. To be honest, I wasn't even concerned about it, till I got a POP myself.

It's all very confusing to me still. For example, I teach Pilates, and it doesn't seem to bother me at all. However, I can see how and why one could say that the classical Pilates matwork routine is not so good for a woman's pelvis. But I am pretty sure that the Pilates, at the moment, is not making my pop worse -- maybe it's because my core is strong enough to make up for it.

Also, I have given up so much already...that its somtimes painful to have to give up/modify even more.

Has anyone attended any of Jaki Nett's classes on the Felt Sense Method? Jaki Nett is a yoga instructor in California who cured herself of incontinence using yoga and visualization.

Keep me in your prayers, you all are in mine.

alemama

March 16, 2008 - 7:53pm

I think if it doesn't feel go don't do it. I doubt very seriously you will be able to overstretch your pelvic muscles and ligaments and tendons- as long as you don't do it all the time-
so if you are teaching 3 or 4 hours of classes a day 3 or 4 days a week you might consider modifying some poses that feel too stretchy for you. Also if you are going to be lifting heavy weights I would do the deep intense stretching after- so that you do have good support while lifting.
all bets are off if you are hypermobile- I wouldn't stretch those deep muscles if that were the case.
As a fitness instructor you probably know how to listen to your body better than most- use that knowledge and find what works best for you.
For me that was finding what worked instead of eliminating what didn't. and the best part is you are in a postion to give others an education- so hurry get the book and read it so you can spread the word......