Another way of using the pelvic vacuum phenomenon

Submitted by louiseds on January 1, 2009 - 9:13am
Body: 

Hi All

You remember some time back we were discussing the issue of getting air in the vagina, particularly with yoga positions like downward dog, but also with firebreathing and even nauli?

I figure it is all to do with getting the uterus deep up into the belly, whether by vacuum or gravity.

For the past few months I have had a return of POP, while I have been doing heavy work related to building and garden. It is variable, day by day and still during my monthly cycle. Now I have eased off a bit my organs are spending more time up higher again. I knew they would.

I have found that I can use this vacuum phenomenon to bury my pelvic organs deep in my belly, very quickly, like 20 seconds, and it lasts until I do something stupid! I stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees bent slightly, and bend over from the hips so my belly can hang between my thighs with my hands on my feet. I so some weird thing with my diaphragm that sucks air into my vagina, then have a good wriggle around and get my organs into their right positions, then bear down gently with my diaphragm and upper abs to generate an outward flow of air (like a fart but controlled and quieter). This seems to push the vaginal walls together and locks them in place with with uterus up high, rectum behind and bladder in front. I can then stand up again into Wholewoman posture and my uterus and bladder stay deep within my vagina. I think that getting the uterus up high holds the bladder forward and probably more intestines slip into place behind the vagina, locking the vagina, bladder and uterus forward. Sometimes there are a few little bubbles of air that come out of my vulva at this point.

Sometimes it is harder to get the air flowing in than at other times. Perhaps I am sometimes in too much of a hurry and don't use the right muscles. I still haven't mastered nauli, but I find this exercise quite easy.

It is just a really neat way of getting the bulges to go up and stop annoying me after overdoing it. Of course it also gets them up and out of the trouble zone if I plan to lift something heavy or do an awkward manoeuvre. It is all about moving in a controlled way and setting your body up for safe manual handling. I can even do it in public (as long as I am not wearing a mini-skirt - whoa! bad look!). I just back up to a wall, put my bag on the ground bend over and have a quick rummage in my bag. Voila! Rearranged handbag and rearranged organs!

See if you can make this work.

Cheers

Louise

ps Blue, it is amazing the things you figure out while driving around in the desert in South Australia, or sitting on a boat on the ocean when the fish are not biting. :) I have come back with a new perspective.

KatKat

January 3, 2009 - 3:56pm

Thanks for sharing your finding. The only way I can do anything with my diaphragm is to inhale while letting the belly expand. Could you elaborate on "do some weird thing with my diaphragm" if possible? I can understand if you don't know quite how you do it, which I gather from a later comment.

louiseds

January 5, 2009 - 11:43pm

Hi Katkat
It is a little hard to describe, but I will try anyhow. I think it is closing the epiglottis, that valve that allows the throat to operate both as a food tube or a breathing tube. I lock it in 'don't breathe' mode and try to breathe in with my diaphragm. This does two things. It creates negative pressure in my lungs, and makes little, deep hollows appear at the the base of the front of my neck, behind the collarbone. Secondly, it pulls the abdominal contents, then the pelvic contents upward to try and fill the void. This is what nauli seems to do, I gather. Clear as mud?

L

alemama

January 6, 2009 - 9:01am

You are one step away from Nauli-
Nauli is actually 2 parts- sounds like you almost have the first part totally- just missing the hollow right around the rib area-
the thing you are doing is what I did early PP before my muscles recovered- except I got on my knees and elbows and let gravity help me...

louiseds

January 6, 2009 - 7:30pm

Thanks Alemama

Just what I needed to hear! Can you help me to work out what I have to do next to get the whole nauli thing happening. I just can't isolate those rectus abdominus muscles, even though I too could do it as a child. Very frustrating. I must admit that there is a bit too much fat around my belly to get the visual feedback(!), but if I feel my belly with my hands it just doesn't feel 'naulish', nor is there any exta vacuum. Yes, I bend over deeply from the hips to get the gravity help too.

Cheers

Louise

KatKat

January 6, 2009 - 11:42pm

Your explanation did clarify what you are doing when you do the weird thing with your diapharm. Now to be able to do it.... I keep wanting to pull my abdomen in and up--haven't yet figured out how to communicate with my diaphram. LOL

louiseds

January 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Hi Katkat

I think you just have to keep trying, like I do with nauli With lilmited success so far. It is like I don't know what I have to do so I can't do it. One day, like so many new skills that we learn through life, it just works. You don't even know what you are doing differently, but suddenly you can do it (like riding a bike or shimmying).

I think the closing of the epiglottis is the main thing. I think that happens when we have hiccups and try to muffle them. If the epiglottis is open the hiccup will be loud cos lots of air goes in suddenly. If you want to make as little noise as possible you just close the epiglottis (which is quite low down in the throat) to stop the air getting in. That's when you get the vaccum thing. Your diaphragm is moving down to draw air into the lungs but the epiglottis closes preventing the inward flow and creating negative pressure in the chest cavity which draws the abdominal and pelvic contents upwards and makes the little indentations above the collar bone.

You keep trying with this and I'll keep trying with nauli.

Cheers

Louise

Blue

January 10, 2009 - 7:40pm

.
Louise, you wrote:
"it is amazing the things you figure out while driving around in the desert... when the fish are not biting. :)"

You are what's amazing, you know -Congrats on finding your inner vacuum, kiddo! Your discovery reminds me of a dream I had just last week: I, the fun grandma, was tumbling around on the floor with my young granddaughter and grandnephew, when I gave pause to a painless pelvic catch deep within, accompanied by an inborn *thwoop*-like report... Upon standing, I found that I was no longer prolapsed! - that through whatever fascial breach my organs had warped, they had suddenly retracted, settling into and remaining within their proper boundaries... I marveled at the simple solution, and was giddy from the joy of my realignment...I recall wishing, upon waking, that I could remember the exact contortion it took to get my ducks in a row, so I could share it with the WW-world....And then here's our Louise, back in the real world, able to do what I can, so far, only dream about. lol You go girl!

Like KatKat, I can't help but contract my lower abdominals (a big POP no-no, I know) in my attempts at firebreathing, nauli and now your own aligning 'suck-settle-n-seal'. I've always thought of myself as coordinated, but I seem to be at a loss when it comes to these wonderful releaving exercises. Perhaps in time, eh? Thank you for sharing the fruits of your desert drives and fishless casts, Louise. = : ) Amazing!

♥~Blue

alemama

January 10, 2009 - 8:23pm

just still thinking on it. uddiyana bandha is one of the three locks used throughout Ashtanga practice.
Uddiyana bandha which is also considered an upward lock kicks in almost automatically as a side effect of a strong mula bandha. The lower belly below the navel sucks inward, firming the abdomen and drawing the breath up to expand the rib cage, chest, and lungs. The diaphragm, however, does not harden, but continues to move freely. Over time, uddiyana bandha actually helps increase lung capacity. Uddiyana Bandha-Flying Upward Lock: This lock is engaged by exhaling fully and then drawing the lower belly (three fingers below the navel up and in while simultaneously lifting the diaphragm. For this practice you want to hold a partial engagement of Uddiyana, not a full engagement. Make sure there is stillness in the lower belly throughout your practice.
This website explains the three locks well: http://www.paulfoxashtanga.co.uk/theory.htm

It is hard for me to describe exactly how to do it step by step because I can't do it myself at the moment.
Keep at it- you will get it in time- and then be ready for some serious lift.