Vaginal flatulence

I wonder if it is related to how she times the breathing? Get her to try breathing in on the way down, and out on the way up. Then get her to try breathing out on the way down, and in on the way up. Also, consider whether creating an abdominal vacuum by blocking the airways with her epiglottis closed makes any differerence with one method or the other, and either up or down.

If she can prevent pushing out her pelvic floor on the way down, it is not going to make her vagina flap. The way to do that has to be not locking the epiglottis in the braced position on the way down *or* the way up. Allowing the air to flow freely in and out prevents intraabdominal pressure from building up in the abdominal and pelvic cavities.

Clear as mud? Or totally on the wrong track?

I would love to be a fly on the wall! :-)

I've had that happen to ME! Only once though, thank goodness. I guess I figured out how not to let it happen. It was terribly embarrassing, for sure, but even more amusing. It makes me laugh just thinking about it... it was a very small class, only 3 or 4 people, and the horrified looks... but everyone just ignored it. (The horror!)

There is also an amusing episode of South Park that deals with vaginal farting.

Hi Aza,

The problem is the squat - and other positions in which the pelvis is counternutated, like the headstand.

This is very timely, because on the first we will post a video in the village WWCenter on the mechanics of squatting. Here is the gist:

When we are small children we can squat all the way down in a parallel squat and be comfortable there for long periods of time. Of course, because our chest and abdomen are compressed against our thighs, there is no way to maintain the lumbar curve in a full parallel squat when feet are flat on the floor. All young children observed squatting down will have a rounded back.

As women begin their reproductive years - and traditionally women were pregnant if not most, then a great deal, of their lives - the full parallel squat becomes untenable. The half squat gives room for our big belly and it is this position that becomes most natural for women. A full parallel squat decreases the dimensions of the pelvic floor as well as counternutates, or unlocks, the pelvis - therefore destabilizing the pelvic organ support system.

A full parallel squat is still useful and very good exercise for the feet and legs. However, unless we are keeping our lumbar curve in place, which means using the arches of the feet to hold us there, this is a position of pelvic instability for women. For men it is great because the lower half of their pelvic floor is completely closed off to intraabdominal pressure.

Externally rotate the hips, bend the knees, and this squat becomes highly stable as the pelvis is able to hinge forward of the legs into its nutated position.

It is no accident that “plies” are found nowhere in yoga. They are a female stance and movement and yoga is a traditionally male discipline.

When the pelvis is nutated (described in the book) the vagina becomes a flattened, airless space and is protected from surrounding organs being squeezed into it under the forces of intraadominal pressure. This not only protects us from prolapse and incontinence, but also from vaginal air.

A women’s yoga would not have this issue.

:) Christine

Sorry Christine, you can see I have no formal yoga training. I thought Aza was referring to a squat of the type I did in my fitness tests, which is very much the half squat you talked about, at least it is for me. I don't have any trouble at all with a fitness test squat, as long as my lumbar curve is in place and my knees are out.

Curiously, a full squat with knees right out is not too bad for my PF, but I cannot maintain it for long with lumbar curve in place. It is just too hard to keep my weight forward.

I guess it would be good to confirm exactly what kind of squat she was doing. According to natural pelvic dynamics, she would not incur vaginal air until she lost her lumbar curve, i.e. squatting all the way down with knees pointing forward and feet flat on the ground.

Granted, it only happens when I'm in an unlocked pelvic position as Christine described, but still it annoys the heck out of me. It really is the only symptom of prolapse I have -- I could forget all about it except for the air! I'm hoping that with time and effort that this too will eventually go away.

just sayin'
you can have one and not have any symptoms. you can have one and have had beautiful births and no tearing. Passing two humans through your vagina can loosen things up- the degree of vaginal laxity is what determines pop right?

or not you know? you can still pull air into the vagina without a pop.

What was the pose right before the squat series. I bet she pulled air in during an inverted pose (downward dog or other similar inverted pose) and then it was just expelling during each squat.
if I do the squat in the pic you posted there is no way on this green earth that I can pull air into my vagina without an airlock move (like nauli)- so my bet is that the air didn't come in during the squat.

my advice? tighten the vagina during inverted poses, pay attention for a intake of air and gently expel it before getting up.

aza, can you nauli yet? I know you don't have a pop, but get on your elbows and knees nude, hold the vaginal space open and drop your belly down and breathe- try to pull air in and push it out- you will feel the vacuum. let me know how you go...

..and I agree, it's pretty hard to pull in air in that position. However, unlike the person in brown, but as the teacher and woman in black shorts are doing, she can totally prevent vaginal air by keeping her lumbar curve strongly in place during this squat.

and I bet it happened over and over again because each time she heard the noise she clenched her sphincter and stopped it -

Mmm, the woman in brown will probably do a vaginal fart, but I don't think the others will. Is that how you read it?