Pilates, yoga & prolapse

Submitted by Trixybell on April 8, 2011 - 3:46am
Body: 

I have recently started doing 1st Aid for Prolapse exercises (DVD). I am also following suggestions in the book Saving the whole woman and understand I will need to continue this approach for the rest of my life. I walk briskly (including a very steep hill) 3-4 times per week and have been attending Pilates classes once a week for about 7 years.

I am now worried about continuing with the Pilates class because the approach to posture runs counter to WW posture. Not only the posture, but some of the Pilates mat exercises seem to run counter to WW approach. I don't want to do anything that cancels out the good work I'm doing with the WW approach.

I'm wondering whether yoga might be better than Pilates in terms of not aggravating POP. Not sure whether to pull out of Pilates class, or continue using an altered approach. What is the WW view of yoga and is it preferable to Pilates?

Does anyone have suggestiong regarding Pilates and Yoga?

Amel

April 8, 2011 - 4:48am

Hello Trixybell
I'm a new girl and have just started exercises from Christine's book.
In the past I tried different exercises including Yoga non of which I liked until I found Tai Chi.
I've recently gone back to this form of exercise Tai Chi because it's gentle and seems to tie in with the whole woman approach and works with the body's energies.
I'm also having a top up with treatments from the cranial osteopath who put my neck and shoulder girdle to rights once. Am hoping he can do the same with my pelvic girdle. He is also a healer and reminds me that everything starts with a thought.
Keep it up
Best regards
Amel.
There is another book I have called Beyond Kegels which I use and adapt to the Kent way.

louiseds

April 8, 2011 - 4:49am

Hi Trixybell

There are many different forms of Pilates. I encourage you to learn to understand your body, and to listen to its cues. I think your body will tell you if an exercise is pushing your pelvic organs down the plughole. Then you can decide whether a particular exercise is OK for your body or not.

Likewise with yoga. There will be some poses that you will feel are not OK. Yoga was developed for men, not for women. Watch out for Christine's new Women's Yoga DVD, which will be out soon.

It would probably be a good idea to have a chat with the instructors and let them know that you have pelvic organ prolapse, so you might desist from some poses and exercises that would aggravate it. All exercise instructors worth their salt will ask participants if they have any medical problems before starting classes. If they don't ask, find another teacher.

Louise

Trixybell

April 8, 2011 - 6:36am

Thanks, once again, for your reply, Louise. I'll certainly keep an eye out for Christine's new Women's Yoga DVD. Meantime I'll have a chat to my Pilates instructor about my POP and continue to avoid any exercises that aggravate it.

Trixybell

Trixybell

April 8, 2011 - 6:41am

Thanks for that, Amel. I haven't tried Tai Chi before, but it's something I'd be open to. Thanks also for the info. on cranial osteopathy.

Trixybell

soundsense

April 9, 2011 - 8:35am

Hi everyone,
I'm new as well.

Trixybell, have you read this article yet?http://wholewoman.com/blog/?p=46

I sent it to my yoga instructors. One has replied that "Yoga is evolving, that is evident in all the different styles presented to date, and with the development of different styles and alignment principles there are discrepancies, as pointed out by the author in her own analysis. Not very many students, or for that matter teachers, are concerned with proper alignment, let alone the proper positioning of the muscular and structural supports of the internal organs. I will say that for me, I have found the alignment principals of Anusara yoga to be very supportive of the pelvic floor. John Friend recommends that we widen out and blossom through the backside, not something most women today want to hear, let alone put into practice. "

Unfortunately Anusara yoga is not available in my area. I love yoga but will have to be very cognizant of what it is doing to my pelvic floor now.

I'm so new that I haven't received my order of book and DVD yet. I'm anxious to start practicing the WW posture. I've stopped doing Kegels and am drinking red clover tea and already feel a little less of that 'hanging out' feeling.

The good news is I still have my uterus. I'm 53 yrs of age and 18 months clear of periods. I have night sweats. I have been doing aquafit 2 or 3 days a week. And yoga once a week. In the summer I also play tennis and cycle.

I'm excited to have found this site. It has given me some hope.

louiseds

April 10, 2011 - 12:46am

Hi Soundsense

I am about where you are menopause-wise, and have been through night sweats, which have now abated. They were worst during the last few months and the last couple of years. My LMP was 2009. I am now 58.

I drink red clover tea daily. It has lessened my eczma and helped with night sweats. I have also been taking standardised black cohosh at night. This really helped me to either stay asleep during the hot times at night, or else lessened the hots and sweaties so they didn't wake me as much. Either way, I no longer spend hours during the night trying to adjust my temperature or tossing and turning trying to get back to sleep. Something worked.

I have recently forgotten to take block cohosh tablets regularly and seem to be sleeping better, even without them. Maybe my body is adjusting itself? Maybe the black cohosh reset my nighttime thermostat? I may never know, but it might be worth giving black cohosh a whirl. Life is much nicer after a good night's sleep. I am still having daily red clover tea. My vulva is certainly happier too.

Louise