Posture question

Hi Nikki,

I’m so glad you are working on the posture and yes, you’re experiencing what almost everyone goes through at the beginning. My illustrator is working on a couple of very good drawings that will be up on the site next week, which hopefully will assure you that you are on the right track.

I’ve always emphasized the importance of the head/neck/shoulders, as this aspect of the posture will make sure you are not over-doing the lumbar curve. However, from working with women in person it's been made even more apparent to me how important the shoulder girdle is to this work. The posture itself strengthens this area, but anything else you could do - like raising a light weight above your head as you keep your shoulders down and neck/head stretched long is helpful. Rest rest rest.

Christine

p.s. We'll post this more prominently asap, but the book is out of print as of this week - I sold the last one on Wednesday. Look for the new edition (hopefully!) by July 1.

Hello, my question is on the shoulder position. I was always told to pull them back and down and pinch my shoulder blades together. Is it not advised because it might result in too much of a lumbar curve? Also I was thought by my pilates instructor to place my pubic bone and hip bones on the same plane - would that be right? I hope I'm being clear. Thanks x

Hi Kitkat,

The shoulders should never be pulled back. Instead, the broad, horizontal shoulder girdle is a crucial element of our tension/compression musculoskeletal system. Create a wide “coat hanger” from which to help hold up the rest of your body and watch your aches and pains go away and your prolapse improve.

I think that pelvis instruction is too vague and difficult to grasp for people who don’t know how the pelvis is oriented in the standing position. When standing, the pubic bones and their joint, or symphysis, form a horizontal floor from front to back. Our pubic bones lie horizontally well underneath our torso, not in front of it. If you were to place a ruler vertically at the front of the pubic symphysis, approximately 4 inches in a direct vertical line above the symphysis is the first sacral vertebra, which is completely horizontal. The first sacral vertebra is also referred to as the “sacral promontory” and rocks forward into the interior of our pelvis when we stand in correct posture. It is the exact center of gravity of our body. This means that what we refer to as the hip bones, the iliac crests, are approximately 1½ inches forward of both the sacral promontory and the front of the pubic bone.

To answer your question, yes, the pubic bones and iliac crests are on the same coronal plane and cannot be altered from this relationship. However, the entire pelvis can rotate so that although that relationship still exists, the tailbone is tucked under and the pelvic system destabilized. My guess is that your Pilates teacher is making some such very common error. It makes no sense to tell someone to place these two aspects of their pelvis on the same plane because first, they already are, and secondly, the pubic bone is way underneath and you cannot really feel it to be on the same plane as the iliac crests. It is with great misfortune that what should have been very helpful books, such as Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, by H. David Coulter, illustrate the orientation of the pelvis inaccurately. That seemingly small error has huge implications for understanding female pelvic health.

We have a completely horizontal (more horizontal than even some Whole Woman™ drawings) sacrum, which provides a very stable, wide base of support from which to move. Unfortunately, those who have surmised the human spine to be stronger and more stable the more its curves are straightened out by artificially pulling in the belly and tucking under the tailbone are simply misguided.

It is very difficult to find accurate representations of the pelvis, even in advanced medical books, because it was flatly misrepresented for hundreds of years even up to the present time. An overwhelming majority of anatomy and gynecology books depict the pubic symphysis going downhill from front to back. The best drawings show it to be horizontal from front to back. However, I have a cast of an actual female pelvis and when I hold it in its exact bipedal position, I see the pubic bones travel slightly UPHILL from front to back. This would stand to reason, as the pelvic diaphragm is under traction uphill, from pubic bone to tailbone. This is all so self-evident, if only girls and women were to be given accurate models and illustrations from which to understand their own anatomy.

Christine

Thanks for your response Christine. I have to think about this and practice it. I find that if I understand why I have to do something, I can apply it much better. Cheers xxx

You're very welcome...it's a joy to write for people who really try to understand. :-)