belly release = emotional release?

Yes, for me too it is profound and a challenge on many levels. I think many of us as women hold stress and tension and emotion, there in the belly. I agree....we have much to look forward to. Surely the posture will have much to bring in time, that goes way beyond the physical. Best wishes to you and thank you for this comment!

Thanks Maman, I think you are absolutely correct in this observation. And you are ahead of the curve if you are already feeling the truth of this. There are so many benefits to this posture, that I can truly say that my prolapse was a blessing for bringing me to this knowledge and this posture correction before I got any older. But it probably took me a good year to get to the point where I could call my 'celes "a blessing"! Keep up the good work and posts. - Surviving

The inspiration that you are is constant and amazing. Please never stop posting.

Yes, the concept is a little reminiscent of our ‘fake it to make it’ discussion which tended to upset a few people, so you may not get many takers on this. But to smile is a mood lifter, to frown in thought can sometimes push start new ideas on a particular issue, to hold yourself proudly erect can create a new found relaxation which in turns builds a confident attitude. I remember a post on this aspect written by Lanny was very insightful.

Neurolinguistic programming has developed this concept a bit and someone else noted that depressives looked down a lot and suggested that if they looked up (as someone thinking visually tends to do) their thought processes may change and lead into a different mood.

It’s the natural part of the two way relationship for the body to talk straight to the mind, which we probably allow to have too much control over things, but then when the body is sick there is nothing like the mind to distract us away from our woes and to plan our healing. It’s a matter of balance, I suspect.

Best wishes, Fab

Yes, I have heard of the body armour concept before.

If you are following this up Milton Erickson is probably the one to search. NLP's basic ideas are very good and they spell things out pretty straight forwardly and are based on Erickson, but they have gone considerably commercial so you really need to be looking for the basic texts rather than "NLP for salesmen" etc.

happy hunting, Fab

"I definitely feel that the ww posture has changed the way I carry myself"

Hi chickaboom, I read bluesky and yourself celebrated eid, I wondered if you could advise on prayer positions. I've not prayed for months as I feel uncomfortable standing or sitting even in ww posture, the feeling of something dangling down there! I can't distract from this, so can't pray clearly. What do you suggest and do the prayer positions allow you to stick tailbone out? How did you begin your journey and how have you progressed? Bluesky doesn't post,it would be good to hear how she is getting on too. bluesky was the first post I read on here and stuck with me, she sounded very devout in religion.

Hi shazzy, you can read about correcting your prayer positions here:

http://www.wholewoman.com/forum/comment/35386#comment-35386

Prayer is a wonderful relief for me, both physically and mentally, now that I've corrected my stances - and they are in accordance with WW posture. I hope you find the same comfort in it as I have.

I began my ww journey in the summer of 2011, after the birth of my third child. I knew something was wrong "down there" before giving birth even, during my pregnancy, and had begun searching online. I knew about prolapse because my mil had it but didn't think that this is what I had. I found katy bowman's blog and began squatting like crazy and then bought Tasha mulligan's hab it DVD and began following the exercises. I wasn't sure what was right, what was wrong. I was kegeling all the time even though I always felt stupid doing something so unnatural to me. How can an act so foreign to our body ("squeezing like you are stopping the flow of urine"!) be imperative to our health? Didn't make sense to me. And then I found wholewoman and began reading the forum and implementing. The truth of what Christine teaches about our anatomy was so obvious to me after just a few weeks of implementing posture. All of it made so much instinctive sense.

Have you gotten a hold of the book yet? It will give you that reaffirmation you need that this is the way to get your organs back to where they should be - or at least to a point where their position is a non issue to you. You will have easy days, difficult days, good days, bad. I'm now in the final trimester of pregnancy and just yesterday noticed that my cystocele is lower than it has ever before been. Eek! I was in a bit of a funk yesterday when I realized that. I always have an idea where my anterior vaginal wall is throughout the day due to the washing ritual after using the bathroom - water container in right hand, fingers cleaning vulva with left hand - so when I was palpating yesterday I thought woah what is that?! Squatted, grabbed a mirror (never again!) and freaked out. I'm not sure why my cystocele is bulging out so angrily after being MIA throughout the entire pregnancy (something tells me the weight of the uterus and baby has something to do with it) but I really don't mind - but it took me a while to get back to that mindset last night. I know now that our pelvic organs have such amazing ability to move around and most importantly, I know what I need to do. To me, it's a lifelong journey and there's nothing more for me to do than to plod, plod, plod along (in posture, of course ;)).

Oh and I am also curious as to how bluesky is getting along!

Hi I got email from Chicaboom, Assalaamuwalaikum, May Allah's peace abd blessings be upon you.

As far as i am doing it's there in its place as far as i do my excercise, posture, eat well, and not lift heavy stuff

What we have, the solution is not overnight, its a life time process like we juggle our family hubby children its one extra ball in the juggle....:)

I am not too bad

Yes one good news tough, i think, i have lost weight, secret- Apple cyder vinegar hope for good
(MashaAllah, there is no power but with Allah)

Basically trying to dig the ways of prophet Muhammed ( May Allah's peace and Blessings be upon him)

My way of life has changed how i eat , drink, what i think Almost every thing for good...

I have taken as a another life experience and thank Allah for this precious life......

I stope hear i can go on n on... I know :)

Thank you ladies for some very lovely posts. Bluesky, it is so true that prolapse is just one more ball that we have to juggle as we go about our day. It sounds like you have figured out how to do that quite well!

Chicka, I wish you all the best as your pregnancy draws to an end and you have the joy of meeting your new babe. I’m sorry that you had that little blip in your confidence level….that’ll teach you to grab a mirror at this stage of the game! Seriously, you’ll be back here (as time allows) advising other young prego ladies facing delivery with prolapse. Can’t have too many of those experts in our midst! Best of luck to you. - Surviving

Walaikum assalam sisters! May God grant peace and blessings on you and your loved ones, ameen.

How wonderful to hear from you and thank you for your updates.
I have got the book and the DVD, I have not been able to do any exercises yet as I am juggling two children on my own at the moment, so it is very tough to find some time, hopefully this will change.

My uterus was near the opening during my second pregnancy and I was shocked as I had never heard of anything like this, I was determined to have a home-birth ,so I didn't raise it with the midwife. The midwife came to my home to give me a membrane sweep and she told me that my cervix was high and it all looked ok, (which I still cannot understand). Anyway, I had my lovely home-birth and my baby was born before the midwife arrived, she told me that my uterus had come down and to do pelvic floor exercises, but it wasn't any lower than before when I was pregnant , so that was good! I did the exercises and I took homoeopathic remedies and I forgot about it. My baby is nearly 22 months, it was 3 months ago I found my uterus near the opening again and it really frightens me, it does freak you out as it is unexpected!! It also reminds you that we have got no real control over anything in life, it is what God wills! We have to keep faith, which is the real test.

I spoke to a nutritionist friend I know who believes that the diet needs to support the liver with POP, she suggested a fat free diet for a month...
My diet is very good and I gave up chappattis reluctantly over a decade ago, I do miss them. I dont take salt, sugar, dairy, coffee, tea, chocolate etc.

My mum told me in asia they have women who use the heel of the foot to push the uterus back, I don't know how that works.

I have also searched for duas or prophetic remedies for POP, but I haven't found anything specifically, just general duas for worries and problems. If you find anything please let me know.

My husband has always told me that salah exercises the body sufficiently, and it is amazing that the positions can help the pelvic organs too aswell as digestion, grounding and releasing negativity in prostration, I could go on...

I have been in the WW posture for over 2 months now, I wouldn't go back to back straight it doesnt feel right anymore. I haven't had any improvements at all, which is a bit depressing!

Chickaboom you sound very positive and proactive and I'm sure the POP will not be a problem during labour. You know what to do postlabour, so you are very lucky!

Bluesky, it was soooo nice to hear a positive story from you too as yours was the first post I read on this forum- when I first read your post my heart went out to you as you seemed to be very low about POP and other challenges in life. What is your diet now ? Do you still eat chappattis....oh I wish I could!!

I am happy to hear that you have taken positive steps to help yourselves and you are in a better space !

Please stay in touch I would love to hear how things work out for you both :)

Salaams X

Bluesky- good to hear from you. Updates are always good.

Surviving- thanks for the kind words, your posts are always an inspiration, bless you.

Shazzy- I had to LOL when I read what your mom said about how they used to treat uterine prolapse in Asia. My grandmother had that same maneuver done to her when she prolapsed after one of her births. You can read about it here:

http://www.wholewoman.com/forum/node/4603

I wonder what their logic is in doing this maneuver? I do know that they lived differently than we do now - squatted to pee and poo, spent lots of time on the floor, walked everywhere, etc - and maybe that helped their jammed-into-place uterus actually STAY in place??

You are only two months into this, I'm sure you'll see a difference soon. Look at how this negative occurrence (pop) has caused you to make so many positive changes in your life already!

In Islam after giving birth women are encouraged to stay at home and rest for forty days,there are communities of women who during this recuperation time for the mum,massage the mum on a daily basis with nourishing oils and generally help in any way they can. Wouldn't it be great if we all had this community spirit,perhaps POP would be less epidemic.
Also, as soon as mum is ready, she is encouraged to squat,I remember on a trip to asia, my cousin who had a newborn was laboriously cleaning the floor in a squatting position tailbone up and legs wide, she said it would help her organs to go back into their correct place - at the time I didn't understand what she meant.....I do now!!!

Love this post, thanks Shazzy! So much wisdom. - Surviving

You probably know already ladies that if you sit on your legs with feet crossed, you can place your heel directly under your uterus. I find that seated position does comfortably return the uterus to a nice position above the pelvic bone.

cheers, Fab