Posture and exercises

Submitted by caz_789 on April 21, 2005 - 3:22pm
Body: 

Hello Christine and everyone,
Wow I'm feeling really excited and positive at the moment. Have been doing the exercises from the book on and off for a couple of weeks now but only started those in the video on saturday (less than a week). Correcting my posture consistantly throughout the day! I still feel a bit lower-back achy from the newness of it all but I think that will pass and is easily relieved by lying on the floor.
I have some queries, technicalities perhaps and I have a sense that some time in the last few weeks I've read some similar posts but now I can't find them! So I hope you don't mind.
Firstly, should we be doing all the exercises in the book and the video every day? Or are the video exercises a sort of development of the programme?
Secondly, you don't seem to talk about pulling up or contracting your pelvic floor muscles in the video in the same way as in the book. Am I miss-understanding the language? In the video when you show the Stick pose and describe rolling the weight onto the front of your perineum, you say you will feel the pelvic organs sharply pulled upwards. I can't feel this and am not sure whether I should be deliberately pulling up the pelvic floor muscles or if this should naturally happen as a result of rolling forward.
Thirdly, in the video when you demonstrate the Rectovaginal lift you say that this works ....P.F. muscles and their attachments to the vagina and rectum...Does this exercise or any others particularly affect the pelvic floor muscles attachments to the bladder if there are such attachments. The reason I ask is that I am beginning to see that the worst part of my condition at the moment is the cycstecele.
Finally, thank you Christine so much for this wonderful work that you are pioneering. It has given me such a positive way forward and i really feel optimistic about the future. I have lots more questions but I've gone on too long already so I'll save them for another time.
Thank you and best wishes to you all, Caz

Christine

April 22, 2005 - 6:58am

Hi Caz,

You are so welcome

caz_789

April 23, 2005 - 5:18am

Thank you Christine for your helpful reply.

Although I started with the book exercises, I find I do prefer the video ones, except the Paravaginal lift which is about the most challenging exercise I have ever done! I have for years started my day with the yoga Salute to the sun which I have gradually modified and I think slowed down from the original, holding the stretches rather than doing many repeats. Since reading your book I have further modified it by consentrating on exagerating the lumbar curve, especially in the Downward dog part. At the moment I still like to do the exercises while watching the video and unfortunately I can't do that every morning due to family arrangements. So my practice is variable from day to day but I do generally do at least part of the routine every day though at all different times of day and according to how long I am at work.

I have tried the Stick pose again and you are right, I was holding my breath. Also I think I was already partly rolled forward at the start as I tend to manually pull out my 'Sit-bones' when i try to sit with my legs straight out in front. When I tried it from a less nutated starting point I think I could feel some movement but it was very subtle. Maybe I was just willing it to 'work'! I probably do have a milder prolapse than some of the other women here in that I have never felt any organs totally outside my body, but I would also say that from reading some of the other posts on this site I now understand that the severity varies throughout the day and I have previuosly been mainly checking in the shower of a morning when I now understand it is probably at it's best.

I thank you for the information on bladder support. I must admit that I found the video explanation and technical terms of the muscles, ligaments and bones a bit overwelming not haveing any medical experience. I have re-listened but still need more drawings models etc to help understand it all and wonder if anyone could suggest any additional sources of graphic material.

Once again thank so much Christine
Caz

Christine

April 23, 2005 - 7:20am

The most artistic and easy-to-understand is: "The Female Pelvis -- Anatomy and Exercises" by Blandine Calais-Germain.

If you want to read my thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the book, you might take a look at the thread titled "Is This Prolapse?" by Alcina in the Pelvic Health forum.