Question about Lesson 5 - Plie

Submitted by kit on October 22, 2007 - 3:16pm
Body: 

I am trying to perfect the exercises one at a time.

Concerning Plie...when we tighten the pelvic diaphragm upon rising, should we have a sense that this action is lifting us up as opposed to rising using mostly the legs? That is what it feels like to me, a strong upward rise that the legs follow.

Also, tightening the pelvic diaphragm...what I am doing feels like a combination of lower buttocks, yoni, lower abs all locked together...does this sound correct?

It feels very powerful and yes, I think this workout will make one sweat when done consciously with serious effort. I was sweating just trying to learn...Kit

louiseds

October 22, 2007 - 8:25pm

Christine doesn't call it Wholewoman for nothing! The brain sweats too.
;-)

Louise

kit

October 22, 2007 - 9:24pm

Seriously, it is more strenuous than it looks!!

Hopefully, Christine or someone will chime in and let me know if I'm doing it properly. Being respectful of the time and effort that has brought this to so many in need. I really want to make the best of what has been offered by doing it correctly.

Louise, while searching around a bit today, I believe I read your very first few posts. When I look back in a couple of years, it would be wonderful to find such growth and progress in myself.

This seems a journey from betrayal and darkness, to acceptance and strength. The saddest part is, so much of it seems so avoidable if only we had a little education. It simply astonishes me that as women, we go to the doctor for check-ups so routinely but this condition that is so prevalent is so rarely mentioned. When I first noticed things were different, I went for 3 visits over 1 month but prolapse was never mentioned and, sadly, I'd never heard of it. The closest I got was, 'Well, I can still move your uterus around.' I said, 'What does that mean?' And, honestly, she just looked at me with a blank stare and no answer. Then she wrote me a prescription for Premarin cream (which I did not fill) and walked out of the room.

If gynecologists are not going to be advocates for prevention or open to educating their patients, we need a new women's medicine specialty... Kit

Christine

October 23, 2007 - 12:19am

Thank you for asking this excellent question, Kit.

Okay…so you are in a very deep second position plie. Your belly is relaxed so that your pelvis can hinge forward (nutation) and you are pulled up (shoulders down) by the crown of your head. Your pelvic diaphragm is lengthened to its utmost extent from pubic bone to tailbone. Upon rising, the pelvis counternutates and the pelvic diaphragm muscles contract in tandem with the motion of the bony structure they are attached to. Because the outer layer of abs moves in sync with the pelvic diaphragm, they too join in this movement.

Rather than accentuating the movement by tucking and tightening with force, I suggest just going with the flow of the contractions that happen naturally as a result of the movement of the pelvis. When the belly stays relaxed and pulled up, you get a real sense of the pelvic musculature easing the organs toward their rightful “house” – directly behind the lower abdominal wall.

Instead of forcefully squeezing the lower buns together and tightening the abs, see if you can relax those and feel the incredible stability of the horizontal sacrum. This feels like a slight squeezing together of the spine at the very top of the buttocks. You describe perfectly what is really happening anatomically, but the power of the movement is coming from strong legs and buttocks.

louiseds

October 23, 2007 - 7:11am

Yep. I must also go back and see what I wrote!

Louise

kit

October 23, 2007 - 5:14pm

Thanks Christine, I think I have it. I was putting too much effort instead of letting it be a more natural, graceful, fluid movement. Still feels strong just not so piston driven. Amazing the power you feel in the body when you listen for it. I hope I don't tire you too much as I learn this routine. I am purpose driven at the moment. Kit