Can someone please explain in detail correct way to do WW walking?

You have it right, Selma. You just have to get used to the posture more, and then it will feel not only natural, but great! Walking a lot, in very mindful WW posture, is actually about the best way there is of imprinting this posture on your body and mind. I found this out once I REALLY started a walking program.

I swing my arms normally while walking. Christine and Louise have described and demonstrated flapping your arms while walking (like a bird flying). This is great for the posture. I'd do it more, but I'm too self-conscious.....I don't have private, secluded places to walk. - Surviving

Hello everyone, I have now got the Saving the wholewoman book and read it from beginning to end, and have tried the posture, but cannot understand how to relax my belly or what this means as its very hard to know if I am doing it the correct way. My posture is really very bad in that I seem to lean forward rather than standing upright so wondered if everyone who gets prolapse really has postural problems that may have caused it in the first place. I thought I was the only one who did not stand really straight, also I notice that my top half of my torso seems to be twisted slightly to the right rather than central (I would not have observed this if I hadnt been trying to do the posture) so I expect that is a start. When doing the posture does it sort of make your lower back more of a curve than straight feeling which you can feel when standing upright. I have also tried balancing a telephone book on my head for a very short while, but I feel I really need someone to tell me how to do this part about relaxing your belly in case I end up doing more harm than good and maybe not doing it right. There is no wholewoman teacher in Scotland and the nearest one is in England 500 miles away from where I live. Also I would like to know how effective wellwoman poture is in correcting a large rectocele which I have been diagnosed with, as posture seems to be aimed more at cystocele and uterine prolapses. The diagrams of it all in the book show the rectum quite far back near the spine, so is it possible to hold it over the pubic bone? Sorry for all the questions, but if anyone can tell me howto correctly do the posture and lower belly relax then I would be so grateful. Thanks to all.

Hi Charlene – glad you have received your book and started working on posture. I must tell you, that I’ve had the book for almost 2-1/2 years and I’ve read it through several times. So I’m not surprised that you didn’t absorb all that knowledge on the first run-through! I don’t know anyone who could.

Relaxing your lower belly is just something that you have to tell yourself to do. No one can explain it in words more clear than that. It’s the opposite of sucking in your belly, something that you may have been taught to do in the name of “good” posture. Well, it isn’t!

You are absolutely correct about the lower lumbar curvature – that’s what WW is all about. It’s what gives your organs a place to go. You are restoring the natural spinal shape that you had as a child, since you first started to stand and walk and run.

If you go to the FAQ’s tab above, there are some great new pictures and diagrams about the posture, along with a detailed description.

You might also want to watch the video’s on the video page, maybe even order Christine’s video, First Aid for Prolapse, since you are having trouble picturing all of this from the book.

Good luck and keep at it! - Surviving

Thank you survivng 60, I had not seen the diagrams in the FAQ tabs. Is it enough to just try and get the standing posture right for the beginning say three to six months perfecting it, and then go on to the other exercises with the bar, or do i have to try and do ALL the exercises every day from the very beginning? Just wondering if doing the standing posture only in the beginning and getting it right will help to make some small change. How far on are you with it after two years and what change will become noticeable? Thanks. Charlene.

Charlene, absolutely anything that you can do is helpful. The idea is to restore lower lumbar curvature that has been lost. We have been taught to suck in our bellies and tuck our tailbones under, and the resulting flattened spinal shape has caused our organs to fall back and into the vaginal space. Learning to stand and move in WW posture takes time and feels very strange at first. After awhile, you can't imagine that you ever stood any other way. The exercises are offered to help strengthen the muscles that support this work, and allow you to learn what kinds of moves feel good and ARE good for prolapse. I admit I don't work out like I should, but I have used the tapes to find moves that feel good to me and help me keep things feeling stable throughout my day. For example, I love doing plies in a turned-out position with my organs held forward over the pubic bone. In the morning, I'll dry my hair in plie! Feels great. Walking is the best. It didn't even feel that great to me at first, but I kept consciously reminding myself of all aspects of posture. Lots of WW walking is a good way to train yourself. Now I can hike for hours and when I'm done, I can barely feel my 'celes at all. Don't push yourself...there is no need. But work on it all the time. Life is much better when WW posture becomes effortless, something you don't have to think about constantly. - Surviving

Hi Charlene

You seem to be making some good observations about your own body and your posture. Being aware of what our body is doing is very important, and is a good first step. People who cannot find an awareness of how they are, or consciously change the position of parts of their body, are at a distinct disadvantage.

SSTW is quite a technical book. The DVD's are more applied, and of course, are more visual. I would always encourage women to purchase the book because understanding is important for me. Without understanding, ie just copying someone's description does little to help a woman to be able to know what to do with her body in any given situation. However, it is often useful to *see* what Christine is talking about. This is where the DVD's are a great help, and this is why there are both formats available. I haven't dipped into the book for a while now, but I have been doing this for about nine years, so I know it and understand it well. I am still learning from the DVD's.

You speak of a 'more upright posture' than WW posture. WW posture is very upright, regal in fact. It is what happens between skull and thighs that determines height. If your spine is straighter at the bottom (lumbar) you have to tip your pelvis backwards and make the sacrum more vertical. When you do this it rotates the sacrum backwards too, and the top of the sacrum ends up lower than it was. Your upper spine then has to curve forwards to compensate or else you will fall backwards. This takes your neck forwards to compensate in the opposite direction. The nett result is that you are not more upright at all.

Hope this clarifies a bit. Have a look at the videos in the Resources tab.

Louise

Have not been back to see replies about the posture until today, so thanks for replies. What I was meaning is before trying out WW posture I had bad posture in that I slouched forward rather than stand upright. I am still doing the posture and put a telephone book on my head, but have a bit of aching in lower back/cocyx. Is that something that wears off as I get used to the posture, or do you think I should try easing off it for a while as maybe Im straining something I shouldnt. I have also tried a bit of the "pelvic rocks" shown in the DVD clip. But again I dont know if Im doing any of it right. I read here yesterday that praying in the moslim postion is also good for prolapse. If I mastered how to do it do you think it would be sufficient to help with the prolapse and just do the standing posture also. I have already spent £50 on the book and do not have money for DVD;s etc at present. Wish I could feel what you ladies are all talking about but maybe improvements dont happen overnight. Thanks for replies.

Charlene - one suggestion I'd make to you is to forget about walking with a book on your head. Is that the only way you can remember to pull up straight? I think it complicates things greatly - it hinders your concentration and you can't go through your daily life that way. Doing posture all the time is what matters, after all. Relax the belly, pull up your chest, shoulders down but not back. At the beginning it will feel strange - that happened to all of us. A little soreness is normal any time you work new muscles. If you're more than a little sore, ease off a bit. There is plenty of information in the book and on the site from which you can determine whether or not you are "doing it right". We'll answer any questions that we can. Improvement happens over time, certainly not overnight and definitely not without major effort and patience on your part. Read those posts carefully about prayer positions, because if I recall, certain positions are good and others might need modification. Keep it up! - Surviving

thanks surviving 6o. The reason I have been practising with the book on my head is i am thinking if I could just stand straight with the telphone book on my head then it would be a start,then all this other thing about relaxing belly and shoulders down might come natural, as its that relaxing belly that I have the problem trying to know if I have it right or not. This is so so hard to get right, but Im not having much success with getting rid of the bearing down sensation. I will keep trying and see if it works. Thanks again.

Hi Charlene - I think that maybe you are expecting to stop feeling your prolapse as soon as you pull up into correct posture. That isn't what happens, but if that is your expectation, then no wonder you are having doubts about your technique! I have been doing this for almost two and a half years. I still feel my prolapse but the important thing is that I have trained, and continue to train, my body to hold those organs over the pubic bone in the relaxed lower belly as much as possible. It is an all-day-every-day thing for the rest of your life. There is no cure for prolapse. This is the best way to live with it. I sense from your posts that you kind of skimmed through the book, and maybe missed the message that this is not a quick fix. Keep working and keep posting! - Surviving

PS: It is the round ligaments of the uterus that help pull everything forward. You have expressed concern that a rectocele (I have rectocele) is too far back to be helped by this work. Lots and lots of info on this forum, the WW website, and the book, explaining all of this.

Hi Charlene

Nah! Ditch the phone book. Just go through the body from feet up to head, and get them right, bit by bit. There is enough to think about without the phone book as well! ;-)

The other thing that you don't mention is breathing. The concept of having a safe space for your bladder and uterus against your lower belly is underpinned by diaphragmatic breathing. I suggest that you set aside a little time every day to master this first.

Do you understand what you are trying to accomplish with diaphragmatic breathing?

Hello again thanks surviving60 and louise eds just reading your posts. I meant to ask you surviving60 what is plies? I searched the search box but cannot find it. I am not making much headway with this posture programme in terms of relief and have abdominal pressure all day every day. What is happening is I really don't know the difference between a proper need to empty my bowel and the pressure from prolapse and don't know when my bowel is empty properly and then I have pressure lower abdomen discomfort all day and spend a lot of time lying on the couch. How do you ladies know deal with this or do you experience this. I am on a waiting list for rectocele surgery and I am really depressed in case the rectocele worsens as the bulge is worse sometimes than it used to be, but from what I read here the surgery is not successful either. So when I do the posture I thought this pressure feeling discomfort would be getting better, and because it's not I am wondering when I will expect relief. Can I ask you both also what sort of test diagnosed your rectoceles? I will give the diagram breathing a go but wish it would take away this abdominal discomfort. I am sorry to complain just tired of this day in day out. Charlene

This does take some time. It is not a quick fix. Try if you can, to have hope. Commit as best you can to do the posture and realize that as in all healing, it takes time. There is much risk when it comes to surgery. The relief you will feel from posture work and gentle exercise work (I say gentle, because you want to work with your body and it's particular limitations) will take as long as it takes. I know that is a hard reality, but if you trust in the naturalness of this posture, you will know at every given moment you are actually working on making your symptoms improve. Plies are actually a move from classical ballet and they are the knee bends that Christine demonstrates in the Prolapse DVD. They are explained in the book as well. You can do them gently in the course of your day, a few times here or there, or you can do them along with her DVDs. They help many of the muscles and ligaments (I am trying to learn some anatomy so I can't yet tell you which ones). The breathing that you are striving for is to let your breath come right into the tummy....not to keep it shallow in the chest. As you breathe into the tummy, it will move outward a bit. That is what we are working at doing all the time. Try to stay relaxed with this work so that you dont get hyperventilating or anything like that. Just relax your tummy and gently pull the air down into your tummy while keeping your muscles relaxed. Every day is a new day to work on this and to make it a constant quest. Just having that quest should help to give you good healthy direction. This work is done every second of every day and in time it gets to be natural and easy. For me, I felt significant relief in about two or three weeks of constant posture work. When I was tired from posture, I would rest on knees and elbows or lie down. But the second we are up, we are in posture all of the time. I cannot help you with the abdomen discomfort but I do think this will help in time if you can be diligent and disciplined in working at it. When you are resting, just rest and relax and know that you deserve the rest from working so hard with the posture. Also, are you located near to where you could meet with a WW teacher? or you could consider a phone consultation with a teacher? I send you my very best wishes so that you can feel better soon.

Thank you very much miss nightingale for discribing the breathing and relaxing the tummy. I am going to work hard at it, but am so afraid I will be doing it wrong. There is no Ww teacher living near to me. I understand how hard it must be trying to explain it to me, and thanks for that. I hope I get it right. Thanks also for encouragement not to go the surgical route, just some days I'm so depressed with it. The website is so good for support, so next time I write I hope to be saying it's getting better. Charlene.

You are right. It is very hard to know if we are doing it right. I too wish I lived near to a WW teacher, as I know there will be many corrections to be made and I so want to be doing it well. However, I can tell you that I must be doing something better than before because the symptoms are better. The relaxing of the tummy was very hard for me. when I took my walks, I would put my hands on the sides of my belly to remind my muscles to relax because I think life taught them to be tight. Now I watch over them in all things because it is so important. Try if you can to focus on the breathing as often as you can...constantly if possible and in a bit of time it will come. I hope that you will be better when you write next time. Best wishes!