Cystocele and Pregnancy Yoga

Hi AK - I see that you are not a newbie to Whole Woman. The answer to your question depends on what you mean by "pregnancy yoga". Lots of traditional yoga and pilates moves are extremely bad for prolapse. That's the reason Christine has a line of yoga products, and you must observe correct posture. What exactly are you doing? - Surviving

I have not watched this video (your two links are the same). However, one of the most important aspects of the Whole Woman work is the ability to judge any and all activities by the standards of correct posture, see which ones can be modified and which should best avoided. I would certainly like to think that any workout targeting pregnant women would not put you through those traditional "core" moves that are killers for pelvic organ support. Do you know what WW posture is, and do you practice it every day? If so, you can evaluate this YouTube for yourself. If something doesn't feel right or feel good, don't do it. When WW posture appears to be compromised, modify the move. Perhaps someone else wants to critique the video. - Surviving

Hi AK, & S60,
The first 90 seconds contained enough red flags for me...
Posture had the head slightly forward, looking down and chin was not tucked.
You are free to choose how to breath, then came the big K - traditional kegels....
Learn the posture and you will be able to recognize what to adapt or avoid.
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Thanks Soul Sis, you're a peach. How are your symptoms these days (menopause that is)? - Surviving

Hi Surviving,
Thank you for your kind words! It was my pleasure, and good practice.... many thanks for your contribution on the forum!

M/pause is certainly something new to me, and of course individual! And there is not any info in relation to what I described apart from what you said, many thanks. A visit to the GP, which I may need to do again with the routine blood tests they prescribed recently, most of which are useless. Just so that I know what to research...
They ignored my concerns regarding my hands, which was why I went! I have managed since to resolve it myself 99% - not sure if it is partly a m/pause symptom. I am more careful not to eat extremely salty foods, so drink heaps more plain water, on my mother's suggestion that my hand issues, could have been partly due to water retention. Love my Mum... was drinking heaps of weak decaf tea though... as it is winter.. now drink warm water if I need to...
Then on researching the use of magnesium, I was taking the max recommended on the bottle and maybe it was taking so much water to the intestines that my body was fighting back, retaining water in my hands, (my rings were really tight),nerve pain, numbness in fingers , and pins and needles going to sleep several X a night. The max amount I researched was 1/6 th of what I was taking to help manage rectocele. I do eat foods rich in mag also but the mag does help a bit more, though it has been written here that supplements can have problems.... it is a balancing act!
I can now do the hand weight bearing floor, and hands up high exercises and everyday activities with 1% of the symptoms I had!

Was also wondering Surviving, to add to the shoulder discussion from the conference, if the chronic way most people hold their shoulders forward, particularly while driving, and doing things with the hands forward from the body, constricts the nerves between the shoulder joints and ribcage/ collar bones, causing symptoms like pins and needles and carpel tunnel, which I think I have a little also.... hence overlooking hydration as a contributor. I want to do everything to avoid surgery on wrists, or anywhere else..
I have looked at the top joints of my arms at the shoulders, and mine seem chronically bent forward & inward somewhat... really working on the posture to fix this...

SO... Christine's belly breathing exercises where we pull the shoulder blades together and stretch the chest muscles, not only helps the position of the shoulders, it would help with those symptoms along with not resting the wrists on any surface like while typing etc.... & of course POSTURE!!!

The posture also holds our rib cage more open, lifting the heart area - this has to help the heart work more freely - I have met ladies with heart & BP problems who have been told not to wear tight bras. I am more tense with tight, restrictive clothing. Grrrr!!
Another thought how as we get older, many women complain that their bras are not wide enough across the back and using extenders....with the posture mine are now OK at the back but tight across the front, and tight in general anyway, no matter what type I wear - so wear them as little as possible!

Sorry about the long post - I was hoping to share my findings and relating them to Christine's posture and exercises just shows how holistic WW is....

I will get the blood tests as one is related to hormones - though the only measure I can find if someone is in m/pause is 12mths of no periods, as you wrote... Someone I know was told they were in M/pause and have had 2 periods since... I believe that periods can happen with no ovulation?
Soreness in nipple area is still there but will ask about it also... as you wrote it seems pretty normal...

Still have dryer mouth though with horrible sour taste at times - is that a m/pause thing?

How is your arm?

Best Wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Soul Sis - My menopause was some time ago, and for some reason I was blessed with very few issues (hot flashes mainly) for which I am grateful every day. But it makes me wonder to what extent your current set of symptoms is or is not related. It is impossible to know.

I do think my shoulder and arm issues are related to posture and I have been working to solve them (they are somewhat better of late). The posture revelation for me was huge. I had been trying so hard to follow the rule of NOT pulling the shoulders back, and now realize that everything has been chronically too rounded towards the front, and I need to compensate for that. I know the exercise that you mentioned and it is a good one for me. What I really needed was "permission" to pull the shoulders farther back than they were, to get the chest opened up more. Sleeping pillowless on my back is helping too, though i rarely stay that way all night.

I too gave up on tight bras several months ago, as part of this effort......I reached a point where I just couldn't stand the feeling. I'm fairly small-breasted and it has not been a problem to dress for the office; I have some camisoles and other comfy soft things to wear instead, and can often get away with nothing at all, depending on my choice of garments and accessories.

My office chair is fine for posture, but my desk arrangement isn't the best and I think contributes to the discomfort and carpal tunnel affect. Have to reach out over my work to use the mouse. Hard to explain but awkward. When I came to an awareness of how this might be affecting things, i was able to make some small adjustments.

I too have heard that you can have periods towards the end without ovulating. I don't know how you would know, though. I guess the blood tests you mention can maybe tell you where you are in the process, but can they tell you any more than you can figure out for yourself, and what do you do with this knowledge?

I really think posture is key, and when new to this work it is common just to concentrate on the relaxed belly and put some of the other elements on the back burner. But the fine-tuning goes on forever, huh? I know a couple of younger women who have had wrist surgery for carpal tunnel, and the results were not great. Another example of a surgical "fix" that isn't! Let's keep avoiding the knife.

Hang in there Soul Sis and thanks so much for your contributions here. - Surviving