Nauli Update & Posture Question

Submitted by Snapcracklepop on October 15, 2014 - 8:32am
Body: 

Well...I'm making some progress with the Nauli and today I definitely felt the vacuum. It's slow, but I figure I've got the rest of my life to work on this so no big shakes :-)

I've started sleeping with a very flat pillow because I shared a symptom with others of having to defecate right upon rising in an uncomfortable sort of way and this was what was recommended. I'm liking the results bowel-wise, but have had some hip/glute discomfort when I sleep and switch sides. I'm figuring that this is just muscles making the adjustment from how I used to sleep which was pretty elevated. Since I don't have pain in my hips when I'm up and about, I'm thinking I'm on the right track though time will tell I suppose.

My posture question is about my standing stance. I'm noticing that my natural stance is quite a bit wider than what is recommended for the posture. I'll observe this and then bring my legs in line, but I am curious 1) if this even matters and 2) if it does, is there something anatomical I can focus on to help me create even more awareness around this issue so I can reverse the habit. It would be helpful for me to know the specifics because I'm finding knowing them helps me better attain the posture and reinforce my efforts.

Thanks!

Forum:

Surviving60

October 15, 2014 - 12:28pm

Interesting question and I don't know the answer. I would think that it probably doesn't make a difference as long as it is not causing you to turn your toes in, and isn't compromising any other aspects of the posture. If you can stay with your feet either straight ahead, or slightly turned out from the hips with knees directly over toes (this is depending upon what you are doing....standing, walking, doing certain exercise moves) then you should be OK. Wouldn't mind hearing other opinions (or educated guesses) - Surviving

Aging gracefully

October 15, 2014 - 12:59pm

I was actually stumped on that one, surviving. My thinking is that since we should be trying to keep the posture at all times and during our daily activities, that we would probably be standing with varying widths with our legs. I know mine aren't always real close together.

Aussie Soul Sister

October 15, 2014 - 5:07pm

Hi Snapcracklepop,
Re - Hip and glute discomfort at night. A pillow between the knees can be useful when sleeping on your side.
In WW a WIDE STANCE IS IMPORTANT when lifting objects/ children.
Whole Woman walking is with feet parallel and pointing straight ahead.
Christine's holistic, whole body approach with the posture and exercises, which straighten limbs, strengthen and lengthen the muscles and fascia, improve balance, and importantly give our organs the space and protection to function, and so much more, is such a gift from her years of research and work on herself.
Take your time, listen to your body and I hope you enjoy this journey as it is amazing.
Aussie Soul Sister

Snapcracklepop

October 15, 2014 - 7:23pm

Thanks for your replies Surviving, Aging & Aussie Soul Sister,

I forgot to mention that I have been sleeping with a pillow between my knees, but now that I reflect on it, it might be too thin. I think I'll try a different one tonight and see what that does. Also, I'm noticing that it's mostly when I'm at the sink when I'm taking a wider stance. I catch myself coming out of posture quite a bit at the sink :-(

Gotcha with the wide stance for heavy lifting, Soul Sister. I have tended to be a bend at the hips/waist person when I get something off the floor. I think that this is a habit from my long term yoga practice encouraged by the swan dives we do when we do sun salutations. It just feels good to do a forward fold, but I'm imagining that it's better to squat. Speaking of yoga, I went to my first class since coming across the Whole Woman posture info and noticed that I felt like I needed to adapt a few poses to follow Christine's recommendations.

Definitely enjoying this journey as it's very science-like to be tuning into my body to this degree and studying "what happens when" :-)

Aussie Soul Sister

October 16, 2014 - 12:21am

Dear Snapcracklepop,
For any hip discomfort/ pain the Hips DVD is effective for ironing out those problems, and also using a pillow between the knees is fine regardless.
Prolapse and hip problems often seem to go together as the foot arch, acetabular roof of the hip, and the lumbar curve develop together with belly breathing and movement, as we develop in infancy, and deteriorate together with modern lifestyle.
This is why Christine's approach is so holistic.

Bending forward from the hips ( not waist ) is fine for light objects on the floor.
The forward bend is one of the best of Christine's stretching exercises for lengthening the limbs and for balance, two of the tremendously important benefits of the Whole Woman approach.

There is a great exercise called a full parallel squat in the First wheel DVD, which led to my experiments with crouching on my toes to do some things with the challenge of standing up again with the strength of my thighs and slight spring of my toes, and good balance, most of the time....

With some yoga, they straighten the spine and put standing weight on the heels instead of evenly on the soles of the feet, to name two differences that come to mind. You will be able to adapt or avoid activities if you ground yourself in WW and it looks as if you have made a great start!
Have fun,
Aussie Soul Sister

Surviving60

October 16, 2014 - 4:50am

Yes, this is one of those tricky positions because we tend to be leaning a little bit forward, flattening out lumbar curvature and creating that obtuse angle of instability for the organs. Height of your sink will be a factor too. It's very tiring. I think that if a wider stance gives you more stability to keep from collapsing the spine as you work, that's good. - Surviving