How long for progress to show?

Body: 

Hello
I was wondering whether anyone could share their experience of how long it takes to start seeing positive results. I have been doing WW posture for about 6 months now. I hold the posture all the time, do the WW workout almost daily, fire breath, have stopped doing housework and lifting, have a high fibre healthy diet and feel that I am doing everything right. But my symptoms have definitely worsened over the past six months. My bulging is worse and the pain that I had in my lower abdomen has now gone to my back and also vulva area. I now can't have sex either as too uncomfortable. I feel very disheartened as I so wanted to deal with this in a holistic way and would love to hear that there is still some hope for me.

Thank you.

Forum:

I certainly did not have my best progress in the first 6 months, but I am also quite sure that I was not worsening during that time.

Something in your post spells "tension" to me. Does the posture still require effort for you to "hold" or is that just an unfortunate choice of words? If you are carrying tension in the body anywhere, you are not in posture and you aren't going to progress much. And what about housework and lifting? I don't think anyone here ever suggested that you stop doing these things. There are prolapse-safe ways to do virtually anything, once the true posture has really taken up residence in your body and mind.

So....no one here is in any position to confirm whether you are doing "everything right" or not. Sometimes a consult is necessary if you have reached a plateau and are stuck. I just get the feeling something is not clear at this time. Maybe some other thoughts from our members will help. - Surviving

Hi mango46,
I agree with Surviving that there is something in your posture or how you are doing the fire breathing which is not helping you.
If you hold tension in the lower belly at all that won't help.

Also make sure when you do the fire breathing - I find all fours on the floor style the best to start with and have only used the standing one lately, and make sure the breathing is around the right way.

If you slouch at all or sit out of posture it will not help either.

The posture at first is a constant adjustment just like when we are driving and adjusting the steering wheel minutely as we drive straight down a road - it can become more automatic as we go, however as we lost most of the elements as children, it will take some time to make it more automatic, particularly as our surroundings don't often accommodate original human posture...

This really is a journey of learning how to reconnect with our body, observe and listen to what it is telling us...that is what I have found helps along with the WW knowledge I have studied constantly...

A consult at this stage could help you out of the quandary you are in right now...

Wishing you all the best,

Aussie Soul Sister

thank you ladies for your comments. I wonder if there is something wrong with my posture. I do feel some tension in my body and I still get back ache from doing the posture. I wonder whether my abdomen is not relaxed. The front of my torso often feels very stretched. I know that I should be able to do things if I am in WW posture but I find that everything I do is uncomfortable and so I end up not doing anything and lying on the couch in the evenings after work. I am going to make another appointment with the Dr, to check that nothing else is wrong. Does Christine's book give more info on the posture? I have been working with the DVD. Thank you for your support.

Keep the chest lifted, and belly soft and relaxed, and the lumbar curvature will take care of itself. If you try to force it, you will indeed get soreness.

Remember your belly breathing, and remember that even the WW exercises are only as good as the posture and breathing that you observe while doing them.

While rest is important, lying on the couch to avoid the discomfort of prolapse is no solution! In proper posture, gravity and movement are your friends. Don't be afraid of the bulge.

The First Aid for Prolapse dvd is excellent all by itself. Any additional resoures you might want to add, will only help deepen your understand of the WW work, and give you some variety as well. If you are ready to build your collection, I'd recommend the book, and perhaps the first wheel yoga. The Store has a full description of the offerings which include great bundles and on-line courses if you are interested. - Surviving

Thank you Surviving60. I realise now that I actually find it quite difficult to relax my belly and I am often holding tension or pulling up so hard that my belly goes hard. Do you (or anyone) have any techniques to relax the belly? Also, when fire breathing, I don't actually notice any organs going back into place. Yesterday I took Aussie Soul Sister's advice and started doing it on all fours - both at home and in the toilets at work :( But I don't feel anything moving, although later at my desk, I did feel a sensation of movement but I don't know whether that was moving into or out of place.

Learning to relax the belly, and breathe in and out of the belly, is just something you have to keep telling yourself to do. One simply has to be mindful all the time. Eventually it does become automatic but this can take a long time, so don't get discouraged. We have all been taught to do the opposite. The breathing sequence is critical in firebreathing, and it was not intuitive at all for me. I kept trying to inhale and exhale in the opposite pattern. Holding in our bellies has turned many of us into chest-breathers, and this takes time to reverse. So really study the breathing sequence in firebreathing. It is the same one used in other exercise moves such as pelvic rocks and circles. For awhile I was doing as Soul Sis suggested, on all fours seemed to allow me to concentrate more on the breathing and less on holding my position. Now, I can do it with ease. - Surviving

Thank you Surviving. Yesterday I really tried to relax my belly and to breathe into it. When I felt pain coming I really focused on breathing into my lower belly and it did seem to help. My bulge feels a bit better too. I am a chest breather so learning to breath into my belly is new to me but I can feel it making a difference. Thank you