Tired ramblings

Submitted by Variable on December 13, 2018 - 4:12pm
Body: 

I'm not sure what I hope to achieve from this post. It's so difficult when no one can see me day to day but I feel like I must be doing something wrong as I am still struggling with back pain. It has improved some since I stopped over stretching but then complicated recently by what I think is an injury to a tendon near the base of my back which is painful particularly after sitting with crossed legs or sitting for long periods like at work. I have asked for a physio referral but am worried that a physio will say It's posture related and won't understand what I'm trying to achieve with the whole woman work.

I have seen a practitioner who said my posture was good. And when I'm up and about it feels fine..especially walking but often times when moving around I get twinges and stiffness and when I tuck my tailbone under it's painful but almost in a good way as it stretches the muscles - if that makes sense??!

I am constantly confused about whether I should rest with heat more or do more yoga and walking to help. I have 2 young children so time is limited.

I feel best on a day when I can walk a bit but also get on the floor and stretch a bit too. A day in the office is really hard going. On long car journeys I find my legs and hips painful and I cannot get comfortable. Maybe a wedge and a lumbar support would help? The dip into the back of the seat probably doesn't help?

When I sit. Should my butt be splayed out behind me to exaggerate the curve or should I just sit straight so my tail bone I slightly tucked. The latter feels better at the moment.

I appreciate this makes little sense. I guess I am looking for any solidarity/guidance really. I have been at this 2 years now and I so want it to be the answer for me but right now I am worried that I will be crippled by back pain in later life and I have to choose between that or awful prolapse symptoms. I have lost my way!!!!

P.s. I should add that whole woman has in many ways saved me. Which is why I don't want to give up on it!

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Christine

December 13, 2018 - 11:51pm

Hi Variable,

I hope I can encourage you to keep working out the bugs until WW posture becomes effortless. We wouldn’t have all these success stories and triumphant practitioners if the posture wasn’t anatomic. Here are a few pointers:

Make sure you are not purposefully tilting your pelvis forward (sticking your bum out the back), which causes great stress in the sacroiliac joints. The pelvis is completely relaxed - including the lower belly.

Keep your chest lifted, shoulders down, upper back flat and broad.

WW breathing is primary. You must allow the midriff to come fully forward on the in-breath.

Pull up into WW posture every time you’re on your feet.

When sitting, don’t try to lift your chest. Because your legs are coming forward, lifting your chest creates stress in the thoracic spine. The idea is that your chest will be already lifted from practicing while standing and walking when you have full leverage of lumbar curvature.

Sit in WW posture with knees comfortably apart. Imagine that you are sitting on your pubic bones, not your “sit bones”, which should be slightly elevated behind you. Relax your lower belly over your thighs.

Think of your pelvis as a saddle that you are straddling, but don’t try to force your bum out the back.

Remember-to-remember to pull up through the back of your head and neck by pulling your chin in and down. This is very important, because if the head comes forward it throws the entire rest of the body out of alignment.

Breathe in and out through your nose, and rest your tongue gently on the roof of your mouth.

Get up and hinge forward at the hips on a regular basis so you stretch out your whole back line.

It’s impossible to know how to help without seeing you. If I had to guess, you are still breathing backward. I cannot reiterate enough that natural breathing is primary. Any level of holding in the midriff forces you to chest breathe, which flattens lumbar curvature and tightens all the wrong muscles in your back. Tucking your tailbone under feels good because at some level your back is used to it. Remember that you are a horizontal creature from the hips down, and a vertical being from the waist up. Allow the pelvis and lower limbs to hang freely from a strong shoulder girdle.

The solar plexus is the source of our strength, which we maintain through natural breathing

Wishing you well,

Christine

Variable

December 15, 2018 - 8:17am

I really do appreciate you taking the time to respond. I will keep going and focusing on those points you raise.