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Yoga for (ridiculously inflexible) lower back and mummy tummy

18 replies

Chicinwellies · 26/08/2015 11:34

Would love any online or DVD recommendations for me, enthusiasm is about all I have on my side. Old lower back injury from riding doesnt prevent me doing anything, but every time I complete physio or see my chiro they reitterate the benefits of yoga for core & lb, so now, I finally need to take their advice and try to hope to it.

OP posts:
Mitzi50 · 26/08/2015 11:40

Would you consider a class? I am inflexible and unfit but started a class 2 months ago and am really feeling the benefits.

CoteDAzur · 26/08/2015 20:46

Check out 30 Days Of Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube. Everyone I know who has tried it speak very highly of it.

Chicinwellies · 26/08/2015 22:45

Thank you I'll look that up. Yes I'm hoping to start a class but we move house in just over two weeks and was wondering if I could do anything in the meantime at home x

OP posts:
Imnotaslimjim · 26/08/2015 23:13

I love Adrienne. I'm also following a challenge with a lady called Jen Hillman atm which is pretty good. I'm doing the 5 week challenge and its pretty full on but she does gentler stuff too

CoteDAzur · 26/08/2015 23:18

Good to know about Jen Hillman. I'm looking for ways to get into a daily practice, aside from the twice-weekly studio classes I go to.

What kind of yoga does she do?

Imnotaslimjim · 27/08/2015 08:43

Does it sound really bad that I don't know? I'm brand new to it all, been doing it less than 6 months, and I come across Jen and liked her

gatewalker · 27/08/2015 08:48

Chicinwellies - Try Yin Yoga if you can; a live class rather than a DVD. It's a very good foundational yoga if you have injuries. Very, very slow with lots of props and support.

CoteDAzur · 27/08/2015 10:16

No worries at all, Imnot. I was just being lazy Smile I'll take a look next week when I'll have broadband internet.

yogiannie · 08/09/2015 14:46

I love plank pose and variations such as forearm plank, single leg plank, lizard plank to help with my core muscles.

Also gentle back bends like cat stretches, sphinx, bridge, might help nurture your back and spine.

BrandNewAndImproved · 08/09/2015 14:48

Another rec for Adriane 30 days of yoga on YouTube.

FinallyHere · 08/09/2015 14:54

I'm now finding yoga brilliant and really helpful for my back. At first, though, i was't getting much from it and seemed to have the same aches and pains as before, if no slightly worse. Ive had a few lessons and finally worked out what i was doing wrong. Probably lots more to do but i had a havit of hollowing my back, anytime effort was needed.

I've stopped doing that, by softening my breastbone, letting my shoulder blades slide down my back and feel my abs engage.

This is an argument in favour of having a mixture of things to help overall.

Online stuff can be great for working out what to do overall. Having someone observe you and gently correct posture is also invalable. Yes, just like they did at school and i hated it. Now, though, im doing it right an can notice when i start to arch m back. It does make lots of unexpecetd things easier, but only beacause im using my back to do things my abs are intended to do. Doh, the exercies are for the abs....

Hoe ypu fidn what works for you xx

CoteDAzur · 08/09/2015 19:53

That's great insight, thanks.

What do you mean by "softening my breastbone"?

FinallyHere · 08/09/2015 21:13

Ah yes, Im not sure whether it is possible for me to give an explanation which makes any kind of sense, but I'd like to give it a go. Bear with me...

My backache had a lot to do with my posture. Lots of tests and things with doctors to rule out any medical problem. I tended to, and still do, if i dont think about it, hollow out my back, in a duck like posture. Lots of people tried to help me to relax it but i misunderstood, so that i was trying to change by doing the opposite of what i thought i was trying to do.

A teacher once, when standing in fromt of me, pressed a finger very gently on my breatbone and said 'soften' here. At the time, i didnt know what to do, as it felt as if my whole body was quite rigid and nothing could soften.

Since then , through much physical therapy, massage, exercise etc of lots of different kinds, i discovered that i could think of my pelvis as a bowl. It is possible for that bowl to be held as if dangled from my spine, so that it is level. When i stand in the duck posture, it is as if the bowl is tipping forward, its front edge down so that its contents spilling out of my front. Its back ledge is therefore higher than it should be.

Starting in an exagerated duck posture, i have an exaggerated s shape in my spine. For convenience, i do this sitting down, the principles are the same for standing but im much more likely to fall over. As i do it slowly to explain. someone standing in front of me, pressing their finger to my breastbone, if the rest of me is flexible and i allow it, that finger pressing can encourage my spine to straighten so that as the breastbone goes back the part attached to the pelvis moves forward and the pelvis becomes more level so that if it was filled with liquid, the liquid would no lonegrr tip out the front.

The spine still has a gentle bend or s shape but it is much less exaggerated, the spine is much closer to being straight.

If you continued applying the finger to the breastbome, the spine would hunch in a c shape, shoulders forward, the stomach and abs would become all squashed and the pelvis might eventually allow liquid the tip out the back.

I find moving through that range of postures is very relaxing, its probably best described as a cat stretch ( but cat is typically on all fours, which means that the finger works less well) and the liquid filled pelvis picture is a non starter. Another way is to talk about pointing the point whereva tail would attach, down towards the ground.

Thats what does it for me, sorry if it makes no sense. Im sure others could explain it much better. Not having that chronic, low level discomfort which became pain any time i did any kind of exercise was nit easy. Being rid of it, with a few simple stretches, is bliss. I would love to help someone else in the same way. HTH, xx

CoteDAzur · 09/09/2015 20:46

Thank you for this epic explanation. It's probably me being thick but I don't really get it Blush Is this the duck pose you are talk about? I just don't see how you can get an S-shaped spine in this pose.

lougle · 09/09/2015 21:24

I tend to duck, too. Cote,these pictures may help.

Yoga for (ridiculously inflexible) lower back and mummy tummy
Yoga for (ridiculously inflexible) lower back and mummy tummy
FinallyHere · 09/09/2015 21:26

Sorry.

But, wow thats a great pose. Sadly much, much more advanced than the simple but wrong posture i am describing as what did for me for so long.

CoteDAzur · 09/09/2015 21:44

Ah thank you, lougle. I thought Finally was talking about the actual Duck Pose in yoga.

Finally - Your post makes much more sense to me now Smile

FinallyHere · 10/09/2015 23:28

Wow,again, thank you lougie, those pictures are exactly right. Though, actually i really thought it was only me. Stupid, ir what. I never thought there would be an image to find. Thank you.

I did try to do a sketch myself today which i was going to photograph in order to post, but my sketching is even worse than my explaining.

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