Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part IV - Stretching and Strengthening the Deep Muscles of the Spine

In the previous three lessons on Restoring and Rebuilding the Inner Core, I have focused on Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, the respiratory diaphragm, and the Multifidi - the deep muscles of the spine. These are the "Core 4" of the Inner Core. In the last post we learned how to find these deep muscles of the spine and we began to work them. In this post we will expand on Lesson III and learn to find length and strength in these crucial back muscles.

Exercise 4: Lengthening and Strengthening the Deep Muscles of the Spine

Setting up:
Start by rolling a blanket, towel or felt pad into a hand's-grip sized roll. Set this behind you and gently ease your way down to the floor with the roll under your lumbar (centered directly behind the belly button). It should look like this:

This is the 5th step of the Supported Lumbar Stretch. Click the link to see the original post showing each step of this process.

Keep your knees bent and take a few lifts and lowers of the pelvis to ease your way into this stretch. This should feel like "ahhhhhh" not "owwww." If you are feeling more "ow" than "ah" change your roll. Make it a bit smaller and try to settle in again. There is no set size for the lumbar roll. It should be the size that is right for you today. Once you have settled in, find a smooth, deep, and steady breath. Notice the rise and fall of the belly. Notice any other areas in your body that move with the breath. If it feels good on your back, let the knees drop slightly from side to side (slow tick-tocks) a few times.

Working in the pose:
The main work of the first half of this exercise is to just stay put. Settle in and breath. Let the lumbar roll do the work for you. Stay for up to 5 minutes (more if it works in your body). By laying over this roll we are lengthening the muscles of the spine.

Many of us may think that we don't need to accentuate our lumbar curve because perhaps we have a habit of over-arching the spine already. However, when you over-arch your spine you are not lengthening your muscles, you are actually shortening them by "kinking" into your back.

If you are a tail-tucking, lumbar straightener, this pose is perfect for you too. Now you can reestablish the natural curve in your spine.

After you have lingered for a while in the Lumbar Stretch, start to think about developing some movement around the lumbar pillow. Begin to engage the muscles of the lower back by purposely pressing the sacrum into the floor and exaggerating the curve of the lumbar. Now press the feet equally into the floor and lift the bum off the floor, coming up into Bridge Pose.

When you release Bridge, try to dip your tail down to the floor without touching your back to the lumbar roll. This is nearly impossible of course. Your back will most likely touch the lumbar roll but I want the action to be a dipping of the tailbone and a continued arching of the spine to really get into strengthening those deep spine muscles.

Take 5-10 rounds of lifting up into Bridge and then dipping the tail down to the floor. Keep the knees aligned with the hip points and keep the feet rooted to the floor. After you finish, lower onto your lumbar roll and linger again for a few minutes to ease the back.

Finishing:
To come out of the pose, lift up enough to slide the lumbar roll out from underneath you and then slowly lower to the floor with a lengthened spine. Take a minute to lay flat to let the spine settle. Help ease your transition by slowly tick-tocking your knees side to side. Finally, take any finishing movements that you like: a long stretch, a bundle roll hug, gentle twist, etc.

Homework for Restoring the Core: 
(click lesson links below to review)
1) Pelvic floor lifts: 10 each, 5 times a day from any position: sitting, standing or laying down.
2) Heel lifts or toe taps: 5-10 on each side making sure to keep the pelvis stable and neutral and maintain an easy breath.
3) Spine awareness through exaggerated arch and curl.
4) Strengthening the spine through dips and lifts from Bridge Pose.

Previously:
Lesson I: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part I - Finding Mula Bandha
Lesson II: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part II - Strengthening Uddiyana Bandha.
Lesson III: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part III - Finding the Deep Muscles of the Spine.

Up next: More exercises to improve your core.

Do Restorative Yoga Hits the Road

Do Restorative Yoga news: I'll be hitting the road pretty soon for a cross country tour and I'll be teaching a few workshops in various parts of the country. (Visit my Events page for a full listing of upcoming events and workshops.)

The first stop on the tour will be in Urbandale, IA at R Studio

Restoring & Rebuilding the Inner Core
Sun, Feb 12, 10:30 am-12:30 pm

Visit their website to register: 

www.rstudiofit.com

______________________________________ 

And the 2nd set of workshops will be with Renaissance Yoga in Galesville, MD.

Two Great Restorative Workshops
Presented By Special Guest Teacher: Sara Duke

Restorative Yoga: Discovery & Practice
Sun, April 1, 10a – 12:30p
$30 by Mar 26 (limited spaces)

Restoring & Rebuilding the Inner Core
Sun, April 1, 2p – 4p
$25 by Mar 26

Renaissance Yoga says "We wish to wholeheartedly welcome Sara Duke of Duluth, MN who will be coming to our area to present two wonderful restorative yoga workshops on April 1, 2012." Click here to register or read more.

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body

I have been writing about how I came to have chronic SI joint pain - I believe it is because of yoga. Recently I received a newsletter from Susi Hately Aldous with a link to an article called How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. This is some scary stuff. Young people causing brain damage and strokes from doing too much, too fast; dedicated yogis literally wearing out their joints; still more succumbing to "Yoga Foot Drop" - a problem with deadening the nerves that run down the back of the leg which then causes difficulty walking. Check the link to the article (above) and read what Susi has to say below.

Yoga is amazing. All of us yoga teachers have been awed by watching what can happen with yoga. And, when not done appropriately, major problems can occur. You would be shocked with how many emails I receive each week from yoga teachers - from the "rock star" yoga teachers, as well as from teachers who are "less known". They ask questions with a similar theme . . . "why is my back sore, I do yoga!" As I share the mechanics of what is happening, I also add...."it is because you do yoga that your back is sore".

Y'see the trouble is two fold. First, we have to remember that we are westerners pursuing an eastern philosophical movement program that has important tenets (yamas and niyamas) as the foundation. If we follow those tenets, we'll progress in our practice - in all its forms - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Second, we need to consider the term "Asana" which, when loosely translated means, "sitting comfortably and still". This means, that no matter the asana you are practicing, are you "sitting comfortably and still" or are you in "tension"?

Consider your practice - when you are in Warrior 1, Warrior 3, Triangle, Headstand, Downward Dog, or any other myriad of asanas, are you in tension? If you are. . . you aren't practicing yoga . . you are "doing fitness".

It sets up an interesting predicament, doesn't it? A predicament which has me understand and have compassion for why it is so difficult for yoga practitioners in the West "to get it".

1. As a culture, there is a preference for the "end", not the "journey" or the "process".
2. Many trainings are about "going deeper" since there is some apparent belief that "going deeper" is "better". (I recall a teacher who came to a training of mine who was utterly shocked that my training was the first she had been to that wasn't about depth of asana and she was so "wow'd" that she felt so good).
3. There is a focus on not paying attention to the pain, to move through it as opposed to listen to it.

I am all for a physical challenge, and for the mental and spiritual stretch required to see my "blind spots" so that those things that restrict or limit me can be resolved; just as I enjoy practicing with energy and prana and transcending the physical plane. But truth be told, the physical plane is where we live, and Newton's laws still reign true. Biomechanics and Kinesiology are facts of life on this earthly plane, and we need to honour their principles. If you don't honour them, you will suffer the consequences.

Does this mean that "some people should give up yoga all together" as written about in the article? Well, that assumes that yoga consists only the physical postures in their classic form. Perhaps in those times of injury, it is actually time to read up and embody the yamas and niyamas so the journey back to the mat, the journey back to living the life you want to live, through great yoga therapy and then modified asanas, is one of exploration, curiosity and awe.

If you think someone would benefit from this information, please pass it along.
Best,  Susi
www.functionalsynergy.com
Susi's Facebook Page

After reading the article and reading what Susi had to say I checked in with Kristin from Namaste from Duluth. We work together but teach different styles of yoga so I always like to get her opinion. Besides, her reasoning is generally well thought out and well articulated. Here's what she says:

NY Times article - interesting. Not surprising, but interesting. My thoughts: on one hand, the article is true. Yoga can cause injuries. Long term debilitating ones. Painful injuries that take forever to heal or never heal.

On the other hand, find me an activity that isn't riddled with injury:

• Soccer - long term head injuries, knee issues, sprains, etc
• Hockey - just read about the player(s) who've been paralyzed recently
• Running - knee, hip, ankles, lower back
• Swimming - probably the most gentle of all, yet aerobic, but hell, you could drown!
• Martial arts - you could list these better than I
• Road cycling - impotence, lower back, knees, shoulders, decreased bone density
• Baseball - rotator cuff, oblique sprains, blown out knees, broken bones
• Hiking - blown out knees, hip problems, spinal problems (from carrying a pack), etc.

The other thing I questioned in the article was somewhere it stated - in an informal study - that OMG! 42 people ended up in the emergency room in a given year for injuries sustained doing yoga. Really? 42? I can guarantee more runners end up in the emergency room than yogis. That would be ONE class in NYC - the rest of the nation is fine.

The business with strokes is a bit odd. Given the number of activities in which younger people are participating in (yoga, gymnastics, dance lines) that involve back bending, I would think you would have to be predisposed to stroke to begin with. That to me is two unusual and very extreme situations - not a trend.

So yes, yoga can cause injuries or even inflame existing injuries. I don't dispute that. And as in any activity, the responsibility is up to the individual to practice safely. Therein lies the problem IMO. Getting the practitioner to practice safely no matter the style of yoga they do.

I sent this off to my Saturday yoga peeps and one of them replied back that they'd rather risk injury and to have fun than remaining sedentary and afraid of moving.

~ Kristin, Namaste from Duluth

My teacher, Deborah Adele, has also weighed in on the topic in her blog post, "Sculpted or Free" which I have pasted in below:

A recent New York Times article discussing the harm yoga can cause, has created quite a stir. It has also created an opportunity for us yoga practitioners to re-look at our yoga practice, an opportunity that I am grateful for.

I find it so easy to seek change while unconsciously holding the very patterns I am seeking to change. It is so easy to “sculpt” myself into the person and the pose I am desiring. It is this sculpting that tempts injury and harm.

The purpose of yoga is to free our bodies and our minds. The only way this can happen is through our own surrender. To the degree that we surrender to the pose, is the degree to which the pose can begin to show us where our unsupportive habits lie. To the degree that we are willing to be the recipient of the pose rather than the designer, is the degree to which the real change we are seeking can happen. This is true on and off the mat.

It takes real courage, I think, to surrender to a pose rather than sculpt ourselves into it. But the results are very different; one leads to continuity and harm, the other to real freedom.

~ Deborah Adele, author of The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice

I'm curious to hear what you think. Please do share and please be careful in your practice. Mindful, kind yoga is the way. ~Sara

Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part III - Finding the Deep Muscles of the Spine

Deep muscles of the back.
(Multifidus shaded in red.)
Image from Wikipedia

In the previous two lessons on Restoring and Rebuilding the Inner Core, I have focused on Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha. I also talked a little bit in the first lesson about the respiratory diaphragm. These are three of the main "Core 4" of the Inner Core. The fourth main component of the inner core is the Multifidus - the deep muscles of the spine which work to stabilize the joints at each segmental level. So how do we work this part of our inner core?

Exercise 3: Finding the Deep Muscles of the Spine through Arch and Flatten

Setting up:
Start by laying on your back on the floor with your knees bent (Constructive Pose) and find a smooth, deep, and steady breath. Notice the rise and fall of the belly. Notice any other areas in your body that move with the breath.

Working in the pose:
After establishing your breath, begin to exaggerate the movement of the belly and the spine. On your inhale, relax everything and let the belly rise. On your exhale, draw the pelvic floor muscles up toward the area behind your belly button and pull your lower belly backward toward the spine. Let your spine press into the floor as your tail curls up slightly. On the inhale soften the pelvic floor and the lower belly muscles and begin to engage the muscles of the lower back by purposely pressing the sacrum into the floor and exaggerating the curve of the lumbar.

Take 5-10 rounds of this purposeful arching and flattening (tiny bit of a tail curl), practicing a muscular hand-off from the front line of the body to the back line of the body. Notice if other parts of the body want to get into the act. Do you find your arms wanting to roll in on the exhale? Do your knees want to press together on the exhale and open like a flower on the inhale? Do your arms also want to flower open on the inhale? If any of these movements are happening, go with it.

Finishing:
When you feel you have made a good connection with the deep muscles of your spine let yourself soften and return to your smooth, deep, and steady breath. Take any finishing movements that you like: a long stretch, a bundle roll hug, gentle twist, etc.

Homework:
1) Pelvic floor lifts: 10 each, 5 times a day from any position: sitting, standing or laying down.
2) Heel lifts or toe taps: 5-10 on each side making sure to keep the pelvis stable and neutral and maintain an easy breath.
3) Spine awareness through exaggerated arch and curl.

Previously:
Lesson I: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part I - Finding Mula Bandha
Lesson II: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part II - Strengthening Uddiyana Bandha.

Up next: More exercises to improve your core.

Book Review: The 7 Day Energy Surge

I'm reviewing this book because I am heading into a retreat training for maurices and this is a book that they ask their retreat participants to read. I like to be at least sort of up on the retreat topic (ha ha). So when I was given a copy of the book I decided I would look it over. I imagined I would just leaf through and pick out the good bits. Well, apparently I am not a "leaf-er."

I opened the book up at the beginning and read the entire thing. It was pretty easy reading with lots of good tips for living a healthy lifestyle. Once in a while I felt like I was in an infomercial because of the ALL CAPS TO MAKE A POINT style of writing but I am mostly past that. (As an editor, I do find all caps somewhat jarring.)

I found myself agreeing with the author on a number of points (yoga is good, repetitive exercise is bad for the joints, sugar is bad, fruits and veggies are good, sleep is good). I also found myself questioning his direction on a number of points particularly surrounding the issue of eating meat (how much "protein" to eat in a day, where does a vegetarian get their protein - he mostly advises eating meat and/or eggs, what are the ethical implications of eating so much meat - meat, fish and seafood every day for most meals).

That said, I am particularly healthy and should be surging with energy according to the quiz at the beginning of the book. Sometimes my answers weren't even options. I.e. The "best" answer for the question on Drinking Habits goes like this, "My drinking habits are [5 - really good] because I only have one cup of coffee first thing in the morning and drink more tea (he means caffeinated tea) and at least 75-80 oz. of water a day. I've also cut my alcohol consumption to 4 glasses of wine a week."

Really? I don't even drink coffee every day and I never drink tea with caffeine and I sure don't drink up to 4 glasses of wine a week. I realize his quiz questions are just to get an idea of your lifestyle and how that might affect your energy, but I was pretty surprised when on a number of questions his "best" option was not in line with what I would consider healthy. Makes me wonder if I am a total oddball.

Still, I always enjoy reading about health and I would recommend this easy-reading book.

Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part II - Strengthening Uddiyana Bandha

If you have read the previous post, Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part I - Finding Mula Bandha, and practiced the exercises, you should have an understanding of how the pelvic floor (the muscles between the tailbone and pubic bone and from sit bone to sit bone) and the transverse abdominus (the innermost of the flat muscles of the abdomen) engage and support you. In this post, we will continue our inner core work with a basic technique for strengthening the transverse abdominus.

Exercise 2: Strengthening the Transverse Abdominus

Setting up:
Start by laying on your back on the floor with your knees bent (See previous post for a picture). Find a neutral pelvis - hip points and top of pubic bone are on the same plane. Do a couple of pelvic tilts and tucks to find neutral. When your pelvis is in a neutral alignment you should have a slight curve in your lumbar spine, just as you would when standing.

Find a regular, steady breath and practice a few rounds of inner core engagement in conjunction with the breath (Exercise 1).

Working in the pose:
After establishing your breath and your inner core engagement, begin to add load by slowly lifting one heel off the ground, re-settling it, and then lifting the other. This is called heel lifts. Sounds easy, I know. But what is not always easy is maintaining your breath, your inner core engagement, soft jaw, soft shoulders, and a perfectly neutral pelvis while doing this.

Keep your hip points equidistant from your lower ribs, keep your lumbar slightly curved - not over tilted and not smooshed to the floor. Let your palms rest on your hip points and your finger tips point down toward your pubic bone. This will help you feel any movement in the pelvis as you try these heel lifts.

If you are perfectly steady doing heel lifts, you can add on by lifting your whole foot off the floor. First peel up the heel then let the toes lift off. Settle your first foot completely before you try your second foot. Now you are doing toe taps. Look for the same "tells" that you are overdoing it: you have forgotten your breath, you have let your pelvis stray from neutral, you have clenched your jaw or rounded your shoulders. If any of these things are happening, go back to heel lifts.

What I notice in my body when I do this exercise is that I am very stable on the left side but very wobbly on the right side. This is fairly common for folks who have SI joint dysfunction, back pain, or who have had an injury or surgery. If this is true for you, work to the level of the "weaker" side and don't over do it. This is slow, mindful work. It takes time and careful effort to build stability. And for some of us it will likely be a life-long pursuit.

Finishing:
Let yourself completely relax after your heel lifts and/or toe taps. Soften Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha. Take any finishing movements that you like: a long stretch, a bundle roll hug, gentle twist, etc.

Homework: 1) Pelvic floor lifts: 10 each, 5 times a day from any position: sitting, standing or laying down. 2) Heel lifts or toe taps: 5-10 on each side making sure to keep the pelvis stable and neutral and maintain an easy breath.

Previously: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part I - Finding Mula Bandha. Visit this post to read the benefits of pelvic floor and pelvic girdle work and to learn or review Exercise 1.

Up next: More exercises to improve your core.