Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part VII - Incorporating the Helper Muscles

In the last two posts we learned to isolate our adductors (inner thigh muscles) and our abductors (outer thigh muscles). Today we will combine the two practices.

Exercise 7: Building Strength and Stability in the Adductors and Abductors Simultaneously

Setting up:
Start by laying on your back on the floor with your knees bent. 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, I want you to find your hip flexors. These are the muscles that fire when you lift a leg. Put your fingertips at the hip crease and take a few "marches" to find these muscles. Now that you have found them, I want you to not use them.

First, take a block and place it between your inner thighs so that your knees and hips are in alignment.  Second, take a yoga belt, create a loop, and fasten the belt around your mid to upper thighs.

Keep your fingertips at your hip creases and begin to gently press the thighs both into the block and out into the belt without activating the hip flexors.

Take about 5 breaths of holding this engagement and then release and then take a break. Practice this 5-10 times, or until you feel mildly fatigued.

Adding load to the pose:
To add on to the pose, we will set our selves up the same way: lay in constructive pose with the belt snug around the outer thighs and the block placed between the inner thighs. Find Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha and maintain a neutral pelvis: hip points equidistant from your lower ribs, lumbar slightly curved - not over tilted and not smooshed to the floor.

At this point, press the legs gently into the belt and squeeze the block lightly between the inner thighs. You are pressing out and squeezing in at the same time. Lift your bum up in the air, coming into Bridge Pose. Maintain both the adductor and abductor engagement as you hold Bridge. You can also try lifting and lowering in a flowing pattern. Work here until you feel slightly fatigued. Keep your jaw soft, shoulders soft, and maintain an easy, smooth breath.

Finishing:
To come out of the pose, slowly lower to the floor with a neutral spine. Remove the belt and block and 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: windshield-wiper knees, reclining bound angle, 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.
5) Strengthening the inner thighs by taking Bridge Pose with a block.
6) Strengthening the outer thighs by taking Bridge Pose with a belt.
7) Combining #5 and #6 and doing these two exercises simultaneously.

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.
Lesson IV: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part IV - Stretching and Strengthening the Deep Muscles of the Spine.
Lesson V: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part V - Incorporating the Helper Muscles
Lesson VI: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part VI - Incorporating the Helper Muscles

Two Great Workshops Coming Up in Galesville, MD

I will be teaching two workshops at Renaissance Yoga in Galesville, MD Sunday, April 1, 2012.


1) Restorative Yoga ~ Discovery and Practice from 10:00am until 12:30pm.

This workshop will explain what Restorative Yoga is, talk about the risks and benefits, and introduce a number of postures that students can do at home. Students will: learn to become comfortable with multiple props; get familiar with how to set up each pose; learn options for using furniture and blankets at home to set up their poses; and learn to feel signs of discomfort in their own body and what to do to make themselves comfortable. Following this discovery process, students will be treated to a Restorative Yoga class which will include a short Yoga Nidra session. Please register with Renaissance Yoga (http://www.renyoga.com/seminars.html#) as space is limited.

2) Restoring and Rebuilding the Inner Core from 2:00pm until 4:00pm.

In this introduction to the Inner Core we will discuss the main elements of the Inner Core, what can cause Inner Core dysfunction, and what you can do to gain or regain positive function. Please register with Renaissance Yoga (http://www.renyoga.com/seminars.html#) as space is limited.


Location: Galesville Memorial Hall, 952 Main St., Galesville, Maryland 20765

Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part VI - Incorporating the Helper Muscles

In the first 4 posts on Restoring and Rebuilding the Inner Core, we covered the "Core 4":  Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, the respiratory diaphragm, and the Multifidi.  In the last post we learned to isolate our adductors (inner thigh muscles). And in this post we will learn to isolate the abductors (outer thigh muscles).

Exercise 6: Building Strength and Stability in the Abductors

Setting up:
Start by laying on your back on the floor with your knees bent (See Lesson I 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, I want you to find your hip flexors. These are the muscles that fire when you lift a leg. Put your fingertips at the hip crease and take a few "marches" to find these muscles. Now that you have found them, I want you to not use them.

Now, take a yoga belt, create a loop, and fasten the belt around your mid to upper thighs.

Keep your fingertips at your hip creases (to monitor your hip flexors and make sure there is no movement there) and begin to gently press the thighs into the belt without activating the hip flexors. Think of the movement as originating from your hip sockets vs. originating from your knees.

Take about 10 rounds of abductor engagement and release, and then take a break.

Adding load to the pose:
To add on to the pose, we will set our selves up the same way: lay in constructive pose with the belt snug around the outer thighs. Find Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha and maintain a neutral pelvis: hip points equidistant from your lower ribs, lumbar slightly curved - not over tilted and not smooshed to the floor.

From here, press the legs gently into the belt and lift your bum up in the air, coming into Bridge Pose. Maintain the abductor engagement as you hold Bridge. You can also try lifting and lowering in a flowing pattern. Work here until you feel slightly fatigued. Keep your jaw soft, shoulders soft, and maintain an easy, smooth breath.

Finishing:
To come out of the pose, slowly lower to the floor with a neutral spine. Remove the belt and 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: windshield-wiper knees, 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.
5) Strengthening the inner thighs by taking Bridge Pose with a block.
6) Strengthening the outer thighs by taking Bridge Pose with a belt.

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.
Lesson IV: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part IV - Stretching and Strengthening the Deep Muscles of the Spine.
 Lesson V: Restoring and Rebuilding your Inner Core Part V - Incorporating the Helper Muscles

Restoring Myself at the Sea Shore

Dave and I have been traveling for 3 weeks now in our little VW EuroVan. I taught a class in Des Moines on our way south (camped at 5 degrees - burr!) and then taught a private class on Restoring the Core to my brother while we were in Tucson. Now we are on the Texas Gulf Coast, restoring our souls by walking the beaches, laying in the sun, and reading for pleasure.

Teaching my brother Inner Core work. Petra loves to snuggle up whenever someone lays on the floor.

The healing waters at Balmorhea State Park, TX. This is a natural spring which the CCC turned into a man-made lake in the 1930's. It refreshes at a rate of 1 million gallons an hour! It's still a natural pool so we swam with the fish, turtles, and ducks. We were the only ones swimming but in the summer there can be up to 1000 people a day who visit this site. The wetlands, which were destroyed during the construction of the pool, were restored in the 1990's. There is all manner of bird and aquatic life to watch, hear, and enjoy.

Padre Island National Seashore. We camped at the National Park there - no water, no electric. Just the way we like it. However, things have changed since 14 years ago when we traveled a similar path. The RV-ers have taken over. I'm glad they are out and about, enjoying life and enjoying nature, but it sure is a an odd thing when 5 o'clock rolls around and everyone goes inside, starts up their generator, and watches TV til quiet hours at 10 pm. 

Camping is still wonderful but it just isn't the same as it used to be.

Bird life on Padre Island. We took at least 3 walks a day while staying here.

Our Eurovan camper and our camp site at Goose Island State Park, TX.

Sunrise over the fishing pier at Goose Island State Park, TX.