I’m curious to know, can you sit comfortably for more than 10 minutes without leaning into the back of your chair? I invite you to try the following. Bringing inquisitiveness & gentleness to the experiment, sit a little forward on your chair, as in, wriggle the butt forward so you’re no longer resting your back against the back of the chair. Legs are a little wider than or in line with the hip sockets like 2 legs of a tripod. Can you find a posture that’s nicely balanced, with little or no strain and a loose relaxed easiness in the hip sockets? Can your shoulders give into gravity & rest down? If after a while you experience niggles or pains in the hips or lumbar region, you’re not alone. This is quite common. Follows; some simple Ortho-Bionomy self care I find incredibly beneficial. Lower back self care exercise - the benefits The following simple exercise can make profound changes, it can bring increased flexibility & strength to the spine and encourages the curves of the spine to find their natural place. It also helps to balance the muscles on either side of the hips & pelvis. All of these facilitate improved posture. I've found it very useful for addressing pains in the hips & the lower back and a good antidote to extended periods of sitting. One of my teachers Luann Overmyer, was able to correct her scoliosis in a short amount of time by doing this exercise*. * p126, Ortho-Bionomy A Path to Self-Care, Luann Overmyer Self care for hip & lumbar (lower back) painDefinitely don’t do this movement with strain. There's no benefit in going past your limit, keep it comfortable. I encourage clients to imagine they’re on holiday & to inhabit an attitude of 'no big deal'. Firstly locate the sit bones. They are 2 bony protrusions at the very bottom of the pelvis. They bear the weight of the pelvis while sitting. To find them while sitting, (one side at a time is sometimes easier) slide a hand under the butt cheek & locate what’ll feel like a boney knuckle. Now that you’ve found them (remove your hand!) & very slowly tip the hips backwards & forwards so you’re moving onto the sit bones, over them and off ie forwards & backwards. Do this a few times. Now, sit without moving and simply notice. Take your brain to your sit bones. Without making any changes observe if one feels heavier than the other, more pointy than the other, maybe one is really obvious and the other is elusive? Now, once again very slowly & gently tip the hips forward then backwards a few times. Without making any changes notice if one sit bone is less smooth than the other, maybe one rolls forward a little faster than the other. As you’re ‘playing’ notice the movements in the spine. You might also notice the lower back starting to feel more relaxed & less ‘twingy’. I'm interested to know if you've made any discoveries, noticed any changes, experienced decreased pain in your lower back while doing this exercise?
Particularly after a few days of doing it a few times each day. Please feel welcome to comment below
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Fiona Munro
Director at The Healing Switch. Fully qualified Ortho-Bionomy Practitioner, Ka Huna masseuse and Yoga Teacher. She is registered with Ortho-Bionomy Australia Ltd and a Board Director on the OBA Ltd Board of Directors. Archives
September 2018
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