Thursday, April 24, 2014
my friend Claudia's beautifully curated kitchen shelves
I went to a yoga class last night; left Daniel with the kids and a big pot of spaghetti bolognese and made my way to the studio - unencumbered.
My yoga practice has ebbed and flowed (sometimes stopped completely) over the years. Before children I practised five times a week. In the first few months of motherhood I quickly realised that a yoga class at the studio was going to take an enormous amount of effort and organisation and for me, at the time, it wasn't a priority. I'm not very disciplined when it comes to self practise so I really need to carve out the time and space in my week to make it to the studio; once I'm there I find such relief and pleasure in 90 minutes of movement and deep, conscious breathing.
Last night my body felt tight and heavy (Easter eggs and hot cross buns will do that) and for the first half-an-hour I clunked my way through the sequence. Earlier in the day I had read an excerpt from Poser and it came back to me in the midst of my heaviness: "Those of you who are really bad at yoga, you're in the right place. I hope everyone will allow themselves to be really crappy today, to walk away from being perfect. The real yoga isn't in the perfect pose; it's in the crappy pose that you are really feeling. You want to feel it from the inside out, rather than make it perfect from the outside in."
I really felt my body last night; felt my tight hips, my sore sacrum, my not-so-tight core. But instead of trying to make my body look good I settled into how it felt to be in each pose and when it got particularly challenging I breathed a little deeper and allowed myself to stay there, without expectation or desire. After ten years of practice and the added experience of motherhood I can say that perfecting the pose isn't so important anymore; I'm content to just feel it, to breathe into it and then come out a little looser and freer.
Yoga is a little like join the dots; you roll your shoulders back and your chest opens, you swallow to relax your tongue and your jaw softens, you tuck your tailbone under and you immediately feel your core engage. A basic yoga class will teach this simple yet enlightening message: everything in your body is connected, release one part and you automatically release another.
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Since having babies one of the most important areas I've had to work on is my core. "Core" is a fancy word for "stomach muscles" and yes, if you're a mum you may be a little concerned about their whereabouts. Trust me, they're still there.
During pregnancy your spine curves with the weight of your belly and your tailbone kicks out, Mother Duck style. Once you have your baby your tailbone will stay in the same position unless you train it to do otherwise. And you really should try and get it back to it's original position; if you do you're core will strengthen, your belly won't protrude as much and your lower back will thank you (so will your pelvic floor).
You don't need to be in a yoga class to do this practice, you don't even need to me on a yoga mat. In fact, I often do it at the kitchen sink.
- Firstly, place your left hand (fingers pointing down) on your belly and place your right hand on your lower back/sacrum (the plate above your tailbone). You may feel that sway of your spine, kicking your tailbone and bottom out.
- Keep your hands where they are and begin to tuck the tailbone down, think about pulling it towards the earth. As you do so you'll notice that your navel starts to draw towards your spine - and just like that you're standing taller and more aligned, you're releasing energy into your lower back and engaging your stomach muscles.
- As you're breathing begin to draw the navel back towards the spine with each exhalation - you're pulling your belly in and strengthening your core. If you make it a regular practice you'll notice that your pelvic floor muscles will want to lift, too (there's that join the dots).
26 COMMENTS
Labels: simple body
I really need to strengthen my core. It's been noticeably weak since I haven't done any yoga for months now, and since having the kidlets too, of course. Thanks for this post :)
ReplyDeleteLove this, thanks for sharing! I try to remember to flex those important pelvic floor muscles whenever I am at a red light. Cant remember why I use that as a trigger but it helps me remember to do it most days.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! So helpful to have something quick and easy to do to start to regain my core strength. I'm two months post-partum with my second child and am wondering how I'll ever get it and my pelvic floor back.
ReplyDeleteOh thanks! I love my yoga class every week, when I can go to it. When I can not, I fell heavier!
ReplyDeleteSuch timely & handy advice as this babe in my belly causes quite the sore pelvis & lower back! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've been writing about my ballet days and the strength and posture that came with such movement. Our core is fundamental to everything isn't it?! Such a lovely post...I straightened just reading it ;) xx
ReplyDeleteOh My God, I didn't understand anything, ahahah! (English isn't my first language though)
ReplyDeleteWhen I do that, my right arm aches and is uncomfortable... oh well! :)
I just wanted to say thank you though for the always meaningful content of your blog. You definitely stand out.
xo from France
I was a gymnast for many years, and it saddens me just how much my body has tightened. I don't mind the parts that gave way for pregnancy and birth, but the looseness of my muscles is a bit of a downer. It's nice to hear this as a little reminder.
ReplyDeleteI'm at the recovery stage where it's time to turn to yoga and breathing and massage - this is a timely and useful post. I so agree with your thoughts about yoga - it is so introspective, so much about awareness of what's within rather than the image one projects. I've been between teachers for a while; but I'm ready to look for a new teacher and new studio for the winter; and this post is another timely reminder to do that. Thank you. xx
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great reminder to have better posture. I am such a sloucher, and when I tuck my tailbone down I stand so much taller!
ReplyDeleteI just started taking yoga and pilates classes with a friend of mine every Saturday, but other than that, I haven't really been doing much of it. Even though I'm just a high school student, your tips seems really helpful, especially for improving posture, and I'm sure my yoga instructor will be quite proud of me ;) Thanks! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
ReplyDeleteDo we really curate our kitchen shelves? x
ReplyDeleteFood stylists definitely do, and Claudia is a food stylist ;) x
Deletei love this, and will definitely start. i've been exercising again, but my stomach doesn't want to go back into it's place. it's a tough spot to work after babies! xo
ReplyDeleteI would love to have you as a yoga teacher. One day!
ReplyDeleteHow funny! I thought I was the only one that stretches at the sink while doing dishes.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing we have been working with in my yoga class (Iyengar Yoga) is the importance of harvesting the moon energy and how much the hardening of your tongue impacts your spine! We practiced pressing our tongue on the roof of our mouth and watching what that does to the spine and lower back and when we relax completely. It's pretty crazy stuff to think of how interconnected our whole body is!
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my primary lessons in my prenatal classes - relax the mouth and you soften the cervix, open the jaw and you relax the pelvic floor, open and soften the throat and you open the birth canal. A deep neuro-muscular connection that can really deepen your practice (and your birth experience!) x
DeleteThe human body is incredible isn't it. x
DeleteThanks for the tip. I'm 4 months pregnant now, but I'll definitely use that technique after my little bean arrives!
ReplyDeleteThis post is wonderful for many reasons, least not the glorious kitchen shelves pictured above! (Kitchen renovations are already floating through my head). Whenever I have done yoga I have felt heavy and awkward, and not once have I seen this in a positive light - so thank you. x
ReplyDeleteThat's a fabulous little exercise - just what my four-times-expanded body needs. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteI used to go to a yoga class at my favourite local studio with a fabulous teacher 3 times a week before i became pregnant then i dropped down to once a week as i was so tired & frustrated thatmy bbody wasn't allowing me to bend the same way it used to. I am sad to admit that i haven't been to a single class since becoming a mother & i miss it so much. So does my aching body & anxious mind. I have just told my husband that we have to work out a way that i can get to at least 1 class a week. This little exercise you have posted will serve me well at the kkitchen sink or while i'm having a little break at work.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to find my "core" again after having two bubs.
ReplyDeleteSuch a timely post for me. Seven months on from my 2nd birth my lower back and hips would ache. Despite massage, acupuncture and chiro I could only get temporary relief. Just a couple of days of tucking in my tailbone and I'm already feeling enormous relief. I feel about an inch taller and have a less protuding belly. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful is Claudia's kitchen space! My kind of cookbook collection too. x
ReplyDelete