Because breathing is automatic, we don't always notice HOW we breathe.  Becoming a better breather is key to oxygen delivery, nervous system regulation, core movement and stability.  If the diaphragm is not moving well neither is the ribcage or the core canister.  You have got to move it to use it!​

• Core Breathing
• Oxygen Advantage
• Buteyko Breathing

Our posture is created by our emotional states and how we move and present ourselves in the world.  Become more aware of unnecessary tensions that are affecting our postural state.

• ​Feldenkrais Lessons: Posture for Life
• Alexander Technique: 5 tips for standing posture
• Katy Bowman of Nutritious Movement: Lower your risk of injury with proper alignment

I am sharing a home program circuit of some of my favorite moves to decrease tension in the back.  The emphasis here is to release the back extensors through breath, positioning and recriprocal inhibition (contracting  the abdominal flexors to relax the back extensors).

We live our lives in automatic.  How can we bring more presence to our lives in order to optimize nervous system signaling and therefore appropriate cues for the health of each system of the body.  

• Understand and tend to the nervous system: Predictive Processing -Why expectation matters for movement and pain, Befriending your nervous system (50% off right now!),  Learn to repair your nervous system.
• Mindfulness and Stress Reduction: Online programs with Tara Brach, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
• Lifestyle Habits: Be True- Discover your core values and live your life on purpose (if you go to SoulSalt's IG page you can find the Black Friday/Cyber Monday code for 50% off),  Hire a Wellness Coach

In a previous post I addressed how increased internal pressure contributes to prolapse and urinary incontinence.  Increased internal pressure can effect the healing of DR and the abdominal wall as well.  In the post mentioned above, I discuss and provide an example of what a non postpartum body looks like with overactive abs.  The tension created by the over activation of the upper abs and gripping with the diaphragm and muscles of the ribcage creates downward pressure into the lower abdomen and the pelvic bowl.  People who have this pattern also tend to over activate their neck, rib, diaphragm, and spinal extensor muscles.  In order to heal the DR and abdominal wall there needs to be better balance with all the muscles of the core.  In this post, I will share some moves to help you connect to your lower abs without recruiting your upper abs first.  

Are you an overactive upper ab and rib gripper?  How can you tell?

• Your lower abs stick out compared to upper abs or despite working out, your lower abs still don't get toned.
• When you engage your core you can see a crease across your ab above your belly button.  You can see a demonstration of this in the blog mentioned above.
• Blow out really hard on your exhale like you are going to blow out 50 candle.  Do your lower abs push out?
• When you lie on your back and lift both straight legs does your back arch, your neck tense, your ribs grip and your abs push out?

Even if you don't grip your upper abs, these moves can still be helpful for you!

Many of the clients who walk into my office with hip, back or pelvic pain share some common features:

• Inability to isolate pelvic motion and/or rigid spinal motion
• Limited hip mobility in all ranges, especially hip flexion, adduction (moving toward midline) and internal rotation
• Hypertonic spinal muscles (increased mass and tone in the lower thoracic or lumbar area).  

2.  Get the hips moving.  Explore hip flexion and extension in quadruped (hands and knees or forearms and knees).  Make sure that the spine is neutral (refer to the spine pic above for a visual of our spinal curves) so you can make sure to get into the hips.  If the lumbar spine moves into flexion as you rock back, this means that you are not accessing the tissues of the hip joint.  

Breathing brings vital movement to the core: expansion/compression of the ribcage, diaphragm, abdominals and pelvic floor. How do you breathe?  Where do you breathe?  Can you feel your ribs expand on inhale and compress on exhale?  Does your pelvic floor lengthen on inhale and shorten on exhale?  Does your back move with your breath?  For most people, the answer is "I don't know."  I really like to have my clients load the body in different positions in order to explore variations of breathing which can help them connect to their core. 
In the breathing circuit video posted below,  I go through 3 positions plus a typical "core stabilization" exercise: 

• crocodile pose: on inhale, once the abdomen hits the floor (which is right away) take your breath into your back body.
• child's pose: same as above
• sitting: place hands on the side of the ribcage to feel the expansion/compression on inhale and exhale
• bird-dog exercise:  typically when this exercise is taught, people are cued to draw in abs before lifting the arms and legs.  In this drill we want to maintain steady breathing with no holding of the core.  Be mindful as you lift your leg off of the floor.  Do not over extend the hip, as this will compress the spine.

​Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.

It takes practice to UNDO tensions.  Our tension patterns are so hard-wired.  Healing DR, UI and POP requires integration of the core system: head and neck, ribcage, diaphragm, abdominals, pelvic floor AND re-establishing new connection to our nervous system.
Try this right now:
Sit for a moment and notice your breathing. 
Now start to nod your head up and down as if you are saying yes, or lift your arm up and down. 
Did you hold your breath?   
It is a simple move, and yet more than likely, you held your breath. We should be able to move and breathe at the same time. 
​When we hold our breath we are tensing muscles and increasing pressure into our body wall.  This load to the tissue adds up over time.   Doesn't this make you curious how often you might be holding your breath all day long? One of the keystones to healing the pelvic floor and the abdominal wall is to connect to our breath, allow the abdominals and pelvic floor to move, decrease the tensions in the neck, shoulder girdle, ribcage and lower back.  

• Skeletal System

The bones are in a position for appropriate loading to stimulate bone growth, and to position the muscles for optimal resting length tesnion.  From a sideview, the Standing plumbline markers for alignment are the earlobe, midpoint of joints: shoulder, hip, knee and ankle.  The ribcage is stacked over the pelvis, and the pelvis is stacked over the ankles.  

• Muscle System

The muscles are able to shorten and lengthen through full range of motion.   Optimal positioning of the skeletal system allows the muscles to be in a better position to move and generate force.

• ​Pressure System

Ability to generate appropriate intra-abdominal pressure.  Normalize pressures: Increased resting muscle tension can create abnormal pressures.  Pushing type strategies (bearing down) for strength and movement increase downward pressures into the abdominal wall and pelvis.

• Nervous System

Regulation of the peripheral and autonomic nervous systems.  Dysregulated autonomic nervous systems increase resting muscle tension (among other things).

Due to the resting tension in the upper abdominals there is more pressure into the lower abdominals and pelvis.  When the muscles are activated in a shortened contraction, even more pressure is created into the lower abdomen.  This constant downward pressure can have an impact on the health of the pelvic organs, abdominal wall and pelvic floor.  
Changing the pressure and muscle activation pattern is essential to recovery.  Typically, this person has no problem breathing low into the belly, but may have a hard time filling the entire abdomino-pelvic canister evenly on the inhale (generation of appropriate intra-abdominal pressure, evenly distributed 360 degrees). Home practice will require breathing practices to connect with the movement of the lower ribcage, side and back body, and then bring this new awareness and pattern into movement and daily activities.