Homework

Remember why we learned to sit properly. The three healthy sitting goals are:

1.  Maintain healthy length of Pelvic floor muscles

   Sitting correctly will avoid shortening and tightening of these muscles allowing for better pelvic floor function, as well as overall skeletal alignment.

2. Ensure tailbone and lumbar spine health

   Sitting correctly avoids forcing the tailbone and lumbar spine to hold stressful positions for longer than they are designed to do so.
   When we avoid sitting on the tailbone for long periods the coccyx maintains a healthy movement pattern. Sitting poorly over long periods can result in the coccyx no longer being able to nutate (move forward and backward) as it needs to allow for fully functional spinal movement.
   Long periods of poor sitting also keeps the lumbar discs pushed backward for so long that they may loose the natural cushioning effect they provide for the vertebra. They may also fail to recover as well as they should when natural spinal curve is returned. This is especially important during pregnancy because the hormone relaxin softens the connective tissue that is particularly dense in the lumbar area, decreasing the normal support that the low back would normally receive from this tissue.

3. Encourage baby into easy birthing position

   We discuss this a lot in the baby positioning class next week so without going into specifics, when the bowl of the pelvis rocks forward baby is pulled by gravity into the position that allows them to glide past the pelvic bones with ease. When we sit for long periods with the pelvic falling backward gravity tugs baby out of this easier birthing position.

Check Correct Sitting By:

1. Using a bolster

   Sit on a bolster when sitting on the floor to more easily rock the pelvic bowl forward.

2. Keeping lumbar curve intact

   Check that you have maintained your natural lumbar curve by looking in a mirror or sliding your hand onto the low back

3. Checking Pelvis orientation By Mapping Pelvic Bone Position

   Put one hand on a hip point and the other on the pubic symphysis. Rock the pelvis forward until the top fingers are in the same plane with the bottom finger.

Check that you are sitting correctly when at home or work

This means doing the same lumbar curve and pelvic orientation checks that we do in yoga class when sitting on chairs at work or home. You can roll a small towel to fit under your sit bones and assist the pelvis to rock forward while sitting at a desk. Keep the shoulders over your pelvis for full spinal alignment.

Remember that coming to yoga class and sitting correctly for one hour is not going to balance out 6-8 daily hours of sitting poorly in daily life. Think about your daily sitting patterns as a pelvic floor, lumbar spine, and baby position wellness-promoting yoga pose.