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  • galekw
    Participant
    February 24, 2010 at 9:04 am
    Post count: 3
    in reply to: cramping in the compression postures #6519

    Hello Gabrielle,

    Thank you for the suggestion…I tried it and it worked. Then I got intrigued, and I took the time to really play with this posture in front of several mirrors, so I could really see where my feet were, where my head was, where my hips were, and what kind of an arch I was getting when I put my head on the knee vs. on the top of the shin or lower. And what happened when I changed each one of these things just a little bit. The cramping IS alleviated when I put my head lower than my knee, (just on top of the shin) and this does not put such a strain on my neck. The mirrors enabled me to really check my foot and hip alignment, and I found that if my foot alignment was even an inch off (the heels have to be exactly aligned), the likelihood of cramping increased considerably. I have cramped in other compression postures (rabbit & head to knee combined w/intense stretching pose), but usually only after I’ve cramped badly in this one. I pulled this muscle some years ago, so it’s probably sensitive. For now, I am being especially aware of where I’m putting everything, and I’ve been cramp-free! Thanks so much for the extra information on the whys of head to knee and all your help getting me through this. It’s really nice not to be anticipating doubling over in pain anymore!

    Gale

    galekw
    Participant
    February 15, 2010 at 7:26 am
    Post count: 3
    in reply to: cramping in the compression postures #6447

    Thank you, Gabrielle, for your quick response! Yes, I am flexible enough to get my forehead to my knee without difficulty (except for the cramping response!) It doesn’t seem to matter if I tense (or suck in) my stomach or relax it, as the cramping occurs in the upper quadrant of the rectus abdominus independent of my stomach. I’ve even experimented with not sucking the stomach in at all & trying to let the front of the body expand with breathing (your breathing video has a brief illustration of breathing in this posture), but I still cramp right under the ribs when I reduce the distance between torso & thigh. I tried bending the leg, and it helps somewhat, but I almost have to be lunging on the forward leg to alleviate the cramping. I feel like I’m really cheating on the posture! While doing this experimenting, I also paid more attention to my hip alignment & weight distribution on both legs. If I am exactly over the center of my legs, but really bring the backward hip forward (more forward than square), I didn’t cramp, but got an equal distribution “pinch” on both sides (less than a cramp, but more than a contraction – at least I didn’t fall over in pain!). Is this more what I’m looking for?

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