I took the Foundation’s Course a few weeks ago and have experienced increasing lower back pain while sleeping, whether on my side or back. I have a very thick mattress topper and am wondering if that may be the culprit of my discomfort. Sinking hips?
When stretchlying, the mattress topper tends to fill the gap in my lower back. However, I wake up with the most pain here (I try to use a pillow under my legs too). Perhaps placing a towel in this curvature would help, like when lying on the side for individuals with narrow waist?
I've attached pictures of different pillow heights and without pillow. Image 3549 (last picture) shows curvature of spine on mattress topper.
Thank you!
7 hours 34 min ago
11/03/2015 - 2:37am
Hi!
Thank you for all the photos - they are really helpful :)
Over the weeks after the Foundations Course, it is normal human nature for us to forget a few things, and this can sometimes let a curve in the lower back sneak back in.
It looks like you are doing a great job of the stretching part and working hard to keep the ribs down. In the first photo, it seems to me that your pelvis is perhaps a bit tucked. Try sitting up and 'getting your behind behind you' first before you lay down. (This may involve grabbing your butt cheeks with your hands and pulling the flesh backwards!) Pay special attention to the groin crease (between torso and thigh) to make sure the pelvis doesn't move as you prop yourself up on your elbows and lengthen your lower back.
Another thing that you may find helpful is to use your fattest pillow and position it so that more of your shoulders and upper back are supported by it (see picture #6 and add another inch or so of upper back). This is effectively the Rib Anchor movement; the pillow rotates your ribcage forward, which correspondingly flattens the lower back.
Try those adjustments for a week and report back :)
Best wishes,
Tegan Kahn, Gokhale Method Teacher, Canberra, Australia