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inner corset help and opinions

Ste H
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5 years 7 months ago
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11/22/2016 - 2:06pm
inner corset help and opinions

Hi everyone.
I have tons of injuries and posture problems I have been trying to sort for years now but no luck yet.
I was trying to work on my inner corset but I cannot tell if I am getting this right or completely wrong, I would hate to do these for a while and find I have been working the wrong muscle so I thought it would be best to check on here. Here is the video I just uploaded, sorry the quality is not the best - https://youtu.be/qDSD8vUNXhE
I am hoping to see a gokhale teacher in the near future, but until then I still want to be working towards better posture.

In the video you can see I swap between relaxing and inner corset sometimes to show the difference. Basically I am not sure if I am getting it right. I don't feel much going on in there when I lift my arms up unless I really strain up and maybe even force it a little to get moving, I can then hold this position as you can see in the video. But probably not for long ( currently trying to do 1 min 20 times a day like Esther suggests. 

I feel like when I do it I look very unnatural and like It puts my shoulders quite high towards my ears, also like it has a bigger distance between my hands and my body, as if I am 'showing off' my lats. Hopefully that makes sense.
I do try a little shoulder roll in the video, but as soon as i relax my shoulders they go straight back to where they were anyway. My right shoulder blade has always stuck out and I have never even got close to fixing this. However as you can see in the video, when doing this it does push my ribs back a bit to fill the gap between the scapular and rib, although still not fully.

Also When I do this I notice my lower back ( and maybe even the bottom of my mid back ) feels very tense. Not sure if that is supposed to happen, almost like doing the inner corset forces my pelvis to tilt anteriorly. My spine looks quite curved when I do this and I am guessing I am getting further away to the J spine. Holding the head in the correct position is difficult as well as I get a lot of twitching in the back of my neck ( but I get this all the time now regardless of what I do ) You can also see that when I try to engage the inner corset my ribs expand to the side near the bottom ( I try show this head on on camera) is this incorrect?

I realise I look very silly doing it so I know I probably have it wrong but any opinions would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks so much in advance

Teacher
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07/08/2011 - 6:42pm

Hello Ste H,

Perhaps a few visuals will help you find your innercorset:

Try reaching up and over an imaginary bar at about chest height. I always think about reaching for something like a spice on a high shelf but there is a pesky bar in your way so you have to reach high but over the bar to get to it. This movement of up and over will help you isolate the muscles you are looking for. 

When using the breath to engage the muscles, breathe deeply into the chest gaining some height. You can put you hands on your hips and push down to help get some added length. Then hold that new height and exhale fully. You'll see more engagement.  

Rolling the shoulders: 1. it's a little forward, 2. a little up 3. then  all the way back and slowly relax them down into their new position. Think about sliding your shoulder blades into your back pockets. 

Hope that helps. Do try to get to a course or hook up with a Gokhale Method teacher at some point. The hands-on work makes a huge difference to your understanding. 

Good luck.

Michelle Ball - Gokhale Method Teacher Australia

Ste H
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5 years 7 months ago
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11/22/2016 - 2:06pm

Hi Michelle.
Thank you for the reply! I will try apply all that and keep practicing.

One question about the shoulder roll. After you have rolled the shoulders, should you consciously hold them in that position? I think I remember reading in the book that you should be able to fully relax them again, but when I do they return right back to that starting position.
Thanks again!

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