It seems that we all have a mantra in our work, something we say over and over again. My husband works in IT, so as we all know, his is the well-known phrase “have you turned it off and on again?”
Well, recently I have been repeating a mantra too. Not the usual Alexander Technique phrases of “let the neck be free” or “lengthen and widen the back” but in fact quite simply “let go in your belly”. Because, how can your leg muscles lengthen into extension if you’re gripping in your abdomen? Well they can’t. Simple as that! So, walking becomes a real challenge, hard work on the body; even standing is difficult when an overly tight abdomen is pulling you forward and down.
If you fancy a little experiment, lie on the floor in semi-supine (it’s a thing, search it) and spend some time relaxing through your body, releasing and letting go of muscular tension. Pay special attention to your belly; just let it go all soft. Allow it to gently and effortlessly fall back into your back. Each time your mind wanders off somewhere, bring it back to your belly and let it go again. This simple exercise, as well as being delightfully calming, will begin a whole new relationship with your pelvis.
Yes, your pelvis is connected to, and all part of, your belly and vice versa. I’m not here to give you an anatomy lesson, so you’ll just need to trust me when I say that behind the “cake belly” is another deeper belly and this has the potential for being your best friend, when it comes to internal support throughout the whole of your structure. The trick is to find a way to let go of the outer body and let the inner body (behind the cake belly) do some of the work.
So getting back to you lying on the floor……….and breathe!
No, not into your belly (either of them!), you don’t have lungs in your belly. As you breathe, it’s your spacious thoracic cage that contains the air, it expands, in all directions, when your lungs are full, and releases again when they empty. Doesn’t it? Well possibly a bit in the front, but generally NO! Because when most people over the age of twenty-something take a breath, they’re holding so much tension in their torso that the ribs aren’t moving at all. Is this you? I digress…
What happens when you let go in your belly?
Your breath wants to be normal easy breathing no huffing or effortful stuff. Keep letting your cake belly soften and notice that your cylindrical ribcage can expand and release, as the breath moves in and out through your nose. You’re staying free in your more superficial musculature to let the deeper stuff do its job of natural tone and support.
To finish it may feel good to let a leg slide out into extension along the floor; really allow that belly to let go into length. Follow with the other leg, sliding it out, so now your whole abdomen has extended into easy length and tone, because you let go in your belly.
Enjoy how that feels in your body for just a moment longer. To get up, draw your legs back into semi-supine, then roll on your side – it’s kinder to your neck, but that’s another story!
More on why it’s best to “let go in your belly” coming soon to Gemma’s musings