Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 Just thought I'd share what David Swenson taught us about this... He said not to purposefully squeeze the buttocks muscles b/c doing so turns the feet out (messing up alignment), and in Up Dog, you need to try to keep the feet and legs and hips lined up. That said, I agree with Victoria, that some people with weak or somehow-compromised lower backs can gently "engage" the buttocks muscles in order to support the lower spine... though I think that there's a big difference between "engaging" the buttocks and really squeezing or contracting them. As the lower back gets stronger and if one's practice is regular, I think that the muscles that are best used in Up Dog will be engaged "automatically" (for lack of a better word). >Message: 7 Tue, 2 Jul 2002 15:27:14 -0700 (PDT) Victoria Mellon <sharky07042 RE: upwards dog & buns Well, since you asked.... My thoughts on this are twofold. It makes sense to me that relaxing the glutes would allow you to curve the spine more. In my case, however, because my lower spine is so compromised, contracting the glutes helps to stabilize the lower spine, thus protecting it from possible injury. So, I think that if your spine is healthy and strong, relax the glutes during Urdhva Mukha Svanasana and see how it feels. For those of us who are practicing with a compromised spine, I would suggest engaging the glutes and the legs to help support the spine until it is strong enough to go further in backbends. Kathleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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