Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: VioletAquarius on October 13, 2024, 10:13:20 PM
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Does anyone know of any effective exercises that will help relax your abdominal muscles?
I always seem to tense/engage my abs, even without knowing, and need to learn to relax and turn them off.
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Hi!
A few links to get you started:
Stop sucking in your stomach all the time — it could be bad for your health
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/11/12/how-to-stop-holding-in-stomach/
Katy Bowman - How to Move Your Breathing Parts Better
https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/how-to-move-your-breathing-parts-better/
Traditional taiji and qigong also teach the body to release tension (Song).
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Thanks Ana21, will look at the links.
What's this song? Do you have a link for this please, Thanks.
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There is no direct English translation for Song, so the words "release" and "relax" are frequently used. "Relax" is complicated, as there are many different models or definitions in the taiji world. In the most simplistic sense, you cultivate the ability to let go, release muscle tension while maintaining structure. If you tell people to relax, they'll often collapse their structure and become human spaghetti. Song is the principle of releasing and relaxing while maintaining structure, so bones up / flesh down. Structure and alignment are maintained while releasing or letting go of muscle tension.
There is a mental component as well. You have to develop awareness of muscle tension before you can let it go. As you learn to stop gripping your abs, you will have to be aware of the gripping and then figure out what you need to do to release those muscles. That's a mental exercise as well as a physical one. You will likely be repeating it countless times a day. It can take a long time to learn to release habitual muscle tension. It tends to sneak back in.
Here's a description of the six levels of Song in the context Yang style taiji:
https://discovertaiji.com/en/blog/six-levels-of-song
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Sing. Whistle. Encourages us to breath correctly.
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Thames Ana21 , that's really helpful.
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Thanks CLKD!
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One thing that really helped me relax my abs is deep breathing. I used to tense up my stomach muscles without even realizing it. Now, I just lie down and put one hand on my chest and the other on my belly. I take deep breaths, trying to make my belly rise and fall. It’s so simple, but it really helps me let go of that tension in my abs
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Hi Sophya, that's exactly what I'm like, I don't even realise I've tensed them.
I've started trying to notice throughout the day and they're always engaged, so have to 'let go' and relax them. It seems that any type of movement I make my abs engage/tense.
Have the breathing exercises stopped you tensing your abs now?
How long do you do the breathing for? And how many times a day?
Thank you.