Daily life has a way of getting us out of whack. No matter how balanced we try to be in our bodies, we’re almost always favoring one side or another. I’m going to tell you about an exercise I began to teach and practice when I noticed huge muscular imbalances during rotation in my own body and in my clients’ bodies. It is a variation of a Yoga Tune Up® exercise called Revolved Abdominal Pose. But first, I’ll tell you how I knew I needed to get to the bottom of the problem: I was having lower back pain only on the right side, and every time I would get out of the driver’s side of the car, my SI joint would click.
I began to think more about my daily habits. For example, every time I backed out of the driveway or a parking spot, I did an extreme rotation of my spine to the right. I even caught myself soaping up my left butt cheek with my right hand by rotating ALL the way around to the right to do it!
Pain was of course my first wake up call. Other wake up calls occurred during my private Pilates sessions with June Chiang. Doing the four point kneeling exercise where you lift one leg up was simple and super easy for me on one side—but when I lifted the other leg, it was an utter failure resulting in a lateral ribcage and hip deviation faults. Yikes. This instability pattern repeated in a supine bridge with a one leg lift. When I lifted one foot, everything was hunky dory, but when I lifted the other foot, the opposite ilium bone would drop.
Then I began to think about the bigger picture. Sitting on the couch, I ALWAYS slumped to the left with my elbow on a bunch of pillows to read my emails on my laptop. When I dined alone, I ALWAYS placed my iPhone on the right side of my plate to scroll through my Facebook feed. And the list goes on…
The good news is that, to feel better, I don’t have to take a pill or have surgery. I am empowered to be aware of my alignment during my daily activities. I continue taking my Pilates private sessions because we all need an extra set of eyeballs on us when we move to see what we’re blind to.
The moral of this story is that exercise can do a lot—but it can’t do everything. Exercise alone wouldn’t have changed my pain. I had to practice the exercises AND change my daily habits to stop the SI joint clicking and low back pain. I’m happy to tell you that it worked, but if I fall back into my old habits of rotating to the right all day long, and/or not practicing these corrective exercises, the pain returns. By paying attention to both, my body is now better-equipped to deal with tasks like putting dishes in the dishwasher, donning a jacket, or dragging a roller bag through the airport.
I was inspired to deconstruct this Yoga Tune Up® pose because I knew that my obliques, spinal rotator muscles, and iliopsoas on the left side were extremely weak. I just needed a few modifications to make these muscles work harder. By changing the two things below, I could no longer cheat and use my superficial global mobilizer muscles in this exercise:
1) I limited the range of motion in de-rotation by using the blocks to bring the ground up higher.
2) I took the arms out of the equation by holding them up in the air.
Now I could no longer use my arms to assist in de-rotation and bypass the deep spinal muscles and local stabilizers I was supposed to use in this exercise. Furthermore, another wonderful thing happened that was the icing on the cupcake: when I did more repetitions on the weaker side, the compulsion toward incessant right side rotation in my daily life decreased. What used to be a “dull and sleepy” area of my body, was now illuminated! Proprioception of my left torso profoundly increased and the pain in my right SI Joint decreased.
Are you ready to find and eliminate your body blind spots? Try my modified version of this YTU pose – I’ll show you how on Friday!
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This is so very applicable to ADLs of daily life. Very nice ??
Now that I have some context as to what the exercise can do for daily life, I really wish the video on your second post were still accessible (I read the posts in reverse order). I notice that I too favor my right side and have pain on my left, but I haven’t taken the time to figure out what it is that I do regularly that might be causing this pain (I just figured my left side was “bad). Now – or maybe after YTU training and homework catch-up – I will spend some time paying more attention to how I might be consistently using one side of my body differently than the other.
Thank you for these modifications and for sharing your experience. I think this could help my lower back issue. I also have lower back pain more on one side then the other as well as having quite a difference in my spinal rotation. I look forward working on this!
I love the emphasis on looking outside of our exercise or movement modalities to figure out why we might be experiencing pain. After retiring from a 10 year career in ballet, I started noticing that I favored flexing my right hip… whether it was stepping into an SUV or getting into bed. And when I did use the left hip flexors it just felt weird and weak – so I’d go back to using the right side. I eventually realized that the imbalance came from my years of performance: always flexing my right hip to developpe the right leg in the air as the left leg served as the standing stabilizer. The imbalance stemmed from my ballet career, but I didn’t notice it or really pay attention until much later when it continued to creep into my everyday activities.
So much great stuff in here! The reminder that exercise is not enough, that we have to change our daily habits as well, is so, so true! And so easy forget. I love your modification for revolved abdominal pose. I know I cheat in this pose by relying on my arms, but I will give this version a try. Thank you!
Yes, I agree. Looking forward to seeing the exercise. So glad to hear that the chabpnges in habits and exercise cleared the problem.
I too use my right side of my body more. While reading a book for many hours a lie on my right side of my body and afterwards I always felt like an invalide, but never changed this habbit.So by now I realized what I really do to my body.
Great article, I was actually recently noticing how in daily life I also am inclined to create imbalances by favouring one side or repeating actions on a side that I never do on the other… I started to adapt some exercices to balance it out and to change some of my daily habits so it’s great to have new tips and ideas. Thanks for sharing!!
This blog and your other one on de-rotation are just up my alley! This was a complete body blindspot for me in a YTU class and it was frustrating to me mostly because I didn’t know how to get from here to there – how do I get the obliques to start firing in this way that they are unfamiliar with. Your modifications of using a block to raise the floor up and taking the arms out of the exercise are really helpful for me to build that awareness, proprioception and strength in my obliques. I also realize that I also rotate more easily to the right than to the left and I think it’s from years rotating around to the right to back out of a parking space.
I also had discovered just how unaware I was of certain postural habits. I love hearing about how you were able to discover remedies to strengthen and repair what was happening. The first step is awareness and that’s a hard first step! Thank you for sharing these amazing tools!
I so needed to read this, Trina. I’ve been noticing some habits and patterns in my life recently that are doing much the same thing you describe. Whenever I sit on the couch, I flex both needs, internally rotate my right hip, externally rotate my left hip, and laterally flex my spine to the right. Holy DOM’s and some cray-cray asymmetry! My right side QL is all in a bunch and my right hip hates me when I externally rotate it. I feel the imbalance during my practice and you’ve inspired me to take YTU tools to work and also be more diligent in breaking my bad movement pattern.
Trina! I’m was refered by YTU teacher Alex Ellis to read this article. Your name came up while doing the Moon Rise excersise in my YTU teacher training Whoo hoo! I was speaking to Alex about low back instability as well as some clicking that I was also experiencing. I actually did a context grid on the revolved abdominal pose. Can’t wait to watch the video. And put your modifications in to practice. Thanks!
I’m so glad I found this post. I’ve been having one side of my lower spine constantly cracking even with a simple shift in my hips. I’ve also noticed my daily activities that favor the other side. I’ve been trying to have my massage therapist work it out and have also done straightforward ab exercises – BUT haven’t focused on rotational abs. I’m starting this practice right now!
Yes, I also favor one side more than the other. I started taking time to observe and create awareness of when I do it and what I do during that time. We are creatures of habits. My right side is dominant. I usually feel off balance on my right side. As a student of my body, I am constantly learning to balance my both sides. I am implementing a new habit of starting my yoga poses on the left side. It feels uncomfortable but works well.
I am with you Trina, this could be me you are talking about. I even notice it in my waist as one side is shorter and in using my hands, standing and sitting. Bringing awareness it the first step, now I need to work on reversing my old habit by strengthen my weak side and correcting my posture.
This is a great reminder how we are creatures of habit. I notice that i am much more sorer on the right side it seems. I am right side dominant and tend to lift/push/pull on the right. even when i work out, since i am stronger on my right side, i favor more reps on that side. Now i will make it a point to focus on the other side. especially in my yoga poses~~ more awareness on the left side. Thank you.
Hi Trina,
Thanks for this great tip and how to video. I have become more aware of muscle imbalances and thinking through my daily routine as well has opened my eyes to where I over do it and am starting to ignore the opposite side and/or direction in motion.
Thanks!
Thanks Trina for the eye opening read! I recognize so many of those same habits and tendencies in my own life. It’s a good reminder that it’s not always a single incident that can bring about pain or injury, but rather the sum total of our daily habits and routines. Just shows how simply bringing some increased awareness to our lives and bodies can help return us back into a state of balance.
Thanks!
Carlos
Hey Trina, I actually read this post in April and it definitely connected with me. In the past few months, I too have been become increasing and painfully aware of my SI joint and all the nerves radiating from it. Focusing on a straight spine and noticing any and all rotation has become essential. What I found amazing was how quickly I fatigued when maintaining neutral alignment while doing things like watching t.v. or chatting in the supermarket aisle. Clearing the pain I am feeling is a result of muscle imbalances and questionable alignment. After years of ignoring or ‘pushing through’ the pain, I am gratefully and gradually relearning how to move safely through space with more conscious movement.
Thanks Trina! I too often rely on exercise too heavily instead of also looking at the cumulative effects of the small movement choices I make throughout the day. I love the idea of being empowered to create real change via awareness of daily alignment. This is something I’ve been working on in my own life and have been trying to incorporate into my classes. I also find your examples so helpful – all small, mundane movements that add up to big effects! This post really encapsulates the idea that every movement is an opportunity for positive change and healing 🙂
Incredible. I definitely found your modification a total challenge bringing my legs from right back to center and the other side a piece o cake. Always having had right left hip imbalances since a herniated disc in my early 20s this pose has helped to illuminate what’s truly weak. I have been cheating my way through the regular ones with my upper body all this time. Thanks a bundle. Next week – my students are in for a great surprise.
Thanks Trine for this article as a great reminder to watch your habits as they are a tell tale sign. I often wonder what habits I am not seeing that are playing into my own imbalances.
How timely. I’ve spent hours scouring the net investigating the pain I experience near my left SI joint. Finally came to realize I can mimic the pain with an external rotation of my left leg when I’m in a modified backbend lying down with a prop (rolled blanket)
Under my ribcage. Itoo have age old habits that curl my torso in one direction. I can trace this habits from the feet up.
It is so exciting to me to be able to break this age old pain down! Know the psoas is a major player, but I am anxious to read about your rx. I knowthis will take time, but I wonder how many unnecessary back surgeries have been done with no positive results. Thanks for the illumination!
My asymmetries got so bad that I ended up getting injured and poor physical therapy made it worse. YTU has been tremendously helpful in my journey back to better function and health. Look forward to your next blog.
so true ..about our positions in daily life can have many long term benefits or dysfunction
looking forward to see the video
Hi Marsha,
I am so glad that you enjoyed this article. Part 2 of this blog comes out tomorrow with a video of me doing this exercise and step by step written instructions. Check back so you can read it and watch!
Great article! I definitely favor my right side, which I believe has led me to have three injuries on my left side in the past year. My most recent injury was overuse of my back muscles, so my lower back gave out for an entire month. Last month, I took the YTU Integrated Embodied Anatomy class, and I gained a knowledge of proprioception, and have become more aware of my habits. I always carried my 15 lb purse (maybe I’m exaggerating) on my right shoulder. I always rolled over to my right side in fetal position after savasana. And taking notice of these couple of things, I have made those adjustments to carry my purse on my left, or carry two bags on each shoulder, AND I roll over to my left side after savasana. I’m hoping these tiny daily changes will allow me to strengthen and balance my right side out. I wish I could see what your modified YTU pose looks like so I can try it out!
I am guilty of a similar position while reading: head propped up on my left hand with a significant lateral curve in my spine. It’s comfortable until I realize what I’m doing to myself. Currently I am taking care of someone post-surgery and monitoring what they are doing to compensate so I can intelligently help them now, and after they heal. The element of unbalanced rotation is relevant to this healing. Thanks for posting and sparking my creative thoughts.
These are great regressions to progression and sometimes even more challenging. I teach them in almost every class 🙂
Loved this idea….and new concept to dig deeper into the architecture ! I’m looking forward to doing it Friday!.