Sacroiliac Flexibility
Sacroiliac flexibdity has until now been overlooked by those who write manuals on exercise and flexibility, and the terms nutation and counter-nutation are rarely encountered. This is not surprising since the sacroiliac movements are limited to only 5-1 o" (except during the end stages of pregnancy), and these are overshadowed by the grosser movements of the spine and pelvis as a whole.
Even though the range of sacroiliac movements is narrow, however, healthy and mobile sacrodiac joints make for safer, sharper postures. Indeed, the proper execution and full expression of backwaid bending, forward bending, and seated meditation postures presupposes the ability to establish nutation and counternutation at will. And because the concepts are unfamiliar and complex, some reiteration and review is in order. First recall where the movements take place. They're not spinal movements (as happen at intervertebral disks and other joints in the spine), and they're not movements at the hip joints (as happen at the acetabula between the Pelvic bones and the femurs). Rather, they are literally the only movements Permitted between the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton for the lower extremities (fig. 6.2a, arrows for nutation, and imagine their Opposites for counternutation). And they are subtle: think of movements Within the pelvis itself. If you want to understand the concepts, you will
35(1 ANATOMY ()F HATHA IfK,A
have to both think the movements through intellectually and apprai them experientially, and you also have to do this while envisioning thi u not only in isolation but within larger bending gestures that involve t e spine and the hip joints. These are not minor challenges.
nutation in forward bends
For both intermediate and advanced students, establishing nutation a a first priority in forward bends can be summed up easily: while maintaii ig the arched-forward lordosis in the lumbar region and while keeping ie iliacus components of the iliopsoas complex relaxed, create a selective | ill in the psoas muscles. You will sense little external movement, but the p as muscles pull sharply forward on the lumbar region, and this in turn p lis the promontory of the sacrum forward, which favors nutation. The ilia ire left behind and pulled medially by default as a result of keeping the ili us muscles relaxed. Although not ordinarily verbalized in this way, th is what hatha yoga teachers want you to do. It is the preferred beginning ep for forward bending, whether standing or sitting. Only after this si tie maneuver is accomplished should you bend forward at the hips and th in the spine. As you bend forward at the latter sites, the sacroiliac joint ill readjust themselves, moving to a more neutral position between nut <>n and counternutation.
The down-facing dog works especially well for evaluating and sei ing sacroiliac movements in advanced students (fig. 6.17, and even more 11 fig. 8.26), because experts have enough hip flexibility to settle into the po are with an arched-forward back. From this position, they can go bacl md forth between counternutation (pulling the ischia together, tightenir. the abdominal muscles, and pressing the promontory of the sacrum to th« ear in relation to the ilia) and nutation (sharply pulling the lumbar lor isis and sacral promontory forward with the psoas muscles, relaxin the abdominal muscles, and allowing the ischia to be drawn apart). It is u "ful for the advanced student to keep the thighs moderately abducted fo the posture, because as described earlier, an observer can monitor the movei 'nts of the upper thighs by feel: they shift medially during counternutatioi and laterally during nutation. Keep in mind, however, that the down-facir dog does not work well for those who are not flexible because the hoop-shap* dog posture favors pulling the ilia laterally and forward, thus creating a pr rity for counternutation. The remedy is simple: place the hands on a chair or ible so there is plenty of leeway to keep a prominent lumbar lordosis.
One of the most useful forward bending postures for stressing nutati 1,8s well as a posture that is accessible to beginning and intermediate studei s, is the one presented to illustrate diaphragm-assisted backbending (fig. 5.7) f his pose, which was already mentioned in the section on anatomy, com lieS
6. forward binding postvrfs J57
three elements: a forward bend at the hips, a backbend in the upper half of the body, and full nutation of the sacroiliac joints. (As in the case of the down-facing dog, it is helpful to come into the pose with abducted thighs.) Be careful to keep the abdominal muscles relaxed; if you don't, they will drive the lumbar lordosis to the rear and compromise your effort. With that caveat, this is one of the best postures for getting into the most extreme nutation you can manage. You can select a hand position on the wall that permits full relaxation of the abdominal muscles, your most expressive lumbar lordosis, and a specific effort with the psoas muscles that rotates the promontory of the sacrum forward, the coccyx up and back, and the ischia apart—all with minimal alteration to the appearance of the posture.
We also see good potential for nutation in many other postures that contain elements of forward bending from the hips. For those who are flexible enough to keep a deep lumbar lordosis during the course of forward bends, such postures include the superfish leglift (fig. 3.19b) and the straight-backed boat (fig. 3.22b). And for those who are less flexible, simple and useful postures include cat stretches with maximum lumbar lordotic curvatures (figs. 3.30, 3.34a-!) with the dashed lines, and 3.36), sitting on your heels or on a bench in the adamantine posture (fig. 10.9), and any seated meditation posture in which you can demonstrate a deep lumbar lordosis, whether you accomplish this by virtue of excellent native hip flexibility or a supporting cushion (chapter 10). In the cat stretches and sitting postures, even beginners can learn to relax the abdominal muscles, pitch the lumbar region and the promontory of the sacrum forward with a selective contraction of the psoas muscles, permit the ilia to come closer together, and spread the ischia. And one more added benefit is that these simple postures permit you to alternate full nutation with full counternutation: pushing the lumbar region maximally forward favors nutation, and pushing it maximally to the rear favors counternutation.
nutation in backbenos
If you have a healthy back, you can do relaxed symmetrical backbending Postures to encourage nutation. These include all the gravitationally-aided hackbending poses, beginning with the relaxed standing lumbar bend (just Mentioned in the section on anatomy as well as in chapter 4), in which nutation accentuates the lumbar lordosis, squeezes the promontory of the sacrum forward between the ilia, and spreads the ischial tuberosities (fig. 4 20). Or try this: stand with the thighs comfortably abducted and place your hands astride the ilia with the thumbs against and directly behind the ^P of the sacrum. Relax and bend backward to produce maximum nutation. Vou may not be altogether certain of feeling the top of the sacrum moving tfh anatomy of hatha yoga forward in relation to the ilia as you bend backward, but as you slowly si ft forward from the extremity of the backbend and move into counternutati you'll feel a dramatic shift of the ilia as they move forward and laterally n either side of the sacrum. It almost feels like a gear shifting in the man J transmission of an automobile.
Another excellent posture favoring nutation is the propped, diaphraj. >v-rcstricted backbond leaning against a wall (fig. 5.6), except that here iu modify the posture by aiming for a diaphragm-assisted backbend. You lo this by bending the knees, working your hands somewhat further down ie wall, and relaxing the abdomen so as to permit the diaphragm to accentt te the bend. This creates full nutation by squeezing the promontory of lie sacrum forward in relation to the ilia.
Next, try the variation of the upward-facing dog in which the feet ud toes are extended (the tops of the feet facing down) and the knees art ft on the floor (fig. 5.13). In this posture gravity does the work of droppin; he pelvis, with the promontory of the sacrum leading the way and ere; rig nutation. If you move slowly, you can also get the same feeling with the ies flexed, resting on the balls of the feet, knees, and hands.
Next, try lying supine with an 8 1/2 inch playground ball under the lui jar region (fig. 5.31). If you can relax the abdominal muscles and allow gr; lty to lower the upper back and pelvis toward the floor, this posture >ill encourage nutation; otherwise you will protect your back with an att ide of counternutation (resistant abdominal and iliacus muscles, straif ter body, squeezed-together hips, and spread-apart ilia).
Finally, for those who are flexible enough, push up into the v\ eel posture from a supine position (fig. 5.29), and allow nutation to take ice as a first priority, with the promontory of the sacrum squeezed forwan md the ischia pulled apart. The abdomen and hip flexors, especially the 111 cus muscles, must be relaxed, for only under those circumstances will lull nutation complement maximum spinal and hip extension. And - it happens, the preference for counternutation, or even sacroiliac joints hat are frozen in that attitude, is a common impediment to pushing up int< the wheel for many students.
(Technical note: The most advanced students, such as dancers and gymnast •■'ho are extraordinarily flexible, may be able to do this posture one better—keepii the sacroiliac joints in an attitude of partial counternutation. The most fie ible students, in fact, may feel this is desirable for protecting themselves, f ven that full nutation may take place too readily for their comfort. We can e a continuum of possibilities for the wheel posture: inflexible beginning stui nts who show little or no sacroiliac movement; intermediate students who a" come partially into the wheel by pushing to their limits of nutation; advn tea students with excellent sacroiliac mobility who feel comfortable in the pos ire with full nutation; and last, those who have more sacroiliac flexibility f°r nutation than they feel comfortable using l
6. H WW AM) BFMHNC; IXISTIIRFX
counter nutation in various postures
Post a comment