What’s so sacred about your pelvis?

There is a whole lot going wrong if our pelvis is either not stable or out of kilter. Your pelvic alignment and the balance of your SIJ (Sacro-iliac Joints) is crucial to our longevity ~ it’s the foundation of our core and spinal stability. The alignment of our hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, neck and jaw rely on our pelvic alignment ~ you can have a neck or shoulder issue and it’s actually a sign your pelvis is out, been true for me on way too many occasions that I now read it as a sign to balance my pelvis first and foremost. The ‘Sacrum’ (latin for ‘The Sacred or Holy Bone’) being the large triangular bone at the base of the spine comprised of 5 fused vertebrae S1-5 is where the nerve endings leave the base of the spinal cord and feed into organs in the pelvis and legs. In ideal alignment the 2 x SIJ distribute the weight evenly of the head, upper limbs + torso into the hips, knees + feet. When out of alignment it can impact just about everything from our balance, breathing, organ function and comfort!

Josephine Key (The Key Method ~ Physiotherapist + influencer of The Yogalates Method) believes a strong core = functional breathing + ideal posture + great pelvic control. Having been breech born with hip dysplasia and extreme joint hyper-mobility and a developed scoliosis ~ I have to say from personal experience I 100% agree. It’s taken a lot of work and dedication for me to create stability in my body, and this has been the perfect recipe. When I lose that stability from time to time (like when I fell in a ditch rolled my ankle and jarred my pelvis out of place last week) the practices below are my go to for IMMEDIATE remedy + INSTANT relief. I hope they help you too, because there’s no point continuing on with a pain in ya pelvis when you can correct it.

The Sacro-Iliac Joints

The angle of the Sacrum - whether it tilts too far forward/backward or tips left/right - governs the curvature of the spine, positioning of the shoulders and placement of the skull - even the slightest tilt can have our posture amiss, causing a scoliosis, pinched nerve, inflamed hip bursa, disc herniation, knee or ankle condition as well as muscle imbalances throughout the entire body. A rotation on one side of the pelvis can even cause neck or shoulder issue …… not to mention be a real pain in the bum - literally!

If you experience any of the following;

If yes to any of the above then you are exactly who I created my Sacred SIJ + Pelvis Series for in my online studio. Safe practices you can do at home. Each of the above mentioned conditions benefit from focussing on;

1. Strengthening pelvic floor

2. Aligning and resetting the pelvis

3. Activating core and improving pelvic stability

4. Balancing strength in left and right glute, hamstring, quadricep, psoas and lumbar muscles

5. Targeting deep stabilisers in the hip joint and lumbar postural muscles

6. Avoiding assymetrical (one-sided) positions and standing poses which may exaggerate imbalance of pelvis or trigger overused, compensating muscles. Keeping feet, knees, hips, pelvis and spine parallel helps reset the skeletal system from the feet to crown. NB it is really common for traditional styles of Yoga and new modern flow Yoga students and Teachers to suffer from chronic SIJ dysfunction (the dreaded poorly performed Warrior I and Trikonasana I reckon! watch my Sacred SIJ Awareness video is this is YOU)

Create for yourself a sacred Pelvis with these online practices - FREE TO TRIAL 3 DAYS;

Sacred SIJ Pelvic Reset 45mins of restoring, aligning and stabilising - the MOST viewed practice in my online library!

Sacral Mini Reset 20mins a shorter version of the above - the one that saved my butt last week!

Pelvic + Spinal Stability Flow 60mins of gentle flow and re-alignment from base to crown.

A Stable Base - Pelvic Stability 25mins of moving mindfully from the pelvis.

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I have worked one-to-one with multiple clients whom have self-diagnosed or been misdiagnosed as suffering lumbar disc herniation, sciatica, hip bursitis and yet found their ultimate (often IMMEDIATE) relief in working with balancing + stabilising their Sacrum and Pelvis. Sacra-Iliac Joint Dysfunction is a common condition (particularly post-natal) and for many it can be so simple to rehabilitate, relieve + maintain. A few adjustments are needed to break old habits, perhaps learn to avoid the activities causing the aggravation - and sometimes this includes how you Yoga! SIJ dysfunction is very common in long time Yoga teachers practicing a more traditional Yoga style, and the modern flow or Vinyasa styles, where little emphasis is placed on the angle of the back foot in assymmetrical poses like Warrior I and Trikonasana. I feel it’s also worth a mention that this sacral region is prone to feeling ‘unstable’ when we do - feeling financial pressure? insecure in a relationship? fear or uncertainty of what’s next? Issues in the sacral region can be due to lacking a sense of trust, feeling safe, secure, creative and abundant. In my experience the physical is always a result of the mental and emotional. If you’re interested check out these 7 ways to heal your Sacral Chakra for more insight.

Check out my Sacred SIJ Awareness video and tap into this wisdom to avoid unnecessary pain, get some great tips on how to practice (and teach) Yoga safely, what moves to avoid aggravation, how to protect and strengthen and tricks with props to alleviate discomfort.

I hope you find much relief and stability in your pelvis.

Namaste Nic