WEEK ONE

Here we go! Week 1 was a success! 10 beautiful Mommas and new babes all together in one place. This is a new place for me to teach because my original location had a last minute conflict. (Yikes! I had to scramble!) Fortunately for me, one of my doula clients owns a building where this room is located and she welcomed us with open arms! (Shout out to @LittlePostageHouse for saving me!) Yes- there is stock in the background but no-one minded. There was clean, new carpeting, a bathroom and kitchen area. It's perfect!!

WEEK 1 IS ALL ABOUT RECONNECTION.

Take a look at the graphic below of the side view of the abdominal canister.

Did you know that your breath is a big part of connection? Your Diaphragm and your pelvic floor work together in synergy to support your core. Without you even trying, they move "passively" - meaning, it just happens. When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and flattens or lowers, and your pelvic floor lowers and lengthens. When you exhale, the pelvic floor contracts and lifts and the diaphragm releases and lifts. The Transverse follows along by expanding with the inhale and contracting with the exhale.

Imagine that it's almost like an elevator that moves up and down in your body. We can “actively” engage our pelvic floor, your Transverse follows to “cinch” in your waist which is why some people call that muscle “Nature's Corset."

We use this and other graphics in our instructor manuals. Our instructors can read verbatim from any of the manuals when they first start teaching. It's a nice thing to be able to do until they are move comfortable with the material. They also have the online training platform to review and read extra studies and information.

This video below shows how we begin to find and activate our transverse abdominal muscle to help structurally support the pressure system in our core. A lot of moms are worried about Diastasis Recti (DR). Interesting fact: Even just 10 years ago, it was all about “closing” the DR - even going so far as to say that when a DR was “open”, people shouldn't lift heavy weights!

Now we know more on the subject and, in fact, understand that the DR may not ever close in some people… WHY? Because when the Transverse is activated, the muscles fibers contract back towards the spine and may actually pull the DR wider! WHAT??? Yep - Now we know that it's not about closing the DR at all, but creating TENSION in the space to support the DR.

One of my favorite things about teaching PPR is the connections being made by the moms. With their newly postpartum body, of course - and maybe even more importantly, making connections with other moms. When I asked the group, “Why are you here?” One of the moms immediately piped up, “Because I need mom friends.” BOOM!