​Butts (predominantly gluteus maximus a.k.a. glute max) are wonderful, BUT stability for the lower back must firstly come from the core and not from the peach.

Our glutes are prime MOVERS that transmit force up the body in sports, such as swimming and down into the legs for activities, like walking and running.

Conversely, our core is made of predominantly smaller muscles local to joints, which help stabilise the spine and pelvis.  Standing on one leg, for example, is a core stability exercise, and if you have a strong core, you will NOT need to tense your butt in order to avoid falling over. This would be ‘fixation’, which will create unnecessary tension in your system and more than likely contribute further to an UNSTABLE back and ultimately lower back pain.

The 'core', referring to entire myofascial continuum - from the inner arches of the feet to the sides of your head – needs to be strong, adaptable and resilient to stabilise us. This means the BUTT can occasionally actually relax and then be ready to fire and do the job it was designed to do!

I know this may be confusing due to many “experts” having told you the opposite, but I’ve seen it time and time again – when this old belief and neuromuscular patterning starts to be ‘undone’, magical things happen! Pain resides, the glutes actually wake up, and the client’s sense of power from within skyrockets on many levels.

Client Revelation:
"Words cannot express my excitement for what I am discovering working with Annelise. My body is changing, like its waking up!

Following the birth of my children I had several pelvic and jaw surgeries, and the work to reconnect to my core it was hard! I had to undo everything I had previously learnt to fix my broken body, but Annelise helped remind me and to feel that actually nothing is broken!
It took a while to undo what I had previously been lead to believe – that to protect from prolapse I had to walk around clenching my butt – the more butt clenches the better – I had turned into a protective tight ass! I didn’t realise that I had actually been creating a very uncomfortable and even damaging ‘armouring’ for my pelvis.

With the movement discovery sessions I could feel my body start to unwind. A significant rotation of my pelvis literally started to unwind as we worked. It was quite an amazing and empowering feeling to be connecting to and feeling movement in parts of my body that I had completely forgotten about and previously felt were damaged forever."

1on1 sessions at the Scarborough studio guide you to safely start the unwinding process, in the most supportive possible way. Please do get in touch :)

Unexplained lower back pain is something that has plagued me to varying degrees throughout 30 of my nearly 40 years of life, and I must say that both the diagnostics to determine the cause, as well as the management strategies to either deal with or ideally dissolve the pain, have been severely lacking.

In previous blogs I’ve mentioned how this set me off on a path of self-diagnosis and management. What I discovered was that my body was in a constant state of low to high level inflammation with my nervous system on high alert, both leading to ongoing lower back tension.

My investigations, study, research and inquiry also landed me in serving the way I do currently, in helping people to move and breathe better, and sustainably. Fittingly for my clients,

it is usually always stress and tension which must first be reduced, to again have the body moving as an efficient, supported and COMPLETE whole.

Like often attracts like and I would go on to encounter many other lower back pain sufferers along my discovery and healing journey. The more people I met the more I learnt about the causes of this sometimes unexplained and random affliction: endometriosis, scoliosis, sciatica, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, herniated disc, prostate issues, ligament strain, spinal stenosis, joint laxity, pregnancy or postpartum complications - the list goes on.

The common aspect I have found among those with one of the above conditions, is that they either become protective around the affliction and hence stop moving, or are unsure how to safely do so. When the body is suffering we are often told to rest; to stop moving in case you do something that worsens the condition. However, a doctor’s recommendation to “take it easy” is not very helpful if it means becoming afraid to move. This type of fear can further inflame a condition and lead to even greater tension and lower back pain.

Despite the serious nature of these situations, over time working with a variety of lower back pain sufferers,

I started to see that the degree of suffering could be heavily reduced or even diminished simply by moving gently and breathing intentionally.

One thing I personally needed to learn was how to move again, after being restricted and being told to not move for such a long time.

So, what specifically did I learn and what can you do?

1. Let go of expectations that your body needs to move the way it did previously (for now) and instead focus on the ability and potential of your body now.
2. Increase your level of body awareness through movement & massage, to prevent build up of unnecessary tension
3. Centring and spacious breathing techniques which enable you to switch off “held” muscles around the injured area
4. Moving in a way that uses “as little as possible and only what is needed” (the Pilates element of disassociation)
5. Reconnect to your deep core muscles through refined and small movements
6. Limit exercises that might trigger the ‘protective’ mechanism of your lower back or abdominal muscles
7. Make sure your are still having some fun and moving dynamically with minimal effort

Applying the above will enable you to again enjoy being in your body despite years of tension and fear held around the lower back.

It was from this place that the Pelvic Performance Masterclass was born  ....

to show you how you can safely move through pregnancy, or any issue that affects the area in or around the pelvis, spine and hips. Join us at the next masterclass at the Mind Body Heart studio in Wembley, Perth.

My previous blog post mentioned “so much more” in reference to how I avoided back surgery and went on to live a relatively pain free life. I thought it would be remiss of me not to share the powerful but understated technique to which this elusive comment refers!

I failed to mention the pivotal few days that led to my decision to not go under the knife – to elect not to have the discectomy (part of one of my very necessary vertebral discs removed) that I had been prescribed.

What I didn’t realise at the time, was just how fortunate I was to have also been prescribed ear surgery to patch up an ear drum I had ruptured wake boarding some months earlier. What was fortunate about this situation was that I was forced to lye in bed for 2 days while the affects of the drugs and anaesthetic wore off. During this time while nothing to do and nowhere to be, I found myself intuitively focusing on my breathing. I wasn't trying to control or change it, but I simply used the time to observe the breath until it started to become a wholebody experience. I could literally feel every cell in my body breathe along with every inhale and exhale that passed my lips.

When you’re focused on something (in this case the breath), it’s very difficult to focus on anything else (i.e. ‘think’). These gaps in my usual thinking created space in my mind.

                                 With this spaciousness came ease in my cells, 
                          in my being and the inflammation that had caused me
                                  debilitating pain over the past month, settled.

After these 2 days I could walk again with ease. I managed to avoid having the prescribed surgery and nurtured my new state of health with positive lifestyle choices. 

2 days of conscious awareness of my breath compared to a big scar, massive down down time from my work and months of rehabilitation from surgery? I would take this option any day!

The beauty of this experience for me is the simplicity of the technique relative to the powerful physical transformation that took place.

So, why are doctors not prescribing such techniques to their patients? Well, there are many reasons and I’ll save sharing my opinions to a later blog, but what I can say is that this method of healing is FREE and I believe there is no better way to experience your immense personal power by healing your body via the breath.

If you're experiencing a restriction or dis-ease within your body, you don't have to wait like I did for a crisis to allow yourself the time to "do nothing" so that you can start the healing process. These powerful techniques are available to you today so book in for a free phone consult to chat about how to fast track your physical and emotional healing.

These days I practice a variety of different types of breathwork and am continuously amazed by what comes up both physically and emotionally - stuff that would have held me back from experiencing life to its fullest for years, had I not taken the opportunity to realise it was there, work through it and let it go.

I can honestly say I experience new insight into, and a greater connection to, both myself and the world around me with every breathwork session I take, and my sense of personal freedom and power as a woman continues to grow exponentially.

Whether you're new to breathwork or have had a practice for years, you may like to experience the combined power of breathwork and movement at one of our Perth workshops. 

Breath Heals. You are the Master of your body.  Inquire within.