Yoga and Hypopressives: Origin & Philosophy
Yoga, with its roots dating back to ancient India, is an integrative practice that unites physical postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and ethical precepts.
Its philosophy underlines the union of mind, body, and spirit, and the achievement of a state of internal peace.
The goal is not merely physical fitness, but a comprehensive sense of wellness and consciousness expansion.
There are several forms of yoga, like Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini, each with their unique emphasis and approach, though they all share the common thread of yoga’s fundamental philosophy.
Hypopressives, on the other hand, was developed in the 1980s by Belgian physiotherapist Marcel Caufriez.
The technique was initially designed as a safe alternative to traditional abdominal exercises for women recovering post-childbirth.
The philosophy behind hypopressives centers around creating a vacuum in the abdomen through specific postures and breathing techniques, leading to an involuntary contraction of the deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
It is more of a physical therapy approach, targeting specific muscular and postural improvement.
The techniques and exercises
Yoga involves a wide array of postures, from simple ones like Tadasana (Mountain Pose) to more complex ones like Sirsasana (Headstand).
Each pose has specific physical and subtle benefits. Yoga also incorporates Pranayama (breathing exercises) and Dhyana (meditation) into its routine, working on the practitioners’ physical and mental aspects.
Hypopressives, alternatively, is centered around “hypopressive breathing,” which involves exhaling entirely and then expanding the ribcage without inhaling, creating a vacuum effect that triggers the automatic contraction of pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles.
The exercises are often done in postures that promote the alignment and elongation of the spine.
Health Benefits of consistent practice
Yoga’s benefits are multidimensional, addressing physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Physically, it can enhance flexibility, strength, and balance.
Its focus on mindful movements and breathing can also promote stress relief, mental clarity, and emotional balance.
Some forms of yoga can even serve as a vigorous exercise, aiding in weight loss.
Hypopressives are highly beneficial for improving core strength and posture.
They are particularly effective for preventing and managing pelvic floor disorders, such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
It can also contribute to an improved waistline, enhanced respiratory capacity, and prevention of hernias and organ descent.
Safety and follow-along
Yoga and Hypopressives can both be done from home with both having small learning curves.
Yoga requires you to start with the basic poses and slowly progress. Hypopressives require you to learn to breathe and align your body followed by doing the apnea breath hold.
While Yoga can be slowly followed-along to YouTube videos, Hypopressives require personal guidance to ensure the apnea and your alignment and breathing is being done correctly.
Hypopressives require supervision initially
Hypopressives is a unique method that removes pressure from your intra-abdominal and pelvic floor.
However it can be practised wrong.
This leads to inverse effects leading to more pressure which in turn can lead to no results or worsen symptoms of pelvic dysfunction such as incontinence, prolapse, back pain, pelvic pain and heightened tension in your pelvic floor.
Hypopressives SHOULD NOT be practised without trainer supervision initially. Once your technique is approved, you are free to follow-along from home without any supervision.
Unofficial statistics show that over 67% of women do the technique wrong the first few times leading to either disengagement or worsen symptoms.
Safe and Affordable with MoonRise Hypopressives
MoonRise offers the world’s safest program for you to get started with Hypopressives.
A complete beginners course with daily 10 minute videos to do from home.
A 1-1 trainer that supervises you asynchronously via video and audio.
Weekly live classes to ask questions and practise together with other women.
Future content updates and support via email.
A vibrant community of only women cheering you on.
All at the price of less than 1 physio visit for lifetime access and support.
10 minutes a day keeps your symptoms away
No pesky pelvic, core or back symptoms to limit you anymore
Hypopressives Training Course
With the Hypopressives breath-hold, get back to doing things you love with no limitations.
- 10 mins/day videos to follow-along
- 1:1 support from a hypopressives instructor to ensure you are doing the technique right
- Live Weekly Classes that are affordable and catered to different time zones
Why our programs work?
1:1 Support personalized to your needs
LIVE weekly classes and group calls
Continuous updates of content and new therapies
On-demand video library, any time, any device
Knowledgeable innovative committed leaders in prolapse recovery/ healing. Slow enough you don’t get discouraged and the focus is recovery not a face paced exercise class. Thank you all I’ll let you know when I’m a miracle like many of you
Karen
Really enjoying my daily practice, it starts my day beautifully and calmly, ready for anything! It's still early days for me but I feel stronger in my core and better in myself. Tutors are so warm dedicated and professional.
Judy Connor
Both Abby and Filippa are very professional and nice instructors. The Hypopressives exercises takes a while to learn but after 4 weeks I'm getting better and also stronger in my core. I'm happy to have found Moonrise!
Ann Malmberg
Sooooo much brilliant information on everything you need to know about the menopause and women’s health in general. Tips on diet, the right exercises and mental health are excellent. The check ins with Filippa are lovely and nurturing too. It’s a really well run program and I can’t praise it enough.
Caroline
Here are answers to questions you might have
Hypopressives is a physical therapy technique primarily focused on core and pelvic floor strengthening, employing specific postures and breathing techniques. In contrast, Yoga is an ancient holistic practice that incorporates physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to enhance overall physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.
Yes, Hypopressives and Yoga can be practiced together. They can complement each other, with Yoga offering holistic wellness and Hypopressives specifically targeting core and pelvic strength. However, it’s important to practice each under appropriate guidance to ensure proper technique and prevent injury.
Both practices can enhance core strength. Hypopressives specifically targets the core and pelvic floor muscles through its unique breathing technique, making it highly effective. However, many yoga postures also engage and strengthen the core, albeit in a more generalized way.
While both practices involve breath control, the techniques used are different. Hypopressive apnea involves creating a vacuum effect in the abdomen, causing involuntary contraction of the deep core and pelvic floor muscles. In contrast, yoga employs a variety of breathing exercises, like Ujjayi and Kapalabhati, to enhance overall wellbeing and control energy flow.
As you can imagine, the answer is very individual. Some women notice a change after 3-6 months. Some after 3-6 weeks. It is fair to assume good progress within 9-12 weeks if you put in 10 minutes/day consistently over this period.
Yes. Hypopressives can help create better posture, strengthen your fascia and abdominal muscles and create better breathing patterns that helps prevent the symptoms of Diastasis Recti and pelvic floor dysfunction
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With the Hypopressives breath-hold, get back to doing things you love with no limitations.
- 10 mins/day videos to follow-along
- 1:1 support from a hypopressives instructor to ensure you are doing the technique right
- Live Weekly Zoom classes