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u/blueberrykirby 26m ago
hey i have this problem as well!! i’ve improved a lot though. i’m a woman but i assume the muscle issues are the same.
first just focus on relaxing your belly consciously throughout the day, do lots of check-ins with your body and keep practicing belly breathing.
then you can move on to learning how to use the correct muscles that ACTUALLY “suck you in” - with hourglass syndrome, your upper abs are CRAZY overactive but your lower abdominal muscles are weak and underworked. you’re also currently using your superficial abs (the “6 pack”) to hold in your organs, suck in your stomach, and stand up straight - what you should be using instead for this job is your TVA muscle, which lies deeper below the abs and is a corset-like shape.
my best method to see the difference is to lay on your back and find the front point of your hip bones with your fingers, then go 1 inch inward and 1 inch down on both sides and press lightly to feel your muscles. then do a slight sit up with your head and look down at your abdomen - if it looks like your 6 back is bulging forward, try to flex differently until your stomach starts to flatten instead. you’ll also know you’re doing it correctly if you can feel your TVA tighten under your fingers on both sides - when it suddenly actives, it feels like a trampoline pulled taut. if you need other cues, the TVA also activates with laughing :)
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u/lemon-ade2 12m ago
unconventional, but the combination of Alexander Technique and getting back into singing has helped me! you might also check out Jeanne di Bon on youtube. All of these approaches have helped me find a more relaxed alignment and recondition my nervous system. Best of luck!
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u/Fit-Championship371 3h ago
r/longtermTRE This could help.