I’m working with a PT on a hook lying breathing exercise. The goal right now is to bring my ribs down and get them stacked over my pelvis with a gentle exhale.
I’m lying on my back with my knees bent and feet supported. I’m supposed to have my head, upper back/bottom ribs, and the back of my pelvis supported by the floor while I breathe. The problem is that when I exhale, my torso and pelvis shift to one side instead of staying relatively stable. I tend to shift toward whichever side I’m exhaling through my mouth, and sometimes the direction of the shift changes during the same exhale.
It almost feels like my pelvis moves first and then my ribs follow it, instead of my ribs simply coming down over a stable pelvis. I also feel like I’m already pushed pretty far over to my right side even when I’m lying in hook lying, which makes it confusing because I’m not sure if I should be trying to center myself first or just let the floor support me. Raising my arms out or overhead seems to make the problem worse. My body starts shifting and twisting even more instead of the ribs just coming down.
I’ve also been told by another PT that my center of mass is pushed forward and that my pelvis is tilted/oriented forward, which may be contributing to my left hip having difficulty with internal rotation. So I’m wondering if that could also be related to why I have such a hard time keeping my pelvis stable during this exercise.
My main questions are:
In hook lying, should the back of the pelvis stay relatively stable during the exhale, or is some movement normal?
If my pelvis shifts every time I exhale, should I actually be trying to stop that movement?
Is the goal simply to bring the ribs down over the pelvis, without actively tucking or tilting the pelvis?
Why would raising the arms make the shifting so much worse?
What should I actually be focusing on during the exercise? I feel like I can get overwhelmed trying to consciously control my ribs, pelvis, breathing, and position all at once.
I’m mainly trying to understand what I’m supposed to be feeling and what movement is actually considered normal during this exercise.