Living Well With Scoliosis

I recently attended the Living Well with Scoliosis workshop run by Emily (Curvaspine) and Claudia (TheScoliosisCoach), and it was great to see people with different curves and experiences, fused and non-fused, show up for the same reason: to better understand how to support our spines.

The first half of the workshop, led by Claudia, focused on awareness of our own bodies. The three main themes explored were elongation, expansion, and breathing.

Elongation was about learning to lengthen the spine. We started by becoming aware of how our bodies were naturally organised in space. Then, starting from the balls of our feet and working upwards through the knees and spine, we focused on creating length throughout the body. I must admit, trying to lengthen a fused spine felt strange because not much was actually moving. But from the balls of my feet to my knees and hips, I was still able to “stack” myself up as instructed.

We then moved on to expansion and breathing. This focused on directing breath into the concave side of the curve because the ribs on that side are compressed. Learning to breathe into that area can help encourage expansion. As simple as all this sounds, it was hard work.

Overall, this part was about becoming more aware of how your body naturally organises itself and knowing how to position our body correctly during exercise.

The second half of the workshop, led by Emily, focused on mobility and stability.

When part of the spine is fused, the trunk has less mobility, so joints like the shoulders and hips take on more responsibility for movement. That makes maintaining mobility and stability in those areas really important. Through a series of Pilates-inspired movements, Emily guided us through shoulder and hip exercises. I have to say, my hips were absolutely cooked after that hip CAR routine, and it’s something I’ll definitely be adding to my routine.

We also spent time getting to know each other, sharing where we were in our scoliosis journeys, and what our relationship with movement looked like. One thing that echoed throughout the conversations was how overwhelming the amount of information about movement online can be. If no one has properly explained what’s going on in your body, it’s hard to know what to do and feel safe enough to experiment with movement. That’s why workshops like this are so valuable because you learn how to move safely and confidently.

So, if you’re just starting to figure out what movement looks like for you with scoliosis, my advice would be to start small. Take the time to understand your body, what it needs, and what works for you, and try not to beat yourself up when things don’t progress the way you hoped.

After all, taking the first step is a big win in itself.