Yoga for your Pelvic Floor

Pelvic Floor Yoga

If you’ve ever been pregnant (which if you’re here I’m assuming you probably have) you will have heard of pelvic floor exercises. They’re pretty darned important (read more on why here) should you wish to hold in your wee for the rest of your days, so well worth genning up on.

Pelvic floor exercises are often called Kegels, named after the (male of course) gynecologist who ‘invented’ them. According to Wikipedia, “Arnold H. Kegel M.D., F.A.C.S. (1894–1981) was a gynecologist who invented the Kegel Perineometer (used for measuring vaginal air pressure) and Kegel exercises (squeezing of the muscles of the pelvic floor).”

Don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about the idea of having my vaginal air pressure measured, but I’ve also always found it rather amusing that a man *invented* the squeezing of the vaginal muscles (or is that just me?).

Since then, a random eminent french physiotherapist (bloke again. hmmm…) invented *his* own special brand of ‘negative pressure abdominal exercises’. Which yogis have actually been doing for thousands of years, but they use much more romantic sounding Sanskrit words like Pranayama (yoga breath), Mula Bandha (pelvic floor or root lock) & Supta Uddiyana Bandha* (lying down abdominal decompression)

I guide clients through elements of this Pranayama, Bandha & decompression practice as part of my MuTu System, but essentially it is a beautifully relaxing & highly beneficial breathing technique, which ‘draws up’ & contracts the pelvic floor muscles. It has the added benefit of helping you to really connect with & engage the vital core muscles.

A wonderful book I would like to recommend to you whether you’re pregnant or already a mum is Mother’s Breath, by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli – you can see more about her work here. I wish I’d been a student of hers when I was pregnant 3 & 4 years ago… possibly that helipcopter might have been avoided

So my advice today is:

1. DO your pelvic floor exercises. (PS. They’re yours, ignore anyone who tells you they invented them

2. Take just a few moments today to take some full, deep, yoga breaths into your rib-cage & your tummy, NOT just into your shoulders & throat. Without hunching your shoulders, fill your lungs, feeling your ribs & tummy expand. Then squeeze all the air out, pulling your pelvic floor up & your drawing your tummy button in towards your spine on the exhale. Do this a few times… you’ll be more relaxed immediately!

The above breathing practice is the fore-runner to the full Bandhas & decompressions of the abdomen, & can be done safely at any stage of pregnancy or motherhood. Let me know if you like it!

And Relax……