Wendy Powell

How to do Pelvic Floor Exercises

Pregnant woman in a green dress, gray sweater, and cream hat outside in the snow.

If you’re unsure of what pelvic floor exercises actually are, or if you’re doing them right, you’re not alone. Many GP’s have told us that they are uncertain of how to do, or instruct pelvic floor exercises correctly.

Birth trauma, excessive or incorrect ‘Kegel-ing’ or postural habits, can result in a hypertonic pelvic floor. This means those muscles are too tight. They cannot and will not relax, and may take a while to re-learn how to do pelvic floor exercises correctly. A too-tight pelvic floor is just an ineffective and weak as a loose or weak pelvic floor.

So here’s everything you always wanted to know but were too afraid to ask about how to do pelvic floor exercises.

How to do pelvic floor exercises correctly

First, you want to figure out how to breathe correctly to really connect with your muscles properly. It’s important not to skip this phase and the full MUTU System programme goes into more detail about breathing and connection. Follow these steps to reconnect:

Take a few gentle breaths in and out.

Next, on your in-breath, relax your tummy and your pelvic floor. Let everything go, but do not suddenly push or bulge outwards. It’s just a gentle release. Imagine your pelvic floor is a flower opening its petals or a jellyfish spreading its tentacles out.

Now, on your out-breath gently lift up your pelvic floor. Imagine sucking a smoothie up through a straw or picking up a grape using your vagina… Obvs don’t actually pick up stuff with your vagina 😉

Repeat this a few times until you get the hang of things.

The relaxation phase of any pelvic floor exercise is essential. It is just as important as the engagement part and the two go hand in hand in the strength and function of the pelvic floor muscles. So that’s why we don’t furiously squeeze without fully relaxing the muscles too.