Many women go through life with a weak core and become oblivious about the importance of this muscle group, often until any kind of problem is presenting. Problems that are commonly associated with a weak core and in particular a weak or dysfunctional pelvic floor include:
The function of the pelvic floor can also be affected by other factors such as pregnancy and childbirth, injury, ongoing constipation, excessive heavy lifting, excessive core work, poor posture and being overweight.
The pelvic floor muscles stretch from the pubic bone to the tailbone like a hammock over the base of the pelvis and are a part of, what I like to call, the most important muscle group within our body – the inner core.
The inner core consists of the primary breathing muscle (diaphragm), the deep abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis), the deep back muscles running along your spine (multifidus) and the pelvic floor muscles (levator ani and perineum). These all work in harmony to support the spine and control movements of the hip and the sacroiliac joint.
By learning how to control your pelvic floor muscles, you bring circulation to the pelvic area, create a better environment for the healing of tissues, and improve the function of the pelvis and core.
Just as any other muscle in our body, the pelvic floor muscles need to be used regularly to stay functional. However, since it may be hard to know when or how to engage the pelvic floor muscles they tend to become either weak or hyper-toned.
Learning how to strengthen, stabilize, stretch and soften the pelvic floor is essential to create the correct foundation for each movement in the body. It is also a basic tool to avoid loss of energy from this important area.
As mentioned above, the pelvic floor can be either too tight or too loose. Either way, both need to be addressed. You may have to find what exercises work for YOU to be able to relax your pelvic floor but still keep them well-toned. So we want to strengthen, stabilize, stretch and soften the pelvic floor to create a healthy foundation for all other movements; additionally, we want to enhance the flow of energy, improve the flow of hormones and flush toxins.
Improving pelvic floor function can be tricky if you don’t know how to engage the muscles involved. The first step is to become aware of what is going on in this area of your body to be able to engage and relax the muscles.
Lying down on your back, scan through the entire body. Rest your attention around your pelvis and take note of any sensations or emotions that arise. How do you feel? Are you holding a lot of tension in this area? Is there a lack of energy or do you feel highly energised?
You may have heard before about all the amazing benefits of deep diaphragmatic breathing such as reduced stress levels, improved digestion, improved lymphatic function, improved detoxification, improved blood flow, reduced chronic inflammation, and increased energy and well-being.
Did you know that when we breathe deeply and fully, it also gently stretches and massages the pelvic floor muscles?
When we use deep diaphragmatic breathing, the pelvic floor moves together with the diaphragm. As we inhale the diaphragm moves downward, then the abdomen gentle expands and pelvic floor muscles stretch. When we exhale, the diaphragm moves up and the pelvic floor muscles release, lift and gently contract.
Many people who experience a hyper-toned pelvic floor often use shallow, thoracic breathing because of the tension in their lower belly and lower back. Doing these exercises are really effective to help with a hypertonic pelvic floor.
To do this exercise you will need a yoga mat or blanket to lie on and a bolster or a pillow for support under your knees.
Doing this breathing exercise for a few minutes a day not only helps to soften, stretch and relax a hypertonic pelvic floor; it also builds more awareness around this area of your body.
We also want to make sure that we maintain the circulation flowing in the pelvis. Doing gentle dynamic movements with the hips will help to release tension and increase circulation. This can be done in a few different ways. You can be standing and just move your pelvis around in circles in the formation of the number 8 or simply tilt the pelvis forth and back. It can also be done while sitting in a cross-legged position and moving your upper body around in circles, leading from your hips. Use slow movements, allowing your body to guide you.
*Some women with very tight pelvic floor muscles may even see a specialist and get a trigger point release from within.
Let’s move on to engaging and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. As mentioned above, it is equally important to be able to engage them correctly as it is to relax them. Kegels which can be practised in many different ways are really effective here.
These exercises can be done regularly, with 2-3 repetitions each.
Our posture also affects how well our pelvic floor is functioning. Poor posture can make the pelvic floor muscles weak. Therefore, improving our posture when we are standing, walking and sitting can help to maintain healthy pelvic floor function. The exercises above will help to improve posture but simply paying more attention to how you position yourself in a natural, relaxed state can tell a lot on why you may have certain physical issues.
A healthy and functional pelvic floor is an essential part of our wellbeing. Many women walk through life with very little awareness of their pelvic floor. Raising this awareness and restoring pelvic floor function can help to address incontinence issues, enhance sexual function and libido, improve blood flow circulation and increase drainage of fluids and toxins to prevent pelvic congestion and pelvic pain.
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