Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health: Building Awareness

When you practice yoga, you're naturally engaging your core muscles, and your pelvic floor is a vital part of that core. Without even realizing it, you're working your pelvic floor muscles in many yoga poses.

Often, people don't think much about their pelvic floor until they face a specific issue. But it's important to remember that addressing any problems before they arise or in other words preventing them, is always better. However, taking control of our health can be challenging if we lack the necessary information. Understanding the significance of your pelvic floor is key, no matter your age.

The pelvic floor supports essential organs like the bladder, bowel, and uterus (in women). It also plays a crucial role in the function of the urethra, anus, and vagina, all of which pass through these muscles. A weakened pelvic floor can lead to various problems with these organs, including issues like bladder prolapse and sexual dysfunction.

Yoga is a powerful tool to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, helping to prevent and alleviate potential problems. If you're currently experiencing issues related to your pelvic floor organs, such as those affecting the bladder, rectum, uterus, or vagina, it's essential to seek advice from a doctor or consider physical therapy alongside your yoga practice.

Yoga Poses for the Pelvic Floor:

1. Uttkatasana (Chair Pose): As you lower your hips in this pose, you're activating your pelvic floor muscles. It's important to consciously engage your core muscles as you hold the pose.

2. Malasana (Squat Pose): This pose primarily opens your hips and stretches the pelvic floor muscles, which is also essential for their health. To turn it into a strength pose, try lifting your hips a few inches rather than letting them relax down.

3. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose): You can make this pose dynamic by lifting and lowering your hips several times. Each time you lift, you’re engaging the pelvic floor muscles, and as you lower your hips, you’re relaxing them. To add challenge, you can lift one leg, either with the knee bent or the leg straightened.

4. Cat-Cow: While this sequence is typically focused on spinal movement, the pelvis plays a crucial role in enabling that motion. The gentle movement of the pelvis during the transition between Cat and Cow activates the pelvic floor muscles.

   
   

   Check here how to perform these poses: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-nfnrSxILb/

   
   

A Helpful Tip: If you're specifically working on your pelvic floor, try incorporating Mula Bandha during these poses. Mula Bandha is a technique similar to Kegel exercises, involving the contraction of the muscles at the center of the perineum.

Remember, it's all about building awareness. Being mindful of each movement and what's happening in your body, particularly in your muscles, during any yoga pose can make a significant difference. So, when practicing these poses, focus on what's happening in your pelvic floor. The more aware you are, the better you'll perform the poses and reap their full benefits.