What IS the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is the set of muscles at the base of the pelvis which contains and supports the pelvic and abdominal organs. I consider the pelvic floor "the floor of the core". It is a deep and sacred place in the body with impactful physiology. The pelvic floor is closely related to the abdominals, hips, thighs, gluteals, postural muscles and the breath. Nothing exists in isolation.
For both women and men, many factors can bring the pelvis out of balance including daily stress and poor postural habits, digestive and reproductive issues, childbirth, age, surgery, past injuries and trauma. Symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction include back pain, urinary incontinence (stress and urge), pelvic pain/pressure, sexual dysfunction and more.
Yoga for the Pelvis
Pelvic floor yoga focuses on posture, breath, body awareness, and practicing poses to lengthen, strengthen and stabilize the pelvic floor.
I work one-on-one with clients to understand and assess their unique presentations and to individually tailor practices that educate and guide them towards balance. In most cases, I encounter a lack of understanding of this deep, intimate part of the body, and of the critical role of posture and breath to our wellbeing. Some clients come to me while working with a pelvic floor PT. My clients speak of a learning a whole new way of standing, sitting, breathing and simply BEING in in their bodies, more fully.