The female pelvis, although a pretty phenomenal form capable of such things as protecting our organs, carrying our babies, and allowing passage into the land of the living, is unfortunately also a bit more susceptible to deviations in alignment.
Misalignment in the pelvis can cause, not just, pain and discomfort in our hips and lower back but it can radiate an echo through other parts of our bodies including the knees, the ankles, the neck and even the jaw.
The good news is there are relatively simple choices, movements and breath works we can do to start the journey back to balance.
In this article we're going to start to explore what exactly is pelvic imbalance and create the roadmap back to balance through intentional movement and breath work.
The pelvis is made up of two innominate bones connected to the sacrum or base of our spine.
When one of these bones tilts, rotates, or contorts out of alignment with the other and the spine our pelvis is now misaligned.
This imbalance can cause a ripple effect in our spines, knees, ankles, shoulders, and even jaw creating unsupportive tension patterns in the soft tissue leading to pain, discomfort, and limitations within our range of motion.
Imbalances in the pelvis can be brought on by a number of factors:
Poor posture
Prolonged sitting or stagnation in the body
Pregnancy and/or childbirth
Weakness in surrounding muscle tissue such as abdominal core muscles or thigh and glute muscles
Trauma or injury to the body
Imbalance in the pelvis could be the cause of your lower back pain, knee pain, limitations in range of motion in your hips, and so much more. So, bringing the pelvis back to balance cannot only alleviate tension patterns but also reduce pain and increase mobility throughout the body.
Starting the journey back to a balanced pelvis
Movements:
1 Pelvic tilts;
Gently rocking our pelvis allows us to start connecting intention, movement and breath creating a deeper awareness and relationship with this part of our bodies.
Either
In a seated with legs crossed
kneeling position or Heroes pose
prone lying on the back with the knees pointed up and feet planted on the ground
Inhale allowing the belly to expand, the pubis bone to spill forward and the lower back begins to arch
Exhale to scoop the tailbone, pull the pubis bone to the navel, and allow the lower back to flatten
Repeat for 10 to 20 breaths
2 Bridge pose;
Not only do Bridges extend our hips allowing for an opening in the front they also help support building strength and stability in the pelvis.
Lying on your back with your knees pointed to the sky feet planted hip-width apart
Exhale to scoop the tailbone and flatten the lower back to the mat/floor
Press evenly through the soles of your feet as your hips lift to the sky
Knees press forward and keep your thighs in line with your hips not allowing the knees to splay open
Hold the hips in line with the shoulders for a deep breath in
Keep your core engaged as you slowly lower the hips back down to the mat/floor
Repeat for 10 to 20 breaths and reset the spine with pelvic tilts post Bridge
3 squats;
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart
Inhale to lengthen and bring your spine in line; rib cage stacked over hips and reduce any excessive curvatures either in the upper back or lower back
Settle in here for a few breaths and try to tune into the dance between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor. As you inhale allow the diaphragm to drop the belly to expand and the pelvic floor to drop.
As you exhale gently engage your pelvic floor and your belly creating lift.
Keeping your spine lengthened hinge at the hips to sit back and bend into the knees. Try to keep your knees above the toes not going far forward in front of them.
Exhale to gently engage the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles; evenly press into the soles of your feet and press yourself back to standing upright
Repeat until form begins to fail.
Breath work:
Diaphragmatic breathing;
Diaphragmatic breathing or deep belly breathing is one of the most accessible tools to start massaging our pelvic floor.
Either seated or lying down place your hands on your lower abdomen
Inhale to allow your belly to surrender to the expansion of that breath
Exhale allowing the belly to soften away from the hands
Repeat this 10 to 20 breaths and see if you can even continue the awareness downward visualizing your pelvic floor dropping on the inhale and returning on the exhale, dancing with your diaphragm.
Tips for maintaining alignment in the pelvis
Stay connected and embodied. When we continue to listen to messages our body is constantly whispering to us we are more aware of negative change and therefore able to start making changes to prevent any damage.
Be mindful of your posture. Either sitting at your desk or sitting at coffee with friends try to be mindful about the way you hold your spine and pelvis. This awareness is also useful during activities as simple as walking and as strenuous as Marathon running up a mountain.
Stay active. Keep the body moving. This helps both keep us embodied and aware of how we're feeling as well as keeping the muscles mobile and happy.
Mobility exercises or stretching. Make sure to incorporate exercises that encourage Mobility moving throughout the full range of motion this can look like yoga classes where you are getting into some juicy deep stretches, Pilates, or even strength training through those extended ranges.
Strength training. Mobility is only as useful as it is stable. Continuing to build strength in our muscles will help bring support into our body limiting the opportunity for imbalance to occur.
Conclusively pelvic imbalances may be common but it does not need to be your normal. Take time to listen to your body, time to nourish and move her, and time to build muscle and create profound structural support in your pelvis and life.
