Does walking strengthen the pelvic floor?

Walking is one of the most successful forms of exercise. It is free, relatively easy, does not require special equipment, and can be done almost everywhere.

On top of being accessible, it is a wonderful way to improve your health including the health and strength of your pelvic floor. Walking is a weight-bearing exercise that also supports bone health, and increases circulation within the cardiovascular system as well as the lymphatic system, helping build stability in our legs all the way up to our pelvis and pelvic floor health.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is a network of muscles at the base of our spine like a hammock supporting pelvic organs, supports the sacrum and spinal alignment and regulates pressure within the body. The pelvic floor is responsible for bladder and bowel control and even sexual functions. Dysfunction in this group of muscles can lead to an array of disruptive symptoms including incontinence, constipation, lower back pain, pain with sex or even inability to orgasm. Keeping your pelvic floor healthy keeps you healthy in so many areas of life.

A strong and dynamic pelvic floor will support your entire body in being strong and dynamic.

So can walking strengthen the pelvic floor?

Yes! When we can unite intention, breath work, and the movement of walking we can maximize the benefits that walking has on our pelvic floor.

Although walking is not a pelvic floor targeted exercise it is a movement that does engage our deep core for support which includes the pelvic floor, muscles of our legs and hips that also support the pelvis.

How to maximize your walking to promote pelvic floor health

• Focus on posture keeping your rib cage above the pelvis and allowing your hips to naturally flow and swoosh as you walk

• Bringing in the breath- connecting with that dance between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor while walking allows you to help create dynamic movement within the pelvis. Remember as you inhale and your diaphragm drops allow the pelvic floor to also drop and when you exhale is when it naturally returns

• If you are not struggling from an excessively tight pelvic floor you can also add in pelvic floor contractions. Continuing to move with your breath on your exhale you may also gently contract into your pelvic floor and lower abdomen remembering to allow it to release and relax on the next inhale. Synchronizes breath and movement with every step almost making it into a meditation to optimize the benefits on your pelvic floor

How often should you be walking for your pelvic floor health?

Ideally, spending just 15 - 20 minutes every day walking can create a huge difference. When doing your walking for pelvic floor health try to be mindful and in that moment. It is more valuable to give yourself 15 minutes of mindful intentional walking 5 - 7 times a week rather than an hour of careless walking once a week. We want quality and consistency. Even if you only have the opportunity to do 5 - 10 minutes a day of mindful walking, it will make a difference.

Walking is such a great low impact, accessible, and affordable way to start bringing pelvil care into your daily life. Especially when you consider proper posture, connective diaphragmatic breathing, and even gentle core engagement. So take yourself for a walk today.

What Does Vaginal Prolapse Feel Like?

What Does Vaginal Prolapse Feel Like?

Understanding the sensations and symptoms and starting to create solutions.

Vaginal prolapse also known as pelvic organ prolapse is when one or more of the pelvic organs or parts drop into the vaginal canal or in severe cases even out.

Let's explore the different types and severities of prolapse, what sensations accompany the condition, and what to do about it.

Before we start summing up the many sensations that could occur during vaginal prolapse, let's first talk about what exactly is happening in the body.

Our pelvic organs are held up and supported by a network of muscles called the pelvic floor and other supportive connective tissue such as ligaments. When these tissues become too laxed they are unable to support and hold the organs in their appropriate position. This leads to them starting to prolapse or fall into the vaginal canal- pressing into the walls of the vaginal canal or in the case of the uterus occasionally and in severe instances even out of the vaginal opening.

Depending on what organ is affected it will create some variability in symptoms. There are also different names for each type of prolapse:

• Cystocele: when the urinary bladder is unsupported and displaced leaning into the anterior wall of the vaginal canal

• Urethrocele: when the urethra the tube where urine passes from the urinary bladder to the outside world is unsupported and prolapses

• Rectocele: when the rectum portion of the colon is unsupported and starts to drop into the posterior wall of the vaginal canal

• Uterine Prolapse: when the uterus starts to drop into the vaginal canal and in severe cases even out of the vaginal opening

Prolapse can be brought on by a number of things often to do with excess pressure:

• Pregnancy - creating a lot of pressure on your pelvic floor as a new being grows within the abdomen

• Childbirth - the downward pressure and excess stretch that is called upon for the muscles of our pelvis can strain the structures that support our pelvic organs leading to possible prolapse

• Heavy lifting - bearing down with heavy lifting can create excessive pressure on the structures meant to support the pelvic organs leading to potential prolapse

• Chronic constipation - straining to try to empty the bowel with chronic constipation again creates that downward pressure and bearing down straining the supportive structures to the pelvic organs

• Chronic coughing or sneezing - coughing and sneezing creates higher inner abdominal pressure if our pelvic floor and abdominal muscles are not allowing for this pressure change it can cause excessive downward pressure on the structures meant to support the pelvic organs

• Hysterectomy - the removal of an organ that has supportive structures such as the uterine ligaments can change the orientation of the organs that are still remaining within the pelvis without the uterus to take up the space it once did this can occasionally lead to displacement and even prolapse in the other pelvic organs

• Menopause - with the change in hormones this affects muscle tone and strength throughout the body and this can lead to weakness in the pelvic floor and muscles that support our pelvic organs

With the different parts of the pelvis potentially affected by the condition our symptoms will vary.

Some general symptoms that can occur with any of the variations include:

• Heaviness or fullness in the pelvis - it is often to have a full or heavy feeling in the pelvic bowl when suffering from a prolapse

• Lower back pain - or almost a sensation as something pulling on your lower back from the inside

• Lower abdominal discomfort - similar to lower back pain a sensation as if something is pulling down on the lower abdomen from the inside

• Pain or discomfort with penetration - this could be painful sex or even pain or discomfort with the use of internal period products 

More specific symptoms when the bladder or urethra are involved:

• Difficulty emptying the bladder

• Incontinence or urine leakage

• Urgency and frequency - often feeling the intense urge to urinate with little fluid actually being emptied

• Difficulty to feel completely relieved

Symptoms more common with prolapse involving the colon:

• Chronic constipation

• The need to splint or press against the posterior vaginal wall to empty the bowel

If any of these, especially if multiples of these sound familiar and are part of your daily experience I highly recommend talking to your physician for an appropriate diagnosis. There are different levels of severity in prolapse and depending on that severity is going to depend on the course of action.

• Stage 1: a mild prolapse with minimal movement of the pelvic organ

• Stage 2: the pelvic organ has begun to significantly be displaced

• Stage 3: the organ can be seen at the vaginal opening

• Stage 4: the most severe where the pelvic organ is bulging out of the vaginal opening

Is pelvic prolapse treatable?

The good news is pelvic prolapse can be managed and potentially reversed.

Step 1 - Talk to your doctor get a diagnosis and start to understand the severity and what organs are involved. Once this information is gathered you have a much better idea what to do going forward.

Step 2 - Begin to see a specialist in movement therapy and the pelvic floor this could look like a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Step 3 - Lifestyle changes. Leading a healthy lifestyle, keeping active, maintaining a healthy body weight, and optimizing the way you breathe can all help support the stability of your pelvic organs.

Step 4 - Your physical therapist or Dr might recommend the use of a pessary, this is something that would be inserted into the vaginal canal to help create more structural support nice to be used in tandem with your movement therapy to support the organ while you start to build back the strength to support it from within.

Step 5 - If the prolapse persists or is too severe to start with movement therapy, surgery might be the best solution. Make sure post-surgery to again work with a movement therapist setting yourself up for the best outcome.

Although not normal uterine prolapse can be common. Early intervention is one of the best ways to manage and even reverse this condition. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms, I encourage you to not hesitate and start discovering the best treatment plan for you.

What Weakens the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles at the base of our pelvis supporting pelvic organs, bladder and bowel control, sexual function, and even structural support for our pelvis and spine.

When weakness occurs in this muscle group you can experience discomfort, pain, incontinence, and even prolapse.

Let's explore common causes of weakness and some easy mobility and breathwork tools we can use to bring strength back to these muscles.

Different things can affect the strength of our pelvic floor. This could look like prolonged problems that slowly create weakness or more rapidly on set scenarios.

• Pregnancy and childbirth:

In a rather short period of time significant growth occurs in the abdomen creating excess pressure on the pelvic floor potentially leading to weakness even if a vaginal birth does not occur.

Childbirth whether natural or cesarean greatly impacts the health of the pelvic floor. Natural childbirth or vaginal childbirth will create a lot of stretching and expansion and pressure on the pelvic floor which may lead to weakness if the pelvic floor is susceptible. This means if you were able to maintain a healthy pelvic floor and continue with some sort of movement practice throughout your pregnancy you have decreased your susceptibility to pelvic floor damage during vaginal childbirth.

With a cesarean, there is a trauma to your deep core connective tissue as there is a surgical incision to the abdominal wall. Although the abdominal wall is not your pelvic floor it has shared connective tissue therefore trauma to this region of the body directly affects the pelvic floor.

• Chronic coughing or sneezing:

Coughing and sneezing can often create excessive inner abdominal pressure. Pressure within the abdominal cavity to a point where it starts to exacerbate the muscles of our pelvic floor. When coughing and sneezing try not to contract and make your body smaller but instead extend and make your body larger allowing for the pressure to disperse and not bear down onto the pelvic floor.

• Heavy lifting:

This could be both over time or a sudden injury to your pelvic floor. When lifting incorrectly we often find ourselves bearing down and creating too much of that inner abdominal pressure. Always try to lift and exert your energy on the exhale to minimize the amount of pressure being forced down. Also, remember you can always ask for help.

• Menopause:

During the change of life our hormones are also changing. For the female body, estrogen is supportive to muscular health as menopause comes on our estrogen decreases which can lead to overall muscular health decline. Talking to your physician about diet changes, herbal supplements, and even hormone replacement therapy could be really supportive at this point in your journey.

• Chronic constipation:

When the need to go does not go as smoothly as we hope we often can try to rush things along and try to force it out. This downward pressure and bearing down again only exacerbates the pelvic floor leading to potential weakness. If diet has not been able to alleviate chronic constipation, other tools that might help are allowing yourself to take a few moments. Practice diaphragmatic breathing allowing your body to surrender to the expansion of the inhale, letting your pelvic floor drop as the diaphragm also descends. Even on clenching the jaw and trying to soften the cheeks with the exhale.

• Stagnation:

Whether this looks like a lack of exercise or excessive sitting not moving the body will create weakness throughout the body which does not exclude our pelvic floor.

Strategies to bring strength back to the pelvic floor

Movements

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

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

Breathwork

Diaphragmatic breathing:

This breathing technique allows you to connect with the full range of motion of your pelvic floor

• In a seated or lying down position place your palms over the lower abdomen

• Inhale and allow your lower belly to expand into your hands

• Exhale allowing the belly to drop and return to neutral

• With the next inhale try to not just tune into the expansion in your lower abdomen but even allow the pelvic floor to drop towards the sitting bones

• Again allowing the exhale to bring the tissue to neutral

• Repeat for 10 to 20 breaths encouraging yourself to explore how much of the movement within those muscles can occur.

Kapalabhati or Breath of Fire:

A pranayama from yoga practice creates rhythmic short forced exhales.

• Seated tall with a lengthened spine

• Fully exhale emptying the lungs

• Take a full breath in through the nose

• Take a count of 20 to 30 quick exhales out the nose forced by a gentle contraction in the abdomen and pelvic floor

• After you have finished your desired count completely empty the lungs and hold empty for a moment with a gentle engagement of the pelvic floor and abdomen

• When you fully inhale allow yourself to relax the abdomen surrendering to the expansion of the inhale and relax your pelvic floor allowing it to drop to the floor

• Repeat 3 to 6 times with the option to increase the number of Quick exhales. Finish with a few rounds of diaphragmatic breathing to reset the dance between the diaphragm and pelvic floor.

Setting yourself up for future success

• Stay active; a mobile body is generally a healthy body and movement is often medicine

• Be mindful of your posture. Try to keep your rib cage stacked over your hips, sit on the sitting bones, and allow the crown of your head to reach for the heavens

• Avoid straining or bearing down pressure onto your pelvis whether it is with exercise, heavy lifting, or just not being able to let that s*** go avoid creating excess pressure on the pelvic floor

• Stay hydrated. Hydration is one of the most important things for our body's health and our muscle health and this does not exclude the health of our pelvic floor.

Taking care of our pelvic floor is just another part of taking care of ourselves every part of our body is worth the time and the attention so make sure to give it.

Do Squats Help the Pelvic Floor?

Movement and exercise are two of the most crucial ingredients in any health and wellness plan especially when that plan is to improve the health of a specific muscle group such as the pelvic floor.

There are many different ways that we can move our body and many different exercises we can explore. Ranging from compound and complex to simple staples like the squat.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is a network of muscles at the base of our pelvis woven together to create structural support, support for the organs such as the bladder, bowel and uterus, as well as support and stop the flow from our pelvis such as urinary and bowel continence.

Pelvic floor weakness can lead to a number of dysfunctions in this region of our body, including structural imbalances causing pain in the lower back, hips and knees. Incontinence issues both stress-leakage during coughs and sneezing or urgency the inability to hold it in when you really have to go. And even sexual dysfunctions either painful or inability to climax.

Intentional strengthening exercises in our body can help prevent these dysfunctions and yes squats are one of those tools we can use to promote pelvic floor health!

How squats help support pelvic floor health

When we combine intention, breath, and movement we can maximize probably any exercise.

On their own squats are great exercises. They:

• strengthen the muscles in our legs which attach to our pelvis

• strengthen the muscles on the external hip like the glutes which help support our pelvis

• help strengthen stability and core muscles supporting our pelvis

Creating more pelvic support helps support the deep core muscles of our pelvic floor.

Squats are also a functional movement mimicking every day sitting down and standing up motions within our hips.

When we combine the foundational benefits of the squat with intentional breath work and movement we maximize our pelvic floor benefits.

When doing any exercise we want to maintain an optical inner abdominal pressure. Excessive bearing down or pressure within the abdomen can be strenuous on our pelvic floor. When we intentionally breathe during moments of contraction we actually support our pelvic floor and reduce that pressure.

• 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.

By allowing yourself to take time to connect with your breath, focus on core engagement you maximize the benefits from your squat ensuring the support to the pelvic floor.

Setting yourself up for success

• Listen to your body and go at the pace and depth that feels best for you; it is more important to do a smaller obtainable movement than overachieving past a healthy range of motion.

• Prioritize proper form. Echoing the previous points sentiment always prioritize form to depth and repetition. We rather go less frequently deep correctly then more frequently and deeper incorrectly.

• Create consistency. Doing 50 or even 100 squats once a month is far less beneficial than five every day or 10 three times a week.

• Combine with other pelvic exercises and mobility. Whether that looks like joining us for some pelvic floor Yoga practices or incorporating this into your regular exercise routine keep adding variety and movement to your body.

Conclusively, squats inarguably support pelvic floor health and the overall health and wellness of our pelvis not just through supporting and strengthening the deeper muscles but also creating more stability in the surrounding musculature and structure. The key is to be intentional with our movement, consistent, and always allow ourselves to take the time to invite and unite with our breath.

How to Tell if Your Pelvic Floor is Tight or Weak

The pelvic floor muscles are key players in supporting bladder, bowel, and uterine health. Making them crucial for not just their health but functionality in many different facets.

But here's something incredibly important to remember whether or not a muscle is tight or laxed it is still in a state of weakness. Whether it is that the muscle is incapable of fully contracting or fully relaxing it is not reaching its full range of motion and therefore unable to access its full capacity for Balance and Health. So either excessively tight muscles or excessively relaxed muscles this can lead to discomfort, misalignment, instability, poor balance, poor posture and even pain and further dysfunction.

Let's start to get familiar with our pelvic floor and see if we can tune into if they're experiencing weakness from excessive tension, laxity or some sort of combination.

Indicators of a tight pelvic floor

If these muscles are tight it might have the sensation of a constant grip or clench which could lead to additional symptoms such as

• Pelvic pain or discomfort that can go into the lower back

• Difficulty in relaxation creating challenges with fully eliminating your bladder or bowel

• Pain with penetrative sex tight muscles around the vaginal opening and vaginal canal can create a lot of discomfort when attempting penetration in extreme cases this could lead to something called vaginismus where penetration is not even possible

• Frequent urination and urgency with urination even though it seems that the bladder does not get rid of a lot of fluids when in the bathroom

• Muscle cramping or even spasms in the pelvis, have you ever had a charlie horse just imagine that in the vagina - agony

• Stress incontinence and minor urine leakage under coughing or sneezing could also be an indicator of laxed pelvic floor muscles however, it can also be with the muscles being too tight when the muscles are too tight they are not allowing for that Dynamic movement and adaptability for pressure within the inner abdominal cavity. When there's too much pressure in this area it needs to find some way to release and this will go for the weakest point which could be at the urethral opening or where pee comes out of causing a slight leakage when coughing or sneezing

Vindication of laxity in the pelvic floor muscle

When the muscles of the pelvic floor are laxed and overstretched they're no longer capable of fully supporting the pelvic organs and the structures of the pelvis this could lead to

• Incontinence difficulty in controlling and preventing the leakage of urine or even stool

• Pelvic organ prolapse which often feels like a heaviness within the pelvis this is when the organs of the pelvis are displaced and start to drop down because they are not properly held and supported within the body

•  Lower back pain and weakness

Getting to know your pelvic floor

A lot of the symptoms can be interchangeable low back pain can be from the muscle being too tight and clenching or from it being two laxed and unsupportive so how do we assess for tension or laxity?

You can always go see a pelvic floor physical therapist or a healthcare provider to ask them to help with this assessment but if you want to start to get to know this part of your body and become more familiar with your own Anatomy there are some simple assessments you can play with to get started.

Step one start to become aware of and connect with this muscle group.

The pelvic floor is located at the base of our pelvis so this is going to be between our sitting bones and between the pubis bone and the tailbone. In women externally this is that entire vulvar space.

These are the muscles we engage when we want to stop ourselves from peeing or passing gas and the muscles that we allow to relax when we are okay with that happening.

In a relaxed position try to just breathe into this space and notice if you can notice the sensations there. Can you feel the movement of your breath into your pelvic floor? If we are breathing diaphragmatically and optimally for our body we should be able to feel it there but it might take a few rounds of breath to tune in.

Once we have started to connect with this space notice if it feels tense or like it's clenching, familiarize yourself with what it feels like to be tense or clenching in other parts of your body to make a reference.

If while breathing you're able to feel a nice range of motion within this part of your body this indicates a healthy Dynamic pelvic floor if you feel that there is resistance to your inhalation that could be excessive tension in your pelvic floor.

Next, you can start playing with actually activating this muscle group, see if you can fully clench your pelvic floor as if you are trying to stop yourself from peeing or passing gas can you take a full contraction and what does it feel like? Afterward, can you let yourself completely relax and what does that feel like?

If during the contraction you feel any pain or only a small movement this could be due to excess tension if during the relaxation part you find it difficult to relax and there's not a lot of movement this would indicate excessive tension.

If when trying to contract these areas it feels weak, this may indicate a LAX pelvic floor.

Next, try an endurance hold try clenching these muscles and hold for 30 to no more than 60 seconds. If it feels like it's starting to get crampy and spasm this may indicate excessive tension. If it starts to feel fatigued and tired and your glute muscles get sore this is going to indicate LAX to muscles.

Next, you can start to invite some gentle movement into the pelvis, this can be done either seated or lying on your back with your knees up and feet flat.

• Pelvic tilts rocking your pelvis forward and back with your breath noticing if there are any restrictions in the movement any clenching or holding even if that is more specific to the left or right side

• Pelvic circles start trying circles with your pelvis almost like you're trying to draw a circle with the tailbone go in both directions and notice how that feels if you're able to let your pelvic floor relax fully on your inhale ideally spilling the pelvis forward and how it feels as you gently contract on the exhale

All these assessments and movements are geared to help create a better connection between you and your pelvic floor. The better relationship we have with our body the more we are aware when things are out of balance and potentially progressively getting worse.

Many things with our muscles we can breathe through and bring back to balance with intentional movement and practices however there are times where medical intervention is needed.

If you are experiencing persistent pain, limitations, and movement or challenges with continents it might be valuable to seek a pelvic floor professional to support you in your assessment and approach to bringing back balance.

That may look like working with a pelvic floor physical therapist or even joining us for some private yoga therapy sessions.

Working one-on-one with someone who can help either do an assessment on you or guide you through deeper assessment tools can truly help you understand what's going on in your own body. And once that assessment comes to its conclusions the best course of action is to bring back balance.

Connecting with our body and understanding what is going on will only strengthen our ability to take care of ourselves. Understanding that weakness is not just overstretching and lack of muscle but excessive tension, too, is a type of weakness will help us understand and approach pelvic health in a much more comprehensive and supportive way.

Why Kegels May Not Be Right for You

Why Kegels May Not Be Right for You

When it comes to pelvic floor health, Kegel exercises are often presented as the go-to solution. And yes, they do have their place in pelvic health, but they are not a one-size-fits-all approach —and in some instances, they might even exacerbate the issue.

Let's explore the history of Kegels, why they might not help everyone, and alternative ways to support your pelvic floor.

What Exactly is a Kegel?

An exercise designed to isolate and contract the pelvic floor muscle group. They were created in the late 1940s by Dr. Kegel (hence the name), an American gynecologist. Originally, Kegels were introduced to help women strengthen their pelvic floor muscles, particularly after childbirth. Dr. Kegel’s original method involved using a biofeedback device, called the perineometer, to help patients track their progress. This tool would be inserted into the vaginal canal, so, as well as taking measurements on the strength of the contraction, this also provided sensory neural feedback, allowing the individual to feel the part of the body they were meant to be contracting. 

Women showed more relief and had more success when Kegels originated. In large part to this accompanied tool, both for supporting women in connecting with the area and also in measuring the pressure and existing tension.  

Fast forward to today, and Kegels have become a household name. Often recommended as a catch-all for urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and general pelvic floor weakness. And women are kegaling in the car to work, while they brush their teeth, even disrupting the free flow of urine to try and bring strength to the pelvis. But here’s the catch: pelvic floor dysfunction and weakness is not only caused by muscle laxity —it can also be a result from muscle tension or overactivity.

Why Kegels Might Not Be Right for You

If your pelvic floor muscles are already tense or overactive, doing Kegels can exacerbate the problem leading to 

1. Increased Tension: Contracting already-tight muscles can lead to further tightness, discomfort, or even pain.

2. Restrict Adaptability: A healthy pelvic floor needs both strength and flexibility. Overloading tight muscles can compromise their ability to adapt to movement.

3. Encourage Pressure Imbalances: The inadaptability creates unregulated pressure within the abdomen and pelvis, increasing the risk of hernias, herniated disks, prolapse, stress incontinence. 

Understanding the root cause of your pelvic dysfunction is crucial. Jumping into Kegels without assessing your baseline can lead to worse symptoms, new tension-based symptoms, and frustration with yourself and body.

Rather than Kegels, start with some other movement for your pelvis

• “cat cow" this can be done traditionally on hands and knees or try it seated, standing, or even on your back with knees up and feet flat. In this movement allow your awareness to be on your pelvis and the motion there. 

• hip/pelvic circle: same as the above movement it can be done in all those position, just draw circle with the tale bone. If in a table top position, try resting on forearms rather than hands to isolate the movent and target the pelvis more

• Diaphragmatic breathing: take time to be with your breath and feel its journey in the body. Notic if you can allow the belly to a\expande on the inhale and maybe even feel the pelvic floor gently drop and how they all return on the exhale 

Understanding where your body is at

Before jumping into any treatment plan—Kegels or otherwise—it’s essential to understand the underlying cause of your pelvic floor weakness. Weakness due to muscle tension requires a different focus than weakness caused by laxity or underuse.

Next week we’ll dive deeper into how to identify whether your pelvic floor is tight or lax and practices we can use to support our pelvis. 

Pelvic health is complex, but with the right knowledge and approach, you can make informed desitions for your body. If you’re unsure where to start, consider consulting with a pelvic health specialist for personalized guidance.

Menopause: Passion, Pleasure and Poise

Menopause: Passion, Pleasure and Poise

Menopause marks a significant change in a woman's life. This is the Ascension to your next level of Goddess and should be a liberating level up. However, often times it can be a challenging crash with changes affecting every facet of your life.

Let's talk about how we can use intention, movement, and breath work to bring back passion, pleasure and poise and how yoga can help in your menopause Journey.

What is menopause?

A natural part of the feminine Journey. This is the path passed the fertile phase of life, when women stop experiencing the monthly menstrual cycle. This is diagnosed by 12 consecutive months without a menstrual bleed and commonly occurs somewhere between 45 and 55 years of age. Perimenopause, the crazy ride on the way to menopause where hormones fluctuate drastically can last up to 10 years. Meaning a woman who will be menopausal when she's 45 is potentially going to be experiencing irregularities in her body as young as 35 years old.

These symptoms could look like:

• Hot flashes and night sweats

• Vaginal dryness

• Muscle weakness

• Fatigue

• Mental fog

• Memory challenges

• Decreased libido

• Dysregulated mood

• Anxiety or depression

• Decreased bone density

• Urinary incontinence

• Changes and difficulty with sleep

Honestly, the list goes on…

This can get pretty overwhelming when you start considering all the factors. But one way to look at it is an opportunity to reconnect with our bodies which we so often disengage and disconnect from.

Our pelvises can be especially susceptible to the symptoms of these changes.

Decreased circulation, muscle weakness, vaginal dryness, all of these things and more can significantly affect our quality of life and absolutely affect not just our passion but our pleasure within our own skin.

How can yoga help?

So many of the symptoms that we are subject to in this stage of life are interconnected. That interconnectivity makes yoga not just an incredible tool to support menopause but one of the best tools. Yoga is itself interconnected, we combine intention, breath work, and movement which allows us to not just alleviate symptoms in our bodies but also in our minds and our energy.

Regular practice of yoga which can look like just 10 to 15 minutes a day is going to support:

• Muscle mass keeping our muscles strong healthy and supportive to the structures of our body

• Circulation keeps blood freely flowing with all the juicy nutrients our cells need to stay properly hydrated lubricated and mobile

• Bone density by doing strength poses and stability stances is going to help create the resistance to keep bones at a healthy density preventing osteopenia and osteoporosis

• Reduces stress helping mitigate and alleviate the symptoms of anxiety

• Produces feel good hormones to help reduce symptoms of depression

• Creates gratitude which also supports and alleviates symptoms of anxiety and depression

• Build better breathing practices which helps with digestion, and circulation throughout the body, and reduces anxiety

• Supports pelvic floor health keeping our pelvic floor healthy helps support our pelvic organs preventing prolapse and also supports pelvic continence preventing urinary incontinence

• Good sleep hygiene helps with consistent and quality sleep

And that is just the general benefits of a regular practice in alignment with menopause and perimenopause symptoms.

When we dive deeper into the sister science of Ayurveda we can even consider how we would customize our practice to support our individual symptoms and needs.

For example, those struggling with hot flashes and night sweats could try some cooling yoga poses such as:

• Seated wide-legged forward fold

• Legs up the wall

Add additional cooling benefits by doing a cooling pranayama

• Shitali:

Inhale through the mouth either through a folded tongue, pursed lips like you're sucking in a straw, or gently clenched teeth. Exhale out the nose.

Struggling with constipation from your menopause?

Include yoga poses to help with gut motility such as:

• Supine twist

• Deep Yogi squat

And add in calming relaxing breath that helps stimulate the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system also known as the rest and digest to get gut motility going

• Bhramari:

With your lips sealed and your tongue gently placed to the roof of the mouth take a deep full breath in and hum as you exhale

Do you struggle with sleep dysregulation? Take time for grounding and restorative postures

• Child's pose

Incorporate breath work that extends the exhale creating more quietness in the mind.

And perhaps even incorporate a yoga nidra practice.

Reclaiming your passion, pleasure, and poise in menopause.

This is often a negatively framed phase of life or just a completely ignored or even completely misunderstood phase.

But this truly is your Ascension to the next level of goddess. A time of profound discovery and connection. You can take back the power of your own body and the power of the inherent interconnectedness within you through supportive tools like yoga.

Yoga can help you

• Rekindle your passion for life and your body

• Rediscover pleasure in movement

• Connect with the Poise you have to carry you through this new Journey

Menopause tool kit setting yourself up for success with yoga

• Prioritize taking the time to move in the ways that feel good for you- this could look like a traditional yoga practice or bringing in your own flair combining it with fluid dance, adding in some wrist weights or ankle weights for stronger stability, this could look like adding an extra mat for a little bit of extra cushion and comfort

• Use all the tools you need to make it comfortable. These tools could be cushions blocks straps or even chairs to give you more support, this could also look like using weighted vests wrist weights, ankle weights to bring more of a muscular challenge to keep your muscles strong

• Take time for breath work- start your practice by connecting with your breath connecting with what it feels like to be with your breath and feel it flow in and out of your body. Hold this connection throughout your practice connecting breath and body movement allowing you to stay present in the moment and on the mat

• Meditation mindful moments- give yourself time either at the beginning or the end of your practice to be mindful and meditate in that moment be with your breath be with the sensations in your own body and allow yourself to find stillness to sit in whatever that looks like for you.

• Gratitude practice whether this is done on the mat or off the mat in the morning or before you go to bed take time to be grateful for your body as it continues to carry you, grateful for your mind as it continues to support you the best it can, grateful for your passions and curiosities, grateful for the things that bring you pleasure

• Yoga Nidra: a powerful meditation style to help with sleep and rest Nidra literally translates to mean rest this will help with sleep support, anxiety, depression, brain fog, fatigue and so many menopausal symptoms

• Ayurvedic eating. Consider looking into understanding eating balanced with Ayurveda and your body. Key things to always consider at this stage of life is making sure you're getting enough protein vitamins and minerals

Menopause is not an end but a beginning on a New Journey. Yoga can be a lamp light to help you illuminate the way down this journey as you reclaim and reconnect to your body's profound wisdom and take back control of your own Wellness.

Breaking Free: The Damaging Habit of Sucking-It-In

Breaking Free the Damaging Habit of Sucking-It-In and the Impact on Pelvic Health

In a society where the beauty standard seems to consistently fall on thin waists and flat tummies too many of us have normalized and internalized the destructive habit of sucking it in. Constantly clenching the muscles of our abdomen to make ourselves the smallest version and not allowing for that full beautiful expansion and bodyment of ourselves.

Not only are we not allowing ourselves to be truly comfortable in our own skin, but this chronic contraction of our abdominal muscles has more damaging implications. Constraining our bodies' ability to naturally expand and adjust to the pressure within creates stress and under prolonged stress potential damage to the structures.

Let's talk about what sucking it in is actually doing to our bodies. How we can start accepting and loving ourselves for every inch, and what we can do to prevent and reverse any potential problems that may have come from this toxic habit.

The Societal Pressure to "Hold It In"

The pressure to have a flat stomach is not just a fleeting trend; it’s an ingrained societal standard that many women carry daily. This expectation creates a chronic state of tension in the abdominal area as we habitually "suck in" to conform to these ideals. Anxiety often exacerbates this tension, leading to an almost constant clenching of the abdominal muscles and a sense of holding or restriction in the body. While the goal may be to appear smaller or more controlled, the long-term effects of this habit are far from beneficial.

Disruptive Effects of Sucking-It-In

The Diaphragm and Pelvic Floor

Our diaphragm is the muscle responsible for respiration or breathing when we inhale it contracts and moves downward when we exhale it relaxes and returns back up. In a healthy Dynamic body there is a dance between the diaphragm and our pelvic floor as well as the muscles along the abdominal wall. Inhalation occurs when the diaphragm drops the muscles in the abdomen and pelvic floor surrenders to the expansion making space and when we exhale everything naturally relaxes and softens back. When the abdomen is in a constant state of contraction the diaphragm is not able to freely move, the pressure gets pushed all downward excessively straining the pelvic floor.

When the diaphragm is able to freely move throughout its range of motion in breath it brings on a multitude of benefits such as:

• Massaging the abdominal organs helps with circulation and blood flow to these vital parts of our body

• Massages and stimulates lymphatic circulation to support immune health and reduce swelling and inflammation throughout the body

• Massages and stimulates smooth muscle tissue into peristalsis aiding in digestion

• Massages pelvic organs and alleviates menstrual cramps as well as helps increase circulation to reproductive organs to keep them happy and healthy

Without this free movement our body is no longer receiving those amazing benefits leading to decreased circulation, decreased peristalsis, decreased functionality within the organs and organ systems in our abdomen.

Dysregulated Inner Abdominal Pressure

Our bodies are constantly having to adjust to the pressure within them. As we inhale, as we cough, as we sneeze, lift heavy weights contractions and muscles throughout our body displace the pressure and other muscles are meant to accommodate for this displacement. When a group of muscles especially ones as broad and covering as the abdominal muscles are in a constant state of shortened contraction regulation of inner abdominal pressure is harder to obtain and maintain. This puts unnecessary and excessive strain on the pelvic floor muscles, if this is a prolonged experience in our bodies this can lead to pressure conditions and injuries such as:

• Urinary incontinence: the inability to control when urine leaves the body either from stress such as a sneeze or a cough or even just the inability to hold it in when urgency occurs

• Pelvic organ prolapse: when the organs of the pelvis start to drop from their natural position this could impede into the vaginal canal and even sometimes out of the vaginal opening in severe cases Hiatal hernias

•  Abdominal hernias

•  Inguinal hernias

•  Even herniated or bulging discs in the spine

Reclaiming Your Body and Breath

The negative effects from prolonged clenching of the abdomen is not inevitable and in minor cases even reversible. You can break free from Old Habits let that Buddha belly go and your breath move freely. And you can start to retrain your body and breath and bring Health back to your pelvis.

Step one. Right now relax your belly unclench your jaw take a deep breath in and let the lower abdomen go.

Take in another deep breath and see if you can even let the upper abdomen release.

This may take a few breaths and conscious unclenching. But as you breathe allow your belly to surrender to the expansion of that breath and not resist bringing the majority of the movement away from the chest and down to the abdomen.

Inhale envisioning your body as a balloon your throat the part of the balloon you blow into and your stomach and belly the body of the balloon your pelvic floor the very top. As you inhale you inflate this balloon allowing it to expand out from every angle front back left and right and even drop down towards the floor. As you exhale just like a deflating balloon everything just naturally softens. Repeat this practice for a few minutes see if you can get a little softer each time.

Abdominal Self Massage

Tight muscles all over the body love massage and love touch. Take time for some self-care and self-love by gently massaging your abdomen in a clockwise motion with smooth slow and rhythmic strokes. Listening to your body and never pressing too hard but taking the time to move slow enough to melt and soften the tissue beneath your fingers.

Meditation and Mindfulness

When breaking a habit it will take time and awareness. Multiple things usually need to be addressed, great ways to start:

• Taking moments of gratitude thanking your body for all it does for you

• Soft moments of check-in periodically checking in with your body and taking the time to breathe into your belly and bring softness where there might be holding

• Journaling and reflecting on the patterns of clenching and sucking it in. If something comes up that you want to dive in deeper with a professional I highly recommend bringing your notes and your concerns.

• Wear clothes that fit, comfortable clothes that will not be pressing into your abdomen encouraging that sucking in are a great way to bring some self-love and self-care into your day today allowing yourself to expand fully into your beautiful goddess self

• Meditating with deep breath work allows for Full Belly breathing

Embrace Expansion, Not Contraction

The journey to better pelvic health begins with letting go of the need to make yourself small. By embracing the fullness of your breath and allowing your body to move freely, you can prevent and even reverse many of the harmful effects of chronic belly sucking. Yoga and mindful movement offer a compassionate path to reconnecting with your body, fostering resilience, and reclaiming the space you deserve to take up in the world.

Let your breath be expansive, your movements mindful, and your presence unapologetically full.

Working with Pelvic Imbalances

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.

The Wellness Nook to Muladhara Movement

From Brick-and-Mortar to Online Wellness Education: Our Journey of Evolution and Empowerment

As we navigate the ever-changing landscape of wellness, our business has undergone a significant transformation. What began as a cozy brick-and-mortar wellness nook offering therapeutic massage and yoga has now evolved into a dynamic online wellness education platform. This shift allows us to reach and empower more women, offering them the tools and knowledge to understand their own bodies and achieve balanced health.

Embracing Change: Our New Online Presence

Our journey started with a simple but powerful mission: to provide a sanctuary where individuals could experience the healing benefits of massage therapy and yoga. Over the years, we cultivated a community of wellness enthusiasts who found solace and strength within our walls. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to close our doors temporarily, prompting us to regroup and rethink our approach. This period of reflection and redirection led us to embrace the digital realm and expand our reach.

Transitioning to an online platform was a natural progression for us. It opened up new possibilities for connecting with women globally, transcending geographical boundaries. Our online classes are designed to support women in their wellness journeys, offering insights into their own anatomy and teaching them to use their bodies as keys to balanced health through yoga and self-massage.

Empowering Women Through Education

One of our core focuses in this new phase is women's wellness education. We believe that understanding one’s own body is fundamental to achieving overall health and well-being. Our classes cover a range of topics, providing women with the knowledge and tools they need to nurture their bodies and minds.

Key Offerings:

-Anatomy and Physiology: Classes that delve into the intricacies of the female body, helping women understand their anatomy and physiological processes.

- Yoga and Self-Massage: Practical sessions that teach women how to use yoga and self-massage techniques to promote physical and mental balance.

- Advocacy and Communication: Workshops that empower women with the language and confidence to understand and advocate for their own health needs.

Supporting All Women and Future Educators

We have courses that are designed to support all women, regardless of where they are on their wellness journey. Whether you are just beginning to explore holistic health practices or are looking to deepen your existing knowledge, our classes offer valuable insights and practical tools.

In addition to individual wellness classes, we also offer teacher training programs for yoga instructors. These programs equip yoga teachers with the skills and knowledge to support their female students more effectively. By training educators, we aim to create a ripple effect, spreading the benefits of our approach to women's wellness far and wide.

In-Person Retreats for Deeper Connection

While our online platform allows us to reach women across the globe, we understand the unique value of in-person experiences. For those who prefer face-to-face interaction, we continue to offer in-person women's retreats. These retreats provide an immersive experience where women can connect deeply with themselves and each other in a supportive, nurturing environment.

Community Outreach and Support

Our commitment to women's wellness extends beyond our paying clients. We are dedicated to making a positive impact on the broader community through our outreach programs. We offer free training to women who have been financially disenfranchised and those in lower socioeconomic situations. By working with refugees, women's shelters, and other community organizations, we strive to provide valuable resources and support to those who need it most.

A Community of Empowered Women

As we continue to grow and evolve, our commitment to building a supportive community remains unwavering. Our online platform not only provides educational resources but also fosters a sense of connection among women from diverse backgrounds. Together, we share experiences, learn from each other, and support one another in our journeys towards holistic well-being.

Join Us on This Journey

We are excited about the future and the opportunities it holds for our community. By embracing the digital realm, we can offer our unique blend of therapeutic practices and educational content to women everywhere. We invite you to join us on this journey of evolution and empowerment. Whether you're looking to enhance your personal wellness, attend a transformative retreat, or become a beacon of support in your community, our classes and training programs are here to guide you every step of the way.

Together, we can create a world where women are empowered to understand, nurture, and advocate for their own health, leading lives of balance and fulfillment.