The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and bowel. In women, they also support the uterus, and in men, they support the prostate. They are a group of muscles that form a structure and scaffolding at the bottom of the pelvis.
For many people, the pelvic floor muscles are chronically contracted and tight, which can lead to excessive problems (such as constipation or incontinence) and painful conditions (such as pelvic floor myalgia or difficulty with intercourse).
But thankfully, yoga is a powerful tool that can help relax these often-contracted muscles and release their tight grip.
Yoga for pelvic floor health doesn’t need to be complicated or sophisticated either. A few simple yoga exercises may help relieve discomfort, tightness and/or pain.
Try These 3 Simple Yoga Exercises to Relax Your Pelvic Floor Muscles.
1.Diaphragmatic Breathing
The toning or breathing method is one of the simplest and most effective ways to affect the pelvic floor muscles. This is because the movements of the diaphragm and pelvic floor mimic each other.
When you inhale, your respiratory diaphragm moves downward and increases the pressure in your abdominal cavity. This causes your pelvic floor muscles to move downward as well, and this action creates a slight stretch in these muscles (through centrifugal contraction).
When you exhale, your diaphragm lifts and the pressure in your abdominal cavity decreases. When this happens, your pelvic floor muscles follow and lift slightly.
Eventually, your pelvic floor muscles will move with your breathing diaphragm with each breath you take.
Therefore, if you are able to fully utilize your respiratory diaphragm with each breath, then your pelvic floor muscles will experience a slight stretch with each inhalation (as they contract centrifugally) and a slight contraction with each exhalation (as they contract centripetally).
Stretching and strengthening these deep muscles with each breath essentially helps create optimal pelvic floor health.
Not only that, but breathing also directly affects the nervous system, which is ultimately responsible for all muscle tone. If you can actively calm and soothe your nervous system by focusing on deep breathing, then you can teach your pelvic floor muscles to relax by teaching your entire nervous system to relax.
2.Mula Bandha
Mula bandha is a frequently referenced element of yoga practice.
In some styles of yoga, this key bandha is performed throughout the yoga practice. In some other styles, this pelvic floor activation is guided during challenging parts of the practice such as balancing poses, inversions, or arm balances.
Traditionally, mula bandha has been used for seated attunement and meditation practice rather than physical asana practice. However, in the modern context, this has been widely transferred to physical exercise.
While having a strong pelvic floor is important for pelvic floor health, an overly contracted and immobile pelvic floor is detrimental to overall pelvic floor health. This is why in yoga it is often recommended to actually soften, relax and release the mula bandha to promote pelvic floor health.
Since the pelvic floor naturally moves with each breath, you can let your body’s inherent wisdom work its organic magic in your yoga practice. Try releasing the mula bandha during your practice and notice if there are any changes.
3.Relaxing Yoga Poses
There are countless relaxing yoga poses that can be used to soften and relax chronically tight pelvic floor muscles. Some yoga poses put your body in a relaxed position to soften and down-regulate your nervous system.
You don’t need to do any fancy moves to target these muscles, you just need to find a relaxed position for yourself. Some good yoga for pelvic floor poses include Child’s Pose (Balasana) (bottom), Garland Pose (Malasana), Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana) (top), Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana), and Tilt Bind Angle Pose (Supta Baddha).
If any of these poses don’t suit you, then simply find any comfortable pose where you can relax and visualize release.
Pelvic floor health yoga doesn’t need to be fancy to be effective
While these practices may seem very simple or even trivial, they can really change the state of the pelvic floor. When muscles are chronically tense or contracted, the best way to relax them is to target the nervous system.
Try using these simple but highly effective yoga for consistent pelvic floor health practices, and you’ll find that these simple but straightforward ways to get your body in better shape over time.