Can Yoga Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor?

Discover how yoga can strengthen and improve your overall pelvic floor health.

The proper functioning of your core relies significantly on the pivotal role of your pelvic floor in providing support and maintaining bladder control. However, it can weaken over time due to factors like pregnancy, childbirth, or aging.

Fortunately, integrating yoga into your fitness routine can help! Additionally, with its gentle and mindful movements, yoga targets the pelvic floor muscles, increasing their strength, flexibility, and stability. Then boost your confidence and strengthen your foundation - join us in this empowering yoga for pelvic floor.

Anatomy of the Pelvic Floor

Functions of the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is pivotal in maintaining your bodily functions and overall well-being. Its primary functions include:

1. Bowel Control and Bladder

The pelvic floor muscles function as a sphincter, controlling the release of urine and stool. Moreover strong pelvic floor muscles prevent urinary and fecal incontinence, ensuring that you have control over your bodily processes.

2. Sexual Function

Also the pelvic floor muscles support women's bladder, bowel, and uterus, and they play a critical role in women's sexual health and functions.

3. Organ Support

The pelvic floor muscles help the pelvic organs, preventing them from prolapsing or dropping. Moreover, this support is crucial for maintaining proper organ function and preventing discomfort or pain.

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Causes, Symptoms, and Impact

A. Causes

Pelvic floor dysfunction can arise from various factors, including:

• Childbirth: Pregnancy and childbirth can place significant strain on the pelvic floor muscles, straining them and increasing the risk of dysfunction.

• Chronic Straining: Straining during bowel movements or lifting heavy objects can put extreme pressure on the pelvic floor, leading to dysfunction over time.

B. Symptoms

Pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest in a variety of symptoms, including:

• Stress Urinary Incontinence: Leaking urine during activities like coughing, sneezing, or exercising is a common symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction.

• Pelvic Pain: Moreover, discomfort or pain in the pelvic region, encompassing the lower back, genitals, or rectum, can indicate pelvic floor dysfunction.

• Prolapse: The lowering of pelvic organs, such as the uterus, rectum, or bladder, into the vagina, causing a bulge or sensation of heaviness, is known as prolapse.

C. Impact 

Pelvic floor dysfunction can profoundly impact your physical, emotional, and social well-being:

• Physical Impact: Symptoms like urinary incontinence and pelvic pain can limit physical activities and affect daily routines.

• Emotional Impact: Moreover, pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to feelings of embarrassment, isolation, and loss of control, affecting your self-esteem and emotional well-being.

• Social Impact: Social interactions and activities may become restricted due to concerns about leakage or pain, leading to social withdrawal and isolation.

The good news? Pelvic floor dysfunction is highly treatable with various therapeutic approaches, including Yoga.

Yoga Benefits for Pelvic Floor

1. Strengthening and toning pelvic floor muscles

Pelvic floor yoga poses help strengthen muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and rectum. Moreover, this can help prevent or alleviate pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.

2. Improves Flexibility

Yoga involves stretching and lengthening various muscle groups, which can improve the flexibility of the pelvic area. 

3. Enhances Circulation

Moreover, yoga encourages blood flow to the pelvic region, which can help in better circulation, reducing stagnation and potentially aiding in addressing issues like discomfort or swelling.

4. Posture Improvement

Furthermore, yoga promotes better posture, which indirectly helps in supporting the pelvic floor. Moreover, the poses encourage proper alignment, reducing strain on the pelvic area.

5. Improving body awareness and control

Yoga emphasizes mindfulness and deep breathing, which can enhance body awareness and control over the pelvic floor muscles.

6. Reducing stress and anxiety

Chronic stress can contribute to pelvic floor tension and dysfunction. Moreover, yoga's relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, and savasana, can help reduce stress and anxiety, indirectly improving pelvic floor health.

7. Enhancing sexual function

Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can boost sexual function for both men and women. Moreover, yoga can also improve circulation and flexibility in the pelvic area, further contributing to sexual health.

8. Promoting overall well-being

Consistent yoga practice has improved overall well-being, including physical fitness, mental health, and sleep quality. Also, these factors can indirectly contribute to pelvic floor health by reducing stress, improving mood, and promoting overall physical health.

How Yoga Strengthens Your Pelvic Floor

Yoga poses engage the pelvic floor muscles in a way that can help to strengthen them. Some of the poses that are particularly beneficial for the pelvic floor include:

Yoga for Pelvic Floor Tightness

Yoga can be a great way to relax the pelvic floor muscles and relieve tightness. Here are a few poses that can help:

1. Child's Pose

• Kneel on the floor with your knees hip-width apart.
• Sit back on your heels and fold forward, resting your forehead on the floor.
• Either extend both arms overhead or relax your arms alongside your body.
• Hold for 5-10 breaths.

                                                         Child's Pose

2. Happy Baby Pose 

• Lie on your back on the floor.
• Bend your knees, then lift your legs to bring them toward your chest.
• Reach for the outsides of your feet.
• Moreover, gently pull your feet towards your body. Maintain this position and take several deep breaths.
• Slowly release your feet and lower your legs to the floor, returning to the starting position.

3. Warrior II

• Stretches the inner thighs and groins, which can help release tension and improve pelvic floor mobility.
• Moreover, strengthens the outer hip muscles, which can help stabilize the pelvic girdle and reduce pelvic pain.
• Promotes balance and coordination, which can improve overall pelvic floor function.

Warrior II

The Reclined Bound Angle Pose can also be a good option.

Yoga for Pelvic Floor Prolapse

Yoga can be a helpful way to address pelvic floor prolapse. Here are some gentle yoga poses that can support and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and reduce symptoms:

1. Reclining Twist

• Lie on your back on the floor, ensuring your legs are straightened.
• Extend your arms to your sides, allowing your upper body to relax. Engage your core.
• Moreover, slowly twist through your lower back, pelvis, and spine, and extend your right leg across your body. Reach for your right foot with your left hand.
• Hold this twisted position for several deep belly breaths. Relax and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on the opposite side.

2. Cat-Cow

• Start in a hands-and-knees position, with hands shoulder-width apart and knees hip-width apart.
• Then inhale deeply, arching your back while lifting your head and tailbone.
• Exhale, rounding your back and bringing your chin towards your chest.
• Moreover, alternate between these two poses smoothly and continuously.
• Aim to perform this sequence for 5 to 10 breaths, focusing on the breath and the fluidity of the movement.

3. Bridge pose

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet resting flat on the floor. Keep your arms beside you, palms facing downward.
• Moreover, activate your core muscles.
• Press your feet firmly into the ground as you lift your hips upward. 
• Maintain this position for a few deep breaths, keeping your core engaged and breathing steadily.
• Slowly lower your hips to the floor, returning to the starting position.

                                                         Bridge Pose

Chair Yoga for Pelvic Floor

Chair yoga can be a great way to engage and strengthen the pelvic floor. Here are some chair yoga poses and exercises that specifically target the pelvic area:

1. Seated Cat-Cow

• Sit on the chair with your feet flat on the ground.
• Place your hands on your knees.
• Moreover, take a deep breath, arch your back, and lift your chest.
• Breathe out, rounding your spine and tucking your chin to your chest.
• Repeat this gentle movement, coordinating with your breath for several rounds.

2. Seated Bridge Pose

• Sit on the floor with your legs in a crossed position.
• Place your hands on your sides for support with your fingers pointing forward.
• Engage your glutes and pelvic floor. Press through your feet and lift your chest, bringing your gaze toward the ceiling.
• Hold the position for a few breaths, then slowly lower back down.

3. Inner Thigh Squeeze

• Find a comfortable seat on the chair with your back straight.
• Place a small ball or cushion between your thighs.
• Moreover, inhale and gently squeeze the ball with your thighs, engaging the inner thigh muscles and the pelvic floor. Hold for a few seconds.
• Exhale and release the squeeze.
• Repeat this movement for several rounds, gradually increasing the hold time.

Yoga for Core and Pelvic Floor Muscles

1. Kegel exercises

• support the pelvic floor muscles, which can help with urinary incontinence, improve sexual function, and support the organs in the pelvis.
• enhance the muscles that provide support to the bladder, bowel, and uterus
• enhances sexual function
• targets the pelvic floor muscles
• improves urinary continence
• helps to prevent prolapse of the pelvic organs

2. Plank Pose

• strengthens the deep, transverse abdominal muscles, which form the foundation of the pelvic floor.
• also improves core stability, which helps support the pelvic organs.
• enhances proprioception, or body awareness, is important for pelvic floor control.

                                                        Plank Pose

3. Yoga Squats

• strengthen the legs, hips, and pelvic floor muscles
• engages and stabilizes the pelvic muscles
• improved coordination
• also increased blood flow
• improving hip mobility
• encouraging diaphragmatic breathing (a deep, slow breathing technique)

                                                         Yoga Squats

4. Chair Pose

• makes muscles stronger
• improves blood circulation 
• also gives support and balance
• teaches control
• gives you good posture

Yoga for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

1. Reclined Bound Angle Pose

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet resting flat on the floor.
• Place your hands at your sides with palms facing down.
• Moreover, bring the soles of your feet together as you gently lower your knees out to the sides.
• Hold this position. Take several deep breaths, focusing on expanding your belly and relaxing as you exhale.

                                           Reclined Bound Angle Pose

2. Goddess Pose

• Stand with your feet wide apart, toes pointing out.
• Lower your hips as if you are sitting in a chair.
• Moreover, keep your core engaged and spine straight.
• Hold for 5-10 breaths.

                                                        Goddess Pose

3. Pigeon Pose

• Begin by positioning yourself in a lunge position, with your left leg in front and your right leg back.
• Moreover, lower your hips toward the ground while maintaining a bent left knee and extending your right leg.
• Relax your upper body.
• Hold the position for 5-10 breaths on each side.

Pigeon Pose

Conclusion

Pelvic floor physical therapy and pelvic floor exercises are excellent means to enhance and fortify the pelvic floor muscles. Also, these exercises also boost pelvic floor strength and can improve coordination and control.

Moreover, yoga is a safe and effective practice to strengthen pelvic floor muscles naturally. Additionally, for those seeking to fortify their pelvic floor health, yoga is an advantageous option in conjunction with pelvic floor physical therapy and guidance from a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Furthermore, whether you're dealing with pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, or pelvic floor dysfunction, incorporating yoga into your routine can offer significant support and relief.

Strengthen your pelvic floor and experience the transformative power of yoga. Start your journey to a healthier, pain-free back today. Check out our 10 Yoga Poses for Low Back Pain Relief!