Benefits of Yoga for Your Pelvic Floor
What do down dogs, snakes, and the sun have to do with your pelvic floor?
They are yoga poses, and yoga is a great way to connect with your pelvic floor!
Yoga is for all ages and can be adapted to fit any lifestyle or ability level. Yoga is rooted in meditation, strength building, and body connection. Research shows that yoga can help your movement system by stimulating bone growth(4), preventing pelvic floor dysfunction(2), aiding in treatment of urinary incontinence(1,3), decreasing muscle tension(5), and even decreasing stress levels(5).
But what yoga positions should you do for the pelvic floor?
We have listed a few positions below that we like for the pelvic floor. So roll out your mat or find a comfy spot on the floor and give them a try!
***I love to cue breathing here to connect with your pelvic floor. As you inhale try to notice your lower ribcage expanding in the front, sides, and back then notice the expansion/opening between the sits bones. This is the pelvic floor relaxing and lengthening and exactly what should be happening when we take deep breaths in. Don’t strain or force it, just take gentle breaths and notice these subtle movements.
Childs Pose
Unsupported
Supported – good if you have knee or hip pain
Breathing Over a Bolster
Place a yoga bolster on the floor with horizontal blanket roll under pelvis and vertical folded blanket under torso
Goddess Pose/Deep Squat
You can add a small stool or yoga block under the bottom for additional support
90:90 or Legs Up the Wall
Bent knee position shown for those of us with tighter hamstrings
Double Knee to Chest with Ball Support
Place a ball under your tailbone to tip the pelvis under. You can add a towel roll between thighs and abdomen if you experience hip “pinching”
***When adding these poses to your routine, make sure to not strain to push through a position, instead release your body into the position. One way to do this is to inhale into your back ribs and exhale fully, letting go of any muscle tension.
Want to talk more on this topic? Having problems with mobility that you want addressed by a specialist? Come to our workshop at Wildfire Yoga on May 7th at 7pm to talk all things yoga and pelvic floor! Click below to save your spot: https://movesmartky.com/events
Written by: Kelsey Karnes PT, DPT and Leah Wright SPT, PTA
References
1) Huang, A. J., Chesney, M., Lisha, N., Vittinghoff, E., Schembri, M., Pawlowsky, S., Hsu, A., & Subak, L. (2019). A group-based yoga program for urinary incontinence in ambulatory women: feasibility, tolerability, and change in incontinence frequency over 3 months in a single-center randomized trial. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 220(1), 87.e1–87.e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.10.031
2) Chao, H. T., Chang, P. C., Lin, Y. K., Huang, W. C., Wu, C. C., Chang, L. I., & Liao, Y. M. (2022). Longitudinal Effects of a Combined Program of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Yoga on Genitourinary Symptoms in Asian Women of Older Age: A Randomized Experimental Study. Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.), 46, 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.04.018
3)Kim, G. S., Kim, E. G., Shin, K. Y., Choo, H. J., & Kim, M. J. (2015). Combined pelvic muscle exercise and yoga program for urinary incontinence in middle-aged women. Japan journal of nursing science : JJNS, 12(4), 330–339. https://doi.org/10.1111/jjns.1207
4) Lu, Y. H., Rosner, B., Chang, G., & Fishman, L. M. (2016). Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Topics in geriatric rehabilitation, 32(2), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1097/TGR.0000000000000085
5) Parshad O. (2004). Role of yoga in stress management. The West Indian medical journal, 53(3), 191–194.
