May Your Jeans & Pelvic Floor Be Relaxed

​Relaxation is one of the single most important activities you can partake in to optimize pelvic floor health. Relaxation allows you to tap into interoception-that ability to sense and feel what is happening in your body. 

So, what is happening in your body when you breath? The anatomy and function of your pelvic diaphragm is directly linked to the anatomy and function of your respiratory diaphragm. When you inhale, as your lungs fill with air, your respiratory diaphragm descends and presses down onto your abdominal cavity which, in turn, presses onto your pelvic diaphragm. When you exhale, the two diaphragms return to their neutral upward position. 

​Diaphragmatic breathing not only activates the parasympathetic nervous system and the relaxation response, but it creates this movement naturally. 

Diaphragmatic Breathing=A Healthy Pelvic Floor

​Let’s Try It!

• Lying in on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, place one hand on your belly (just below your ribcage) and one hand on your chest. Begin to take long, slow, breaths which cause your belly to rise.  However, your chest should remain still.  

• You can start with equal breaths-for example, a count of 4 on the inhale and a count of 4 on the exhale. When you are comfortable, you can begin to lengthen the inhales and exhales. 

• As you exhale, gently tighten your abdominal muscles and let them fall inward. The hand on your belly should move down to its original position. You’ll notice the subtle sensation as the pelvic floor contracts (not as intense as contracting to holding in urine). 

Keep your pelvic floor healthy!  Try to incorporate a little Diaphragmatic Breathing into your daily yoga practice.


​"May your jeans, pelvic floor, thoughts, and days off be relaxed."-Pelvic Guru