Posture, balance and your pelvic Floor
Posture and balance go hand in hand and yet many of us don’t often think of it in that way. When I explain to my clients the deeper concept of how it all comes together, I have found that using the concept of a game like Jenga useful to explain the core fundamentals of how everything clicks into place.
Like the game of Jenga, stability is achieved when each block is precisely aligned over the one underneath it, creating a sturdy and upright structure. This analogy can mirror the human body’s requirement for alignment to maintain physical equilibrium and strength. The pelvic floor especially benefits from such alignment. If our skeletal structure is not properly aligned from the top of our head to the base of our spine, we can experience unnecessary downward pressure on our pelvic floor.
Improving body alignment and pelvic health with Yoga
Over the years Yoga has become an excellent tool to help improve body alignment and there are many yoga poses that focus on doing this. The poses that help “open-up” the body such as the hips and shoulders are brilliant to enhance body alignment. This opening is crucial as it allows for a more effective ‘stacking’ of the skeletal system. When the hips and shoulders are without restriction, the spine naturally aligns more easily, promoting better posture and taking away the strain on the pelvic floor. Doing a yoga practice a few times a week with these types of poses not only improves flexibility and strength but also results in better overall body alignment and therefore the health of the pelvic floor.
When it comes to focusing on body alignment and incorporating these opening techniques, I like to incorporate two key poses in my classes Child’s pose and Happy baby poses. These two poses are great for the pelvic floor as they help to stretch and relax the pelvic area, providing relief and promoting elasticity in the pelvic floor muscles. If you have a hypertonic pelvic floor, where the muscles are overly tight, then integrating these poses into one’s yoga practice are especially useful.
Conscious breathing to enhance your practice
To enhance your yoga practice, it is important to also slow down your mind by consciously focusing on your breath. Regulating your breathing enables a more mindful approach to yoga and movement as you become more aware and in tune with your body’s needs and reactions. Deep, mindful breathing also injects oxygen into your body and calms the mind.
Using specific Yoga poses with mindful breathing can offer a diverse range of benefits for the pelvic floor that will promote alignment, flexibility, and help your nervous system regulate. By incorporating these types of yoga poses and breathwork into a regular routine, perhaps 2 to 3 times a week, you can significantly nurture your pelvic floor health and overall wellbeing.
Getting started with Hypopressives
For the Hypopressives classes it is important that you learn the Breathing/Apnea technique properly so that you can get the most out of the classes and the time you invest in yourself. Each week Simone runs Fundamentals sessions on Zoom where she explains the technique and guides you through all the steps.
She will also give you feedback to make sure that you’re doing it correctly. For some, the technique may come more quickly than others. Some of her clients, who are tighter in the ribs and thoracic spine do tend to take a little longer. And here’s the golden rule – for impactful change, Simone recommends at least three 15 to 20-minute workouts per week. Consistency is your best friend on this journey towards wellness.
