The one pelvic floor exercise everyone should do.
Do you suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction or simply want to improve your overall pelvic health? You are not alone. Many people, men & women alike experience pelvic floor issues that can negatively affect their quality of life. Yes, men do have pelvic floors too! Luckily, there is a stand out #1 exercise that we all can be doing daily to improve our pelvic health: BREATHING with the appropriate technique.
We need to understand that everything in the body is connected. As such our pelvic floor health is impacted not only by the functioning of its four main muscles, but also by its coordinated relationship with four additional muscles that are closely connected to its performance: the diaphragm, the transverse abdominal muscle, and the iliopsoas. Together, these eight muscles create a "container" within our trunk, that is integral to the healthy functioning of the pelvic floor and the overall well-being of the back. Each of these muscles has a specific role in this container: the diaphragm forms the roof, the transverse abdominal muscle comprises the side walls, the iliopsoas makes up the back wall, the rectus abdominus forms the front wall, and the pelvic floor muscles create the base.
Breathing with the right technique is essential for coordinating the muscles of the trunk, including the diaphragm, deepest abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor.
Upon inhalation, the diaphragm contracts, this flattening motion pushes our internal organs down the abdominal cavity. This motion requires our pelvic floor and abdominal muscles to control a slight release to accommodate the extra space needed for the organs. So, as we breathe in, the pelvic floor muscles lengthen, allowing them to lower.
Upon exhalation, the diaphragm lifts back up into the chest cavity, creating space for the internal organs to rise back to their initial placement. This creates a natural reflex of our pelvic floor and transverse abdominus muscles contracting. So, as we breathe out, our pelvic floor muscles shorten as the space above opens, allowing them to move back up to their resting position.
Now that we understand the diaphragm and the pelvic floor react in opposition, allowing for the swinging movement of the internal organs: contracting and relaxing opposite each other to facilitate your breath. We are able to use the breath to not only connect with and gently move the pelvic floor muscles, but also to improve our proprioception of the pelvic floor.
Activating specific muscles in the pelvic floor can be challenging without proper perception training. Proprioception is the body's ability to perceive its own position in space and the relative position of its parts. It is important to improve proprioception for pelvic floor training because it helps one to better identify and control the individual muscles in the pelvic floor. Without proper proprioception, it is difficult to activate specific muscles in the pelvic floor without tensing up the jaw or shoulder muscles. And as tension in the jaw and shoulders can obstruct the pelvic floor, proprioception is key to improving pelvic floor function. The simplest and most readily available first steps we can take towards improving your pelvic floor proprioception is diaphragmatic breathing.
Our breathing can be affected by different things such as how we feel, our habits, how we sit or stand, how strong or overly tense our muscles are, and any pain or trauma we might hold within the body. There are three types of breathing patterns:
Apical (or upper chest) breathing
Diaphragmatic (or belly) breathing
Lateral costal flaring (or side rib) breathing
Most people either use upper chest or belly breathing, but it’s better to use a combination of lateral costal flaring and diaphragmatic breathing. This helps spread the pressure out to the sides and downwards, reducing the pressure on the pelvic floor. This is especially important for people with existing pelvic floor conditions.
how to do diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing is simple and can be done in any position. You can stand, sit, or lie down and still get the benefits. However, we do find laying down is a good position to learn the technique from. Here's how to do it:
Start by lying on your back, bend your knees, you want to keep your feet flat on the ground, place them hip distance apart and have equal pressure throughout the foot. Avoid rolling your feet in or overly pressing out on your little toes, like wise have equal pressure between the heels and balls of the feet. Make sure that you are relaxed and comfortable in this position.
Place the palm of one hand on your chest. Now loosely spread the fingers of your second hand, placing the palm on your lower torso, so that the thumb touches the bottom of your ribs, whilst the little finger extends below your navel, pointing towards the pubic bone.
Take a deep breath in, letting the air fill all the way into the lower lungs and in turn activating your pelvic floor. Can you feel your pelvic floor lowering down and expanding? We are looking to feel activity on the hand placed on your lower torso; the hand rising as the belly expands, whilst the hand placed on your chest stays still.
Exhale slowly, allowing everything to settle back into a resting position. Can you feel your pelvic floor shrink and lift towards your diaphragm?
Continue to breathe in and out in the same way, for 5 minutes. feeling your pelvic floor muscles move with your breath. Lowering and expanding as you inhale, shrinking and lifting as you exhale. Avoid forcing or pressuring the breath.
It's possible that you won't feel any movement at first, depending on the condition of your pelvic floor. But be patient and keep practicing while paying attention to your body. Soon enough, you will develop a stronger connection to your pelvic floor.
why is diaphragmatic breathing so important?
Diaphragmatic breathing also has many other benefits, including:
Regulating your nervous system
Reducing stress and anxiety
Improving digestion
Strengthening your diaphragm and other respiratory muscles
chest breathing vs. diaphragmatic breathing
Many people are used to breathing with their chest, which doesn't allow for as deep and full of a breath. Chest breathing is often the result of stress or anxiety, and it can contribute to pelvic dysfunction.
In contrast, diaphragmatic breathing allows for a deeper breath, which activates your pelvic floor muscles and helps improve proprioception. It also helps regulate your nervous system and can reduce stress and anxiety.
Diaphragmatic breathing vs. Kegels
Pelvic floor dysfunction can occur due to:
A week pelvic floor lacking in adequate tension
Too much tension within the pelvic floor and rest of the body
Poor coordination within the pelvic floor muscles and its coordinated relationship with the four additional muscles that are closely connected to its performance.
Kegel exercises are often recommended for improving pelvic floor health. However, as they focus solely on tightening the pelvic floor in order to build strength. They are only beneficial for a person experiencing a weak pelvic floor, lacking in adequate tension. And if you were to delve deeper into active dynamic pelvic floor training, you would understand that Kegel’s actual capacity to build strength is limited and its effectiveness plateaus once you reach a certain point.
Now it’s of great importance to note that Kegel exercises will only worsen your condition if your experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction due to too much tension within your pelvic floor muscles. In this circumstance you require training to improve the elasticity and adaptability within the tissues of the pelvic floor muscles. Kegel exercises will not improve your pelvic floors coordinated relationship either.
Diaphragmatic breathing, on the other hand, is beneficial for everyone's pelvic floor muscles, no matter the occurrence of any dysfunction, it is also gentle and safe to do.
In conclusion, diaphragmatic breathing is the #1 exercise for the pelvic floor that everyone should do daily. It is a safe and gentle exercise that improves proprioception, regulates the nervous system, and enhances overall pelvic health. So, take a few minutes each day to practice diaphragmatic breathing and reap the benefits of a healthy and happy pelvic floor.
If you'd like more guidance on how to connect with your pelvic floor or are experiencing symptoms that might indicate pelvic floor dysfunction, don't hesitate to reach out to us here at bodyMethodology. We're here to help!