Breathing for Pelvic Floor Health, Part II

In Part I of Breathing and Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health, we explored the anatomy of breathing and why full relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles during inhalation is so important for pelvic floor health. Let’s now learn some seated exercises for pelvic floor health!

You will need: a sturdy chair, such as a dining room or kitchen table chair, or a folding chair, without arms. The chair should be on a non-slip surface, such as a carpet, not a tile or wooden floor, since the chair can slip!

Foot Hover:

Sit up straight and relaxed, with a long spine, and your back away from the back of the chair. Place your feet flat on the ground, legs about hips-width distance apart. Take a few deep diaphragmatic breaths, relaxing your pelvic floor muscles with each inhale and drawing your belly button into your spine with each exhale. As you exhale, notice the slight “toning” of your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles naturally contract with each exhale. Take one more big inhale, feeling the pelvic floor muscles relax. With your next exhale, begin to hover your right foot off the floor, imagining that you could raise your foot with only your core muscles. Lower your foot as your inhale. With your next exhale, hover your left foot off the ground. Repeat five times on each side, and rest. Do one more set of five on each side.

Goddess Twist: 

Sit up straight and relaxed, with a long spine, and with your back away from the back of the chair. Open your legs wider than hips-width distance apart to a V-shape, but not so wide as to be uncomfortable, with your feet flat on the floor. Bring your arms into a “cactus” shape – raise your arms parallel to the floor, and bend your elbows, so your hand are facing forward and your fingertips are facing up. Gently roll your shoulders down and back to slide your shoulder blades down your back. Inhale and relax your pelvic floor muscles. As exhale draw your belly button towards your spine and rotate your torso to one side, so you are facing your leg. Inhale and come back to center. Exhale and rotate towards the other side. Repeat five times on each side, and rest. Then repeat another five times on each side.

Boat Pose:

Sit back in your chair and hold on to the seat of the chair for support. (If your feet do not touch the floor when your back is against the back of your chair, place folded up blankets or towels under your feet to raise the floor up to you.) Inhale and relax your pelvic floor muscles. Exhale, draw your belly button to your spine and raise one leg in front of you, with the other foot firmly on the floor. Breathe and hold your leg up. If you feel stable and strong in your core muscles, without strain in your lower back, extend your opposite arm in front of you. Inhale and lower your arms and leg and repeat on the other side. Repeat up to five times on each side. As you build strength in this pose, you can hold the pose for up to five breaths.

Seated Half-Moon Pose:

Sit up straight and relaxed, with a long spine, and with your back away from the back of the chair. Feel your sitting bones grounding into the chair and your feet grounding into the floor, with your legs hips-width distance apart. Inhale and raise your arms to shoulder height with your palms facing down. Exhale and flip your right palm up and reach to the right. Inhale and come back to center, relaxing your pelvic floor muscles, and turning your right palm down. Now exhale and flip your left palm up and reach to the left. Repeat for a total of five reaches on each side.