Yoga & Pelvic Floor Health

September is Yoga Month, making it the perfect time to explore how this ancient practice can be a great complement in supporting your pelvic health. At Gaia Women’s Physical Therapy clinic, our therapists regularly incorporate components of yoga, such as breathwork and mindfulness, into our therapy sessions. Yoga or similar movement practices can impact multiple systems and tissues, making it a versatile tool for pelvic health.

Breath, Yoga and the Pelvic Floor

When we think about yoga, we likely imagine a fit young woman in skin tight leggings achieving complex poses or demonstrating impressive levels of flexibility. But at its heart, yoga is really all about breath and mindfulness. And breathing is profoundly therapeutic and the foundation of our pelvic floor therapy sessions. 

Your pelvic floor muscles have an intimate relationship with your breathing. With each inhale, your diaphragm descends and your pelvic floor naturally releases and lengthens. With each exhale, both your diaphragm and pelvic floor gently engage and lift. This coordinated movement happens automatically, but when we bring conscious awareness to it through yoga breathing techniques, we can enhance this natural relationship and begin healing the root cause of dysfunction for many pelvic floor issues.

Many women with pelvic floor dysfunction have altered breathing patterns. Stress, pain, or even just years of improper movement patterns can lead to changed dynamics between the diaphragm and pelvic floor. Yoga's emphasis on breathing helps retrain this pattern, encouraging the pelvic floor to move through its full range of motion—both contracting and releasing as needed.

Dr. Christine, Pelvic Floor Therapist and Yoga Teacher. Leading a small group through breathing patterns, mindfulness, and pelvic floor exercises used for decreasing pelvic pain, preparing for childbirth, or managing pelvic floor conditions like urinary incontinience, constipation, and more.

Mindful Awareness

Yoga's emphasis on mindfulness teaches us to listen to our bodies without judgment. For women working to improve their pelvic health, this awareness is transformative. Many women have learned to disconnect from their pelvic area due to pain, trauma, or embarrassment. Yoga helps rebuild this mind-body connection, allowing you to:

• Notice the subtle movements of your pelvic floor

• Become aware of tension you may have in your pelvic floor muscles

• Recognize how emotions, stress, and activities affect your pelvic symptoms

• Develop body awareness that enhances the effectiveness of pelvic PT exercises

• Practice self-compassion as you navigate your healing journey

Nervous System Regulation

In many women that we treat for pelvic floor dysfunction, we also find evidence of a dysregulated nervous system. Chronic pain, anxiety about symptoms, past trauma, or simply balancing ALL the things can keep your body in a heightened state of alert. Yoga's nervous system regulation techniques help shift your body into a healing state by:

• Activating the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system through slow, mindful movement

• Reducing cortisol levels and overall stress response

• Teaching your nervous system that it's safe to relax and release tension

• Providing tools for managing pain flares or anxiety around symptoms

Movement with Purpose: Poses for Your Pelvic Floor

Yoga offers specific poses that can either encourage pelvic floor lengthening and relaxation or gentle engagement, depending on your individual needs.

For Pelvic Floor Lengthening and Relaxation:

• Child's Pose: Gently stretches the pelvic floor while promoting overall relaxation

• Happy Baby Pose: Opens the hips and allows the pelvic floor to soften

• Deep Squat: When done with support, helps release tension in the pelvic floor and opens the hips

• Cat-Cow Pose: The fluid movement helps coordinate breath with pelvic floor mobility

  
  

For Gentle Pelvic Floor Engagement:

• Bridge Pose: Teaches functional core and pelvic floor coordination while strengthening the glutes

• Bird Dog Pose: Builds stability while maintaining breath awareness and core engagement

• Chair Pose: Encourages gentle pelvic floor engagement while building lower body strength

• Plank Pose: Integrates pelvic floor with full-body stability and core strength

Pelvic Floor Therapist, Dr. Maggie Gise, teaching proper breath and core engagement during a plank exercise.

Core and Movement

Yoga naturally teaches the deep core (diaphragm, pelvic floor, deep abdominals, and multifidus muscles) to work together as they're designed to. Unlike isolated pelvic floor exercises (ie kegels), yoga poses integrate these muscles within functional movement patterns, making the strength and coordination more applicable to daily life.

When to Seek Professional Support

While yoga can be incredibly beneficial for pelvic health, it's important to work with a pelvic floor specialist to address specific symptoms. Some yoga poses may not be appropriate during certain phases of healing, during pregnancy, or for specific conditions.

At Gaia Women’s Physical Therapy in Martinsburg, WV, we often incorporate yoga-based techniques and gentle movements into our treatment plans. We can help you determine which practices will best support your individual healing journey and teach you modifications that honor your body's current needs.

Ready to explore how yoga and pelvic physical therapy can work together for your health? Contact us at 240-347-0022 to learn more about our integrated approach to pelvic wellness.

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