5 Ways to Relax Your Pelvic Floor
If you're feeling tension or pain in your pelvic floor, there are some exercises and techniques that can help you relax and release that tension. I often personalize these practices in my coaching programs, but these practices can be done by anyone looking to relieve tension in the pelvic floor muscles.
Deep Slow Breaths: Take some deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to relax your pelvic floor muscles. Sit or lie down and focus on your breath. Try breathing deeply into your belly, expanding your ribcage, and feeling your pelvic floor muscles relax. As you exhale, release the breath slowly and mindfully keep your jaw, neck, and shoulders relaxed.
Intentional Stretching: Stretching is great to release tension in your pelvic floor muscles and improve circulation in the area. Try some simple stretches every day, like butterfly or happy baby pose. These can help gently open up your hips and pelvic area, reducing tension and discomfort. Check out my Pelvic Floor Yoga Series for more!
Therapy Ball Massage: Use a therapy ball to massage your pelvic floor muscles. My favorite form of therapy ball work for tight pelvic floor muscles in a small inflated pilates ball. You inflate the ball 2/3 then sit on the ball with pressure into the pelvic area. Take deep slow breaths. You can check out a video I made about it here.
Humming: Humming is a unique technique that can relax your pelvic floor muscles by engaging your diaphragm. This can stimulate the relaxation response in your body, reducing tension and promoting calmness. The best thing is that you can do it almost anywhere. I’ve created a playlist for humming songs that you can access here.
Prioritize Calming Activities: Engage in calming activities like meditation, yoga, or taking a warm bath to reduce stress and tension in your pelvic floor muscles. Basically any activity that allows you to consciously relax and reduce anxiety (which is different than just zoning out while watching Netflix), which can in turn reduce muscular tension in the pelvic floor muscles and throughout the body.
Any of these practices will make a difference with consistent practice. You do not have to live with chronic pelvic tension (there are MANY pelvic floor physiotherapists who can support you if you need extra help). Which of these practices will you prioritize?
