If you just giving birth or are you considering having a pregnancy It's a good time to review your pelvic floor and see what can help you keep it in shape. Today from mamayoga We show you yoga postures to strengthen the pelvic floor.
What is it and why strengthen the pelvic floor?
We talk about pelvic floor as the set of musculature Y connective tissue which closes the abdominal cavity below and holds the pelvic organs (womb, bladder, vagina and rectum) in the correct position.
a pelvic floor healthy, strong and flexible At the same time, it is desirable in both men and women, to avoid ailments in these organs. But by being part of the birth canal through which the baby will be born, it is important that you recognize this area of your body to take care of it before, during and after your pregnancy.
When to strengthen the pelvic floor?
During the sexual and reproductive life For women, there are several moments when it will be key to strengthen the pelvic floor and even do some check-ups to see its condition.
- Postpartum. Essential for a good recovery that avoids problems in the long run.
- After long periods of inactivity and/or convalescence. Lack of physical activity affects our pelvic floor and all abdominal muscles, which can cause short- or long-term symptoms.
- Preparation to a second pregnancy. Pregnancy is a period of high pressure towards the pelvic floor, and culminates in intense childbirth. Before looking for the next one, it would be advisable to strengthen and make the pelvic floor more flexible.
- Menopause. Due to the hormonal changes of this stage of life, the pelvic floor will lose flexibility. It will be interesting to find activities that help strengthen it, such as yoga.
- Presence of symptoms. If there are symptoms of pelvic floor weakness at any stage of life, it is important not to let them be and take care of them to prevent them from getting worse.
Symptoms of a weakened pelvic floor
Some of the symptoms of a pelvic floor that needs to be strengthened are: urine leaks, vaginal pain at the end of the day, pain during sexual intercourse with penetration, gas or vaginal farts, etc.
Is just strengthening the pelvic floor enough?
The human body is a set of interconnected gears. For some time scientists have seen that you cannot treat a part of the body without understanding these relationships, since the body will compensate for the lack of strength in an area with the next one.
Hence the importance of the relationship between diaphragm, the Abdominal girdle and the pelvic floor. You can imagine this set as an inflated ball where the upper part is the diaphragm, the lower part is the pelvic floor and the entire contour is the abdominal girdle. If you position is drooping, with the diaphragm closed this balloon will exert too much downward pressure, while a posture open with a good abdominal belt that holds and gives freedom to the diaphragm, it will promote a healthy pelvic floor.
So it is not enough to do some Kegel exercises (although very necessary), but overall to strengthen the pelvic floor you must: release the breathing, recover the abdominal belt and hold without tension.
Yoga practice to strengthen the pelvic floor
The postures and especially the breaths what are done when practicing yoga They help reduce abdominal pressure, produce a contraction adequate in the abdominal wall and tones the perineal muscles.
During yoga practice we acquire body awareness and accompanies the movements of the breathing spacious and quiet. Thus, becoming aware of our pelvic floor when practicing, favoring its natural movement and accompanying the tension and relaxation of the same through breathing, great results are obtained.
Yoga postures to strengthen the pelvic floor
Dvipada pitham
The two legged table, also called the half bridge It is a position that reinforces the lumbar area, opens breathing and allows observation and work on the pelvic floor of different intensity.
Lie on your back with your bent legs, feet firm on the ground and a block between your knees. If you don't have a block, imagine that you are holding one so that feet, knees and hips are the same distance apart, the legs should be kept at this distance during the exercise. Arms relaxed along the body with palms down to help you get up and down.
When inhaling raise your hips towards the ceiling, when exhaling go down vertebra by vertebra back to the ground. Focus your attention on the pelvic floor, feel its natural movement as you raise and lower your body. Now accompany the movement of the posture with the activation of the pelvic floor. When you inhale you raise your body and the pelvic floor is relaxed, when you exhale you take advantage of the go down slow of the posture to draw the pelvic floor inward as if you were absorbing it.
Depending on your practice and experience, and as long as you are not pregnant, you can add more intensity to this posture by relying only on the heels with the tips of the fingers upward, raising the arms back and remaining in apnea with full or empty lungs. Always be aware of your breathing and the natural movement of the pelvic floor in the posture.
Caturanga dandasana: one of the yoga postures to strengthen the pelvic floor
The iron. This position reinforces the entire Abdominal girdle, allows you to recover muscle progressively.
You place yourself in the cat-cow, on knees, hands and tips of toes. Place your forearms on the floor with your palms wide open and your arms parallel to each other. Try to move your shoulders away from your ears. When you inhale, stretch your left leg back, resting it on the toes on the floor. When exhaling stretch the right to enter the sustained plank. Your body is a straight line. Breathe wearing the ribs towards your navel and being aware that strength is born in your center not in your shoulders. Hold a few breaths and rest on the baby, sitting on your heels.
In case of postpartum recent or convalescence of any kind, we will place ourselves with the knees on the ground so that it is not so intense. As we practice we will recover the complete posture. In case of pregnancy: do not hold.
Vijayasana
The goddess It is one of those ideal positions to work in. force Y freedom of movements in equal parts. One of our queens of yoga in pregnancy and can be used in the non-immediate postpartum. Below we show you a variant so that the posture helps us strengthen the pelvic floor.
Standing with the legs open at a good separation, more or less twice the width of the hips with the feet spread diagonally outward following the direction of the knees. When exhaling bend your knees and lowers his hands on his thighs. When inhaling, “pick up” a log from the ground between your hands and when exhaling through your mouth, slowly raise your arms and the body, as if the trunk weighed a lot, while you support the pelvic floor by absorbing it inward.
Ardha Matsyendrasana
The seated twist. This turn of column releases the diaphragm. It promotes breathing that massages the internal organs and allows us to become aware of the pelvic floor without forcing.
Sitting with the legs stretched forward. Bend your left leg and pass it over the right. Naps pregnant You will turn to the right side (opposite to the bent leg) to have space for you and the baby. While if you are not, you will turn to the left side (the one with the bent leg). The hand on the side of the turn remains on the ground behind his back. The other on the leg for leverage.
Once you are in the posture, breathe calmly in your navel giving time for the pleasant internal massage. You can experience wearing the breathing higher to your ribs or lower, always observing what happens in your pelvic floor when you change your breathing. Go lengthening your spine while you breathe peacefully. Do it again with the other leg.
