We have all heard about the pelvic floor, but I prefer to use the term ‘diamond’.
Explore your own body to find the four bony structures that form the corners of your pelvic diamond.
- The symphesis pubis (pubic bones) – low down in the front of the pelvis.
- The coccyx or tailbone – you need to feel right down between your cheeks to find the end!
- and 4. The two sitting bones either side.
Join the dots to understand how the pelvic floor muscles are a like a lovely diamond kite. Now you can work with both contractions and relaxations to keep the area toned.
Tip: bring your thumbs and finger tips together to form a diamond with your hands that you can look at and help you visualise the diamond in your pelvis.
Weird fact: the diamond you make with your fingers is the same size as your pelvic diamond and it also fits over your feet!
Pelvic Floor Awareness Exercise
Pelvic floor work in pregnancy works really well on forearms and knees. This posture lifts and opens the pelvic outlet.
- Position yourself on your forearms and knees and slightly raise your ‘tail’ in the air. In this pose, there is less internal pressure from the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, rectum).
- Stay in this pose for 2-3 minutes allowing the pelvic floor muscles to open and gently stretch. Imagine a beautiful diamond kite flying high in the sky!
- Breathe freely and easily. Only move on to the toning exercises below when you feel really connected with this area and have good sensations here. Synchronising the exercises with your breath makes a huge difference to how effective they are. Take time to get comfortable in the posture above and get in tune with your breathing.
Pelvic Floor Toning Exercises
USE NOISY BREATHING for pelvic floor work to help you synchronise the relaxation of the pelvic floor with your exhalation. This will help you during labour to connect with the feeling of ‘bearing down’ or ‘breathing down the baby’. Postpartum, we will use the same exercises but reverse the breathing pattern.
Simple sounds like sighing or humming promote a relaxation in the throat which also helps the pelvic floor muscles to relax. (If you have ever coughed and had a little leak you will understand intimately the connection between the throat and pelvic floor).
Set One
INHALE, imagine your two sit bones moving closer together.
EXHALE, relax completely and let your pelvic diamond kite open and widen.
Repeat this 3-4 times or until you feel you’ve had enough.
Set two
INHALE, imagine your tailbone and pubic symphesis moving closer together.
EXHALE, relax completely and let your pelvic diamond kite open and widen.
Repeat this 3-4 times or until you feel you’ve had enough.
Set Three
INHALE, imagine all four bony corners of the diamond drawing inwards. It may feel a little like your vagina is drawing inwards and upwards (like sucking up through a straw).
EXHALE, completely relax on the exhale.
There will be no external movement when you do these exercises – its all internal. From the outside no one should be able to tell what you are doing. It may take some time to feel the uplift so be patient.
Once you feel confident you can do these exercises in any position – standing, seated, all fours and lying down.