Your pelvic floor muscles are located at the very bottom of your pelvis. You need them to go to the bathroom, keep your internal organs healthy and inside your body, AND perform a vital role in maintaining your spine health.
There are everyday chronic habits like holding in the stomach, tucking the tailbone under, and sitting on the back of the pelvis that create excess tension and tightness in the pelvic floor.
Frequently, this excess tightness is partnered with inactive glute muscles.
And it’s this too-much-tension/missing-glute-activation combo that contributes to many pelvic floor issues we experience today. For example, the sneeze-pee (for women) or the gambler-shart (for men) are two such problems you may, or may not, have experienced.
A big part of the solution to these problems is to release tension in the pelvic floor, allowing for easier glute activation and rebalancing related muscle systems.
The exercise I’m going to show you in today’s video is a gentle and effective way to release tension in your pelvic floor.
Warning: if you’re used to tucking your pelvis, this exercise is going to feel strange, but I encourage you to give it a try.
I’d love to hear how this one feels in your body. Tell me in the comments below.
Here’s to untucked tails and balanced pelvic floor tension!
Sydney
P.S. This exercise is excellent for the low back too!
6 Responses
Thanks, I need this!
Yay, so glad! Hope it helps ❤️
Hi Sydney, Amazing when shapes are so simple and so effective. Thanks so much for sharing. Wish Pilates Tonic was up here in Boston! I enjoy your presence and methods very much. It improves my yoga teaching and learning.
Hi Laura, I’m thrilled the videos are helpful and so appreciate you sharing. Thank you!!
Hi! When you say relax belly I instinctively tend to “hyper-extend lower back” and tilt pelvis anteriorly – do we simultaneously press forearms into floor to send tailbone back? That way hips stay over knees?
Can’t wait for your workshop. Thank you!
Hi Christina, thanks for your kind words and feedback! With this one, when the belly and lower back are relaxed, it can feel like an anterior tilt, especially if you’re used to slightly tucking (like I am!). You might try adjusting the position by keeping your shoulder blades wide, pressing your forearms into the floor,and lifting your ribs away from the floor and see how that feels. It will be more work for your upper body, but might allow you to relax your belly and low back without feeling like you’re over-arching your back. A mirror is helpful with this one too!
And here’s the link to the Happy Hip Flexors course in case you want to check it out!
https://hhf.pilatestonic.com/