Look, I get it. For some people, the idea of doing anything related to the pelvic floor in public feels stressful. It’s a private area…and if you haven’t been to pelvic floor yoga before, you might be picturing one of those meetings in the 80s where everyone was practicing looking at their vulvas in the mirror together.
Don’t worry - that’s not what we do! Everybody keeps their pants on!
If the thought of attending a pelvic floor yoga class has you feeling anxious, let’s eliminate the mystery so you can know what you’re getting into - and see why it’s not as scary as you might think.
What do we do in class?
This one is the simplest for me to answer, so that’s where we’ll start. Although the exact movements and themes differ a little every time, this is our basic class format:
Grounding - at the beginning of each class, we spend a few minutes getting in touch with our breath and calming our minds. This not only helps you to focus on your time in class, but our breath is intimately tied to our pelvic floor health! So that’s where we begin.
Warm up- next, we make gentle movements to begin warming up the joints and muscles of your body. We mainly focus on the neck, shoulders, spine, and hips here, and practice moving with mindful awareness.
Main Movements - this is where we get into bigger movements and sensations. On Tuesdays, we have a more active class with standing and gentle balance postures to build strength in the pelvic floor, hips, and core. On Fridays, we focus more on gentle, slow postures to release tension and relax areas of the body that are gripping or overly tight (including, of course, the pelvic floor). In both classes, we also work on building awareness of the pelvic floor - how it feels in different positions, how to engage or relax it when needed, and how to retrain our bodies and minds to work in harmony.
Cooldown - In our Friday class, there isn’t as much need for a cooldown as we are pretty cool and relaxed for the whole class, but on Tuesdays we approach the end of class with seated and floor-bound stretching to help relax the body and calm the mind. We help reset the body, counterbalancing the movements we did during the bulk of class so you leave feeling rested, balanced, and rejuvenated.
Savasana - all our classes end with a nice long resting pose where we focus on complete relaxation and release. Sometimes we will do a guided meditation or some simple breath work, and sometimes we just lie in quiet and rest. Its wonderful, and a perfect way to integrate the work we’ve done in class and prepare to reenter the “real world” while still carrying some of that calm with us.
Who is this class for?
How will this help me?
It can feel vulnerable to come into a space where the focus is on such a private part of your body. My hope is that by removing some of the mystery from class, you’ll see the truth: that this is just another yoga class. Only better, because it’s accessible, welcoming, and will give you the deep connection to your body that we all deserve.
We’re done being told that our symptoms are “normal” and to just deal with it. We’re done peeing our pants, feeling pain during sex, or just feeling stressed and disconnected. We’re done letting other people tell us what we should or shouldn’t be feeling. And we’re done feeling pressured or intimidated by the choices other people are making around us.
There’s a better way. And we’re finding it together, one class at a time. We can’t wait to see you there!
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