Exercises to Release the Pelvic Floor

RELEASING THE PELVIC FLOOR

If the pelvic floor muscles are tight, it can present as back and hip tightness or soreness.

In order to get it to relax, we need to stretch it in different planes. I recommend you play around with all the exercises in this section. Then, on a daily basis, do the ones that really resonate with you and help your symptoms.

It’s very common to have extremely tight outer hips. It happens if the outer hip muscles take over and doing the work of the core. This may present as: IT band syndrome, TFL syndrome, sciatica, and piriformis syndrome. These exercises will help you!

3 Exercises to Release the Pelvic Floor and Hips

For men and women

Golden nugget: You can hum in a lower tone when you exhale: it helps cue the pelvic floor to settle, relax and lengthen

Exercise 1: Breathing and Pelvic Floor Release: to address pelvic floor and TVA tightness

Use breathing to get the pelvic floor to release and the TVA to release.

Helpful for improving diastasis and low belly pooch.

• • Sit cross legged or side sitting on the floor.
  • Place one hand on the side of your pelvic bowl, wrapping your fingers around to feel the pelvic muscles.
  • Begin by sinking into one hip (put your weight through the sit bone) and lean to open that side.
  • Inhale deeply, directing the breath down into the pelvic floor. Feel the expansion on the side where your hand is placed.
  • Continue inhaling and directing the breath down, allowing the pressure to go deep into the pelvic floor muscles.
  • After a few breaths, move the focus down further, breathing into the pelvic bowl and expanding the pelvic floor.
  • Switch to the other hip and repeat the process, feeling the expansion and breath into the other side of the pelvic floor.
  • Compare both sides to identify any differences in breath and expansion.
  • Tip: Imagine the breath expanding like inflating a long balloon, filling up and opening the pelvic floor.

Exercise 2: Quadruped Hip Shift (to focus on on 1 side of the pelvic floor)

The hip shift allows everything to loosen up and move like it should.

The reciprocal motion from side to side will make your hips feel happy.

Intent: changing the length-tension relationship of the deep hip rotators (especially the obturator internus), will positively influence the tension produced through the pelvic floor.

• Starting Position:
  • Get on your hands and knees.
  • Use a yoga block or a thick text book under 1 knee and put 80% of your weight through that leg.
• Execution:
  • Shift your hips by lifting the knee off the ground on the other leg (toes stay on the ground)
    • Explore two ways of doing this:
    • Lifting with Adductors: (PULLING) Squeeze the adductor of the lifted leg as you shift.
    • Using Glute Medius (PUSHING): Push from the supporting leg's glute medius to assist the shift.
  • Ensure subtlety and avoid scrunching the back. Maintain a long torso and engage the adductors. Don’t lean to the side. Movement should come from the hip.
• Switching Sides:
  • Perform the same exercise on the other side, comparing mobility and sensations.
  • Pay attention to any differences in adductor or glute engagement.
  • Which side did you feel like you could really lift well with the adductor but couldn’t push from the glute or maybe vice versa. Does this correlate to what you feel in your body? Do you have an adductor that’s always tight? Do you have glute med tightness.
• Tips:
  • Focus on a controlled and deliberate shift.
  • Don’t lean to the side.
  • Avoid excessive rotation of the leg; the movement should come from the hip.

Exercise 3: Standing Split-Stance Hinge

This will target the glute med and adductors and really release the hip and pelvic floor area. You’ll move better and feel better.

• Starting Position:
  • Stand in a split stance, 80% of weight on the front foot and 20% on the back foot. Soft bend in both knees.
  • Hold a chair.
• Execution:
  • Hinge at the hips while pulling back with the front leg and pulling forward with the back leg.
  • Engage the lower abs, creating a slight scoop without tucking or arching excessively.
  • Allow the knee to move forward and backward, creating hip external and internal rotation.
  • Push and open through the hip, focusing on full external rotation. (Glute med)
  • Pull and open through the hip, focusing on full internal rotation. (Hip adductor)
  • Don’t cheat by letting your foot or leg rotate and move. You want the pelvis to move around a fixed femur. i.e. you want to move through the hip.
  • Do isometric holds in the end ranges: Breathe deeply, feeling the engagement of glutes and adductors.
• Switching Legs:
  • Shift to the other leg and repeat the exercise, noting any differences in mobility and sensation.
  • Ensure proper engagement of glutes and adductors
• Tips:
  • Pay attention to the pelvic floor, feeling how the dynamic movement influences its sensation and responsiveness. Does it feel like it released? Does it feel less tight

QUICK Routine to Release the Pelvic Floor

Supine Butterfly (Inner thighs)

• Crook lying, Feet together. Nasal inhale and open your knees. Nasal exhale, bringing them together, feeling the activation of your inner thighs & pelvic floor. Do this 5 times. This will make it easier to release the muscles later in the video.
• Supine Butterly Glute Bridges: Hands at sides. Keep the knees apart and perform more activation by engaging your glutes and bridging off the ground. Hold the top position 4s and Pulse 8x and then hold for 4s
• Then relax into the Butterly pose and hold: inhale 4 counts and feel the pelvic floor stretch and melt, exhale for 4 counts and let your hips relax. Repeat for 3 more breath cycles.

Hip Flexor Stretch

• Straighten the right leg on the floor, and pull the left knee toward your chest
• Hold onto your shin or behind your thigh.
• Push your right heel into the floor and feel it stretch the front of the right hip and the left glute.
• Remember to fully exhale. This will help release the psoas muscle.
• Breathe deeply, releasing tension in the pelvic floor.

Figure 4

• Transition into a figure four stretch by placing the ankle on top of the opposite thigh.
• Add a twist by dropping the flat foot toward the floor and pressing outward against the inner thigh. Keep both shoulders on the ground. Use opposite hand to opposite knee to push the thigh outward to open the hip. Breath deeply to release tension in the hips and pelvic floor.
• Repeat other side.

Happy Baby Stretch:

• Hold behind your thighs or grab the outside of your feet, bringing your knees toward your armpits.
• Lift your feet toward the sky, opening and stretching the pelvic floor.
• Hold for 30-60s, rocking back and forth if desired. Deep breathing. This state of relaxation encourages the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing for restoration and repair.

BREATHE, DECOMPRESS, RELAX & STRETCH

Got low back pain and hip tension? Got a hypertonic pelvic floor? Then do these 3 exercises with the intent of releasing your pelvic floor. I also recommend these for prophylaxis. Get into the habit of doing them regularly and whenever needed! You don't have to have a Siamese cat sit on your chest, but listening to her purr and breathe does really relax me

1. 90-90 Nasal Breathing (vagal decompression): 5-10 minutes
2. Low stool groin stretch
3. Lunge Stretch

THE CRP to RELEASE THE PSOAS

The psoas the only muscle that connects the upper and lower body (it crosses 3 zones: the lumbar spine, pelvis and hip).

Notice how deeply centred the psoas muscle is.

Notice in the diagrams below that there are myofascial connections between the diaphragm and psoas. Also notice the psoas and the diaphragm come together at a junction point known as the solar plexus.

Because the diaphragm has myofascial connections to the psoas, this means:

• the position of the diaphragm influences the psoas. If the diaphragm cannot fully relax, then neither can the psoas.
• you can use your breath to massage and release your psoas. The key is to FULLY EXHALE and get the diaphragm to fully ascend. Proper breathing mechanics are critical for improving the relationship between the rib cage and pelvis.

The psoas is a secondary stabilizer. It is NOT a primary stabilizer. The TVA is the primary stabilizer. But because most people have a weak TVA, they use the psoas out of context to compensate for the TVA not doing its job. Combine this with excessive dosages of time spent sitting, and you have a recipe for fatigued and tight psoas muscles.

Therefore, the psoas is typically misused and overused, and needs release.

One way to "fix your psoas" is to ensure you can properly engage your TVA. If your TVA is strong, you will be able to stabilize your spine and pelvis, and this will allow your psoas to go about its business.

Ideally, we want a supple psoas. When the psoas is tight, the pelvic floor is not relaxed, and this can affect your spine, genitals and sexual energy. In order to experience a full body orgasm, the psoas must be relaxed. If it is tense, then it's not possible to have a full body orgasm. Therefore, the psoas links breath to movement, feelings, energy and healing.

Releasing the Psoas: The Constructive Rest Position (CRP) is an easy position you can adopt for 10 minutes to relax your psoas. Let your knees rest together (put your feet wider apart, if it helps you relax). In this position, gravity releases the psoas and you’ll feel instantly more peaceful and comfortable. In this position, use your NASAL breath to massage the psoas muscles. Here’s how: First start nasal breathing, connecting it to your core: inhale and the lungs fill with air. FULLY exhale (so the diaphragm fully ascends and relaxes) and the TVA scoops. The full exhalation is the key to getting the psoas to relax. Use the inhalation to massage the psoas. Get into a rhythm with this. Then imagine your nasal inhalation and exhalations travelling up and down your spine (up and down all your chakras). When I do this, I start to experience a warm and tingly expanding feeling towards the end of my inhalation. Keep directing your breath up and down your chakras. You can even direct your breath to specific body parts, like your psoas (to massage it and help it relax). The key is to let go and move into the experience.

It can become very intense, euphoric and orgasmic. This is a sign you have found the connection between your pelvic floor, psoas, TVA, diaphragmatic breaths and your sexual life force energy. This is how you get connected to your own body, which is necessary if you want to learn how to move with the correct muscles.

So how do you tap into this even further? With vaginal weightlifting to strengthen the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor facilitates TVA engagement and makes orgasms more intense. Doing this really helped me become connected to my body; it helped me learn how to tap into my life force energy to "heal and reset myself". I also noticed my abs became more supple, and I was able to learn how to "belly roll", stomach vacuum, and do body waves. It's really helped me learn how to open up to pleasure, without resistance.

I wanted to share this with you so you can have better intent when you are learning diaphragmatic breathing, when you are vaginal weightlifting, and when you are training your TVA. Mastering these things will open up a whole new world for you physically, spiritually and sexually.

FAQ: What if you’re hyper mobile?

Hypermobility: This means your joints, ligaments, tendons are excessively stretchy.

Hypermobility affects ligaments supporting pelvic organs.

Connective tissue laxity increases vulnerability during pregnancy and childbirth.

Results in pelvic floor dysfunction, including prolapse, back, and hip pain.

• Traditional stretching exacerbates joint laxity, leading to injuries so instead, use a muscle roller for targeted tissue work.
• Priority: Restore core strength and stability