May 05th, 2022

Find Your Own Body…..How to Feel Your Own Pelvic Movement
 
Learning to feel our own discreet, hidden away pelvic floors is a thing!  We can do it from the outside with our clever hands and brains, breath and movement. It's our brilliant and amazing bodies finding how to move with ease, support our organs, breathe in many different ways, manage pressures inside our bodies and in daily life.  All of it!
 
It's super simple and here's how.  Start by standing up and reaching down with your long, middle finger to feel your very own anus from the outside; the "external anal sphincter" is her full name.  Studies show us that feeling with your mind's eye and with your finger is the best indication of the activation and release of your pelvic floor.  You can use both hands or just one hand (which is easier).  Hold your middle finger on your anus and let your index and fourth finger rest on either side of your anus.  They're helping you feel the action!

Now…the action:

1. Breathe into your belly, a long and full, tummy released, luxurious big breath and relax.  Feel what happens at your anus.
2. Do the same in-breath, stopping full of air.  Close and pull up your anus, holding it on while you breathe out.  Feel the anus close up and lift!  Then let it go (pretty talented, eh?).
3. Repeat #1, releasing everything (check your jaw, neck, buttocks and toes….release everything).
4. Do the same in-breath, stopping full of air.  Breathe out while "laying an egg" or bearing down gently (or big cheek out breath or shhhhhh or low groan).  Feel your anus open up and relax!  Let it go.
5. Repeat #1.

 
Would you like a different view/feel/idea?
Let your finger go a little north of your anus and rest on your tailbone or coccyx.  It's the tiny triangular bone at the base of your spine; it's an attachment point to your anus and other pelvic floor muscles.  See the tiny bone angulated forward on the picture?  It has a big role in pelvic muscle function!
 
Now….the action:

1. Repeat #1, the release breath.
2. Repeat #2, but feel your tailbone (coccyx) move further forward and upward toward your pubic bones.  You can thank your pubococcygeus muscle, a part of your pelvic muscle system.
3. Repeat #3 - 5.

 
Homework….ask yourself:

1. Do I need to activate my anus and pelvic muscles to strengthen them? Gain endurance?  Learn to use them better, more efficiently, more fluidly, during specific activities?
2. Do I need to learn to release my anus and pelvic muscles after I activate them, like when I lift or sneeze or get stressed or drive or ???
3. Are my anus and pelvic muscles always ON or frequently ON and don't know how to turn off?  I'm not always about to sneeze or lift or respond to stressors……it's OK to let go.

Full Circle Physiotherapy May 2022