Do you live with pelvic pain?
Do you ever wonder how pelvic floor yoga can help you?
Most of my students live with overactive (hypertonic) pelvic floor dysfunction, but many of them also live with other pelvic health issues such as lichen sclerosus, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, vaginismus, and IBS, in combination with their hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction. Or they live with just any other pelvic pain condition, as mentioned above.
Hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction is when your pelvic floor muscles have a hard time relaxing, and they tend to hold onto tension. Your pelvic floor wants to be able to contract As Well As relax.
And I often talk about pelvic floor yoga and lichen sclerosus for example, because I live with that myself, and I use pelvic floor yoga to support my lichen sclerosus - Which is a chronic condition (there is no cure for it). So, the question is how does pelvic floor yoga help with other pelvic pain conditions?
There are several different ways I look at it, and some of them I talk about in episode 23 of the Pelvic Power Podcast. But let us dive into it today:
Stress I know, we talk a lot about stress in the current world we live in, there are a lot of things around us that can cause stress to accumulate. But how does stress affect your pelvic pain? How may it make it worse? Do you easier end up in a flare if you're stressed? If a person is stressed it can cause hair loss, weight loss, skin irritation. Why wouldn't stress cause you to flare more easily? Many people, without chronic pain, seek out yoga to lower their stress. Through movement, mindfulness, meditation, and for a sense of feeling lighter energetically.
Intentional awareness If you live with a condition, such as vulvar pain, how much intentional awareness are you actually bringing to that part of your body? I hear from many people in this community how it feels like their pelvis isn't a part of them, and I've been there myself. We don't want to deal with it, because it brings too much, again, stress. But not prioritizing a part of your body, that clearly needs SO MUCH LOVE, how will that might be affecting your pain? For example, the comment above was left on a reel of mine where I talk about a yoga pose for vulvar pain:
I love to land in a Bound angle pose to connect with my vulva through my breath or my hands (or both!). Especially when I put on my moisturizer or ointment. Bringing in that intentional awareness may be the one thing my vulva is craving. Because holy shit have I hated on it in the past.
Hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction impact on other conditions If you live with hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction as well as LS, or IC (your bladder is tightly connected to your pelvic floor), how might that affect that condition? Your pelvic floor muscles have a hard time relaxing, letting go, they are holding onto tension. Which will cause less blood flow, energy flow, healing in that part of your body. How might that cause more tearing? Irritation? If you don't allow the pelvic floor to move with the breath, are you restricting movement that might be helpful for your LS to slow the f down?
Sleep How does your pain affect your sleep? How does a bad night's sleep affect your pain? One of the best compliments I can receive as a yoga teacher, to me, is "I'm sorry I didn't connect after the class, I felt so rested I needed to have a nap". Because I know that many of us living with chronic pain we have a hard time finding a healing rest. And if pelvic floor yoga can help you do that, how will that impact not just your body, your pain, but your entire being?
Just by inviting in some of this awareness and way of thinking, THAT to me is taking back some of that power that I might feel like I lost with the diagnosis. But also, this way of thinking might not resonate with you, so take what you need and leave the rest. And if you want to learn more listen to the Pelvic Power Podcast episode on Spotify. Leave any insights in the comments. Lots of love sent your way 🤍