Hi, my name is Ann Swanson,
and on this week's Wellness Wednesday,
we will be working with pelvic floor exercises.
Or in yoga, we call it Mula Bandha.
And this video would be a really great resource
if you're a beginner and you're just learning how to do this
or if you are a yoga teacher, and you're trying to figure
out ways to explain this to your students.
So why do pelvic floor exercises?
There are many reasons, I'll just touch on a few.
The first is the physiological reasons.
So, when you engage the pelvic floor,
it stabilizes around the core.
So also some deep core muscles working
to help stabilize the low back.
So when you see me teaching low back practices
you'll often hear me say engage the pelvic floor
to create that stability.
Also, as people age, it's important
to have that structure intact.
So if you think of the pelvis as like a tote bag
and all of these muscles are the tote bag holding
in the vital organs, we want to make sure
that there's no weak spots or holes in that tote bag,
and that it's nice and strong to do its job.
And according to yoga philosophy, these Mula Bandha
or pelvic floor exercises are important for building
a sense of concentration and focus.
So it's more energetic.
Mula Bandha, bhanda means lock in Sanskrit.
And you can think of that as damming a river.
So creating this lock to build energy.
You could also translate it as to bond or to connect.
So then you can think of it as a bridge over the river
and either way it's about building this sense
of concentration and locking it in for improving your focus
during your meditation or your physical practice.
Basically pelvic floor exercises are Kegal exercises.
If you've heard of that.
And even men can do them.
One way to look at it is as if you're trying to hold in
the stream of urine if you have to pee really bad,
and you're trying to go to the bathroom,
we try to hold it in.
So go ahead and just try that for a moment
and do this lightly, not forced.
Yes. Okay, and release.
So that is a cue that might help some people.
And you can also look at the anatomy of the pelvis
to understand this a little bit more.
I painted a pelvic floor for you.
And this is a transverse cut.
So it's as if you cut a body like this,
and you're in a bird's eye view,
looking down into the pelvic floor.
So these are all the muscles in this bowl shaped pelvis
that you're gonna be squeezing in and out.
I painted it in pink and a heart for you.
I thought that might be appropriate.
And basically what made it click for me
was the visualization of a bowl and having a handkerchief
lining this bowl.
And it's as if the handkerchief is the muscles
of the pelvic floor.
And the engagement of Mula Bandha is this lifting action.
It's very soft and subtle, and this is a dramatization.
This is a little bit more intense than it is
but think of it as more soft and deep within.
So go ahead and try that for a moment.
Imagine that lifting action.
And maybe that cue will help you.
And then one of the other cues that I've gotten
is from a friend of mine that Dr. (indistinct) Juma,
and she is a pelvic floor reconstruction surgeon.
And she actually gives a cue to access to the posterior part
of the pelvic floor as if you're trying to hold in a fart.
So you can try to hold that in.
And it's soft.
You don't want to be squeezing your butt cheeks.
If you're doing like a sour face like this,
you know you've done too much. (laughs)
So it was very soft.
And try that, try that, and then imagine you're trying to
to very gently let it out very quietly so nobody hears.
Okay. (laughs)
And that might also help you understand how to
engage the pelvic floor.
And the last one is, really also helps me quite a bit,
is you put your hands on the floor or the chair below you.
And just imagine you're trying to lift.
And naturally what will happen you might notice is
the pelvic floor will engage in the way as if
the handkerchief is pulling out.
So go ahead and try that.
And that really helps it click for people.
And you're not actually lifting.
You're just imagining you're lifting and release.
So when we engage the pelvic floor in our practice
we're trying to access that natural action that happens.
So it's not as forced. It's very soft and subtle.
Try that again.
Good. All right.
So whichever of those cues or analogies works best for you
you can go ahead and use.
We'll do a minute meditation, where I just guide you
through exploring the pelvic floor.
So sitting tall, wherever you are,
perhaps closing your eyes.
Notice your breath and your belly moving with your breath.
Relax the pelvic floor to begin.
We already engaged it a little bit.
See if you can relax it completely.
And then with your next exhale, I'll guide you through it.
You'll engage the pelvic floor feeling a lifting action.
We'll just do that for a moment.
So inhale to prepare and exhale.
Engaging, feel that handkerchief lifting
from within and with the next inhale, release.
And the next one we will sustain,
which is how it's more traditionally done with Mula Bandha.
So inhale to prepare,
Exhale to engage.
And while you're engaging, see if you can still breathe.
And you might notice you lose it a little bit.
Imagine your sitting bones reaching toward each other
slightly, that lifting action.
And release feeling the resulting sensations.
So perhaps there's a sense of flow of energy
through your body.
It might be just a little bit different.
Notice.
And as you're ready, gently open your eyes.
And this is a very challenging thing to do.
So, if it wasn't quite perfect, that's okay.
Trust you were where you needed to be today.
And thank you very much for joining me
on Wellness Wednesday.