Pelvic Health: Am I Breathing Right?

There are times in our life, cycle and activities that have a subtle effect on our bodies that may be more cumbersome some days and less on others. Adding on the added effects of our medical histories we may note our need to create modified movements and or routines that best suit us long term. If you’ve found that you have a difficult time feeling your abdominals engage, your breathing may be shallow or you may find some unexplained tension in your neck, shoulders or pelvic floor and hips these tips may be a hidden piece you need in your routine to find a balance that optimizes your body to it’s fullest potential.

A Short Assessment

• Can you breathing easily into your ribs in all planes:

  • Left and Right?

  • Forward and Back?

  • Up and down?

• Do you feel any aching, tightness or pain as you go through this breathing?

  • Where?

  • How intense are these feelings?

  • Do you feel any emotion coming up with these areas?

• Take note of areas you’ve had medical conditions, injuries or surgeries in your life history.

Breathing for Support

As you’ve felt the full 360 breathing mentioned above here is where we go into the focus of why we use this method most in our injury awareness and preventing pelvic floor dysfunctions. Although there are many other changes that can occur to change your body day to day keep these tips in mind into your routines.

• Breathing a deep “AHHhhh” or “through a straw/pursed lips” exhale can allow you to feel the engagement of deeper abdominals while connecting the 360 breathing towards the spine.

• Feeling a lifting initiating from the front pubis mound towards the belly allows for a deeper support and reducing pressure from the lower pelvic floor muscles and organs.

• Making sure your inhales allows for muscles to relax again and teaches them long term to “learn to relax” preventing over active muscles that can also cause injury.