Why Pelvic Floor Health Matters More Than You Think
The pelvic floor doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, which is a shame because it does a hell of a lot.
This group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue sits at the base of the pelvis and plays an important role in supporting the bladder and bowel in everyone, and the uterus in women. It also helps with bladder and bowel control, sexual function, and overall stability through the centre of the body. In short, it’s kind of a big deal.
When the pelvic floor is not functioning well, whether it is weak, overactive, tight, or poorly coordinated, it can affect everyday life more than people often realise. Problems may show up as leakage, pelvic pain, prolapse, or discomfort during intimacy. This is where therapeutic yoga can be a really supportive complementary practice, alongside appropriate pelvic floor exercises and guidance from a qualified pelvic health professional.
What is the Pelvic Floor, Exactly?
The pelvic floor is a layer of muscles that stretches like a supportive hammock across the base of the pelvis. These muscles help control the release of urine and faeces, support the pelvic organs, contribute to spinal stability, and play a role in sexual health and function. Most people don’t think much about this part of the body until something starts to go wrong, but it deserves attention long before that.
Common Pelvic Floor Issues
Pelvic floor issues can affect both men and women and may happen for many different reasons. Surgery, ageing, pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions affecting the nerves or muscles, and carrying extra weight can all play a part.
Some of the more common issues include:
- Incontinence: When the pelvic floor muscles are weak or not coordinating well, bladder or bowel leakage can happen.
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: This is when one or more pelvic organs shift downward due to reduced support. It is especially common after childbirth and as we age.
- Pelvic Pain: Sometimes the issue is not weakness at all, but too much tension. Tight or overworked pelvic floor muscles can contribute to ongoing pelvic pain.
- Sexual Dysfunction: Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect comfort, sensation, arousal, and satisfaction.
Pelvic Floor Health Matters for Men Too
Pelvic floor health is often spoken about as though it only relates to women, but that is simply not true. It matters for men as well, particularly before and after prostate surgery.
Learning how to connect with and support the pelvic floor before surgery may help improve recovery, and rehabilitation afterwards can assist with bladder control and sexual function. Therapeutic yoga, when adapted carefully, may offer a gentle and empowering way for men to rebuild awareness and confidence in this area of the body.
One study found that perioperative yoga improved quality of life, supported immune response, and helped reduce inflammation in men with prostate cancer.
Perioperative yoga exercise improved Quality of Life (QoL), promoted an immune response, and attenuated inflammation in men with prostate cancer.
Kaushik et al 2022
How Therapeutic Yoga Can Help
Therapeutic yoga offers a gentle, practical, and whole-person approach to pelvic floor health. It is not about forcing, gripping, or endlessly squeezing things. It is about awareness, balance, breath, and learning how to respond to the body more intelligently.
🔷Building Awareness
One of the biggest challenges with the pelvic floor is that many people are not actually sure how to feel it, relax it, or engage it appropriately. Through breath awareness, mindful movement, and simple body-based practices, yoga can help people develop a clearer relationship with this part of themselves. That awareness is often the first and most important step.
🔷Gentle Strengthening
Some yoga practices can help support the pelvic floor in a gentle and functional way. Rather than isolating these muscles aggressively, yoga can improve how the hips, breath, abdomen, spine, and pelvic floor work together as a team. Slow, intentional movement often does more than pushing harder ever will.
🔷Releasing Tension
Not every pelvic floor needs strengthening. For some people, especially those living with pain, tension, or anxiety in the body, the real need is to soften and let go. Restorative postures, diaphragmatic breathing, relaxation, and nervous system support can all help reduce unnecessary gripping and create more ease.
🔷Improving Posture and Movement Habits
How we sit, stand, brace, breathe, and move all day can influence pelvic floor function. Yoga can improve postural awareness and help us notice habits that may be adding strain. Small shifts in how we move can make a big difference over time.
There is also encouraging research in this space. One study found preliminary evidence that group-based yoga therapy was feasible, safe, and effective in improving urinary incontinence in middle-aged and older women.
Our findings provide preliminary evidence to support the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of a group-based yoga therapy intervention to improve urinary incontinence in middle-aged and older women.
Alison J Huang et al (2014) pp 147-154
A Supportive and Empowering Approach
Pelvic floor issues can feel embarrassing, frustrating, and sometimes isolating. But they are far more common than many people realise, and support is available.
Therapeutic yoga offers a compassionate way to reconnect with the body, build confidence, and improve daily life. When practised alongside appropriate professional care, it can be a powerful part of a broader approach to healing.
No matter your age or gender, it is never too late to pay attention to your pelvic health. With the right support, this often-overlooked part of the body can become a source of steadiness, strength, and ease.
References:
1. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases; Continence Foundation of Australia key statistics.
2. Alison J Huang et al (2014) A Group-Based Yoga Therapy Intervention for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Pilot Randomized Trial, ‘Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery 20(3):p 147-154, May/June 14.
UPCOMING ~ Pelvic Floor Awareness & Well-Being Workshop
Join Pelvic Physiotherapist Louise Hug and Yoga Therapist Heather Robbins C-IAYT for a transformative half-day workshop.