What Your Doctor Might Not Have Told You About Your Pelvic Floor

Understanding Women's Pelvic Anatomy and the Power of Mula Bandha

Women's pelvic anatomy is uniquely complex—and uniquely vulnerable. The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue that supports the weight of your bladder, uterus, and bowel while managing the demands of menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and hormonal changes throughout life. Yet despite its critical role in our health and wellbeing, most women receive little to no education about pelvic floor function until problems arise.

The Silent Epidemic

Research shows that approximately one in three women experience some form of pelvic floor dysfunction during their lifetime. This number increases significantly after childbirth and with age, yet preventative care and education remain largely absent from standard healthcare. A weakened or dysfunctional pelvic floor can lead to:

• Physical Health Issues:

• Stress incontinence (leaking with coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise)

• Urge incontinence (sudden, strong need to urinate)

• Pelvic organ prolapse (bladder, uterus, or rectum shifting downward)

• Chronic constipation and bowel dysfunction

• Lower back, hip, and sacroiliac joint pain

• Quality of Life Impacts:

• Sexual dysfunction and decreased sensation

• Pain during intercourse

• Reduced physical activity and exercise participation

• Social anxiety and isolation

• Decreased confidence and body awareness

• Structural Consequences:Core instability and poor posture

• Diastasis recti (abdominal separation)

• Breathing dysfunction

• Whole-body compensation patterns

Why Women Are Uniquely Vulnerable

Unlike men, women's pelvic floors must accommodate:

• Hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle

• The physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth

• Postpartum recovery and healing

• Menopausal changes in tissue elasticity and strength

• The urethra, vagina, and rectum passing through

Each pregnancy, whether carried to term or not, impacts pelvic floor integrity. Vaginal birth, while natural,creates significant stress on these tissues. Even cesarean births affect the pelvic floor due to the weight of pregnancy and hormonal influences. Add to this our modern sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, poor breathing patterns, and lack of functional movement, and you have a recipe for widespread pelvic floor dysfunction.

Prevention vs. Crisis Management

Here's the troubling reality: most healthcare providers don't address pelvic floor health until problems become severe. Women are often told that incontinence is "normal after childbirth" or "just part of aging." Sexual dysfunction is dismissed. Prolapse isn't discussed until organs are visibly descending. But research tells a different story. Studies demonstrate that consistent, properly performed pelvic floor training can:

• Reduce stress incontinence by 50-70%

• Prevent or slow the progression of pelvic organ prolapse

• Improve sexual function and satisfaction

• Reduce chronic pelvic and lower back pain

• Enhance core stability and athletic performance

• Support healthy pregnancy and facilitate postpartum recovery

Prevention is not only possible—it's powerful. Kegels vs. Mula Bandha: Understanding the Difference

You've likely heard of Kegel exercises, named after Dr. Arnold Kegel who developed them in the 1940s. Kegels involve isolating and squeezing the pelvic floor muscles in a specific pattern: contract, hold, release. While Kegels can be useful, they're incomplete—and sometimes performed incorrectly, leading to increased tension rather than functional strength.

The Limitations of Kegels:

• Often practiced with excessive force and tension

• Typically isolate the pelvic floor from integrated core function

• Don't address breathing coordination

• Can reinforce holding patterns rather than dynamic strength

• Miss the subtle, energetic dimension of pelvic floor engagement

  Enter Mula Bandha (Root Lock): Mula Bandha is a yogic practice that translates as "root lock." Rather than mechanical squeezing, it's an intelligent, coordinated engagement of the entire pelvic floor as part of whole-body awareness. What makes Mula Bandha different?

• Integration: Coordinates pelvic floor with breath, core, and postural muscles as an integrated system

• Subtlety: Uses gentle, sustained engagement rather than forceful squeezing—typically only 30-40% of

• maximum contraction

• Breath Connection: Synchronized with inhalation (gentle lift) and exhalation (deepening engagement)

• Energetic Awareness: Creates an upward, lifting sensation—not just muscular tension but energetic vitality

• Dynamic Function: Teaches the pelvic floor to respond appropriately to different demands—lifting groceries,

• laughing, running—rather than constant clenching

• Mind-Body Connection: Develops proprioception (internal awareness) of this often-unconscious area

The Practice You Can Do Anywhere

Both Kegels and Mula Bandha can be practiced anywhere sitting at your desk, standing in line at the grocery store, lying in bed before sleep. The difference is not where you practice, but how you practice.

Mula Bandha Practice:

1. Sit comfortably with a neutral spine

2. On an inhalation, sense a subtle drawing inward and upward from the pelvic floor.

3. On exhalation, deepen this engagement without gripping or holding your breath. The sensation should be like drawing in the space between your sitting bones, not forcefully squeezing.

4. Hold for several breaths, then release completely.

5. Rest for a few breaths before repeating.

6. The key is subtlety, breath coordination, and complete release between engagements.

Beyond the Physical: The Energetic Foundation

In yogic philosophy, Mula Bandha is more than a physical practice. It's the foundation of our energetic body—the root chakra, our connection to earth, stability, and vitality. When this foundation is strong and responsive, we feel:

• Grounded and stable

• Connected to our power

• Confident in our bodies

• Energetically vital

• Secure in ourselves

When it's weak, felt or unconscious, we may experience:

• Lack of confidence

• Disconnection from our bodies

• Energy leaks or depletion

• Insecurity

This is why pelvic floor work is sacred work—it's reclaiming your foundation in every sense. Who needs this practice? Every woman. At every age and stage.

Particularly beneficial for:

• Women planning pregnancy or postpartum

• Anyone experiencing incontinence of any degree

• Women in perimenopause and menopause

• Those with chronic back or hip pain

• Anyone who's had pelvic surgery

• Women with pelvic organ prolapse

• Those experiencing sexual dysfunction

• Athletes and active women

• Anyone seeking core stability

• Women healing from trauma

The Research Behind the Practice

Multiple studies support the efficacy of pelvic floor training:

• A 2018 Cochrane Review found that pelvic floor muscle training should be offered as first-line conservative treatment for stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence.

• Research published in the International Urogynecology Journal demonstrated that supervised pelvic floor exercises significantly reduced prolapse symptoms and improved quality of life.

• Studies show that pelvic floor training during pregnancy can reduce the risk of urinary incontinence during pregnancy and postpartum. Regular practice has been shown to improve sexual function. The evidence is clear: this work matters.

Bringing It Into Practice

Understanding is the first step. Embodiment is the journey. In the Women's Wellness Workshops and Breath & Balance Virtual Classes, we move beyond theory into practical and a felt experience. You'll learn:

• How to sense and engage your pelvic floor with awareness

• Proper Mula Bandha technique with breath coordination

• How to integrate pelvic floor engagement into movement and daily life

• Balance work that strengthens the entire foundation

• Practices you can take home and use every day

Your Foundation May Need Attention

As prevention. As power. As essential self-care. Your pelvic floor holds you up. Literally and energetically. It deserves your attention, your care, your practice. Start where you are. Begin with awareness. Commit to the practice. Your foundation—your power—is waiting.

Join us:

Women’s Wellness Workshops -2 hour immersive practice

Saturdays at Pass Creek Hall | 2:30-4:30 PM

$35 drop-in | $120 for 4 workshops | $130/month unlimited

Breath & Balance for Women (Virtual)

Thursdays 5:00-6:00 PM PST | Starting February 6th

$18 drop-in | $60 for 4 classes | $65/month unlimited

Meditation & Maitri (Virtual)

Mondays 9:00-9:30 AM PST | Starting February 3rd

By donation

📧 info@startwhereyouareyoga.com

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