Featured Exercise: Pelvic Drop to Help Release Pelvic Floor

This is a two part exercise to coordinate your breathing first and then to release the pelvic floor muscles (those that connect to the tailbone).

First, master the diaphragmatic breathe.

The easiest way I teach people how to test this is by lying flat on your back on the bed of floor. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Now take a deep breath in through the nose and feel which hand moves as your take your breath in. If you breathe normally, then the hand on your belly should move up and the hand on your chest should stay relatively still. When you take a breath out through the mouth, the hand on the belly should move down and again the chest stay relatively still. If you did this correctly, then congratulations! You have now performed what is called a diaphragmatic breath. A diaphragmatic breath is the most efficient way to breathe.

Second, release the pelvic floor/pelvic floor drop

I want you to try and initiate movement in your pelvis as if you are just starting to have a bowel movement. You should ideally feel the muscles in the perineum/rectum bulge or expand towards your feet. Do this a few times to get the feel of what this feels like.

Now combine the breathe in with simultaneously letting go or “initialing a gentle bowel movement.” When you breathe out, then just let everything relax and return to the starting position.

Repeat this 10-15 times to really get the coordination down. Do these often to help relieve tension in the pelvic floor and muscles surrounding your coccyx/tailbone.