Breath & The Pelvic Floor
Saturday, Nov 16, 2-4:30 pm
$85 Non-Mem; $75 Member
Members use code MEM10
In-Person, Sacramento, CA
What’s the best way to breathe?
Should we breathe like babies do?
Should I direct my breath or let it be natural?
What is a ‘natural’ breath?
I bet you’ve been told in almost every yoga class you’ve ever taken that belly breathing is The Best Breath.
Guess what? The constant pattern of belly breathing is most likely doing more harm than good.
Now before you throw a block at me, hear me out…
Pushing the breath down into the abdomen:
creates undue abdominal and pelvic floor pressure
promotes core weakness
minimizes rib and spine mobility
contributes to the likelihood of prolapse
Your breath should move your ribs and chest. The belly does not “expand” with breath — it just changes shape, i.e. pressure.
Your rib cage, on the other hand, does expand because it changes volume as the lungs fill with air.
This is KEY and gives us a clear idea of what “natural” breath is and what it looks and feels like.
Another critical factor is when we allow the abdominal organs to “bulge” — when the abdomen protrudes outward — there is, again, an incredible amount of pressure on the pelvic floor. Belly breathing and the patterns that come with it often exacerbate this bulging pressure.
Other common breath patterns include:
bearing down on exhale
“reverse” breathing where the belly sucks in on inhale
over-breathing or under-breathing
too much up-and-down of the ribs
too much side-to-side of the ribs
We all have patterns in our breath from childhood activities, sports, our posture, trauma and other habits. It’s totally normal.
Especially if you have had abdominal surgery, a hysterectomy, leakage, prolapse or have given birth, how you breathe is even more important.
Getting to know your patterns and experiencing a true three-dimensional breath can make so much difference in your posture, energy, core support and pelvic floor health.
“I never knew I could “open” and “flower” my pelvis!”
”I feel more clearly now how the inner body is all connected.”
”These movements helped my pelvic floor (and my jaw) to relax.”
”I’ve only been told to squeeze my pelvic floor. I’m so relieved to know what to do instead.”
This breathwork has yielded ah-ha's for students around:
how free the ribs and spine can feel
why ‘belly breath’ isn’t always the answer
what a natural breath is
how the breath relates to the pelvic floor
If you:
are curious about breath
know that you are a professional belly breather
suspect you might bulge your abdomen while lifting heavy things or during core work
have core weakness
have back pain
have leakage or prolapse
This workshop will help!!
You’ll take what you learn into your ongoing yoga practice, as well as into your daily life.
Join me for 2 1/2 hours of intelligent anatomy, effective movement and a lot of fun.
This is an in-person event in East Sacramento, CA. If you have questions about if this is right for you, contact me.
Members: Use code MEM10 for the $75 rate.