Breath

There's so much to say about how your breath and pelvic floor interact that I could spend all day writing about it. People have written whole books about breathing! Instead of writing a book, I'm passing along this two-minute video with some ways you can practice breathing a little differently. Here's the written version:

1. How you breathe, especially when you're managing a load (e.g., hoisting laundry baskets), can affect your intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). Some IAP is natural: As you inhale, your diaphragm descends, as does your pelvic floor. You may feel some gentle downward pressure; that's the kind of pressure that's just fine. Now think about holding your breath to push out a poop. That is NOT the kind of pressure you want.

2. Anatomy moment: air cannot go into your belly. Air goes into your lungs. What people call a "belly breath" is really a "belly shape change to accommodate the air in the lungs." But I digress. Let's call it a belly breath. If you take a belly breath without allowing your ribs to expand, you increase IAP. This is fine if you're lying on your back relaxing. Not so great when you're trying to move.

3. Learning to breathe by allowing your ribs to move in three dimensions keeps IAP to a minimum, thus supporting your pelvic floor health. You can feel this difference in pressure by practicing a big belly breath, then taking a breath by letting your ribs move instead.

Got it? Awesome. Having trouble finding ribcage movement? Let’s connect!