diaphragmatic breath practice | audio guidance

Diaphragmatic breathing is a foundational tool for pelvic health and wellness. I have been practicing and teaching this for over 15 years. Each client I have every worked with understands and embodies it at their own time and with the cues that resonate with them the most. However there are a few basics that apply to everyone.

So I have created an audio clip with me walking you through a guided practice. Listen to it to get started and come back to it anytime you fall out of practice.

In general, I like to do about 12 breaths in total, broken down like this…

3 breaths with awareness

3 breaths with focus on the diaphragm

3 breaths with focus on the pelvic floor

3 breaths with focus on a gentle contraction of the pelvic floor

three items i am using to support my pelvic floor health right now

Sometimes I find it helpful to have tools that support my pelvic health. Not only for a little feedback into my body, but they also serve as a reminder to do these practices when I see them sitting in basket next to my bed or in the corner of my garage studio.

With all the many stressors in the world right now, my practice has been focused on finding length, space and safety within my pelvis. To do this I have been sitting on this mediation cushion daily and using my elastic band wrapped around my lower ribcage to breath into my diaphragm After about 5 minutes of breath work, leaning into the expansion of the inhale, I use these cork balls to loosen up my hips against the wall….awe it just feels so good.

Having these items is a relatively small investment for the impact that they make on my mind, body and nervous system. I often share over on my instagram account examples of how I use them, so be sure to check those out too!

five (less obvious) ways to improve your pelvic health

Pelvic wellness is often simplified down to Kegels…and I get it, for years that is all anyone ever thought about when thinking of the pelvic floor. But what we know now is that pelvic health is actually a huge part of our overall health, and includes so much more than just contracting the pelvic floor muscles. The shifts I have seen in my clients, and experienced in my own body when using my pelvic health practices and tools, have been transformational. So here are 5 (less obvious) ways to care for and improve your pelvic health.

1. Sleep Hygiene

   Sleep needs can be different for everyone, but it’s important to understand what helps and what hinders your own personal sleep. Our bodies heal when we’re sleeping and our nervous system is more equipped to handle stressors after a good nights sleep. It is one window into our health and can often be a missing link for healing.

2. Stress Management

   Our pelvic floor is connected with our autonomic nervous system, meaning that when we are in our sympathetic state (fight or flight), our pelvic floor muscles can tense or tighten up…think about it as the same thing that happens with our neck and shoulders under stress. And of course, stress is inevitable and not all of it is bad. But we need to be able to recognize that tension and let it go when and where we can. Find the practices that work for you (walking, meditation, journaling, massage, etc…) and make them part of your routine.

3. Social Connection

   Having connections with others outside of yourself that are healthy and reciprocal, do wonders for our overall health and wellness. Surround yourself with people that light up when they see you and vice versa. Our pelvic floor is part of our root chakra, feeling grounded and safe is a huge part of that. Having connections that feel this way will in turn allow you to connect more deeply with your pelvic floor.

4. Boundaries

   I used to always think of boundaries as rigid and sometimes even mean. But my view on them (with help and guidance from many others in my life) has changed dramatically over the years. Rather than thinking of boundaries as pushing others away, I now think of them as protecting myself (my energy, my family, my well being). They can shift whenever you want them to, because they are yours of course. But using them to protect you will keep your nervous system at ease, and like the other ideas listed here, allow you to remain more grounded, less anxiety filled and more centered. All of which optimizes healing and connection.

5. Gut Health

   What doesn’t the gut relate to??? This is a big one, and I could never cover all the layers to gut health and its relationship to pelvic health here. But what I will say, is that supporting your microbiome (nutrition, stress management, digestion, exercise) improves your nervous system, inflammation, lymphatic flow and so much more that impacts your pelvic health. Constipation is one example, which overtime can lead to pelvic floor tension/pain, hemorrhoids and more.

daily affirmation + mantra practice

Anytime I work with clients individually or in a large setting, I always emphasize the importance of creating the mind body connection. One way that I bring awareness to this connection during practice, is by using affirmations or mantras to create a focus and allow the entire person to be present in that moment. Very often this practice can be an awakening. Emotions, feelings and even symptoms can shift when we begin to either silently tell ourselves these phrases, write them down or say them out loud.

Use these as prompts, and lean into whatever resonates for you in your journey. Use them when and where you desire. I often will say one during my morning breath practice and sometimes in the carpool line for school. They are a tool in your toolbox that you have access to anytime.

I’ve separated them out based on various seasons of life. This is not an extensive list, but just a sprinkling of ideas to get you going.

Mantras for Wellness

• My body and mind is capable of finding a deeper connection

• I am strong and still flexible

• I can find strength and softness within myself

Mantras for Fertility

• I am open to possibility

• I am capable of creating life

• I trust my body

Mantras for Pregnancy

• I trust the changes happening in my body

• I am still me through all the growth and shifts of this time

• My body, mind and spirit support me and my baby

Mantras for Labor Prep

• I am strong enough to surrender to the strength in my body

• I can create space with ease

• I am capable of embracing the process

Mantras for Postpartum

• I am a mother

• I trust myself to listen to my intuition

• I will heal on the journey of motherhood

Mantras for Menopause

• I can let go enough to allow for change

• I am strong of mind and body

• change is hard and I can find ease in it