Pelvic Floor Activation

Learning to control your pelvic floor muscles is an important skill to learn for anyone, but particularly if you are on your pre or post natal journey. Creating a mind-body connection to this muscle group is integral to your pelvic stability as well as other things like bowel and bladder control. You’ll be surprised how many things can be helped with good pelvic floor awareness!

Try these pelvic floor activation exercises to get started and begin to strengthen your connection and engagement with this very important muscle group.

Pelvic Floor Activation

• Lying on your back with your knees bent, you can place your hands on your stomach to feel the muscles activate if you wish

• Engage and lift through your pelvic floor, activating the muscles

• Hold for 1-2 seconds and then release, making sure to completely relax the pelvic floor

• Increase the time that you hold the muscle contraction as you can

• Make sure to continue to breathe throughout the movement, using your breath to help prepare and working to not hold your breath

• If you aren’t sure how to activate through your pelvic floor, it is best to see a health professional to assist in this

Pelvic Floor Activation with Adductor Squeeze

• Laying on your back with your knees bent, place a Pilates ball or something similar between your knees

• Engage and lift through your pelvic floor, activating the muscles

• While holding the pelvic floor engagement, squeeze the ball between your knees feeling the inner thigh muscles switch on too

• Relax the squeeze on the ball, then relax your pelvic floor

Glute Bridge with Pelvic Floor Focus

• Starting in the same position on your back with your knees bent and a Pilates ball or similar between your knees, place your hands on the floor next to your hips

• Engage and lift through your pelvic floor, activating the muscles

• While holding the pelvic floor engagement, squeeze the ball between your knees feeling the inner thigh muscles switch on too

• Tilt your pelvis towards you so that you are tucking your tail bone under, then using your glutes begin to peel your back off the floor coming up into a bridge position

• Keep your core and glutes activated with the ball squeezed while you lower back down, then relax your glutes, stop squeezing the ball and relax your pelvic floor

At Collective Motion, we offer a range of Pilates Classes to give you the opportunity to exercise in a controlled and guided environment. Whether you are looking for Post Natal Classes or wanting to just join a Small Group Class, we’d love to work with you. To find out more or to book into a class, press the buttons below!

We hope you found this helpful! If you have any questions or need any advice on any of these exercises, please don't hesitate to reach out and chat to us.

Remember that you shouldn’t feel pain during any of these exercises. If they are painful for you, consider avoiding that exercise or decreasing the intensity. We are always here to help if needed.

If you’re after some more advice or are in need of some hands on help, we’d love to see you at Collective Motion! Collective Motion offers Osteopathy, Dietetics and Pilates and is conveniently located to service our Bentleigh community as well as its surrounding suburbs including Bentleigh East, McKinnon, Ormond, Glenhuntly, Murrumbeena, Carnegie, Oakleigh, Gardenvale, Brighton East and Hampton East. Click below to book an appointment and let us help you get moving again.