After giving birth, many women experience loss of strength in their pelvic floor. Symptoms of this include incontinence(peeing your pants, especially while coughing, sneezing, jumping, or laughing), and prolapse of bladder or uterus (it descends through the vagina.) This is not a permanent condition. You can strengthen your pelvic floor and the supporting muscles.

Muscles to focus on include not only the pelvic floor itself, but gluteus muscles, adductors, transverse abdominals and diaphragm. Working with a physical therapist, yoga teacher, or personal trainer who specializes in the pelvic floor is an excellent idea, and if you have recently given birth, you can find a postpartum yoga class, but you can get started on your own.

Begin with simple kegel exercises: When performing a kegel lift, use that muscles that would stop the flow of urine to contract the walls of the vagina and lift the perineum. The pelvic floor is like a hammock that holds up the uterus, bladder, and intestines. When you lift and hold the pelvic floor, have a sense of raising this hammock and lifting the contents. Lift and hold for ten seconds, then in a repetitive motion lift and release four or five times for about one second each. Repeat this sequence of holding, then repetitive lift and release three or four times. Do this at least three times a week, and more, if you think of it!

 Use your inner thighs, or adductors to connect with your core strength: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Squeeze a pillow between the knees, and lift your pelvis off the floor. Do not squeeze your butt muscles here, instead keep squeezing the pillow, and pressing down with your feet. Breathe!

Your transverse abdominals also provide core strength and help to support the system of the pelvic floor. To isolate these muscles, simply lie on your back with your shoulders as flat onthe floor as you can get them. Press your lower back down into the floor and feel your belly muscles engage. Like with the kegels, you can hold this for ten seconds, then make some repetitive movements, following the rhythm of your breath. Ground the lower back on your exhale and release with your in breath. Repeat three or four times, and practice at least three times per week.

Your butt muscles, the gluteals are also a place to build strength. Lie on your side with your head supported and knees slightly bent. Keep you heels together, but lift your top knee. You should feel your gluts engage. Repeat this movement, lifting and releasing 20 times. You can also do a straight leg lift, still on your side, bottom leg slightly bent. Lift your top leg, but be sure not to lead with your toes. keep your heel up.

 These exercises, practiced at least three times a week will strengthen your core and pelvic floor muscles significantly and greatly reduce if not eliminate completely, any symptoms of incontinence or prolapse.

 For more support or information contact Sheryl at 951-7474 or sheryl@honorngthemother.com

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      My 2 month old, Jayden, inspired me to teach a postpartum yoga class, so I could get back into my body and take care of myself in a community of conscious moms.  I had never considered possibility of a yoga class like this until I had my own baby, but it became obvious that this was one of the most important times for women to have body consciousness and tools to nurture themselves.  The members of my prenatal classes were thrilled to come back with their babies to this "mommy 'n me" yoga class.

     Over the last seven years, the class has evolved to include songs, colorful scarves, sounds, and brain gym development exercises for the babies.  They have a great time while the mamas are learning about core strength, stretching incredibly tight muscles and playing with their babies in the supportive environment of the yoga class.  I have learned so much about what the mothers need and how to keep the babies entertained and engaged.  My daughter went through the class with me as well, about five years ago, and she taught me about dancing with babies.  It has become an integral part of the class, dancing with scarves, bouncing babies on the knees in warrior poses, and a dance party atmosphere for a few minutes near the end of class.

        I allow the babies to guide the flow of the class, and am amazed at the way they tune in to each other.  They love the sounds we make, the rhythms which stimulate the musical and mathematical parts of the brain, tongue rolling and humming sounds which they can learn to mimic, and simply breathing out with a relaxed sigh, which calms them.   When there is restlessness and the babies are crying,  I gather and focus the class with more movement, or sound.   The babies can lie on the floor and watch their mommies move, or move in their mommies' arms through sun salutation and triangle pose.  At times,  I have have looked around to notice 10 moms in circle all nursing together.  The babies can hear the sounds and sense that nursing is happening, and they want some too! 

     I focus on letting go of the structure of a formal yoga class, and encourage the moms to nurse or bounce or sing when they need to.  This is about listening to your baby, while learning to stay tuned in to your own body.  I teach invaluable exercises to bring them back into healthy posture and strength.   "This feels great!  My body has been so tight, I feel like its been months since I've moved!"  one woman remarked after her first Baby Yoga class with me this morning.  Another woman said to me, "Wow!  He loved that!  So much stimulation!  He is really blissed out!"   I often hear that babies will sleep peacefully for hours after class.

    This class, full of joyful giggles and wonderful new moms, is my favorite class to teach, by far.  It challenges me to keep the flow and stay with the energy of the class.  I get to hold the babies, bouncing them to sleep and dancing with them while the mothers enjoy a deep shoulder stretch.  I feel the satisfaction of offering a service that can have a truly positive effect on someone's life.  It has been an ongoing creative outlet for me as well.   I love Baby Yoga!

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