Breathe much?

Stressed? You betcha’… Who isn’t these days?

Take a minute…breathe in and out. Where is your breath going? Your chest? Your belly? Your back? Are you holding it in? It’s so surprising how often we aren’t aware of this simple biological function of our bodies. The simple task of breathing we take so easily for granted. The Covid pandemic, if anything, should be a constant reminder of how wonderful it feels to be able to fill our lungs up with air and blow it out...with ease. But most of us, don’t pay any attention to this simple treasure we have within us. As a society, we should be teaching kids how to breathe properly in times of stress more than any other skill. It’s free, readily available to any human being – regardless of demographics or time. Now more than ever, society needs to learn to breathe to calm themselves.

How does this relate to the pelvic floor, fitness or new moms? Because it can be detrimental to the recovery of the pelvic floor, which in turn can raise anxiety and lower fitness progression. Forget being postpartum, it can be damaging post – postpartum, much later in life. Improper breathing patterns can put pressure down on the pelvic floor and create a dysfunctionally tight pelvic floor, which usually happens during times of stress.

Your diaphragm and pelvic floor work in conjunction as a system. Your inhale lowers your pelvic floor, while you fill up the lower part of your lungs (right above your belly button) to allow room for the expansion of your diaphragm and your exhale raises your pelvic floor while our diaphragm descends the pressure while simultaneously activating our Vagus nerve. And what does this Vagus nerve activation do? It activates our parasympathetic nervous system… which allows us to calm down…and relax, subsequently relaxing our pelvic floor. A calm pelvic floor allows your body to function more efficiently, regulate your toilet trips and physically function without pain. Click here to learn more about the Vagus nerve and how you can easily, anytime-anywhere help calm yourself.