The layers of the pelvic floor can hold our deepest emotional contraction. Like any muscle in the body it can tighten for many reasons including: stress, trauma, emotional upheaval, an abusive childhood or hormonal changes. The good news is, it can also be released through a gentle and healing touch, which very few women know about.
Over time, our entire pelvic bowl can develop painful symptoms due to over tension in this area that many women live with daily. Symptoms can include:
- Urgency and pain during urination and bowel movements
- Constipation and strain during bowel movement
- Pain during intercourse, dry vagina, painful orgasms
- Unexplained and constant pelvic and lower back pain
- Vulvodynia
- Vaginismus
What is Pelvic Floor Release?
To understand what Pelvic Floor Release is and what it can do for you we must first gain an understanding of the anatomy of the pelvic floor.
There are 3 layers to the Pelvic floor muscles.
The superficial layers wrap around the anus, vagina and urethra and the deeper layer is for organ support.
When it comes to the deeper pelvic floor bowl, this sling of muscle is designed to hold a lot of weight such as: a baby, placenta and fluids. Therefore it also hold an extreme amount of tension.
In a ‘pelvic tone obsessed world’ it is easy to confuse tone with tension. It is recommended to release all tension before focusing on toning all the muscles as ‘toning exercises’ can make the problem worse if there is already an issue with hypertonic pelvic floor muscles.
Pelvic Floor Release during Pregnancy
After 33 weeks of pregnancy it is recommended to ‘Prepare the Passage’ for birth – a term coined by my teachers Jenny Blyth and Fiona Hallinan. Both experienced, knowledgeable home-birth midwives who have taught me this much needed technique.
The pelvic floor tissue is first assessed and then released through the lightest touch in order to prepare the passage for the baby. The cervix is avoided.
I believe many C-sections can be avoided by receiving this gentle work, especially when ‘baby is not descending’ or ‘getting stuck’.
After a C-section it is recommended you receive regular treatments. As the pelvic floor can retain the tension from labour even without vaginally birthing. And this can also have an emotional impact.
All women in all stages of life
Through this work I have seen that the Pelvic Floor Release work isn’t just for pregnant women. In fact, every woman needs to examine herself for tone and tension.
Some things to avoid in the meantime
– No pushing when urinating
– Avoid straining during bowel movements
– Quit running on hard surfaces, especially during menstruation
What to expect in a session?
After an initial discussion a ‘womb steam’ or bajos[FED5]is prepared. This is a bowl of specially formulated herbs and warm water that a woman will sit over – the gentle steaming process helps relax and purify the layers of the pelvic floor from congestion.
Then we move to the table.
It is here that the treatment then involves an intravaginal examination. By inserting one finger I move very slowly and gently with the lightest pressure to assess the tissue. Occasionally you might be asked to squeeze and relax, so I can determine the muscle strength and ability to relax.
The environment is very nurturing and caring and as a result sometimes deeply held emotions can arise. We just move through them together and in your own time.
The session is held in an extremely respectful, nurturing and sacred space. And it is yours to journey within at your own pace.