Episode #29 - 5-minute body scan meditation for pelvic floor relaxation
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In this episode, Rhonda shares a 5-minute body scan meditation from her recent Pelvic Floor Relaxation workshop.
This was a 1-hour workshop full of practical ways to relax your pelvic floor.
This is a great skill to learn to help with symptoms like leaking, heaviness or pain, or just as a way to remember that learning to relax our pelvic floor is just as important as learning to strengthen it.
Very often stress and anxiety can be tied to tightness in our pelvic floor. So a great way to tune into our body and learn to let go of tension is through meditation.
We thought that sharing this 5-minute body scan meditation with you all would be a great resource to begin learning to relax your pelvic floor.
Enjoy! ☕️🧘🏻♀️
Mentioned in the episode:
1. Get your name on the 2-week Trial of the Strong at Home Membership here
2. Book a free 15-minute Inquiry Call with Rhonda here to learn more about virtual physiotherapy
3. Purchase the replay to Rhonda’s Pelvic Floor Relaxation Workshop here
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Episode #29 - 5-minute body scan meditation for pelvic floor relaxation
Hey podcast friends, Rhonda here. A couple announcements before we get into today's episode. If you've been following me on Instagram or have been listening to our podcast for a while, then you may know that I have two ways to work with me. My Strong at Home membership, which is an online fitness program designed to help ease you back into exercise postpartum, and one on one virtual physiotherapy.
A more individualized approach to helping you ease back into exercise postpartum, which is a great option for those who are dealing with any symptoms, like diastasis, leaking, prolapse, pain, or would just appreciate a bit more support and guidance. So if you've been curious about trying the Strong at Home membership, I have another two week trial for 22 coming up in September 2022.
I'll put a link in the show notes to get your name on the wait list for that. I am also currently accepting two to three more one on one virtual physiotherapy clients right now for the summer. So if you're interested in that, I'll also put the link to book a free 15 minute inquiry call with me in the show notes to find out if we'd be a great fit.
That's all for now. Let's get into today's episode.
We're excited to have you join us for this episode of Pelvic Health and Fitness. I'm Dayna Morellato, Mom, Orthopedic and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. And I'm Rhonda Chamberlain, Mom, Orthopedic Physiotherapist and Pre Postnatal Fitness Coach. On this show, we have open and honest conversations about all phases of motherhood, including fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, menopause, and everything in between.
We also provide helpful education and information on fitness, the pelvic floor, and many aspects of women's health, including physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Please remember as you listen to this podcast that this is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical conditions. Please contact your medical provider if you have specific questions or concerns.
Thanks so much for joining us. Grab a cup of coffee. Or wine. And enjoy!
Welcome back to the Pelvic Health and Fitness Podcast. Rhonda here with you all today. Today's episode will be a little different than our others. And I hope you find it useful. So back on June 1st, I ran a pelvic floor relaxation workshop, which I really enjoyed.
And those that attended live got a lot of great insight from it, with very practical strategies to relax their pelvic floors. This is a great skill to learn to help with symptoms like leaking, heaviness, or pain. Or just as a way to remember that learning to relax our pelvic floor is just as important as learning to strengthen it.
Which Dayna and I have talked about a lot on the podcast if you've been listening for a while. So, as part of this one hour workshop that we did, we did a five minute body scan meditation. Um, very often stress and anxiety can be tied to tightness in our pelvic floor. So a great way to tune into our body and really learn to let go of that tension is through meditation and some deep breathing.
So I thought that sharing this five minute body scan meditation as a podcast episode with you all might be a great resource for you to all try as a strategy to learn to relax your pelvic floor. If you are interested in the full one hour workshop, the replay is available for purchase on my website for 29 and I'll put the link to that in the show notes.
So, find yourself a cozy spot, grab a blanket and get ready to relax for five minutes. And it goes without saying that if you're driving or somewhere that you can't relax, then please save this episode for another time. Alright friends, enjoy!
Alright friends, we're going to try a 5 minute body scan meditation. Start by finding a comfortable position, either lying down or seated. We'll be focusing a lot on our breathing throughout these 5 minutes. Don't stress too much about when or how to breathe. Just breathe in a slow, relaxed manner. The goal with this meditation is to start to get in tune with our body.
and start to pay attention to the areas of our body that we carry tension. Without judgment and gently, we're going to try to relax and release tension through the areas that we notice feel tense. Feel free to move around and change positions as needed. Comfort is key throughout these five minutes.
Let's get started. Start by focusing on your head. If you feel any tension, In your forehead, in your jaw, around your eyes, try to do a few deep breaths and see if you can relax and release any tension. Do a few movements with your jaw and settle into a relaxed position. Next, move on to your neck and shoulders.
We tend to hold a lot of stress and tension in our shoulders. Do a couple rolls of your shoulders if that feels good. Notice if you're carrying a lot of tension in these areas. Do some nice, deep breaths in and out. See if you can picture those muscles melting like butter, and let them settle and relax.
Next, focus on your arms. See if you're carrying any tension through your arms, through your forearms, and especially pay attention to your hands. Often when we're stressed, we'll catch ourselves gripping and making a fist. Do a few movements with your hands and your wrists and relax and release tension there.
Next we'll move on to our chest and our belly. This is another area that we tend to carry a lot of tension and many of us have the habit of gripping our abs. So the breath really helps in this area. I want you to focus on an umbrella breath. So you're going to inhale. And imagine expanding like an umbrella through your belly, through your rib cage, and through your back.
Do a few breaths that way. Really try to let go of any tension in your ribs and in your belly. Really just let that belly expand and relax a little bit more with each breath that you do. Next we're going to move on to the pelvic floor. This is an area that many of us don't have practice tuning into. So I'll give you a few options of ways you can try to relax your pelvic floor.
First, try the flower bloom breath. Do a nice deep inhale. Picture your pelvic floor opening like a flower and as you exhale, try to keep the flower blooming. Another cue that might work is focusing on relaxing your glutes, your bum muscles. Our glutes and our pelvic floor often do the same thing. A cue that works really well is breathe into your bum hole.
Try a few deep breaths with this cue, see if it helps to relax your pelvic floor. Sometimes paying too close attention to our pelvic floor is counterproductive. If this is you, just focus on relaxing and releasing tension through your lower abdomen. Try placing your hands on your lower tummy and send a few breaths to that area.
And that might help. Next, we're going to focus on relaxing and releasing tension through our legs, through our calves, and through our feet. If you find yourself gripping your toes, do a few movements of your feet, and your ankles, and your toes, and see if you can relax and release tension. Thank you for joining me for this 5 minute body scan meditation.
I hope it helps you feel more relaxed as you go about the rest of your day.
