Thanks for watching! If you are struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction and would like to follow a structured program, click this link for my course: geni.us/Kk4eto
This is amazing I am so glad I found you a few years ago I was diagnosed with stage two cystocele and rectocele I had an amazing PT who unfortunately had to leave me and move back to her country I remember her showing me this but lying down and she told me it’s not good to do it after you eat or right before bed it was a little tough I haven’t done it in a while I have to say and my prolapse started to be symptomatic again horrible feeling!! So much pressure I am hoping to fix this without surgery thank you for your video I will definitely start trying again thanks to you
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough time with prolapse. Hypopressives will definitely provide some relief. You should also add some pelvic floor relaxation 😊
👋 Thanks for watching! I get a lot of comments every day and at the moment, I am struggling to keep up with answering them all 😅 I will do my best to answer your question in good time. If you would like to ask me a question directly, you can book a short 1:1 zoom coaching call: geni.us/V8rJ 👩🏼💻
I happened to be laying flat ish in the bathtub while watching this and it was obvious during the inhale and exhale it change my buoyancy- very interesting!
So when you take the apnea, your stomach is relaxed and you are fake breathing into empty lungs which expands the ribcage. You have to relax that expansion and allow the vacuum to disappear before you breath in, otherwise you will be breathing into your vacuum and that’s not a pleasant sensation. Make sense?
Thank you for this explanation and this information! I was struggling with this technique, but you have clarified wonderfully and I can REALLY feel it! Adding this to my patient education and neuro re-ed (once I have it better mastered myself). Any courses you recommend? Thank you!
Thank you for the kind word Jasia! There are some good hypopressive courses running in UK, Barcelona and Canada (Hypopressives UK and Low-Pressure Fitness). Good luck :)
Yes! Exactly the same! With a Hypopressive training program, you do the stomach vacuum in different positions but it’s the vacuum that makes them Hypopressives 😊
Great videos! I’m a 73 years old Malaysian woman that underwent a right mastectomy in 2012 for breast cancer (completed chemo) and was diagnosed with bilateral osteoarthritis in 2018 (requiring strengthening exercises only). I'm currently having problems with my pelvic floor. The bladder prolapse has improved over time, but the cervix continues to be a source of discomfort for me. I feel there is “something” there. I don’t feel anything in the mornings. It gets worse later in the day and is linked to household chores. It is as if there is some “pressure” there; could it be gravity? My gynecologist told me to keep doing kegel exercises and that my uterus had shrunk. I'm unable to perform any bending or twisting exercises. What kind of exercise would be best for me? Also, I'd appreciate it if you could post more video content for the elderly, so that people like me can benefit as well.
Hi Kohilam, I’m sorry to hear you are suffering with prolapse. Have you spoken to your doctor about the possibility of using a pessary? They can really help to relieve the feeling of “something there”. A supportive pessary could be a good option (such as a ring pessary. When it comes to exercises, Hypopressives are good. There is a series here: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcvZuVc2RTl-VDtXoG5Sk3Ac.html This series gets progressively difficult. Skip any difficult poses or any that make you feel more downward pressure. Also, this restorative practice can help to relieve symptoms: th-cam.com/video/s7TsKMtPLnI/w-d-xo.html I will add some exercises for older people to my list for recording. Meanwhile, let me know if you have any further questions 😊
Hi Tessa, in Yoga we say "the nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating". With hypopressives, if you go to "low-pressure fitness" classes for example, they will tell you to exhale through your mouth. If you are in a yoga class doing uddiyana kriya (yoga hypopresive) you will likely be told to exhale through your nose. You will always be told in these classes to breath in through your nose but exhalation doesn't make so much difference when you are doing your hypopressives. One advice I would give though is to try to breath in and out through your nose during normal day to day activities. Nose breathing increases nitric oxide which is a vasodilator (in other words, breathing in through your nose helps to manage blood flow through your body). Hope that helps!
Thanks for the video! I have read alot about this for organ prolaps. I have read that when u do hypopressiv excersise you are suppose to kegel when you exhale. Either kegel and hold while you do the exhaling or just kegel at the end of the exhale when you hold ur breath for a few secomeds. Are we suppose to do this??She says it happens automatically and I do feel a pull,but if I do a kegel when I have finished my exhaling and holding breath at end,it really goes far up when I kegel.Hope for some answers :)
Hi Emma, with Hypopressives, you don’t need to Kegel. The purpose of the Hypopressives is more to stimulate connective tissue fibers. There is a lifting of the pelvic floor muscles when you have the apnea but you don’t need to contract for this, it happens naturally. This is likely why you feel that the Kegel goes far up when you are doing Hypopressives. Now, with that said, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to Kegel when doing your Hypopressive apnea. It’s just not actually needed. When you start practicing Kegel exercises, you should begin with contracting when you exhale as your diaphragm is pulling the pelvic floor upwards so it can help with the lift if you aren’t very strong to start. It is good for prolapse to work on both Hypopressives and pelvic floor exercises. I personally teach them separately and view them as complementary exercises. Does that answer your question?
I have heard that this excersise can make organ prolaps better.Go from grade 2 to grade 1 etc. How many times should I do this in a day and over a course of time to see resualts for organ prolaps?:) Thank you for the work you do!!For people that cant afford help,you are a life saver!!!!
Are you saying the apnea/ the "hole" in your stomach is created automatically? Because I used to exhale and then do a fake inhalation creating, therefore, the "hole" under my ribs. But it was not automatic for me, it is something I do. But maybe i do it wrong. A video about how is the belly reacting, behaving during the expansion and closure of the ribs might help. I notice when i exhale and close my ribs, my belly expands...which i think is wrong.
Great questions today @gulgutz 😁 If there is sufficient compliance in the chest wall (ribcage mobility, flexibility and elasticity of the diaphragm and other breathing muscles), then when you relax after emptying your lungs, you should have a slight apnea. To enhance the apnea, or to allow you to feel the apnea even if you have limited ribcage mobility, you can try to “fake inhale” while holding your breath out. I demonstrate this as a way to feel the apnea in this video: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html Maybe you have seen my long response to your other question on the other video. I can make a new video going through the four breaths (quiet inspiration, quiet expiration, forced inhalation, forced exhalation) as I think that could help to answer all your breathing questions. Please do let me know if you have more questions and I will try to answer. Hope this helps!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered I felt the automatic slight apnea thank you. One mistake i used to do and create damage was this: once I was exhaling (so ribs closed), i was not relaxing the ribs, so i was consciously doing the apnea, creating the hole by sucking in with fake inhalation, all this while the ribs were still compressed. Lifting up consciously in these conditions increased my pf tension, unfortunately. This is my theory based on my experience of course. So the secret i guess is to let the ribs relax after fully exhaling, and then the slight apnea appears automatically; in this case looks beneficial.
@@gulgutz90 Hi. Can you explain this little more? I am doing fake apnea conciously and that does not seems right. How do you mean that there isi slight apnea when you let ribs relax? how do you feel that apnea? Do you open ribcage after fully exhaling? Thank you very much in advance!
@@ivanavujica1774 i haven't done this in a while....basically, you should not suck in your belly voluntarily, but the apnea happens naturally after exhaling (closing your ribs) and relaxing those ribs without inhaling (after closing ribs through exhaling you let them go and they should open/relax). Then you should feel a slight movement upwards and inwards in your belly/pf I guess...this was slight for me.
You will need to get the all clear from your doctor. You should ask when you do your 6 week check. Whenever you do return to exercise, make sure to take it easy - baby steps, and listen to your body along the way.
Great question! You will get a slight vacuum when you relax your belly and chest after your breath out your oxygen reserve due to the lungs being empty, however, you won't get a big vacuum without expanding the ribcage. It's like breathing into empty lungs (with the breath held out). I actually made a second video after this one because I wasn't happy with how I explained it. You can watch that one here: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html Let me know if that answers your question 😊🌸
Thank you for ur explain.im 34 years women from sri lanka.but i now work in oman.i have pelvic organ prolapse.i see it before 1 month.l dint know what is.after i search u tube i knew its pelvic organ prolapse.i went meet doctor and she tell its nomal but i think its not normal.bsz before my vagina is not like this ballon.many years i have hormohouds pain n when i go to toilat so tired n i pushed.i think its reason this my prolapse.plz tell me this hypopressive will help me reduse it.i cant go now my country bcz my job.plz advise me this help for me.thank u so much.
Too much of anything isn't good. Better to find balance. It's ok to practice pelvic floor exercises and hypopressives daily. I would always take a rest day (six days per week is loads), and always ask yourself WHY you are doing something before you do it.
It’s not unusual to be confused as it’s quite counterintuitive. Apnea means cessation of breath, in the case of hypopressices, its holding the breath “out”. There are two videos that explain how to breathe to take the apnea: th-cam.com/video/izmn-pz1qAc/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html Try those and let me know if you have questions 😊
I've heard this is great for pelvic floor dysfunction, things like rectocele. I heard also that this problem is also connected with liver and spleen energy problems according to traditional Chinese medicine.
I believe it, because i suffer from liver problems since i was 8 years old and now i have pelvic floor problems and prolapse. I notice when my liver gets worse, my pelvis gets worse too. I've done everything to fix my pelvis but no improvement.
@@yasnitac82 the doctor diagnosed you with liver and spleen problems? I'm sorry about all your struggles. I've not been to dr in many years but I noticed I had floaters in my eyes years ago and they got worse and I learned it could be from liver energy problems then I got more tired and have anemia like symptoms. My rectocele was there a little bit for years then one day got stressful bad news and I felt my uterus pelvis area sink or like go out vagina opening sort of and it was bad ever since. I'm trying to heal many problems. It all got bad in menopause too
@@mfibonacci5275 I'm sorry to hear that you are having all those issues too. To be honest, I don't trust on doctors. I've been in different doctors but they always say, oh yes your billirubin is a bit high but nothing to worry about. My skin is always yellow color and the discomfort is horrible. I've been with pelvis issues for the last 15 years and doctors or physios never been helpful. I realize myself that this is beyond doctors. It has to be something that they don't understand about it. I've been reading about emotions and the connection with our body symptoms. I've read that Emotion means Energy in Motion. When we don't know how to live our emotions in a healthy way, that energy gets block in our bodies. Also some issues could come with us since our childhood or even from the womb. When you say one day you got stressful bad news, makes sense for me that your pelvis uterus area sink. Uterus means "home" for our subconcious mind. Maybe those news had to be with your home was falling apart in someway.
I dont understand how to suck in like that , so frustrating, having sisteskanse since 2017, three operations due to Bartolini cyste removal that went bad, two cecerian and parted muscles , leaking and downpress.
I actually made a follow-up video as another viewer had asked how to do the vacuum. This new video shows a trick to help you feel the vacuum: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wPOmjYUmQucVAZU4 One key point is that you should not duck your tummy in. Relax your tummy and the movement of the diaphragm will suck the tummy in for you. Let me know if that helps!
You “hold the breath out” - that is where you breathe all your air out, hold to prevent air from coming in and expand your lungs to create the vacuum. There’s another video where I explain it a little better: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html Let me know if you have any question
Is it normal to feel a little light headed after doing a hypopressive breath? Do you have any tips regarding this? I've just tried your video for the first time today. Thank you for sharing all this great information 🙏🌷
No, if you feel light headed, that could be an indication that you aren’t getting enough oxygen when doing the Hypopressives. Take a few deep breaths before you start and don’t hold the apnea for long. You may been to practice a more basic breathing exercise such as nadi shodana (alternative nostril breathing) for a while before you shift to Hypopressives. In my upcoming book, there are breathing exercises that progress in difficulty during the training. We don’t practice these basic Hypopressives until the intermediate phase of training. Give yourself some time with gentler practices and take it easy when you get to Hypopressives 😊
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thank you I'd love to know more. Where should I go for further information about what practices to start with? And also when will your book be out and where will it be available from please? Thank you 🌷
Hello there, great videos! I am 3 months postpartum after my second unsssisted homebirth and i have a pelvic floor prolapse 1st grade. During pregnancy i was used to breath through the belly so i have to retrain myself to breathe through the rib cage. Question: when breathing in to expand rib cage, do we let any air go to the belly? When we breath out should we take any air blocked in the belly as well? During this basic exercise, should we have the pelvic floor muscles as soft as possible? Thank you! Namaste
@@TheFlowerEmpowered gosh I hope so I've been suffering from bad rectocele for 3 years. It's hard to live life with this especially with having such difficulty having bowel movements
Important ,I believe, my lower abdoman hardens a belly patrudes, making suck in my belly difficult.. Have you seen this , do you know how it can be be helped.?
Interesting! If the core gets hard, it’s probably contracting. You really have to let the belly hang after you breath the air out, and allow the ribcage to expand… that’s what allows the vacuum to occur. You can try in different positions. Have you seen the hypopressive series of videos? There are 6 or 7 videos where the Hypopressives are done in different positions. You may find it easier in the positions in the first video: th-cam.com/video/jSfMLOL7l-c/w-d-xo.html
Hypopressives are helpful for POP because they provide symptom relief and "may" help to stimulate reinforcement of the connective tissue structures from above. If someone is telling you that all you need to do to "heal" a prolapse is hypopressives then they are snake oil salesmen. A prolapse is a point in your tissues that is thinner/lighter than the surrounding tissues. Pressure will take the path of least resistance so increases in intraabdominal pressure will result in the pressure going to that point and expanding it, a bit like blowing up a balloon. In addition, tissues around the point of weakness that are excessively stiff will move insufficiently, making the impact of the pressure changes more pronounced. In order to reduce prolapse symptoms and prevent prolapse worsening, you need to create a more balanced tension through the tissues in the pelvis. I would advise seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist who does both musular manual therapy and myofacial release. Then you can add pelvic floor relaxation exercises, pelvic floor strengthening exercises, exercises to create balanced movement throughout the body (yoga and strength training), breathing exercises (including hypopressives) and some mind-meditation exercises. The mind aspect is quite important as you hold tension in certain parts of your body when you are stressed, so finding out where you hold that tension can help you to actively reduce the impact of stress on your body while also helping you to reduce stress. So - if you have prolapse, use hypopressives, but know that they are just a single tool in your prolapse toolkit. You cannot "reverse" prolapse, but you can reduce symptoms and train your body to live an active and healthy life with prolapse. That was a long response, hope it was helpful 😊🌸
Hi Natalie, do you mean when you are holding the breath out (apnea)? If so, yes... breathing motion with empty lungs sucks the stomach in. I think I explain it a little better in this video: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html Let me know if that answers your question 🌸
Hi Denise, I have just found you! Wow! I think this could be the answer. Presently with coronavirus, I am unable to get help with a prolapse. I am not sure if it is a rectolcele or rectal prolapse, which research tells me are different. Will this help either please? Also how many of these a day do you recommend daily? .. I am about to delve into your website and videos and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me hope of relief from terrible pain and difficulties 🙏
Karen, thank you for the kind message and I am sorry to hear you have been struggling with prolapse. Hypopressives help a lot with prolapse and consistency is important with any exercise so a daily practice is great. There’s a hypopressive series running on the channel at the minute, we are on week 4 (which is released tonight). Worth trying: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcvZuVc2RTl-VDtXoG5Sk3Ac.html It’s also good to read some of the articles on the website. I would suggest these two: theflowerempowered.com/2020/10/29/should-you-focus-on-length-before-strength-with-pfd-oct-2020/ and theflowerempowered.com/2020/09/10/can-you-lift-weights-with-pelvic-organ-prolapse-sep-2020/ Another important thing when you have prolapse is to avoid constipation. You can watch the videos on how to poop and avoiding constipation: th-cam.com/video/NSL01gjVAJY/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/rzim-LgdMC8/w-d-xo.html The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. 50% of women will have some form of prolapse in their lifetime. Management of symptoms and working to release excess tension and to build strength where you have weakness will make a huge difference in restoring your quality of life. Let me know if you have questions and keep me posted on your progress 💕😊
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Thank you Denise.. Very tearful with gratitude. I have followed your pelvic floor relaxation video (the 45 mins one) today and was able to do them all except the wall one due to lack of wall 🤦🏼♀️. But it didn't matter, felt absolutely wonderful afterwards. I also followed the first of the series you kindly linked for me. I haven't felt this positive for a long time! I love how you help us to direct our awareness to our body throughout. I will definitely update you on my progress.
Hi Denise! That is a little bit private question. I' m a young male and I like to train with weights, I try to work on bigger lifts, my form is good. I feel that, after workouts, my pelvic floor is often too loose or, other times, too tight to substain an erection. Generally , expecially if I take something like two days or three off workouts, everything is fine. Can this be the cause? If yes, Is there something to read about the argument? Should I give up on weights? Thank you for time; I found you video on diaphragmatic respiration and pelvic floor very instructive
Hi Dice 6, Thanks for asking this question as it is an important one. When lifting weights, the intra-abdominal pressure is increased as the load you are lifting is increased. It is important to have good contractibility of the pelvic floor when lifting as you have to be able to produce more force with the PF muscles than the increase in intra-abdominal pressure. The way you breath is important when lifting. Depending on the lift, the technique will be different, but if you have a good trainer, hopefully they are talking you through proper bracing during your lifts. I train with John Meadows. He has an amazing channel here on TH-cam. Worth checking out his exercise index if you are uncertain of technique: th-cam.com/users/mountaindog1 Now, if you are experiencing urinary leakage when lifting, this is a sign that the PF contraction isn't as strong as the intra-abdominal pressure that is bearing down on it. When I lift heavy, if I feel that my pelvic floor is reaching it's limit, I drop weight. This can be a little frustrating if you are working to build muscle mass, but the thing to remember is that your pelvic floor is also skeletal muscle. It needs to catch up with what you are doing with the rest of your body. With regards to how the pelvic floor feels after lifting, you need to again remember that it is muscle. It will fatigue if you have been working it hard, which you have been if for example you have been doing heavy deadlifts or squats. In this case you may experience the feeling of it being "too loose" as your PF is tired. In the same hand, like other muscles, if you have been working hard, you can develop some hypertonicity, where the muscle cramps up making it feel "too tight". You do have trigger points in your pelvic floor, just like throughout the rest of your body. Did you know that you can visit a pelvic floor physical therapist and they can help to release the trigger points in your pelvic floor? Pelvic floor physiotherapy is for both men and women and is a greta help if you are experiencing some dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles. If you see a Pelvic Floor PT, they can do a proper assessment of your pelvic floor. Now, another thing that you really need to consider is pelvic floor relaxation and stretching. I lift six days per week. This has actually dramatically increased the strength of my pelvic floor, but it also introduces a greater need for stretching, massage and relaxation. Have you seen the sequence on pelvic floor relaxation? th-cam.com/video/2yx0_PK0Q-4/w-d-xo.html This is a great little addition to your pelvic floor work. Sitting on the ball (you will see that at the end of the video) can really help to release tension and stretch out the pelvic floor. I often have my students do this in class and both guys and girls have found it to be very beneficial. Should you stop lifting weights? Definitely not! But do make sure that you engage your pelvic floor before lifting, wether it be a push or a pull movement focusing on upper or lower body. Everything is connected. Grant yourself the grace of time to increase your weights. It's not about the number, it's about how it feels in your body. Sometimes when we focus on hitting big numbers, we injure the smaller muscles in the body. Remember that strength comes slowly over time with consistency, so don't rush it. You can lead a very healthy active life where you can lift weights to build a strong body AND have a strong and well functioning pelvic floor that produces good erections. You can do it!!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered I' ll save that perfect explanation to feed and give starting points to my knowledge on the argument. Regarding bracing tecnique, I use the Valsalva maneuver, is it safe for pelvic floor? I never have experienced lackages. I'm a little thoughtful because I switch fastly from the phase of "too lose" to "too tight". Paradoxically, sometimes I really need to do kegels to keep the balance. I would like to ask you also how much time needs pelvic floor to rest, should rest mean also to don' t have any kind of sexual engagement? How much impact, in males and females, has sex on pelvic floor? these are a lot of questions; I don' t pretend, obviously to be answered. P.S Last time, I implemented the diaphragmatic breathing before the bracing and had a really good performance; I think because of the raised oxygen in the body. Althought I did lot of sports, I rarely or never used full diaphragmatic breathing; and maybe that inficiates on pelvic health.
@@dice6940 So firstly on Vulsalva - this actually creates a lot of downward pressure on the pelvic floor. Now, the idea behind vulsalva when lifting is that you create a solid platform of support when lifting as this helps to protect the spine. This is done by filling your lungs and holding your breath. If your pelvic floor is unstable, this can be an issue, however, if you are also contracting the pelvic floor and lifting upwards (which you should be when making a lift with the lungs full), then it should be ok and can serve as a good workout for your pelvic floor. Question to you - are you a power-lifter or are you body-building? With power-lifters, it actually is all about the number and I probably should have clarified that in my previous response. With regards to how frequently the pelvic floor needs to rest, it is a muscle group that works constantly, however, if you consider the amount of effort that is involved in counteracting the downward pressure from heavy lifting where you use vulsalva, you can treat it like you would other muscle groups. Like legs for example. You wouldn't train legs every day as it's important to give the legs a few days to recuperate. Of course, when you do your push and pull days, you will use the legs, but it's not the same as leg day itself when you are likely reaching failure with that muscle group. Bodies are complex and quite individual and I would advise that you listen to your body. If you find that you need to do vulsalva every day, and that resting for three days makes your pelvic floor feel better, maybe you should change the way that you train so that you do pelvic floor heavy training every 3 to 4 days. My training is a bit like this. I consider leg day to be heavy on my pelvic floor and I train legs twice per week. If I do a heavy rack pull for the lats in between leg days (where I also need to use vulsalva), I find that to be much harder on my pelvic floor. I did actually have some pretty painful pelvic floor spasms during orgasm on a week when I had multiple really heavy days. That was a sure sign that I needed to pull back a bit and maybe just not go so heavy every day. I wouldn't avoid sexual activity due to training... that would be no fun! Sex and orgasm is good for your pelvic floor. It's a healthy activity that is a normal part of life and so I wouldn't avoid it unless your doctor has said you should for some medical reason. Lastly, with regards to diaphragmatic breathing and the pelvic floor... it is good to do before working out as it helps to "activate" the pelvic floor before you begin. This goes for any training--- if you are going to train chest, it's good to activate the muscles before you train them. It's like turning up the connectivity between the brain and the muscle you will train. This helps because you really want the brain to activate as many muscle fibres as possible when you are training the muscle. That helps you to reach hypertrophy in the muscle which is what inevitably leads to balanced muscle growth. Hope this helps :)
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Really, really thanks. Surely I'll adopt the idea to treat pelvic muscles as muscles like others and give them the deserved rest. And yes, I' m doing powerlifting so the strain sometimes must be really high down here. I would like to ask you if bench press is hard on pelvic floor?
Hi Anne, relaxing and stretching can be good for pudendal neuralgia and Hypopressives do create DOMS degree of stretch. Are you seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist? They can tell you if Hypopressives could be complimentary to your treatment.
I have a high tone pelvic floor so I’m working on relaxing it. I’d been working on “belly breaths” but this video says to breathe into the sides. I have a harder time relaxing my pelvic floor with the rib breathing. Can anyone comment on this?
This is a long reply! The belly and pelvic floor will both expand when you breath laterally into the ribs due to the balance of intraabdominal pressure. There are four different breaths - Quiet inspiration Quiet expiration Forced inspiration Forced expiration Belly breathing is a name that some people use to describe forced exhalation, and others use to describe inhalation with the ribcage depressed (often due to lack of flexibility in the intercostal muscles and connective tissues between the ribs). If there is good flexibility between the ribs, the ribcage can expand quite a lot. Giving a great lung capacity (volume). If the ribcage doesn’t expand efficiently, this will often lead to dysfunctional pattern where quiet inspiration has to be forced. When it comes to breathing, it is important that the body can achieve all four breath types. What I am trying (and probably failing) to explain in this video is the importance of ribcage mobility for these breaths to happen efficiently. The difference with these different breaths is the muscle used to primarily drive the inhale/exhale. Quiet inspiration is driven by the diaphragm that contracts and pulls the lower surfaces downward while at the same time the external intercostal muscles contract to elevate the ribcage laterally (in what’s known as a bucket handle movement) and at the same time pulling the sternum forward increasing the overall capacity of the lungs. This all happens outside of conscious control and requires good compliance (ability of the lungs and ribcage/chest wall to expand) and elasticity (ease of recoil). Quiet inspiration occurs naturally (not using your conscious control). During inspiration the volumes of air in your lungs increases, which reduces the pressure in the lungs (intrapulmonary pressure). Quiet expiration occurs due to the difference between the low pressure in the lungs and the higher atmospheric pressure outside the body (governed by Boyle’s law). Now... if you have limited mobility on the ribcage, that will impact quiet inspiration and quiet expiration. This is where dysfunctional breathing happens. Instead of this quiet process, forced inhalation and exhalation is needed to inhale sufficient oxygen. Forced inhalation/exhalation is an important function, especially when performing aerobic activities- so don’t think that it is bad, but if the ribcage is unable to expand and contract, the body will need to use these forced breathing patterns to sustain life. Breathing exercises are intended to increase lung volume by increasing compliance and elasticity around the ribcage and diaphragm. So after all that... you have said you have a harder time relaxing your pelvic floor when expanding the ribcage versus breathing into your belly. My question back to you; Is your ribcage expanding when you breathe into your belly? If yes, that’s great, you can keep training with “belly breathing”. If no, this does not encourage compliance or elasticity and reduces ribcage mobility and so this could be considered a dysfunctional breathing pattern, particularly if it is the pattern of quiet inspiration. In which case you will need to work on expanding your ribcage. When the ribcage moves properly, that will encourage the pelvic floor to become more elastic due to its movement. Adding pelvic floor relaxation exercises will help (there are lots on the channel) and hypopressives should also help as they help to stretch the pelvic floor when in apnea. Does this make sense to you?
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Thank you for this comment! This was really useful info for me, as I have been dealing with pelvic floor issues caused by anxious breathing habits the past several months. I have noticed that even though I do a lot of yoga and breathing exercises, I have to force myself to breathe all the time due to muscle tension. I didn't know it could be tension in my chest adding to the pelvic floor issues.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thank you soo much for this..i have the same problem..my ribcage doesnt expand while belly bretahing..what exercises shoul i do to expand ribcage... i also tried this exercise in the video..but it is nearly impossible for me..thanks
You should work on some basic breathing exercises to start. Have you read my book? I have a full program at that includes progressive breathing exercises to ensure everything is functioning correctly before adding Hypopressives. You can find links in my bio for the book and other resources 🌸
Yes! But it’s the diaphragm and intercostals that are doing the work. The abs are relaxed. Apnea means cessation of breath, in the case of hypopressices, its holding the breath “out”. There are two videos that explain how to breathe to take the apnea: th-cam.com/video/izmn-pz1qAc/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html Try those and let me know if you have questions 😊
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Thanks for watching! If you are struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction and would like to follow a structured program, click this link for my course: geni.us/Kk4eto
This is amazing I am so glad I found you a few years ago I was diagnosed with stage two cystocele and rectocele I had an amazing PT who unfortunately had to leave me and move back to her country I remember her showing me this but lying down and she told me it’s not good to do it after you eat or right before bed it was a little tough I haven’t done it in a while I have to say and my prolapse started to be symptomatic again horrible feeling!! So much pressure I am hoping to fix this without surgery thank you for your video I will definitely start trying again thanks to you
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough time with prolapse. Hypopressives will definitely provide some relief. You should also add some pelvic floor relaxation 😊
Finally i've understood 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻😭
the best explanation ever ... 🔝🔝
Thank you!!
👋 Thanks for watching! I get a lot of comments every day and at the moment, I am struggling to keep up with answering them all 😅 I will do my best to answer your question in good time. If you would like to ask me a question directly, you can book a short 1:1 zoom coaching call: geni.us/V8rJ 👩🏼💻
I happened to be laying flat ish in the bathtub while watching this and it was obvious during the inhale and exhale it change my buoyancy- very interesting!
Yes! The air in our lungs helps with floating 🛀
4:03 excellent real-time explanation
Glad you found it useful 😊
My research and acupuncturist said the same about the connection between the spleen in relation to prolapse.
Thank you!! Great video. But I have 1 doubt... After the apnea before breathing I have to relax stomach?
So when you take the apnea, your stomach is relaxed and you are fake breathing into empty lungs which expands the ribcage. You have to relax that expansion and allow the vacuum to disappear before you breath in, otherwise you will be breathing into your vacuum and that’s not a pleasant sensation. Make sense?
I have learned alot from you sis...More power
Thanks Tine 💕
Thank you for this explanation and this information! I was struggling with this technique, but you have clarified wonderfully and I can REALLY feel it! Adding this to my patient education and neuro re-ed (once I have it better mastered myself). Any courses you recommend? Thank you!
Thank you for the kind word Jasia! There are some good hypopressive courses running in UK, Barcelona and Canada (Hypopressives UK and Low-Pressure Fitness). Good luck :)
Thank you I do Stomach vacuums which seems very much the same as Hypopressive breathing, are they the same ?
Yes! Exactly the same! With a Hypopressive training program, you do the stomach vacuum in different positions but it’s the vacuum that makes them Hypopressives 😊
The Flower Empowered 🙏
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thanks for explaining; lots of people make it seems so complicated or don’t even explain what it is x
Very informative! Thank you 🙏
Very well explained thank
Thank you Amarjeet
Wow. Really great content. Thank you for sharing
Thank you Holly 💕
great demo Denise!
Thank you! I wasn’t super happy with this one (but isn’t that how it goes with most videos!). My motto now is “done is better than perfect” 😆
Great videos! I’m a 73 years old Malaysian woman that underwent a right mastectomy in 2012 for breast cancer (completed chemo) and was diagnosed with bilateral osteoarthritis in 2018 (requiring strengthening exercises only).
I'm currently having problems with my pelvic floor. The bladder prolapse has improved over time, but the cervix continues to be a source of discomfort for me. I feel there is “something” there. I don’t feel anything in the mornings. It gets worse later in the day and is linked to household chores. It is as if there is some “pressure” there; could it be gravity? My gynecologist told me to keep doing kegel exercises and that my uterus had shrunk.
I'm unable to perform any bending or twisting exercises. What kind of exercise would be best for me? Also, I'd appreciate it if you could post more video content for the elderly, so that people like me can benefit as well.
Hi Kohilam, I’m sorry to hear you are suffering with prolapse. Have you spoken to your doctor about the possibility of using a pessary? They can really help to relieve the feeling of “something there”. A supportive pessary could be a good option (such as a ring pessary.
When it comes to exercises, Hypopressives are good. There is a series here: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcvZuVc2RTl-VDtXoG5Sk3Ac.html
This series gets progressively difficult. Skip any difficult poses or any that make you feel more downward pressure.
Also, this restorative practice can help to relieve symptoms: th-cam.com/video/s7TsKMtPLnI/w-d-xo.html
I will add some exercises for older people to my list for recording. Meanwhile, let me know if you have any further questions 😊
hi, question : when you exhale, do you exhale through the nose or mouth? or it doesn't matter where through ? thanks
Hi Tessa, in Yoga we say "the nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating". With hypopressives, if you go to "low-pressure fitness" classes for example, they will tell you to exhale through your mouth. If you are in a yoga class doing uddiyana kriya (yoga hypopresive) you will likely be told to exhale through your nose. You will always be told in these classes to breath in through your nose but exhalation doesn't make so much difference when you are doing your hypopressives.
One advice I would give though is to try to breath in and out through your nose during normal day to day activities. Nose breathing increases nitric oxide which is a vasodilator (in other words, breathing in through your nose helps to manage blood flow through your body). Hope that helps!
Thanks for the video!
I have read alot about this for organ prolaps. I have read that when u do hypopressiv excersise you are suppose to kegel when you exhale.
Either kegel and hold while you do the exhaling or just kegel at the end of the exhale when you hold ur breath for a few secomeds.
Are we suppose to do this??She says it happens automatically and I do feel a pull,but if I do a kegel when I have finished my exhaling and holding breath at end,it really goes far up when I kegel.Hope for some answers :)
Hi Emma, with Hypopressives, you don’t need to Kegel. The purpose of the Hypopressives is more to stimulate connective tissue fibers. There is a lifting of the pelvic floor muscles when you have the apnea but you don’t need to contract for this, it happens naturally. This is likely why you feel that the Kegel goes far up when you are doing Hypopressives. Now, with that said, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to Kegel when doing your Hypopressive apnea. It’s just not actually needed.
When you start practicing Kegel exercises, you should begin with contracting when you exhale as your diaphragm is pulling the pelvic floor upwards so it can help with the lift if you aren’t very strong to start. It is good for prolapse to work on both Hypopressives and pelvic floor exercises. I personally teach them separately and view them as complementary exercises.
Does that answer your question?
Wow.Thank you for your answer!! With all types of info out there it is great to have someone answer a question when you get so confused.Thank you!
I have heard that this excersise can make organ prolaps better.Go from grade 2 to grade 1 etc.
How many times should I do this in a day and over a course of time to see resualts for organ prolaps?:)
Thank you for the work you do!!For people that cant afford help,you are a life saver!!!!
Are you saying the apnea/ the "hole" in your stomach is created automatically? Because I used to exhale and then do a fake inhalation creating, therefore, the "hole" under my ribs. But it was not automatic for me, it is something I do. But maybe i do it wrong.
A video about how is the belly reacting, behaving during the expansion and closure of the ribs might help. I notice when i exhale and close my ribs, my belly expands...which i think is wrong.
Great questions today @gulgutz 😁
If there is sufficient compliance in the chest wall (ribcage mobility, flexibility and elasticity of the diaphragm and other breathing muscles), then when you relax after emptying your lungs, you should have a slight apnea. To enhance the apnea, or to allow you to feel the apnea even if you have limited ribcage mobility, you can try to “fake inhale” while holding your breath out. I demonstrate this as a way to feel the apnea in this video: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html
Maybe you have seen my long response to your other question on the other video. I can make a new video going through the four breaths (quiet inspiration, quiet expiration, forced inhalation, forced exhalation) as I think that could help to answer all your breathing questions. Please do let me know if you have more questions and I will try to answer. Hope this helps!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered I felt the automatic slight apnea thank you.
One mistake i used to do and create damage was this: once I was exhaling (so ribs closed), i was not relaxing the ribs, so i was consciously doing the apnea, creating the hole by sucking in with fake inhalation, all this while the ribs were still compressed. Lifting up consciously in these conditions increased my pf tension, unfortunately. This is my theory based on my experience of course.
So the secret i guess is to let the ribs relax after fully exhaling, and then the slight apnea appears automatically; in this case looks beneficial.
Exactly! That’s the secret; relax the ribcage and allow it to expand 😁👌🏻
@@gulgutz90 Hi. Can you explain this little more? I am doing fake apnea conciously and that does not seems right. How do you mean that there isi slight apnea when you let ribs relax? how do you feel that apnea? Do you open ribcage after fully exhaling? Thank you very much in advance!
@@ivanavujica1774 i haven't done this in a while....basically, you should not suck in your belly voluntarily, but the apnea happens naturally after exhaling (closing your ribs) and relaxing those ribs without inhaling (after closing ribs through exhaling you let them go and they should open/relax). Then you should feel a slight movement upwards and inwards in your belly/pf I guess...this was slight for me.
Iv had prolapse before . And im 1 month postpartum. When can i start these?
You will need to get the all clear from your doctor. You should ask when you do your 6 week check. Whenever you do return to exercise, make sure to take it easy - baby steps, and listen to your body along the way.
Thank you for the video
You're welcome
where do we get a little prolapse chicken!?? I'd love it to use with my own clients. Thanks!
You can pick them up on Amazon: amzn.to/3SwkMXZ
are we supposed to do a fake inhale to create the apnea after the exhale or should it happen automatically?
Great question! You will get a slight vacuum when you relax your belly and chest after your breath out your oxygen reserve due to the lungs being empty, however, you won't get a big vacuum without expanding the ribcage. It's like breathing into empty lungs (with the breath held out). I actually made a second video after this one because I wasn't happy with how I explained it. You can watch that one here: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html
Let me know if that answers your question 😊🌸
Thank you for ur explain.im 34 years women from sri lanka.but i now work in oman.i have pelvic organ prolapse.i see it before 1 month.l dint know what is.after i search u tube i knew its pelvic organ prolapse.i went meet doctor and she tell its nomal but i think its not normal.bsz before my vagina is not like this ballon.many years i have hormohouds pain n when i go to toilat so tired n i pushed.i think its reason this my prolapse.plz tell me this hypopressive will help me reduse it.i cant go now my country bcz my job.plz advise me this help for me.thank u so much.
Hypopressives can help to relieve the symptoms of prolapse. Can you get a second opinion from another gynecologist?
Hi, thank you for this explanation. May be I miss something, is there any difference between Hypopressive Exercise and vacuum exercise?
Hi, there is no difference between a hypopressive exercise and a vacuum exercise. It is also known as uddiyanna kriya in yoga.
The Flower Empowered I am so grateful to god I found you! Bless your beautiful soul!!!
Glad you explained about Uddiyaan Kriya
Thank you so much! I have recently had a uterine prolapse and looking for help.
You're welcome Marie. Have you seen a pelvic floor physiotherapist? Would advise you do if you can.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered I haven't yet but I am going to have to do something. I have been miserable since my uterine prolapse about 3 weeks ago.
I know it is possible to do "too many" kegel exercises to a point that you over work and weaken. Is this the same with hypopressive exercise?
Too much of anything isn't good. Better to find balance. It's ok to practice pelvic floor exercises and hypopressives daily. I would always take a rest day (six days per week is loads), and always ask yourself WHY you are doing something before you do it.
So when exhaling all t he air is it with closed mouth , I’ve been breathing out of my mouth , sorry I’m confused
It’s not unusual to be confused as it’s quite counterintuitive. Apnea means cessation of breath, in the case of hypopressices, its holding the breath “out”. There are two videos that explain how to breathe to take the apnea:
th-cam.com/video/izmn-pz1qAc/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html
Try those and let me know if you have questions 😊
I've heard this is great for pelvic floor dysfunction, things like rectocele. I heard also that this problem is also connected with liver and spleen energy problems according to traditional Chinese medicine.
I hadn’t heard the connection with liver and spleen energy problems... interesting!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered I stared drinking raisin water for liver and my Achilles tendonitis pain of 11 months got better
I believe it, because i suffer from liver problems since i was 8 years old and now i have pelvic floor problems and prolapse. I notice when my liver gets worse, my pelvis gets worse too. I've done everything to fix my pelvis but no improvement.
@@yasnitac82 the doctor diagnosed you with liver and spleen problems? I'm sorry about all your struggles. I've not been to dr in many years but I noticed I had floaters in my eyes years ago and they got worse and I learned it could be from liver energy problems then I got more tired and have anemia like symptoms. My rectocele was there a little bit for years then one day got stressful bad news and I felt my uterus pelvis area sink or like go out vagina opening sort of and it was bad ever since. I'm trying to heal many problems. It all got bad in menopause too
@@mfibonacci5275 I'm sorry to hear that you are having all those issues too. To be honest, I don't trust on doctors. I've been in different doctors but they always say, oh yes your billirubin is a bit high but nothing to worry about. My skin is always yellow color and the discomfort is horrible. I've been with pelvis issues for the last 15 years and doctors or physios never been helpful. I realize myself that this is beyond doctors. It has to be something that they don't understand about it. I've been reading about emotions and the connection with our body symptoms. I've read that Emotion means Energy in Motion. When we don't know how to live our emotions in a healthy way, that energy gets block in our bodies. Also some issues could come with us since our childhood or even from the womb. When you say one day you got stressful bad news, makes sense for me that your pelvis uterus area sink. Uterus means "home" for our subconcious mind. Maybe those news had to be with your home was falling apart in someway.
Thanx, very clear explanation
Glad it was helpful!
I dont understand how to suck in like that , so frustrating, having sisteskanse since 2017, three operations due to Bartolini cyste removal that went bad, two cecerian and parted muscles , leaking and downpress.
I actually made a follow-up video as another viewer had asked how to do the vacuum. This new video shows a trick to help you feel the vacuum: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wPOmjYUmQucVAZU4
One key point is that you should not duck your tummy in. Relax your tummy and the movement of the diaphragm will suck the tummy in for you. Let me know if that helps!
I heard we shouldn’t hold breath when having diastasis recti.. I am confused.. Can you please throw some light on “holding the breath” part?
You “hold the breath out” - that is where you breathe all your air out, hold to prevent air from coming in and expand your lungs to create the vacuum. There’s another video where I explain it a little better: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html
Let me know if you have any question
Is it normal to feel a little light headed after doing a hypopressive breath? Do you have any tips regarding this? I've just tried your video for the first time today. Thank you for sharing all this great information 🙏🌷
No, if you feel light headed, that could be an indication that you aren’t getting enough oxygen when doing the Hypopressives. Take a few deep breaths before you start and don’t hold the apnea for long. You may been to practice a more basic breathing exercise such as nadi shodana (alternative nostril breathing) for a while before you shift to Hypopressives. In my upcoming book, there are breathing exercises that progress in difficulty during the training. We don’t practice these basic Hypopressives until the intermediate phase of training. Give yourself some time with gentler practices and take it easy when you get to Hypopressives 😊
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thank you I'd love to know more. Where should I go for further information about what practices to start with? And also when will your book be out and where will it be available from please? Thank you 🌷
I feel sleepy doing this lol. It's similar to meditation. 💜
Glad you are enjoying it Sameela ☺️💕
Hello there, great videos! I am 3 months postpartum after my second unsssisted homebirth and i have a pelvic floor prolapse 1st grade. During pregnancy i was used to breath through the belly so i have to retrain myself to breathe through the rib cage.
Question: when breathing in to expand rib cage, do we let any air go to the belly? When we breath out should we take any air blocked in the belly as well? During this basic exercise, should we have the pelvic floor muscles as soft as possible?
Thank you!
Namaste
Belly will always expand when you breathe, as will pelvic floor. Allow everything to be soft and relaxed and your body will do the work for you 😁🌸
Hi, is this exercise safe when you already have prolapse? Thank you 💕
Hi Nomvula, yes... Hypopressives are safe when you have prolapse and in many cases this type of breathing exercises helps to alleviate symptoms.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Great! I will be trying this :) :)
@@TheFlowerEmpowered gosh I hope so I've been suffering from bad rectocele for 3 years. It's hard to live life with this especially with having such difficulty having bowel movements
Important ,I believe, my lower abdoman hardens a belly patrudes, making suck in my belly difficult..
Have you seen this , do you know how it can be be helped.?
Interesting! If the core gets hard, it’s probably contracting. You really have to let the belly hang after you breath the air out, and allow the ribcage to expand… that’s what allows the vacuum to occur. You can try in different positions.
Have you seen the hypopressive series of videos? There are 6 or 7 videos where the Hypopressives are done in different positions. You may find it easier in the positions in the first video: th-cam.com/video/jSfMLOL7l-c/w-d-xo.html
Why are hypopressives good for pelvic organ prolapse?
Hypopressives are helpful for POP because they provide symptom relief and "may" help to stimulate reinforcement of the connective tissue structures from above. If someone is telling you that all you need to do to "heal" a prolapse is hypopressives then they are snake oil salesmen.
A prolapse is a point in your tissues that is thinner/lighter than the surrounding tissues. Pressure will take the path of least resistance so increases in intraabdominal pressure will result in the pressure going to that point and expanding it, a bit like blowing up a balloon. In addition, tissues around the point of weakness that are excessively stiff will move insufficiently, making the impact of the pressure changes more pronounced.
In order to reduce prolapse symptoms and prevent prolapse worsening, you need to create a more balanced tension through the tissues in the pelvis. I would advise seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist who does both musular manual therapy and myofacial release. Then you can add pelvic floor relaxation exercises, pelvic floor strengthening exercises, exercises to create balanced movement throughout the body (yoga and strength training), breathing exercises (including hypopressives) and some mind-meditation exercises. The mind aspect is quite important as you hold tension in certain parts of your body when you are stressed, so finding out where you hold that tension can help you to actively reduce the impact of stress on your body while also helping you to reduce stress.
So - if you have prolapse, use hypopressives, but know that they are just a single tool in your prolapse toolkit. You cannot "reverse" prolapse, but you can reduce symptoms and train your body to live an active and healthy life with prolapse.
That was a long response, hope it was helpful 😊🌸
When I breathe in to my ribs, my stomach automatically sucks in. Should it not be doing this?
Hi Natalie, do you mean when you are holding the breath out (apnea)? If so, yes... breathing motion with empty lungs sucks the stomach in. I think I explain it a little better in this video: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html
Let me know if that answers your question 🌸
Hi Denise, I have just found you! Wow! I think this could be the answer. Presently with coronavirus, I am unable to get help with a prolapse. I am not sure if it is a rectolcele or rectal prolapse, which research tells me are different. Will this help either please? Also how many of these a day do you recommend daily? .. I am about to delve into your website and videos and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me hope of relief from terrible pain and difficulties 🙏
Karen, thank you for the kind message and I am sorry to hear you have been struggling with prolapse.
Hypopressives help a lot with prolapse and consistency is important with any exercise so a daily practice is great. There’s a hypopressive series running on the channel at the minute, we are on week 4 (which is released tonight). Worth trying: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcvZuVc2RTl-VDtXoG5Sk3Ac.html It’s also good to read some of the articles on the website. I would suggest these two: theflowerempowered.com/2020/10/29/should-you-focus-on-length-before-strength-with-pfd-oct-2020/ and theflowerempowered.com/2020/09/10/can-you-lift-weights-with-pelvic-organ-prolapse-sep-2020/
Another important thing when you have prolapse is to avoid constipation. You can watch the videos on how to poop and avoiding constipation: th-cam.com/video/NSL01gjVAJY/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/rzim-LgdMC8/w-d-xo.html
The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. 50% of women will have some form of prolapse in their lifetime. Management of symptoms and working to release excess tension and to build strength where you have weakness will make a huge difference in restoring your quality of life.
Let me know if you have questions and keep me posted on your progress 💕😊
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Thank you Denise.. Very tearful with gratitude. I have followed your pelvic floor relaxation video (the 45 mins one) today and was able to do them all except the wall one due to lack of wall 🤦🏼♀️. But it didn't matter, felt absolutely wonderful afterwards. I also followed the first of the series you kindly linked for me. I haven't felt this positive for a long time! I love how you help us to direct our awareness to our body throughout. I will definitely update you on my progress.
@@Karen-uo5xu so happy you are feeling some positivity, that’s so crucial when dealing with prolapse ❤️
Hi Denise! That is a little bit private question.
I' m a young male and I like to train with weights, I try to work on bigger lifts, my form is good.
I feel that, after workouts, my pelvic floor is often too loose or, other times, too tight to substain an erection.
Generally , expecially if I take something like two days or three off workouts, everything is fine.
Can this be the cause?
If yes, Is there something to read about the argument?
Should I give up on weights?
Thank you for time;
I found you video on diaphragmatic respiration and pelvic floor very instructive
Hi Dice 6, Thanks for asking this question as it is an important one. When lifting weights, the intra-abdominal pressure is increased as the load you are lifting is increased. It is important to have good contractibility of the pelvic floor when lifting as you have to be able to produce more force with the PF muscles than the increase in intra-abdominal pressure. The way you breath is important when lifting. Depending on the lift, the technique will be different, but if you have a good trainer, hopefully they are talking you through proper bracing during your lifts. I train with John Meadows. He has an amazing channel here on TH-cam. Worth checking out his exercise index if you are uncertain of technique: th-cam.com/users/mountaindog1
Now, if you are experiencing urinary leakage when lifting, this is a sign that the PF contraction isn't as strong as the intra-abdominal pressure that is bearing down on it. When I lift heavy, if I feel that my pelvic floor is reaching it's limit, I drop weight. This can be a little frustrating if you are working to build muscle mass, but the thing to remember is that your pelvic floor is also skeletal muscle. It needs to catch up with what you are doing with the rest of your body.
With regards to how the pelvic floor feels after lifting, you need to again remember that it is muscle. It will fatigue if you have been working it hard, which you have been if for example you have been doing heavy deadlifts or squats. In this case you may experience the feeling of it being "too loose" as your PF is tired. In the same hand, like other muscles, if you have been working hard, you can develop some hypertonicity, where the muscle cramps up making it feel "too tight". You do have trigger points in your pelvic floor, just like throughout the rest of your body. Did you know that you can visit a pelvic floor physical therapist and they can help to release the trigger points in your pelvic floor? Pelvic floor physiotherapy is for both men and women and is a greta help if you are experiencing some dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles. If you see a Pelvic Floor PT, they can do a proper assessment of your pelvic floor.
Now, another thing that you really need to consider is pelvic floor relaxation and stretching. I lift six days per week. This has actually dramatically increased the strength of my pelvic floor, but it also introduces a greater need for stretching, massage and relaxation. Have you seen the sequence on pelvic floor relaxation? th-cam.com/video/2yx0_PK0Q-4/w-d-xo.html
This is a great little addition to your pelvic floor work. Sitting on the ball (you will see that at the end of the video) can really help to release tension and stretch out the pelvic floor. I often have my students do this in class and both guys and girls have found it to be very beneficial.
Should you stop lifting weights? Definitely not! But do make sure that you engage your pelvic floor before lifting, wether it be a push or a pull movement focusing on upper or lower body. Everything is connected. Grant yourself the grace of time to increase your weights. It's not about the number, it's about how it feels in your body. Sometimes when we focus on hitting big numbers, we injure the smaller muscles in the body. Remember that strength comes slowly over time with consistency, so don't rush it. You can lead a very healthy active life where you can lift weights to build a strong body AND have a strong and well functioning pelvic floor that produces good erections. You can do it!!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered
I' ll save that perfect explanation to feed and give starting points to my knowledge on the argument.
Regarding bracing tecnique, I use the Valsalva maneuver, is it safe for pelvic floor?
I never have experienced lackages.
I'm a little thoughtful
because I switch fastly from the phase of "too lose" to "too tight". Paradoxically, sometimes I really need to do kegels to keep the balance.
I would like to ask you also how much time needs pelvic floor to rest,
should rest mean also to don' t have any kind of sexual engagement?
How much impact, in males and females, has sex on pelvic floor?
these are a lot of questions; I don' t pretend, obviously to be answered.
P.S
Last time, I implemented the diaphragmatic breathing before the bracing and had a really good performance; I think because of the raised oxygen in the body.
Althought I did lot of sports, I rarely or never used full diaphragmatic breathing; and maybe that inficiates on pelvic health.
@@dice6940 So firstly on Vulsalva - this actually creates a lot of downward pressure on the pelvic floor. Now, the idea behind vulsalva when lifting is that you create a solid platform of support when lifting as this helps to protect the spine. This is done by filling your lungs and holding your breath. If your pelvic floor is unstable, this can be an issue, however, if you are also contracting the pelvic floor and lifting upwards (which you should be when making a lift with the lungs full), then it should be ok and can serve as a good workout for your pelvic floor.
Question to you - are you a power-lifter or are you body-building? With power-lifters, it actually is all about the number and I probably should have clarified that in my previous response.
With regards to how frequently the pelvic floor needs to rest, it is a muscle group that works constantly, however, if you consider the amount of effort that is involved in counteracting the downward pressure from heavy lifting where you use vulsalva, you can treat it like you would other muscle groups. Like legs for example. You wouldn't train legs every day as it's important to give the legs a few days to recuperate. Of course, when you do your push and pull days, you will use the legs, but it's not the same as leg day itself when you are likely reaching failure with that muscle group. Bodies are complex and quite individual and I would advise that you listen to your body.
If you find that you need to do vulsalva every day, and that resting for three days makes your pelvic floor feel better, maybe you should change the way that you train so that you do pelvic floor heavy training every 3 to 4 days. My training is a bit like this. I consider leg day to be heavy on my pelvic floor and I train legs twice per week. If I do a heavy rack pull for the lats in between leg days (where I also need to use vulsalva), I find that to be much harder on my pelvic floor. I did actually have some pretty painful pelvic floor spasms during orgasm on a week when I had multiple really heavy days. That was a sure sign that I needed to pull back a bit and maybe just not go so heavy every day.
I wouldn't avoid sexual activity due to training... that would be no fun! Sex and orgasm is good for your pelvic floor. It's a healthy activity that is a normal part of life and so I wouldn't avoid it unless your doctor has said you should for some medical reason.
Lastly, with regards to diaphragmatic breathing and the pelvic floor... it is good to do before working out as it helps to "activate" the pelvic floor before you begin. This goes for any training--- if you are going to train chest, it's good to activate the muscles before you train them. It's like turning up the connectivity between the brain and the muscle you will train. This helps because you really want the brain to activate as many muscle fibres as possible when you are training the muscle. That helps you to reach hypertrophy in the muscle which is what inevitably leads to balanced muscle growth.
Hope this helps :)
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Really, really thanks.
Surely I'll adopt the idea to treat pelvic muscles as muscles like others and give them the deserved rest.
And yes, I' m doing powerlifting so the strain sometimes must be really high down here.
I would like to ask you if bench press is hard on pelvic floor?
Dice 6 I haven’t found bench press to be hard on the PF, but I’m not a power-lifter. Does it feel PF intense to you?
Is hypopressive good for pudendal neuralgia
Hi Anne, relaxing and stretching can be good for pudendal neuralgia and Hypopressives do create DOMS degree of stretch. Are you seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist? They can tell you if Hypopressives could be complimentary to your treatment.
Mam we can do at sitting position?.. Good mam
vikash shah yes! You can do Hypopressives sitting, kneeling or on all fours. You will likely feel the biggest apnea when in all fours.
I have a high tone pelvic floor so I’m working on relaxing it. I’d been working on “belly breaths” but this video says to breathe into the sides. I have a harder time relaxing my pelvic floor with the rib breathing. Can anyone comment on this?
This is a long reply! The belly and pelvic floor will both expand when you breath laterally into the ribs due to the balance of intraabdominal pressure.
There are four different breaths -
Quiet inspiration
Quiet expiration
Forced inspiration
Forced expiration
Belly breathing is a name that some people use to describe forced exhalation, and others use to describe inhalation with the ribcage depressed (often due to lack of flexibility in the intercostal muscles and connective tissues between the ribs).
If there is good flexibility between the ribs, the ribcage can expand quite a lot. Giving a great lung capacity (volume). If the ribcage doesn’t expand efficiently, this will often lead to dysfunctional pattern where quiet inspiration has to be forced.
When it comes to breathing, it is important that the body can achieve all four breath types. What I am trying (and probably failing) to explain in this video is the importance of ribcage mobility for these breaths to happen efficiently.
The difference with these different breaths is the muscle used to primarily drive the inhale/exhale. Quiet inspiration is driven by the diaphragm that contracts and pulls the lower surfaces downward while at the same time the external intercostal muscles contract to elevate the ribcage laterally (in what’s known as a bucket handle movement) and at the same time pulling the sternum forward increasing the overall capacity of the lungs. This all happens outside of conscious control and requires good compliance (ability of the lungs and ribcage/chest wall to expand) and elasticity (ease of recoil).
Quiet inspiration occurs naturally (not using your conscious control). During inspiration the volumes of air in your lungs increases, which reduces the pressure in the lungs (intrapulmonary pressure). Quiet expiration occurs due to the difference between the low pressure in the lungs and the higher atmospheric pressure outside the body (governed by Boyle’s law).
Now... if you have limited mobility on the ribcage, that will impact quiet inspiration and quiet expiration. This is where dysfunctional breathing happens. Instead of this quiet process, forced inhalation and exhalation is needed to inhale sufficient oxygen. Forced inhalation/exhalation is an important function, especially when performing aerobic activities- so don’t think that it is bad, but if the ribcage is unable to expand and contract, the body will need to use these forced breathing patterns to sustain life.
Breathing exercises are intended to increase lung volume by increasing compliance and elasticity around the ribcage and diaphragm.
So after all that... you have said you have a harder time relaxing your pelvic floor when expanding the ribcage versus breathing into your belly. My question back to you;
Is your ribcage expanding when you breathe into your belly?
If yes, that’s great, you can keep training with “belly breathing”.
If no, this does not encourage compliance or elasticity and reduces ribcage mobility and so this could be considered a dysfunctional breathing pattern, particularly if it is the pattern of quiet inspiration. In which case you will need to work on expanding your ribcage.
When the ribcage moves properly, that will encourage the pelvic floor to become more elastic due to its movement. Adding pelvic floor relaxation exercises will help (there are lots on the channel) and hypopressives should also help as they help to stretch the pelvic floor when in apnea.
Does this make sense to you?
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Thank you for this comment! This was really useful info for me, as I have been dealing with pelvic floor issues caused by anxious breathing habits the past several months. I have noticed that even though I do a lot of yoga and breathing exercises, I have to force myself to breathe all the time due to muscle tension. I didn't know it could be tension in my chest adding to the pelvic floor issues.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thank you soo much for this..i have the same problem..my ribcage doesnt expand while belly bretahing..what exercises shoul i do to expand ribcage... i also tried this exercise in the video..but it is nearly impossible for me..thanks
I feel the movement oppositely on my inhales and exhales.. I’ll have to practice a lot more before I can properly do this 😭
You should work on some basic breathing exercises to start. Have you read my book? I have a full program at that includes progressive breathing exercises to ensure everything is functioning correctly before adding Hypopressives. You can find links in my bio for the book and other resources 🌸
I just can't get it tried for an hour I can't get the apnea?
Try this trick: th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html it usually helps if you are struggling to get it. Let me know if it works for you
Is it safe to practice this exercise during pregnancy?
No, hypopressives should not be practice during pregnancy.
Mam can they be done in cpps
Yes they can help a little, especially when the pelvic floor has been relaxed first 😊
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Thank you mam
Can we do hypopressives lying down
Yes, there is a hypopressives series here on the channel with some poses in lying down: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcvZuVc2RTl-VDtXoG5Sk3Ac.html
Thanks a lot girl u helped me with this
I'm so glad to hear that!
everything I see is that you are forcefully sucking your belly in, it doesn't happen without an active activation of muscles...
Yes! But it’s the diaphragm and intercostals that are doing the work. The abs are relaxed.
Apnea means cessation of breath, in the case of hypopressices, its holding the breath “out”. There are two videos that explain how to breathe to take the apnea:
th-cam.com/video/izmn-pz1qAc/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/oE8xqapsXOI/w-d-xo.html
Try those and let me know if you have questions 😊