Key Takeaways:
- A new Stanford study found that certain yoga poses can reduce bladder leakage by 65% in women 45 and older.
- Yoga exercises help strengthen pelvic floor muscles and reduce bladder leakage (urinary incontinence).
- Yoga can reduce stress and anxiety which may also contribute to urinary incontinence.
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that play an essential role in everyday functions, like controlling your bladder, bowels, and even supporting sexual health.
When these muscles are strong and healthy, they do their job seamlessly. But when they weaken, it can lead to issues like bladder leaks or pelvic pain.
The good news? Yoga is a simple, relaxing way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, reduce symptoms of incontinence, and improve your overall well-being.
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What Is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that control a variety of functions, including urination, defecation, and sexual function.
When thinking about your pelvic floor, you can visualize a hammock. For those with female anatomy, the pelvic floor muscles attach to the pubic bone and wrap around to the urethra and the vagina. The muscles continue to wrap around to the rectum and attach to the coccyx (the tailbone). The pelvic floor muscles fan out to the sides of the hips and attach to the pelvis, as well as the abductor and adductor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles are integral to the function of all of the pelvis.
The pelvic floor muscles hold all of the pelvic organs safely in place, like a hammock supports the person laying on it.
Can Yoga Help Strengthen Pelvic Floor Muscles?
Yoga is a calming activity that connects you with your body while strengthening and toning muscles at the same time, including your pelvic floor muscles. Yoga has also been shown to reduce pelvic pain and reduce stress and anxiety— all of which can help with decreasing bladder leakage or symptoms of urinary incontinence. More recently, a Stanford study consisting of women 45 and older found that yoga reduced bladder leakage by 65%.
Other exercises, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), cycling, and jogging, can cause leakage for those who have stress urinary incontinence (leaking pee when engaging in physical activities like sneezing or exercising). These exercises can also weaken your pelvic floor muscles if done incorrectly or too often, so sticking to a daily yoga routine can help prevent leaks and strengthen your pelvic muscles.
How Often Should You Practice Yoga to Improve Your Pelvic Floor Health?
The Stanford study cited that the women performed yoga for 12 weeks, but it’s a good idea to incorporate yoga into your daily workout routine to improve pelvic floor strength.
10 Poses for a Strong Pelvic Floor
Various relaxing yoga poses help you relieve stress and anxiety while gaining physical strength in your pelvic floor muscles.
These poses can also:
- Improve digestion.
- Lessen back pain.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Relieve pain in the pelvic area.
Hold each pose for about 1 minute unless otherwise specified in the directions.
1. Hook Lying With Block
- Relax by laying on the floor with your knees bent, keeping your feet slightly apart.
- Place a yoga block between your knees.
- Slowly exhale as you squeeze the block with your knees and lift your pelvis off the floor.
- Inhale and relax your muscles as you return your buttocks to the floor without dropping the block.
- Do 8 reps.
2. Reclining Bound Angle Pose
- Remain on the floor, but remove your yoga block while keeping your knees bent.
- Inhale and slowly spread your knees, dropping them to the floor on the sides.
- Exhale while slowly bringing your knees together and lifting your pelvis off the floor.
- Contract your pelvic muscles.
- Release them and return them to the floor.
3. Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)
- Position yourself in Warrior Pose II.
- From that pose, straighten your front leg.
- Squeeze your inner legs and your perineum.
- Bring arms up parallel to the floor.
- Putting your weight on your left leg, stretch your torso to the right side over your right leg.
- Reach your left arm up toward the ceiling.
4. Mountain Pose (Tadasana) With Block
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Rest your hands at your sides.
- Put a yoga block in between your thighs.
- Squeeze your thighs with the goal of making the yoga block upward toward your pelvis.
5. Knee to Chest (Apanasana)
- Lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest.
- Grab your shins and hold them in place while exhaling.
- Squeeze your core.
- While inhaling, put your feet on the floor and put your arms overhead.
6. Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana - Bitilasana)
- On your hands and knees, find a flat, neutral spine.
- While inhaling, lift your head and tailbone to the ceiling.
- While exhaling, tuck your head and tailbone under toward the ground, rounding your spine upward.
- Do 3-5 rounds while continuing to breathe.
- While exhaling, bring your knees to your chest.
- Repeat.
7. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
- Start in Mountain Pose.
- Put your arms in front of you and keep them parallel to the floor.
- Bend your knees, pushing your hips backward.
- Squat down, imagining that you’re sitting on a chair.
8. Wide-Legged Squat / Garland Pose (Malasana)
- While standing, spread your feet to the sides of your mat.
- Squat down with your chest lifted.
- Touch the outsides of your elbows to the inside of your knees.
- Put the palms of your hands together into a prayer pose.
- Push elbows into your knees, breathing in and out and holding.
9. Supported Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
- Put a blanket on your yoga mat.
- Lying on your back, put your legs up on the wall with the soles of your feet facing the ceiling.
- Rest your arms out to your sides, parallel to the wall.
- Stay lying in the pose while breathing for 10 minutes.
10. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangsana)
- Lying on your back, bend your knees 90 degrees, keeping feet flat on the floor.
- Bring your heels close to your butt.
- Move feet hip-distance apart.
- Lift your lower back and butt off the floor, pushing the pelvis up to the ceiling.
- Bring your arms under your torso.
- Hold for 3 minutes.
Don’t forget to take some time to lie in Corpse Pose (Savasana) after your yoga practice to relax! To do this, lie on your mat on your back. Drop your arms and legs down to the ground and lie with your eyes closed. Continue deep breathing until you feel rested. Use a cozy blanket if you want to warm up.
Practice these poses a daily to a few times a week to strengthen your pelvic floor and improve symptoms of stress incontinence, overactive bladder (OAB), and improve your quality of life.
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About the Author
Marlee Septak is the Editorial Lead at Aeroflow Urology and was a past Content Writer for Aeroflow Diabetes. She brings a deep understanding of incontinence and health conditions associated with it to her writing. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago and holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. Marlee has contributed to various magazines and blogs, including Borgen Magazine, Echo Magazine, Chicago Ideas Week, Assuaged, and Peaceful Dumpling. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, and just sitting down with a good book.
References
Howard, L. (2019, January 19). Reduce Pain and Discomfort with These Poses for the Pelvis. Yoga Journal. https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/anatomy/pelvis/reduce-pain-and-discomfort-poses-pelvis/
Huang, A. J., Chesney, M., Schembri, M., Raghunathan, H., Vittinghoff, E., Wendy Berry Mendes, Pawlowsky, S., & Subak, L. L. (2024). Efficacy of a Therapeutic Pelvic Yoga Program Versus a Physical Conditioning Program on Urinary Incontinence in Women. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.7326/m23-3051
MSN. (2024). Msn.com. https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/new-stanford-study-shows-pelvic-floor-yoga-can-reduce-bladder-leaks-by-65-try-these-easy-today/ar-AA1rN4MY?ocid=BingNewsVerp
Bell, L. (2021, September 24). Yoga and Mental Health: Why and How It Helps - James Kirk Bernard Foundation. James Kirk Bernard Foundation; https://jameskirkbernardfoundation.org/wp-content/themes/jkbf/jkbf. https://jameskirkbernardfoundation.org/newsletter/yoga-and-mental-health-why-and-how-it-helps/?gclid=CjwKCAjwvsqZBhAlEiwAqAHElUugQY2xNm81zfyTPrAtihUWMOHMPSysyBquoWD7tJ7xAUXi63qzGRoCddgQAvD_BwE
Disclaimer
Information provided on the Aeroflow Urology blog is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or care from a healthcare professional. Aeroflow recommends consulting your healthcare provider if you are experiencing medical issues relating to incontinence.
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