Patterns in the body that lead to poor pelvic position:
• Inability to move, compress or expand the rib cage
• Inability to relax the neck and allow the head to wobble freely
• Overlengthened or stretched hamstrings that allow the pelvis to tip or fall forward, putting excess pressure,
shortening, or tightening of the pelvic floor.
• Butt gripping when standing. If you are squeezing your butt all day, then you are squeezing, shortening, or tightening your pelvic floor.
• Wearing clothing or pants that increase
pressure around your middle (like high waisted yoga pants). High waisted pants make it easier to create a downward pressure or “push” into the pelvic floor, decreasing your ability to support its rise and fall.
• Poor footwear. Flip
flops, Ugg boots, Crocs…? Say goodbye to your pelvic floor. Your body needs to be able to sense and feel the floor. The more grounded to the floor you become, the better your pelvic floor becomes.
• Belly breathing. The pelvic floor
lowers with each inhale and rises with each exhale. Belly breathing places the abdominals at a mechanical disadvantage or lengthened position, therefore causing the diaphragm to remain flattened as well. The respiratory diaphragm and
the pelvic diaphragm are BFFs. If the respiratory diaphragm is flattened and cannot rise due to weak abdominal engagement, then the pelvic floor also remains in a flattened or lengthened state and now you have a bottomed-out trampoline
that lost support.
• Socks on hard wood floors decrease the friction between your foot and the floor and are likely to put way more pressure on your pelvic floor. So instead of sensing the ground and gripping with your feet, you must
grip your pelvic floor, hips and back to prevent extra slipping underneath your feet. If your feet are cold, try a sock with grip on the bottom.