Watch the following Session Video and read the accompanying article below to find out tips and techniques to help open and bring awareness to the pelvic floor.

Take note that the Mikasa ball opening may not be right for all of your clients. You may have to start with something a bit more gentle; the SmartSpine™ globe or a folded washcloth might work. This is especially the case if they have any dysfunction in the pelvic floor and/or pelvis. Pay attention to what Casey is seeing and the questions she is asking Jen.

CORE ACTIVATION / THE PELVIC FLOOR

by Jennifer Gianni

In Pilates, teaching clients how to visualize, feel, fire, and stabilize with their core musculature is of top priority. This can be very challenging because of the detailed information and the subtleties of the core and how it fires. It can sometimes feel like we are giving an anatomy lesson to our clients and that there isn’t a lot of movement going on. This can be a bit frustrating to most clients, and can also be an overload of information. With most of your clients, you should give them spoonfuls of information each time they come and try to focus on just one or two concepts in each session. For you, the instructor, it is important to take time to understand the anatomy and how all these incredible structures work in a constant synchronized dance.

Core/local muscles are the muscles that are closest (proximal) to the skeleton, and they are present from the crown of our head to the tips of our toes. As movement instructors, we are most concerned with the core musculature around our lumbo/pelvic hip area. This is where we hold our center of gravity and where movement is initiated.

There are five main core muscles that we concentrate on and that make up our core cylinder: the diaphragm, the transverse abdominis (TA), the multifidus, the pelvic floor, and the psoas major. When contracting or firing core structures there are three rules to remember: 1) the core responds to a neutral, home position; 2) the core loves elongated, tension-free breath; and 3) the core loves little to no weight. So next time you start your client with the hundreds on the reformer with most or all of the springs—think again! The core does not bring you into movement. It stabilizes and hugs the skeleton. It protects the skeleton for movement. Core is brain work and a stability challenge. This post will concentrate on the pelvic floor specifically and in the following post we will detail the other four major players.

The diaphragm, which we talked about extensively in a previous post, makes up the top of our core cylinder. On the inhale, when the diaphragm is pulled down, it contracts—and on the exhale, as it rises up, it relaxes. The bottom of our core cylinder is the pelvic floor and it works in synchronicity with the diaphragm. They chase each other, but their muscle fiber contraction oppose one another. On the inhale, the diaphragm and pelvic floor lower; the diaphragm is contracting and the pelvic floor is releasing. On the exhale, the diaphragm and the pelvic floor float up; the diaphragm is releasing and the pelvic floor is contracting.

In our upright posture, the pelvic floor has a very important, dual function: support the lower abdomen and serve as a passageway out. When we as animals walked on four feet, the pelvic floor muscles had a very different purpose and relationship with gravity. For a four-footed animal, the pelvic floor acts as a closure system for horizontally placed organs that are supported by a strong abdominal wall and pubic bone. For an upright posture, the pelvic floor has much more responsibility and is completely subject to the force of gravity.

In simple terms, the pelvic floor is arranged in two layers: a superficial (perineum) and a deep layer (pelvic diaphragm). In the female, there are three orifices that go into and through the pelvic floor: the urethra, vagina, and anus.

Please try to imagine the more global picture of the pelvic floor anatomy. It is not only supports layers, but it helps to shape and position the contents of the pelvic bowl. The pelvic floor does not only include the much talked about levator ani muscles, but also parts of the vagina, urethra, rectum, and their sphincters, as well as endopelvic fascia, ligaments, neural tissue, and blood vessels. This structure works as a whole, and a change in one area is felt throughout the whole. This is seen to a great extent throughout pregnancy and post-pregnancy, but unfortunately it is made especially clear when one prolapses an organ in the pelvic bowl, or has to have a hysterectomy or any type of pelvic surgery.

The pelvic floor muscles are like every other muscle in the body: they are only strong when they are balanced. A program where you are working both the contraction and elasticity of the pelvic floor in a synchronized way is essential.

Here is an example of a balanced pelvic floor exercise.

Pelvic Floor Trampoline
• Start seated on a blanket, stool, or stability ball.
• Feel all the bony landmarks of your pelvic floor: the pubic bone, tailbone, and two sitting bones. This is your pelvic diamond.
• Inhale and send the breath down into the pelvic diamond. Feel the floor under you spread.
• Exhale and without gripping the behind or moving the bones, lift the floor from all the pelvic side walls like a Chinese lantern.
• Inhale, float the pelvic floor down, dilating it into the floor under you.
• Exhale softly with an open mouth and lift the pelvic floor.
• Continue for 8 to 10 breath cycles.

Make sure to initial and date that you have completed Session 8 in your Master Log.