How To Find Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
The pelvic floor consists of a crucial group of muscles that play an important role in our daily lives. Usually people are unaware of these muscles and don't pay attention to them until a problem arises.
It does help to understand how your pelvic floor works when you have pelvic floor dysfunction.
Examples of pelvic floor dysfunction may include bowel or bladder problems or sexual dysfunction.
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Once you realize that your pelvic floor may be playing a role in your problem, many get stuck because they have no idea where their pelvic floor is, what it looks like, or what the function of the pelvic floor is.
Let's dive into finding your pelvic floor muscles.
The pelvic floor muscles are part of a group of postural muscles, many of which are hidden and perform their functions without us even noticing.
Where are the pelvic floor muscles situated?
 When you sit down, you sit on your pelvic floor |  It's almost like when you turn a drum upside down: the shell of the drum represents your skeleton, while the drumhead represents your pelvic floor |
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 The bones at the bottom of your skeleton form solid attachments for the pelvic floor. At the back you have the tailbone, in the front you have the pubic bone, and on the sides you have the pelvic bones. The two round bottoms of the pelvic bones are called the sits bones |
 The two sits bones support the pelvic floor from the sides, resembling a hammock support structure |  At the front, the pelvic floor muscles converge under and behind the pubic bone, resembling the bow of a boat |
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 The tailbone and bottom part of the sacrum holds the pelvic floor muscles together at the back |
What do the pelvic floor muscles look like?
The pelvic floor muscles are fun to describe.
 The pelvic floor can be described like a sling with holes in |  The pelvic floor resembles a spider web, connecting with other structures through fascial attachments |
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 It is flexible, like a trampoline, moving up and down as you breathe |  The deepest layer of the pelvic floor muscles can be seen as cupped hands that hold our organs in place |
Now that I understand where my pelvic floor muscles are located and what they may look like, how can I feel them?
First try and feel your pelvic floor with your finger:
 Let's use this fun picture to help us out |  Now put a finger in the space between your anus and your genitals |
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 Next, pull the muscles between your legs up and in using the cue "stop the pee" and "stop gas" | The tissue that moves up when you pull up and in, are your pelvic floor muscles |
 This action of pulling your pelvic floor muscles up and in is also called a Kegel |
Awareness - The Secret To Success
When experiencing issues like bowel, bladder, or sexual dysfunction, understanding how your pelvic floor works and its functions can be beneficial in making positive changes.
We will provide you with several resources to help you learn about your pelvic floor and how it engages during everyday movements and activities. The aim of sharing these exercises is to encourage you to practice them on your own or with the guidance of your pelvic floor therapist. (We may be repeating some instructions for clarity while performing the steps of an activity.)
They say climbing a mountain is harder than you think. Developing pelvic floor awareness may be a little like that. This process may be challenging at first, and everyone has different levels of awareness, so be patient with yourself as you engage in the suggested activities.
Pelvic Floor Awareness
Activities
1. Pelvic floor/fascia connection
We are one whole body and everything is connected through fascia. We invite you to see if you can feel this wonderous connection while introducing you to our first awareness activity:
Awareness Activity:
Can you feel the subtle connection between your pelvic floor and places far away in your body?
Don't worry if you cannot feel the connection between your pelvic floor and any of the following areas, but try a few times if you struggle; you may be surprised by what you notice. It's important to understand that the sensation of connection to your pelvic floor can be very subtle, almost as if it isn't there at all.
 Sit upright but relaxed in a chair with you feet flat on the floor |  While keeping your whole body relaxed and not moving, curl your toes and see if you can feel the subtle increase in activity in your pelvic floor |
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 Push your finger tips together and feel the subtle awareness in your pelvic floor as you push and let go |  Gently squint your eyes and make your eyelids vibrate and see if you can feel the connection to your pelvic floor - warning - the feeling is very subtle |
 Push your tongue hard up against the roof of your mouth, or swallow, and see if you feel your pelvic floor act in unison |
2. Performing an isolated pelvic floor muscle squeeze
Awareness Activity:
Can you squeeze only your pelvic floor muscles while keeping all other muscles relaxed?
 Start by lying on your back with your legs bent |  Now pull the muscles between your legs up and in |
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 And then fully relax |  Remember, this muscle movement is also called a Kegel |
Make sure you are only contracting your pelvic floor muscles |  Don't let other muscles around it come along for the ride - such as your stomach muscles, buttocks, or the muscles inside your thighs |
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 If you struggle... |  Make sure you stay very relaxed when you try this |
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 You could use the cue "stop the pee" |  Or the cue "stop the gas" |
Recap:
It is important that you can isolate your pelvic floor muscles - making only them move. Repeat the same activity as above, while avoiding doing the following:
While performing the isolated Kegel, |  Avoid squeezing your knees together |
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 Tightening your buttock muscles |  Pulling your tummy in |
 Or holding your breath |
3. Discovering the nuances of the pelvic floor
Awareness Activity:
Can you distinguish between contracting the front and back of your pelvic floor muscles?
When performing Kegel exercises, many people tend to engage primarily the back part of their pelvic floor. Instead, focus on contracting the front part of your pelvic floor, which is more closely associated with urination, and then more the back part, which is linked to the anal canal.
 Continue to lie on your back with your legs bent |  Squeeze the front part as if you are going to stop the pee. Tip: For some it helps to lift their head slightly off the ground |
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 | Now squeeze the back part as if you are going to stop gas. Tip: Keep your head flat on the ground |
Awareness Activity:
Can you notice a difference in the strength of a Kegel when your pelvis is in different positions?
Do a Kegel while assuming the suggested positions below, and observe which position allows for a stronger squeeze.
 Sitting upright | |
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 Leaning forward, |  Sitting with arched back |
 And sitting with rounded back |
In which of the above positions can you most effectively squeeze the corresponding sphincter to stop urination or gas?
 Now repeat the above exercise and see |  In which of the various body positions |
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Do you get a better contraction - front pelvic floor or back pelvic floor? |
Does your pelvic floor bulge when you breathe in or when you breathe out?
Leakage when you cough:
4. Pelvic floor/diaphragm connection
Start by lying on your back again with your knees bent and all of your muscles relaxed | Breathe in and out until you find a calm rythm. Once you have the rythm, start paying attention to your pelvic floor and see if you can feel it move with your breaths. |
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Once you think you can feel your pelvic floor move with your breath, ask yourself the following question: |
Question: Does your pelvic floor bulge when you breathe in or when you breathe out?
Now, try to notice if your pelvic floor slightly bulges with your in-breath or out-breath. Also, observe the opposite: when does it return to neutral, on the in-breath or out-breath? |  The answer will be at the end of this section |
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If you have trouble feeling your pelvic floor with this exercise, |  try doing more a belly breath for this exercise only. (We will explain later why we do not encourage belly breaths) |
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Can you now feel when your pelvic floor bulges? If you still cannot feel it, look at the answer |  Sometimes the brain can feel the connection, once it know the answer |
Does your pelvic floor bulge when you breathe in or when you breathe out?
Answer:
The pelvic floor bulges slightly as you breathe IN | Maybe repeat to try and feel it again, before we explain why this is the case |
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The pelvic floor bulges slightly as you breathe IN |  Because the pelvic floor works in tandem |
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As you take a breath in, both your diaphragm and pelvic floor moves down |  With your diaphragm |
The pelvic floor bulges slightly as you breathe IN | Because the pelvic floor works in tandem |
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With your diaphragm | As you take a breath in, both your diaphragm and pelvic floor moves down |
 When you take a breath your lungs expand |  Just like filling a balloon |
 resulting in the pelvic floor bulging when you breathe in and going back to its resting position when you breathe out. | If you want to, try again and see if you can feel it |
The pelvic floor bulges slightly as you breathe in | Your pelvic floor, |
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works in tandem | with your diaphragm. |
As you take a breath in, both your diaphragm and pelvic floor moves down | resulting in the pelvic floor bulging when you breathe in and going back to its resting position when you breathe out. |
to provide space for all that air that moved in, | If you want to, try again and see if you can feel it |
The pelvic floor bulges slightly as you breathe in | Your pelvic floor, |
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works in tandem | with your diaphragm. |
As you take a breath in, both your diaphragm and pelvic floor moves down | resulting in the pelvic floor bulging when you breathe in and going back to its resting position when you breathe out. |
to provide space for all that air that moved in, | If you want to, try again and see if you can feel it |
Leakage when you cough:
Sitz bone sitting posture answer:
6. Pelvic floor awareness during your
day-to-day activities
As you go through your day, use your awareness to see if you can feel your pelvic floor. Is it always working the same way? Are you able to relax it when you are doing light activities or when you are not doing anything?
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What do you think? Do you think you were able to find your pelvic floor?
