How To Find Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
The pelvic floor is a vital group of muscles that plays an important role in our daily lives. Many people are unaware that they have muscles down there and never pay attention to them until a problem arises. Which is really the way it should be. Then, suddenly, we have a problem, and it is actually good to become aware of your pelvic floor, because problems can create bad habits that can lead to 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.
This article was written to help people find their pelvic floor muscles. Some other instances where people may ask the question of where and what the pelvic floor is may include:
 Trying to understand the information we find online |  Wondering what is considered normal |
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 Seeking to identify the best type of healthcare provider for help |  Preparing to discuss our symptoms with a healthcare provider |
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. Let's take a moment to introduce you to your pelvic floor muscles.
Where are the pelvic floor muscles situated?
 The pelvic floor is situated at the bottom of the pelvic and sacral bones |  The two bones you sit on provide solid attachments for the pelvic floor muscles on either side |
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 At the front, the pelvic floor muscles converge under and behind the pubic bone, resembling the bow of a boat |  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 is a fun muscle to define.
 The pelvic floor consists of three layers. |  The pelvic floor is like a sling with holes in |
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 The pelvic floor resembles a spider web, connecting with other structures through fascial attachments. |  The deepest layer can be seen as cupped hands that hold our organs in place |
 It is flexible, like a trampoline, moving up and down as you breathe |
Now that I understand where my pelvic floor muscles are located and what they may look like, how can I feel them?
Awareness - The Secret To Success
When you have a problem, being aware of your pelvic floor and being able to feel how it functions is helpful for making changes to it.
We are going to offer you several options to help you find and learn more about what your pelvic floor is doing during everyday movements and activities. The goal of sharing these exercises is to encourage you to try them independently or practice them with your pelvic floor therapist.
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:
Can you feel the subtle connection between your pelvic floor and places far away in your body?
Don't worry if you cannot feel any of them, but try it a few times if you struggle; you may just be surprised!
 Sit upright but relaxed in a chair with you feet flat on the floor |  Now curl your toes and see if you can feel the subtle increase in activity in your pelvic floor |
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 Tilt your head down slightly and hold a slight squint so that your eyelids vibrate and see if you feel the connection to your pelvic floor |  Push your tongue hard up against the roof of your mouth and see if you feel your pelvic floor act in unison |
 Push your finger tips together and feel the subtle awareness down there |
2. Isolating your pelvic floor muscles by performing a Kegel
Awareness:
Now that you can feel the connection down there, can you isolate and squeeze your pelvic floor muscles?
 Start by lying on your back with your legs bent |  Now pull the muscles between your legs up and in |
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 This is also called a Kegel |  You could imagine you stop the flow of urine |
 Or that you are stopping gas from escaping |  Stay very relaxed when you try this |
 Let go fully after each squeeze |
It is important that you can isolate your pelvic floor muscles. Repeat the same activity above and see if you can squeeze only your pelvic floor muscles, without:
 Squeezing your knees together |  Tightening your buttock muscles |
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 Pulling your tummy in |  Or holding your breath |
3. Discovering the nuances of the pelvic floor
Awareness:
Can you feel the difference between focussing on the front vs the back of you pelvic floor muscles?
This one can be tricky - even though the pelvic floor has three layers - two in the front and one big one underneath - they operate as one. But the spincters should be able to operate seperately. So don't overthink the seperate functions of the pelvic floor.
 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 floor |  |
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Now squeeze the back part as if you are going to stop gas. Tip: Keep your head flat on the floor |
Awareness:
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, |
 or sitting with rounded back |
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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 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 |
 If you have trouble feeling your pelvic floor with this exercise, |  try doing more a belly breath for this exercise only. |
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Can you feel now when your pelvic floor bulges? |
Does your pelvic floor bulge when you breathe in or when you breathe out?
Answer:
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 |
5. A pelvic floor stretch
For this stretch you need to find your sitz bones:
The two bones you sit on are also known as your sitz/sits bones |  There they are at the bottom - also called ishial tuberosities |
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The top two layers of your pelvic floor attaches directly to the sitz bones |  So, if you can pull those bones apart, you are performing a stretch to the first two layers of your pelvic floor |
Make sure you sit upright on the sitz bones and not on your tailbone when you do this exercise |  For this exercise, you need to sit upright on a soft but solid chair |
 Now cup your hands |  Put your hands under your sitz bones and wiggle around to feel the bones. They may feel like two golf balls |
Play around in this position, moving and tilting your pelvis to see what happens in your hands. Before we show you the stretch, see if you can answer the following question:
Quiz: | What happens with your sitz bone when you... |
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 Sit with a rounded back, | |
 Sit with an arched back? |
Sitz bone sitting posture answer:
When you sit with a rounded back your sitz bones move closer together | And when you sit with an arched back, they move further apart |
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 How can I apply this information? |  Arching your spine periodically during your day can add a quick stretch/release to your pelvic floor |
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Now back to the stretch:
Remove both hands from under your bottom | Reposition in your upright sitting position |
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 Pull the sitz bone you are sitting on out to the side. Slowly pull your hand out, so that you can sit down on that pulled-out-to-the-side sitz bone |  Now reposition one hand around one sitz bone with your elbow sticking out to your side |
Now repeat with the other sitz bone | Both bones you are sitting on, should now be pulled out to the sides. |
 That is a pelvic floor stretch. Can you feel the subtle stretch? | With the soft tissue pulled to the side, it may feel like you are sitting right on the bones |
 Don't stay there too long because you are not sitting on your natural padding |  If it gives you relief, then you can carefully add this to your stretching progam. Overdoing this stretch can hurt your pudendal nerve. |
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?
