How To Relax Pelvic Floor Muscles: The what, why, when & how of pelvic floor relaxation & the FBB - from a Pelvic Physio.
Check-in on your butthole. Is it tight? Can you let it go?
Read on to see why this should be part of your regular practice, how to relax pelvic floor muscles and fully embrace the flower bloom breath.
Why bother relaxing at all?
In clinic, I’ve had this question literally hundreds of times. There’s this assumption that your pelvic floor muscles should be tight at all times.
See: patriarchy, porn and general misinformation.
However, much like every muscle and group of muscles in the body, the pelvic floor needs to fully relax and fully contract for optimal function.
Think about if you’re walking around with your upper traps (muscles between your shoulders and neck) super tight and your shoulders very high.
Will this improve the strength of your traps? No. Will it cause discomfort, pain, dysfunction and fatigue? Likely. Yes.
The same goes for your pelvic floor.
A lot of pelvic floor issues are actually due to the presence of tension, rather than weakness.
Tension in the pelvic floor can cause a variety of symptoms including:
urine leaks ( incontinence )
Inability to hold pee in when urge starts ( urinary urgency )
inability to hold in a toot
pelvic pain
Low back pain
pain with intercourse
pain with inserting a tampon/ menstrual cup
Often, symptoms of pelvic floor tension can be mistaken for weakness. In this case, strengthening the pelvic floor with Kegels won’t improve the symptoms and can even make things worse.
How do you know for sure if your problem is tension or weakness?
An internal exam by a qualified pelvic floor physio alongside a detailed subjective history. However, starting with learning how to relax pelvic floor muscles using the flower bloom breathing is always a great place to start to see if it helps alleviate some of your symptoms.
What is a Flower Bloom Breath and HOW do you do it?
In the absence of an assessment with a pelvic physio, here are some tips that will help you to learn how to relax pelvic floor muscles. Some call it a flower bloom breath or FBB, some call it a reverse Kegel but the goal is the same- relaxation.
It all starts with your breath.
Picture your abdomen as a pop can. The sides of the can are your trans abs which wraps around your midsection like a corset and lies beneath your 6-pack ab muscles. That is bordered on the top by your diaphragm and the bottom of the can is represented by your pelvic floor musculature.
As you breathe into your diaphragm, it lowers and puts pressure through your abdominal contents. That in turn helps to transfer pressure down towards your pelvic floor.
If you’re still here. GREAT. Here’s where the bloom breath comes into play. We are going to use that pressure as a tool.
So. As you inhale into your ribs and belly, you are going to RELAX your pelvic floor at the same time. Picture your vulva or vaginal opening blooming open like a flower as you INHALE. As you exhale, leave that flower open, inhale again and see if there is any tension left. At this stage, it’s just a relaxation breath.
**Note: there is no downward pressure or “bearing down” in any part of this breath. It’s more of a “release of gas and/or urine” feeling.
How to relax pelvic floor muscles using the FBB:
Step 1:
Inhale into your belly and ribs while keeping your stomach muscles soft- you can place your hands around your bra line for feedback.
Step 2:
Lengthen or slow down your breath (try 7 seconds in, 7 seconds out) rather than trying to hyper inflate your lungs
Step 3:
Relax your pelvic floor on your inhale - think letting go of gas and urine or blooming a flower from your vulva
Step 4:
Repeat - if you feel tension or “holding”, make sure you let it go without forcing it, and transition into a relaxation breath where everything is soft (abdomen, pelvic floor, hips, glutes etc).
Helpful positions:
Deep squat (think Buddha position)
Child’s pose
Cat cow
Any relaxed position
Can do in any position once you feel like you’ve made the connection
When should I do it?
Ideally, every day throughout the day when you think of it. You don’t need to be relaxed all day but you should occasionally check in to see if you can do a couple of FBB to bring it back to ground level.
Additionally, breathing this way for 5-10 min as you sit in stillness (aka meditation) can be a nice way to help with both the mental and physical implications of having a tight pelvic floor.
Why is the FBB helpful?
A flower bloom breath is the act of relaxing the tension in your pelvic floor. Think unclenching your fist. Once you learn how to relax pelvic floor muscles, this allows you to have improved endurance, strength, coordination and reduction in symptoms.
A necessary skill for birth preparation.
This relaxation exercise is also especially important to help you connect with your pelvic floor in preparation for labour and delivery.
Learning to relax these muscles throughout pregnancy and during pushing can help reduce your active pushing time and reduce adverse effects following birth. Think “opening the door” for baby to exit.
If you’ve never needed a reason to relax your butthole. Now you do. You’re welcome.
Here for you and your hive,
- Laine
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Kadah, S. et al. Is there a difference in pelvic floor muscle tone between women with and without pelvic pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sex Med. 2023; 14;20(1):65-96.
Kadah S. et al. Are pelvic pain and increased pelvic floor muscle tone associated in women with persistent noncancer pelvic pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sex Med. 2023; 25;20(9):1206-1221.
Thibault- Gagnon, S. And Morin, M. Active and Passive Components of Pelvic Floor Muscle Tone in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia: A Perspective Based on a Review of the Literature. J Sex Med. 2015; 12(11):2178-89.
About the Author: Laine Wall
If you are looking for a pelvic physio, I would love to help you on your pelvic health journey.
I work out of, and own, a pelvic physiotherapy clinic called The Hive Pelvic Health Co. in Millbrook, Ontario and also offer virtual appointments if you reside in Ontario, Canada.
Have more questions? Get in touch with me.
The Hive Pelvic Health Co. is located in the township of Cavan-Monaghan, in Peterborough County; and is less than 20 minutes from the city of Peterborough and 30 minutes from Durham region.
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