Women's Health: Let's Talk Pelvis
Last night I hosted a Zoom meeting with many beautiful women from our online Yoga community. We came together to discuss pelvic floor health, and other ideas around women's health. None of us was an expert on the topic, but we all had some experience to bring to the table.
With this topic comes a certain sense of shyness and even embarrassment. This issue involves personal and intimate details and sharing in a group is a courageous act. It seems that talking about these issues amongst ourselves is how most of us become educated and I am grateful this group came together and shared.
I want to share my take-aways with hope that other women might benefit from the discussion. Many of us grew up with too much taboo around this subject and our questions never got answered. I hope this discussion and this Blog will open up the conversation so we don't feel alone in our search for information and knowledge about this part of our bodies.
Why is it we feel so shy to discuss our vaginas? How can we acknowledge, and better understand our sexual organs? Can we call them by their proper names? Do we even understand our anatomy and how it works?
We often refer to that area as 'down there' or private parts or other slang terms.
Do we feel free to explore that area? Do we know what it looks like? Feels like? Do we have a sense of what is normal? Are we aware when our bodies are showing us irregularities?
Some of the issues women might have to deal with include: prolapsed uterus, incontinence, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, prolapsed anus, dryness, lack of libido, relationships/intimacy, shame, guilt, pelvic pain or discomfort, spotting, flooding, sexual abuse, menopause, surgery, hemorrhoids, fibroids and I am sure there are many others.
Opening up the conversation is a start, but clearly there is a LOT to cover.
What about Kegels? Pelvic floor physiotherapy? Masturbation? Queefing? Do we know about these things? How do we learn about them?
I think Yoga allows us a way to explore our body; gives us some neutral ground. Our practice can be a safe place for us to get curious about ourselves. In Yoga we get to be inquisitive about all our bits and pieces.
If we want to understand more about our pelvic area, we can begin to include it in our awareness when we spend time on our mat.
When we do our Asana practice, we can bring our attention to the pelvis. Visualize the way the femur bones sit in their ball sockets. The pubic bone resting at the front and the tailbone and the sacrum at the back. The two wing bones of the pelvis resting off of the sacrum, under the buttocks. We can imagine all the layers of tissue inside the pelvis, the muscles, the tendons, the ligaments and the space. There are areas where movement occurs; contraction and release.
Connecting with our bodies on the mat is a beautiful place to begin exploration.
On or off the mat, can we allow ourselves to be aware of the physical structure, the anatomy and the function of this part of the body?
Our pelvis is not static. It moves. It is connected to our bowels and it is where some of our sexual experience is felt.
When we start to open up this can of worms we see there really is so much to discover. Let us build a relationship with this area! Can we make friends with it?
I encourage you when you are on your mat, doing your practice of Asanas, that you don't omit this region. Let your attention stay there for some time. Witness it. Explore it. Feel into it. Allow yourself to get to know yourself 'down there'. Just in the same way you would explore your foot, or your shoulder.
Don't try to figure anything out. You don't have to fix or solve anything. Start by just building connection and relationship to this part of the body.
Other ideas we explored in our conversation last night worth noting:
1- Do some research about pelvic floor physio in your area. Or sex therapists. Maybe you can find classes or courses to educate yourself about pelvic floor health, or other aspects of health relating to the sex organs/ reproductive health.
2- There are books and shows and movies you can explore to educate yourself and become more familiar with these topics. Some books that has been recommended to me are Vagina by Naimo Wolf and Woman's Anatomy of Arousal.
3- Learning to engage our muscles within the pelvic floor; using them, exploring them, connecting to them; helps with incontinence and can prevent prolapse and other problems, as well as increase sexual pleasure and orgasm.
4- Locally, in Oceanside area here on Vancouver island, there is a store called Sex Positive and they are in the business of education and healing. A friend of mine recommends a pelvic floor therapist at Tapestry, in Nanaimo.
I would love to know if any of you have other ideas, tips, and insights to share. Please email me if you have more information you would like me to share.
May we all fall in love with our bodies and make friends with ourselves.
Happy exploring!
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