Originally published on March 2, 2022 by Vital Physiotherapy & Wellness, now part of the Bravella Health network. Original author: Vital Physiotherapy and Wellness.
Did you know that meditation can support your pelvic floor?
Your pelvic floor receives direct input from your fight or flight system. Fight or flight system was designed to keep us safe. Historically this meant running away from tigers, bears and other real threats to our safety. When we were running away it didn’t make sense stop to urinate move our bowels or be intimate with our partners so our public floors contracted as we ran. nowadays when are nervous system experiences stress (pandemic, traffic, being woken up by a 2 year old at 5 a.m.) Our pelvic floor responds in the same way because our nervous systems up regulated.[1] Instead of just teaching our pelvic floor to relax and unwind using a nervous system down regulation technique like meditation helps resolve the cause of the up regulation not just the symptoms.
Meditation decreases stress and sympathetic activation.[2] Diaphragmatic breathing duly down-regulates the fight or flight system AND kicks in the rest and digest nervous system.[3] When your pelvic floor is “acting up”, it can help to take a deep breath and meditate.
Even though it might be the last thing you want to do when you’re in pain, you can help put out the fire by slowing down, breathing deeply and taking some time to meditate. It’s not “just in your head,” it’s in your nervous system.[4]
References
- van der Velde J, Laan E, Everaerd W. Vaginismus, a component of a general defensive reaction: an investigation of pelvic floor muscle activity during exposure to emotion-inducing film excerpts in women with and without vaginismus. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2001;12(5):328-331. doi:10.1007/s001920170035
- Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EMS, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(3):357-368. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018
- Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353
- Moseley GL, Butler DS. Fifteen years of explaining pain: the past, present, and future. J Pain. 2015;16(9):807-813. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2015.05.005
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