Menopause metamorphosis: The Pelvic floor

Today we begin a series of episodes on the metamorphosis of menopause and perimenopause.

and how  to use yoga and the principles behind a yoga lifestyle to tap into a deeper well of wellness for longevity and health beyond what the eyes can see.

In this series we’ll touch on 5 areas and perhaps more

Pelvic floor and bone health

Brain and gut health

Sleep

Why is this important? Why should we care? Isn’t menopause just the end of your period every month?

Turns out even though women live longer than men, we don’t live healthier than men.  statistically women spend the last 10-20 years of their lives in poorer health than men.

Women post menopause have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, chronic pain, inflammation, dementia, depression, anxiety and Alzheimers. 

And that’s because estrogen is protective and there are estrogen receptors everywhere in the body And when that goes away it changes every system we have from digestion to cognition, from metabolism to sleep. 

But menopause isn’t a disease.

Menopause is a transformation not an ending, it’s not a pathology, there’s nothing wrong with you, it's a metamorphosis.  

Today we discuss the pelvic floor

As a part of my mission to bring a legacy of resilience through movement, each month you can join me for a hike on the bike trail followed by a free trauma informed vinyasa class back at the studio on Main Street. Go to savagegracecoaching.com to see the calendar and join my newsletter, Yoga Life on Main Street, to stay up to date on all the latest studio news, events and gossip. And now… on to this week’s episode.

It’s time to stop working out and start working IN. You found the Work IN podcast for fit-preneurs and their health conscious clients. This podcast is for resilient wellness professionals who want to expand their professional credibility, shake off stress and thrive in a burnout-proof career with conversations on the fitness industry, movement, nutrition, sleep, mindset, nervous system health, yoga, business and so much more.

I’m your host Ericka Thomas. I'm a resilience coach and fit-preneur offering an authentic, actionable realistic approach to personal and professional balance for coaches in any format.

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Transcript

Today we begin a series of episodes on the metamorphosis of menopause and perimenopause.

and how  to use yoga and the principles behind a yoga lifestyle to tap into a deeper well of wellness for longevity and health beyond what the eyes can see.

In this series we’ll touch on 5 areas and perhaps more

Pelvic floor and bone health

Brain and gut health

Sleep

Why is this important? Why should we care? Isn’t menopause just the end of your period every month? Nope.

Turns out even though women live longer than men, we don’t live healthier than men.  statistically women spend the last 10-20 years of their lives in poorer health than men.

Women post menopause have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, chronic pain, inflammation, dementia, depression, anxiety and Alzheimers. 

And that’s because estrogen is protective and there are estrogen receptors everywhere in the body And when that goes away it changes every system we have from digestion to cognition, from metabolism to sleep. 

But menopause isn’t a disease.

Menopause is a transformation not an ending, it’s not a pathology, there’s nothing wrong with you, it's a metamorphosis.  

Retroactive classification. 12 months without a period.

It can last anywhere from 1-15 years

Because we have estrogen receptors in cells of every system, we can find symptoms in every system. Even systems we don’t normally associate with menopause.

First and foremost in all things wellness, we are trying to support our body, every system, we want to make things easier not harder.  If we approach the body always with the intention to make it easier for it to do its job we can get a lot farther faster than if we fight every sensation. You don’t need a prescription for that.

I’m not a doctor. I'm not diagnosing or treating or prescribing anything today. This is simply information. That might spark conversation with your healthcare provider and give you ways to build a better awareness and understanding of your body.

Today we discuss all things pelvic floor 

Pelvic Floor 

In Yoga this area is 1st Chakra + 2nd Chakra The energy of our physical self, our home and family and the center of creativity, desire and sensuality and flow and how we move through the world. Our right to be and our right to feel.

Pelvic Floor dysfunction = commonly urogenital atrophy. Atrophy is the word you need to hear there. Pelvic floor is made up of a network or sling of muscles that hold and support our organs. Atrophy is caused by disuse or over use in inefficient patterns. Uro genitsl atrophy includes the vagina and the sphincter muscles of the urethra and rectum.  They are all muscles.  And like all muscles when you ignore them or take them for granted or they have been injured by physical trauma to the area (childbirth, sex, surgeries) the can and will atrophy.

That shows up in a lot of ways…

Pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence (urinary and bowel) vaginal dryness, low libido, pain during intercourse, (ED in men)Low back pain and instability through the hips.

Sexual trauma and our personal sexual histories play a role here. These are our bathroom and bedroom muscles and they are private and intimate. Society, how and what we were taught about sex, how we were tended to after childbirth all affect not only how we feel emotionally about this intimate area of our body but how physically healthy and connected it is.

This bio psycho social environment can contribute to becoming Armored + guarded physicall around sexuality and energetically around our sensuality. We can cut ourselves off from our sexual organs so much that the only medical option available is cutting them out (as in pelvic organ prolapse). 

But that doesn’t have to happen.

A strong muscle (no matter where it is in the body) is able to fully contract and fully relax. Has better blood flow and lubrication. And the vagina is a muscle like any other that we can use to access other pelvic floor muscles. Assuming we can get past all the shame programming.

Most of the time we think we need to strengthen the pelvic floor (because of POP) but those muscles can get too tight also. Which can happen with kegels done incorrectly. What we need is to bring awareness and connect to them to figure this out.

Off the mat that might look like pelvic floor therapy or yoni massage or jade egg work. Which I’ve discussed before on this podcast.

In yoga asana and practice the pelvic floor is critical to our core and foundation. I think of it like the keystone of a bridge. You can’t ignore that area of the core for a complete practice and yet we do. Shout out to all my pilates instructors out there! Without the pelvic floor the body will recruit and over use other muscles like psoas and low back.

But how do we get to it on the mat? Here’s how I do it and cue it.

Dynamic tension in standing postures by stretching the mat, sliding feet in, creating isometric push pull within the body and wrapping the muscle around the bone 

Activating the adductors by using a block above the knees between the thighs in planks, chair squats and other core asana

Lift and relax the pelvic floor through the breath visualizing the lift with a tissue, drawing up and in and then releasing.

Contract the vagina then the transverse abdominis then abs when activating the core in crunches or leg lifts, feeling the lift in stable plank positions. 

Activate the deep fascia lines by placing the tongue on the roof of your mouth during core work.

What this really is, is intentional muscle activation.  And it benefits us beyond simply the support for the pelvic floor. It also helps support our bone health as well. Thats’ next week's topic. So we’ll pick it up there. 

Thanks for listening! If you like what you heard and are curious about how you can start your own work in through trauma informed yoga and trauma release exercise go to savagegracecoaching.com/theworkin for all today's show notes and links to book a discovery call. I work privately online and in person with people just like you who want to get better health results beyond what the eyes can see.