Kegels vs. Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health: Which is better?
At the first sign of pelvic floor dysfunction, we're all told to 'do our Kegels'. In fact, many of us believe we should be doing a certain amount of Kegels each day to maintain our pelvic floor functioning. However, kegels are NOT the only way you can address your pelvic floor health. Yoga is also an incredible tool to heal pelvic floor dysfunction and maintain a well-balanced pelvic floor and stable core.
Kegels and yoga are both widely recognized for their role in enhancing pelvic floor function, but which is better and which one should you be doing?
In this post, I'm going to spill all of the details on Kegels vs. yoga for pelvic floor health and give you a full rundown of the benefits and limitations of each as well as the key differences and similarities. Read to the end to get my verdict on whether Kegels or yoga is better for the pelvic floor!
Kegels for Pelvic Floor Health
So, first things first: what are Kegel exercises?
Kegel exercises are targeted movements that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Kegel exercises involve contracting and relaxing these muscles. One of the easiest ways to do a Kegel is to pretend you are trying to stop the flow of urine midstream. However, Kegels can be inappropriate for women who have incontinence that stems from hyper-tonic tissues.
To perform Kegel exercises, you must isolate the pelvic floor muscles and squeeze them for a few seconds before releasing them. Repeating this simple (and invisible) exercise regularly can lead to strength in some of the small pelvic floor muscles over time, which is crucial for preventing issues like urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, but again is NOT good for some issues. Most women are not performing Kegels correctly and are unsure what their issues are caused by.
The Origins of “The Kegel”
Kegel exercises were first introduced in the 1940s by Dr. Arnold Kegel. He was a gynecologist who was looking for ways to treat pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and, in particular, urinary incontinence without surgery. Before the Kegel, pelvic floor surgery was often the only solution considered for PFD.
Dr. Kegel realized that by strengthening these internal muscles through exercise, many women could avoid surgery altogether. His research showed that Kegels could help women regain control over their bladder and prevent pelvic organ prolapse. Kegel exercises gained widespread recognition as an essential part of women’s health, particularly for postpartum recovery and during menopause. To this day, Kegels are widely considered the primary recommendation for pelvic floor health. But, this limited understanding of “strengthening the pelvic floor” has caused a lot of trouble for women.
Benefits of Kegel Exercises for Pelvic Floor Health
Kegels work the following structures - but the pelvic floor is composed of more than 14 different muscles in 5 different layers!
Here are the specific muscles involved in Kegel exercises:
Pubococcygeus: This is the main muscle of the pelvic floor, stretching from the pubic bone to the coccyx (tailbone).
Iliococcygeus: This muscle runs from the ischium (part of the pelvic bone) to the coccyx.
Puborectalis: This muscle forms a sling around the rectum and helps to control bowel movements.
Kegel exercises offer a number of benefits for women who are experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction resulting from weakness in specific pelvic floor muscles. These include:
Improved Bladder Control: Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can help to fix urinary incontinence.
Enhanced Sexual Function: Stronger pelvic floor muscles can lead to more satisfying sexual experiences for women. The increased connectivity between the mind and the body is powerful medicine for better sex!
Reduced Risk of Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Strengthening the pelvic floor can help prevent the bladder, uterus, or rectum from dropping into the vaginal canal. Read more about prolapse here.
Postpartum Recovery: Kegels can be beneficial for women after childbirth to help them regain control over bladder function and prevent prolapse.
Limitations of Kegel Exercises for Pelvic Floor Health
While Kegel exercises are often recommended for pelvic floor dysfunction, they are usually NOT the answer to everyone's pelvic floor woes. Infact, Here are the limitations of Kegels for pelvic floor health:
Kegels work solely on the contraction of the a few of the smallest pelvic floor muscles: This means they only strengthen those muscles. However, weak pelvic floor muscles (which would benefit from Kegels) are not the only cause of all pelvic floor issues. Pelvic floor dysfunction can arise from weakness AND tightness in the pelvic floor muscles. This means that Kegels could actually be making your pelvic floor dysfunction WORSE if you aren't aware of the root cause of your issue.
Kegels may result in over-tightening of the pelvic floor muscles: This can lead to pain, tension, and even worsening symptoms like incontinence or pelvic pain. If Kegel exercises aren't combined with relaxation and stretching techniques (hello yoga!), they can do more harm than good to your pelvic floor.
It is easy to perform Kegels incorrectly: Women who are taught Kegels are usually not taught how to do them properly based on where the actual weakness is in the pelvic region. Women need to have this bodily and sensation awareness and the ability to contract and relax the correct muscles for Kegels to be effective. Performing Kegels incorrectly can hinder your progress and even make things worse.
Kegels isolate the pelvic floor muscles: This means they don’t consider the importance of the surrounding muscles, posture, and overall body mechanics that contribute to pelvic health.
In summary, a more balanced approach, including relaxation techniques, proper posture, and pelvic floor awareness through breath and yoga, may be necessary to address the full spectrum of pelvic floor dysfunction.
Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health
What Yoga for the Pelvic Floor Encompasses
Yoga takes a more holistic approach to pelvic floor health by incorporating core strengthening exercises, breath work (breath connected with the pelvic floor), stretching, relaxation, and an overall awareness of body alignment and mind-body connection. Yoga for the pelvic floor doesn’t just focus on contracting the pelvic floor muscles and emphasizes balance, relaxation, and coordination between different muscle groups. Yoga for the pelvic floor encompasses:
Core Exercises: Yoga for the pelvic floor often includes poses that strengthen the entire core, such as boat pose or plank pose. The core and pelvic floor are intimately connected, so building core strength helps support the pelvic floor muscles.
Pelvic Floor Awareness: Yoga encourages heightened awareness of the pelvic floor muscles, helping individuals differentiate between when they are tensing, over-tightening, or relaxing these muscles. This can help women to gain sensitivity to what is happening in their pelvic floor so they can identify the right exercises for themselves.
Pelvic Floor Breath Work: Yoga practices often incorporate breath work, which helps coordinate the pelvic floor with breathing. The entire core including the pelvic floor and diaphragm are connected, you can think of them like a pressurized can. As we breathe in our pelvic floor naturally expands with the diaphragm and as we exhale it naturally contracts with the diaphragm. Becoming aware of the movement of our breath and our pelvic floor in synchronization through deep 3D diaphragmatic breathing helps to ensure that we are relaxing and contracting healthily - leading to a balanced pelvic floor and a higher sense of awareness of our entire core. This coordination is crucial for pelvic floor function. The pelvic floor breath can also be coordinated with movements in yoga such as cat-cow
Mind-Body Connection: Yoga enhances the connection between mind and body, helping individuals become more attuned to the signals of their pelvic floor muscles. This mindfulness is key in preventing and managing dysfunction by fostering a deeper understanding of when the pelvic floor is under stress or tension.
Yoga Takes A Holistic Approach: Yoga addresses the pelvic floor in the context of the entire body. Rather than isolating the pelvic floor muscles, yoga helps create a balance between the pelvic floor, the diaphragm, and the deep abdominal muscles, promoting overall stability and posture.
Benefits of Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health
The benefits of yoga go far beyond strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Some of the key benefits of yoga for pelvic floor health include:
Balanced Muscle Strength: Yoga strengthens both the pelvic floor and the surrounding muscle groups, promoting stability without over-tightening.
Improved Flexibility: Yoga helps lengthen and stretch the pelvic floor muscles, reducing tightness, improving flexibility and promoting balance.
Stress Relief: Through breath work and meditation, yoga reduces stress, which affects pelvic floor tension and dysfunction.
Enhanced Body Awareness: By focusing on mindful movement, yoga encourages a deeper awareness of pelvic floor function, helping individuals to better control and relax these muscles. Meaning they receive better results from the pelvic floor exercises that they perform.
Better Posture: Our posture seriously affects the integrity of the pelvic floor. Yoga improves posture by strengthening the core and encouraging alignment, which reduces the strain on the pelvic floor.
Relief for Pelvic Pain: The relaxation and gentle stretching offered by yoga can relieve chronic pelvic pain associated with conditions like endometriosis or pelvic floor tension.
Limitations of Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health
Yoga offers an incredible approach to healing pelvic floor dysfunction. However, even though I may be a little biased towards yoga, it is still important to take note of the limitations yoga has for pelvic floor dysfunction:
Yoga requires time and consistency to see significant improvements. For some of us who struggle to implement new habits or want to see results quickly, yoga may not be the best option.
Yoga isn't as targeted as Kegel exercises for 3 specific muscles: While yoga promotes balance and flexibility, it may not provide the same level of targeted strengthening for the pelvic floor as Kegel exercises, particularly for individuals with severe pelvic muscle weakness or incontinence due to weakness in Pubococcygeus, Iliococcygeus, and Puborectalis
People with mobility issues may struggle with yoga: Some yoga poses can also be too advanced or inappropriate for individuals with certain pelvic floor dysfunctions. It is important to get personalized guidance from a professional (like me!) to ensure you are given the correct tools to make your pelvic floor yoga practice safe and effective.
Key Similarities Between Kegels and Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health
Despite their differences, Kegels and yoga share several common goals:
Pelvic Floor Strengthening: Both aim to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which can help improve bladder control, prevent prolapse, and enhance sexual function.
Support for Core Function: Both Kegels and yoga exercises contribute to a stronger core, which is essential for pelvic floor stability and overall posture.
Non-Invasive Solutions: Both approaches provide non-surgical, non-invasive options for managing pelvic floor dysfunction that people can do themselves, making them accessible to a wide range of people.
Prevention of Pelvic Floor Disorders: Both Kegels and yoga can be used as preventative measures before pelvic floor issues arise.
Key Differences Between Kegels and Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health
Here are the key differences between Kegels and yoga for the pelvic floor:
Focus on Contraction vs. Relaxation: Kegels are primarily about contracting the pelvic floor muscles, whereas yoga emphasizes both contraction and relaxation. Yoga can therefore be more helpful for people with tight pelvic floor muscles and Kegels for people with weak pelvic floor muscles.
Holistic vs. Targeted: Kegels are a targeted exercise for the pelvic floor, while yoga takes a more holistic approach, integrating the entire body, core strength, posture, breathwork and mental awareness.
Yoga Focuses on Physical Posture: Yoga promotes overall body alignment and posture which has an impact on pelvic floor health, while Kegels focus solely on pelvic floor strength without considering body mechanics.
Approach to Pelvic Floor Issues: Yoga is often more adaptable to various pelvic floor dysfunctions, including both weakness and tightness, whereas Kegels can sometimes worsen symptoms if not done correctly.
Are Kegels or Yoga Better for Pelvic Floor Health?
Overall, yoga offers a more comprehensive approach to pelvic floor health compared to Kegel exercises alone.
While Kegels are highly effective at strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, they focus exclusively on contraction without considering the broader aspects of muscle function, such as relaxation, flexibility, and coordination with other parts of the body. This can be limiting, especially for those of us who are suffering from overactive or tight muscles or do not have a strong mind-body connection.
Yoga addresses pelvic floor health holistically, incorporating strength, flexibility, breathwork, relaxation, and body awareness. It balances both contraction and relaxation, making it suitable for a wider range of pelvic floor dysfunctions, including weakness, tightness, and chronic tension. Yoga emphasizes the connection between the pelvic floor, core muscles, posture, and breath, ensuring that the entire body supports pelvic floor function. Yoga therefore is more adaptable and beneficial for long-term pelvic floor health.
For those with severe pelvic muscle weakness or incontinence, a combination of both Kegels and yoga may be the best solution. Kegels can provide the focused strength-building needed in specific cases, while yoga ensures a balanced and holistic approach.
Practice Yoga for the pelvic floor with me!
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