June 21st marks International Yoga Day, a celebration of the ancient practice that nurtures physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. As a urogynecologist, I see firsthand how yoga can be a powerful ally in women’s pelvic health.

🌸 Why Yoga Matters for Pelvic Floor Health:

1. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the uterus, bladder, and bowel. With age, childbirth, or menopause, these muscles may weaken, leading to issues like:

Urinary incontinence

Pelvic organ prolapse

Stool incontinence

2. Certain disease conditions can lead to increased tone of those same pelvic floor muscles which can cause:

Urine retention

Constipation

Chronic pelvic pain

Dyspareunia

🧘‍♀️ How Yoga Helps:

Certain yoga postures can:

Strengthen pelvic floor muscles

Improve posture and core stability

Enhance blood circulation in the pelvis

Reduce stress and muscle tension

Relaxation of the pelvic floor

✅ Breathing exercises

The various rhythmic breathing patterns soothe your mind and improves concentration and calms your nerves.

✅ Urogynecology-Approved Yoga Poses for pelvic floor strengthening:

Setu Bandhasana

Malasana

Viprit karni Asana

Mula Bandha Asana

Utkatasana

Trikonasana

Tadasana

✅ Urogynecology-Approved Yoga Poses for pelvic floor Relaxation:

Titliasana

Pawanmuktasna

Marjariasana

Balasana

Suptabadhhakonasana

Anandabalasana