The Connection Between Breathing and Your Pelvic Floor
At Roar Physiotherapy, we believe that true wellness begins from within – and that includes understanding the subtle, yet powerful, connections within your body. One of the most overlooked but fundamental relationships is between your breathing and your pelvic floor. This duo is constantly working together, influencing your posture, core stability, and even your emotional well-being.
In this blog, we’ll explore how this connection works, why it’s so important, and how you can optimise it for better health and vitality.
Understanding Your Pelvic Floor and Its Role
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues that span the bottom of your pelvis, supporting your bladder, bowel, and uterus (in women). These muscles are responsible for:
Supporting your internal organs – preventing pelvic organ prolapse.
Maintaining continence – controlling your bladder and bowel movements.
Core stability – working in tandem with your diaphragm, deep abdominal muscles, and back muscles.
Sexual function – enhancing sensation and control.
Postural alignment – influencing the way you stand and move.
Despite being integral to our everyday functions, the pelvic floor often remains a mystery to many, until issues such as incontinence, pelvic pain, or sexual dysfunction arise. But what if we told you that the way you breathe could make all the difference?
Birds eye view of the pelvic floor muscles
The Diaphragm-Pelvic Floor Connection
Your diaphragm is the primary muscle responsible for breathing. It sits just below your rib cage, separating your chest cavity from your abdominal cavity. The pelvic floor sits at the base of this cavity. These two muscle groups are designed to work in harmony as part of your body’s core system.
Inhalation: As you breathe in, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward, increasing the volume of your lungs. This movement naturally increases pressure in your abdomen, prompting the pelvic floor to gently relax and lengthen.
Exhalation: As you exhale, your diaphragm moves upward, decreasing abdominal pressure. In response, your pelvic floor naturally contracts and lifts.
This movement pattern is crucial for maintaining intra-abdominal pressure, supporting your organs, and ensuring core stability. It also plays a significant role in maintaining pelvic health and preventing issues such as pelvic pain, incontinence, and even lower back pain.
What Happens when This Balance is Disrupted?
When this synchronisation is disrupted – due to poor posture, chronic stress, improper breathing habits, or abdominal pressure from heavy lifting or poor pressure management – it can result in pelvic floor dysfunction. This includes:
Pelvic floor tension: Caused by overactive muscles that fail to relax, leading to pain, discomfort, or contributing to constipation.
Pelvic floor weakness: Resulting in urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, or reduced sexual function.
Core instability: Leading to lower back pain, poor posture, or diastasis recti (abdominal separation).
Common signs of dysfunctional breathing patterns include:
Chest breathing instead of diaphragmatic breathing.
Shoulder or neck tension due to shallow breathing.
Breath-holding during physical activity or stress.
Feelings of heaviness or pressure in the pelvic region.
How to Breathe for Optimal Pelvic Floor Health
At Roar Physiotherapy, we emphasise the importance of functional breathing for pelvic health.
The goal is to synchronise your breath with your pelvic floor movements, enhancing their natural rhythm. Here are some practical exercises to help you get started:
1. Diaphragmatic (360°) Breathing Exercise
This foundational exercise helps retrain your breathing pattern, promoting relaxation and natural pelvic floor movement.
How to do it:
Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
Inhale: Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your belly to rise as your diaphragm moves downward. Feel your pelvic floor naturally relax and lengthen.
Exhale: Exhale gently through your mouth, feeling your belly fall. Notice how your pelvic floor naturally contracts and lifts.
Repeat for 5-10 breaths, focusing on slow, controlled breathing.
As you get more comfortable with 360 breathing you can start trying it in sitting, which is a harder position to maintain correct breathing patterns in.
2. Pelvic Floor Coordination with Breath
This exercise enhances the synchronisation between your breath and pelvic floor muscles, improving core stability and function.
How to do it:
Position: Lay, sit or stand comfortably with a neutral spine.
Inhale: Breathe in through your nose, allowing your belly and pelvic floor to relax.
Exhale: As you exhale through your mouth, gently engage your pelvic floor by lifting it upwards, as if you were stopping the flow of urine.
Coordinate: Match the contraction with the end of your exhale for optimal engagement.
Repeat for 10 cycles, ensuring the movement feels natural and relaxed.
When to Seek Professional Help
If you experience symptoms such as pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, or a feeling of heaviness in your pelvic area, it may indicate pelvic floor dysfunction. At Roar Physiotherapy, our pelvic health physiotherapists, Amber and Renee, can provide a comprehensive assessment and personalised treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Empowering Your Core Through Breath
Breathing isn’t just about oxygen – it’s about movement, stability, and vitality. By understanding and harnessing the connection between your diaphragm and pelvic floor, you can:
Enhance core stability and posture.
Reduce pelvic pain and discomfort.
Improve bladder and bowel control.
Boost athletic performance through improved breathing mechanics.
Promote relaxation and reduce stress.
Ready to Breathe Life into Your Core?
At Roar Physiotherapy, we’re passionate about helping you move better, feel stronger, and live more confidently. Whether you’re recovering from childbirth, managing pelvic pain, or simply looking to optimise your core function, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Book an appointment with one of our expert physiotherapists today and discover how functional breathing can transform your pelvic health.
Follow us on Instagram @roar_physio for more tips on pelvic health and wellness.
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At Roar Physiotherapy, we don’t just treat symptoms – we empower you to take charge of your health. Breathe easy – we’ve got your back.
Written by Renee Fish
Senior Physiotherapist
Roar Physiotherapy Bibra Lake
About the author:
Renee graduated from Curtin University in 2012 and has since completed her Post Grad in Exercise Science in 2015. Renee has primarily worked in Private Practice since graduating but has also spent time working in a private hospital treating patients post-operatively and post-natally. This experience in treating women post-natally has given Renee a special interest in Women’s and Pelvic Health Physiotherapy.
Renee has worked with various sporting clubs including Perth Demons WAFL, Kingsley Amateur Football Club, Sterling Senators WABL and SBL and was previously a Sports trainer with the West Coast Eagles Women’s Academy. Renee has interest in sporting injuries and exercise rehabilitation but having suffered back pain herself she also enjoys treating back and neck pain and helping her patients achieve their optimal health and function.
Since being having her two young sons, Renee has developed a passion for treating pregnant and post-natal patients and encouraging and supporting them to remain active and healthy during their journey into motherhood.
Outside of work you will find Renee in the gym or pool, or spending time outdoors with her husband and their two young children.