But there are plenty of reasons to pay attention to your pelvic floor beyond childbirth. Issues like painful sex or leaking a little when you run, cough, or sneeze can happen to anyone — even if you’ve never been pregnant.
For a long time, these topics were considered taboo — something predominantly women (though men can experience pelvic floor dysfunction too) suffered through in silence. Thankfully, shame and assumptions are slowly being replaced by education and understanding.
Still, myths and misinformation persist. One of the most common?
“I’ve had babies.”
“I’m getting older.”
“I sneeze and leak sometimes — that’s just life.”
Here’s what the evidence actually shows: these issues are common, but they’re not inevitable — and they’re certainly not something you have to accept without options.
Why this matters: when we believe these problems are just “normal,” we’re less likely to seek help or make meaningful changes.
We’re here to spread the word: there’s so much you can do to help yourself regain a healthy, functional pelvic floor — and improve your quality of life in the process.
How Is the Pelvic Floor Supposed to Work?
So, what is the pelvic floor actually supposed to do?
In an ideal world, it functions automatically — a dynamic, responsive group of muscles that can lengthen, stretch, shorten, and contract as needed. That’s how all muscles are meant to work to maintain a full range of motion, and the pelvic floor is no different.
Yes, this area is sensitive — both physically and emotionally — but at its core, it’s a set of muscles. Like any muscle, it needs to move through its full range to stay healthy and functional.
When these muscles lengthen and release, they allow for urination and bowel movements. When they shorten and contract, they provide essential support for your organs, help control the bladder and bowels, stabilize the core, and assist with managing intra-abdominal pressure — for example, when lifting heavier weights.
If the pelvic floor can only contract or only lengthen, that limitation can interfere with its function and lead to problems over time.
Unfortunately, many people think of pelvic floor health as simply “tightening” or “strengthening.” But true pelvic health is about balance — learning how to both let go and engage, with control and awareness.
Are You Doing All the “Pelvic Floor Strengthening” But Not Seeing Results?
If you’ve been diligently doing your pelvic floor exercises — squeezing, holding, repeating — but still aren’t seeing results, you’re not alone. One of the biggest issues in how pelvic floor health is discussed and taught is oversimplification.
People are often placed into one of two categories:
Too tight and need to relax, or
Too weak and need to strengthen (cue the endless Kegels!)
But the truth is, it’s rarely that black and white. Your pelvic floor is complex, and most of us need a more nuanced approach. Rigid, one-size-fits-all advice can actually make things worse — or at least prevent real progress.
Pelvic floor function exists on a spectrum. It’s not just about “strong” or “weak,” “tight” or “loose.” What matters is control — your ability to contract and release these muscles at the right time and to the right degree.
For example, a typical Kegel is often taught as a full 10-out-of-10 contraction — squeeze as hard as you can, hold, then release. But in daily life, your pelvic floor rarely needs to work at 100%.
Going for a run might require about 3/10 activation.
Gentle core work could be 5/10.
Picking up your kid or a heavy grocery bag might be 7/10.
Heavy strength training might call for the full 10/10.
If you’re constantly training at maximum effort, you’re not building functional coordination — and you may even be contributing to tension or imbalance.
A truly healthy pelvic floor can fully contract and fully release. Training both ends of that spectrum creates strength, balance, and responsiveness. And since most of us rarely think about these muscles, learning how to feel and connect with them is an essential first step.
How to Train for a Functional Pelvic Floor
So how do you actually train your pelvic floor to be strong, balanced, and functional?
The key is learning to do both: lengthen and shorten, contract and release — all along a spectrum. This kind of training builds coordination and responsiveness rather than rigid strength alone. It’s about preparing the muscles for the specific “job at hand” — whether that’s going for a walk, lifting weights, or sneezing — without over- or under-engaging.
This kind of awareness-based approach creates real change. When you can sense what your pelvic floor is doing, you can start to consciously adjust — engaging when you need support, releasing when it’s time to rest. With awareness comes control, and with control comes strength and ease.
Many women benefit from seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist, especially after giving birth. In fact, we believe every woman deserves a pelvic floor evaluation postpartum. But you don’t have to wait until there’s a problem. Anyone can benefit from building awareness, improving connection, and learning how to use these muscles intentionally.
You can begin right now by noticing moments throughout your day — when you breathe, move, lift, or even laugh — and tuning into what your pelvic floor is doing. This simple act of awareness can be surprisingly powerful.
Your pelvic floor is not something to fear, fix, or forget — it’s a vital part of your body that deserves attention and understanding. When you learn how it’s meant to function, you move, breathe, and live with more ease and confidence.
Our goal is to help you reconnect with this foundation of your physical wellbeing — not through rigid rules or endless “Kegels,” but through awareness, balance, and strength that supports the way you actually live.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for a place to begin?
There are two different pelvic floor programs available on our online studio with a monthly membership or purchase à la carte.
1. 🔗 Function and Resilient Pelvic Floor
This is the perfect place to start: learn to release and stretch the pelvic floor itself and the surrounding muscles that directly impact the PF: abdominals, inner thighs, hips, and glutes. Then progressively strengthen the same muscle groups. This program focuses on the release and strength of specific muscle groups and does not include yoga postures.
2. 🔗 Pelvic Floor Therapy + Recovery: Intermediate
This program starts with similar characteristics to the program above, by learning to release the pelvic floor. You will then take new awareness into full-body movement using yoga. The first half of classes in the program address PF function directly; the second half incorporates more body areas: breath, thoracic rotation, lower body stability, and hip mobility. Familiarity with yoga is recommended for this program.