Men who practice yoga can improve the health of their pelvic floor. By doing these yoga poses, you may enhance your ability to control your bowel and urine as well as your sexual life.
Yoga for male pelvic floor health
For men, normal and pain-free bowel, bladder, and sexual function are indicators of a healthy pelvic floor. Susie Gronski, a physical therapist who specializes in male pelvic health, says that men can effectively maintain a healthy pelvic floor through yoga.
Also read-Cycle Syncing: Is Cycle Syncing With Workouts For Good Health And Body
If you have issues with your bowel, bladder, or erection, you can benefit from practicing certain contractions while in certain yoga poses. According to Gronski, men should tense the muscles surrounding their genitalia as though they were about to urinate but were holding it in. Alternatively, visualize drawing the base of your penis inward, she advises.
To simulate the involuntary action of ejaculation, practice synchronized contractions that last one second on and one second off. Putting these contractions into practice can help with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation by raising your awareness of this coordinated muscle activity.
Child’s pose yoga
How: Begin on your mat with your big toes touching and your knees as wide as the mat. Reposition your hips so they are in line with your heels. Lay your forehead and forearms down on the ground. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth three times.
Why? Because, according to Gronski, “this pose encourages movement and space for pelvic floor muscles and nerves, which may reduce feelings of tightness and pain.”
Cat-cow yoga
How: Set up in a table-top position, with your hands shoulder-width apart and under your shoulders. Your knees should be hip-width apart and underneath your hips. As you inhale, arch your back and look forward. Exhale, round your spine, and look towards your nave.
Why: “On the exhale, everything moves up; your lunges expel air, the diaphragm relaxes, and the pelvic floor moves up. So the cue to engage the pelvic musculature to enhance what’s already going on with breathing mechanics is to contract on the exhale,” says Gronski. “While inhaling, you are letting go; when you’re exhaling, you are contracting.”
While in cat-cow, let go of the inhale. Engage the pelvic musculature on the exhale when your body curls inward, Gronski instructs. “This movement allows for differentiated movement of the lower back and pelvis. It is also similar to thrusting during sex.”
Bridge yoga
Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor with your ankles underneath your feet and hips-width apart. Swing your arms alongside your body with your palms facing up. Root your feet down to lift your hips and low back up. Clasp your hands underneath you, and as much as your knees do not turn out, lift your hips up as high as you can.
Hold this pose for five breaths, lower your hips back to the mat, and press your hands against the base of your thighs.
This pose facilitates increased recruitment of the pelvic floor muscles, which can help strengthen them, particularly in cases of fecal or urine incontinence and sexual dysfunction brought on by deconditioning of the pelvic floor muscles.
Lizard lunge yoga
From down dog, step your right foot to the outside of your right hand and lower your left knee gently to the mat. Rotate your right foot at a diagonal to the right. Make sure your right kneecap is aimed in the same direction as your foot.
As long as your right knee stays aligned, bend your elbows. Without moving your back knee, draw it forward on the floor enough to lift your hip up slightly. Without moving your front foot, draw it back towards the wall behind you to scissor-square your right hip back.
Hold for five breaths and repeat on the left side.
Tree yoga
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and straight forward. Shift your weight into your right foot and place your left foot above or below your right knee. Swing your left knee to the left as far as it will go without your hips turning left.
Press your left foot against your right leg and your leg against your foot to straighten your standing leg. Bring your palms to touch in front of your chest and hold for five breaths.
Gronski claims that this pose can help with problems with bowel or urine control that a person may experience when standing. Your pelvic floor can be trained to adapt to varying pressures and load demands with this particular pose.
“The load transmission that is taking place needs to be supported by the pelvic floor. You can engage your pelvic floor to prepare for the load transfer, shift your body weight, and then release if you’re shifting your weight to one leg to get ready for tree pose, the instructor advises.
Also read-Best Foods For Outdoor Eating: The Best Picnic Foods That Won’t Spoil In Warm Weather
images source: Google
Disclaimer: The opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the individual analysts. These are not the opinions of HNN. For more, please consult with your doctor.
