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What about ‘me’ time once your baby is born? Postnatal yoga tips from Veronica
Greene. Part 2: a focus on the legs, pelvic floor and their connection.
N
ow your baby is here,
you are keen to get
your body back, post-
pregnancy. Let’s take a
closer look at your pelvis
and legs: your pelvis is tilted forward,
your toes and knees will most likely be
turned out to compensate. This equates
to dropped, inner arches in your feet,
shortened inner thighs and gluteal
muscles which have opted out and
atrophied over time.
On first inspection, your pelvis, in its
overly tilted position, does not lead to a
strong pelvic floor. The pelvic diaphragm
needs to work in an upward direction to
support the internal organs; if it’s not
structurally aligned then this will be hard
to achieve.
In yoga, we start with the feet. If we
strengthen the foot arch then we also
strengthen the pelvic floor, however this
will have less effect if we don’t realign
the tilted pelvis at the same time.
The following routine will strengthen
the inner legs and abs, lift the inner
arches, lengthen the lower back and re-
engage glutes and pelvic floor without
doing any Kegel exercises!All postures can be completed
separately or as a full routine.
Breathe steadily in all postures hold
for 30-60s unless otherwise stated.
Place a chair against a wall.The connection of foot and pelvic floor
is recognised in mainstream medicine.
Urinary issues are often treated using
electrical impulses to stimulate the
nerves of the inner ankle/foot, which lead
to the pelvic floor. The Transcutaneous
Posterior Tibial Nerve stimulation is such
a treatment where the nerve is stimulated
using a TENS machine.What about
time?
‘me’
- Constructive Rest Position
It’s always good to start in this position as
gravity will help realign the pelvis.
(opens chest, releases neck muscles and
pelvis while lengthening back muscles). This is
the ‘go to’ pose if shoulders or lower back are
aching or there’s no time for anything else.
n Lie on back with lower legs resting
on chair
n Knees directly above hips, hip distance
apart with 90 degree angle at back of
knees (if chair too low then put cushion
under legs)
n Toes point up to ceiling
n Stay for 5-10 mins working on abdominal
(breathing (breathe in, let the tummy lift
up, breathe out let the tummy drop down)
2. Half Uttansana
(opens chest, lengthens lower back,
stretches back of thighs and calves,
strengthens abs & arches)
n Place hands on the chair back
n Walk feet back until body is parallel to
floor and ankles are under hips
n Feet and knees point forward
n Wrists firm while moving shoulders away
from ears
n Gently draw tummy up towards spine,
ensure you’re not dipping into lower back
n Lift your toes up activating the arches
of your feet. You should feel your knee
caps lift up.
(hold for 60s or longer if comfortable) - Head Down Dog
(opens chest, lengthens lower back,
stretches back of thighs and calves,
strengths abs, releases tension in upper
back and shoulders)
n Place hands on the chair seat with hands
turned out 45 degrees
n Walk feet back until body adopts the
triangular shape of head down dog
n Lift heels, bend knees deeply letting
abdomen rest on thighs (this brings
the thoracic spine towards your chest
opening the chest and activating the
upper back)
n Without moving upper body, slowly
straighten legs without pushing your
knees back
n Take heels towards floor without bring
heels towards each other. (If heels don’t
touch floor – put a raise under them
to get more connection throughout the
whole body)
(hold for 60s or longer if comfortable)