10 Yoga Poses to Avoid for Pelvic Floor Safe Exercises

Yoga PosesAre you unsure which Yoga poses to choose for your body?

If your pelvic floor is weak or not working well, some Yoga poses are best avoided.

This general information is intended to help you continue enjoying your Yoga practice and protect your pelvic floor.

It’s important to remember that those Yoga poses appropriate for some women may not be suited to others depending on individual risk factors for pelvic floor injury.

Prolapse Exercises e-Book

International best selling prolapse exercise guide for women with prolapse and after prolapse surgery.

Prolapse Exercises Book

Prolapse Exercises teaches you how to:

  • Exercise safely after prolapse surgery
  • Reduce your risk or repeat prolapse
  • Avoid unsafe exercises
  • Choose pelvic floor safe exercises
  • Reduce your risk of prolapse worsening
  • Improve prolapse support
  • Increase your strength and fitness
  • Strengthen your core
  • Lose weight

Yoga Pose 1 – Boat Pose

Boat Pose Yoga

This is an intense abdominal core strength pose.

Try to avoid Yoga poses involving double leg raises if your pelvic floor is weak or at increased risk of injury.

Yoga Pose 2 – Half Boat PoseHalf Boat Pose

Modifying Boat Pose with bent knees doesn’t make this pose a pelvic floor safe exercise – it remains an intense upper abdominal core exercise.

Yoga Pose 3 – Garland PoseGarland Pose

Deep squat position compresses the abdomen onto the pelvic floor increasing pressure and strain on the pelvic floor organs and muscles.

Yoga Pose 4 – Scale PoseScale Pose

Weight bearing through the upper body involves the abdominal muscles working intensely – this pose is best suited to individuals with good upper body and pelvic floor strength.

Yoga Pose 5 – Plank

Plank Pose

Full Plank pose is an intense core abdominal pose. This is a very challenging exercise for a pregnant woman’s pelvic floor to withstand!

Some women may find that they can modify Plank pose to reduce pelvic floor loading.

Yoga Pose 6 – Wide-Legged Forward Bend

Wide-Legged Forward Bend

Deep forward bend increases the downward pressure of the abdomen onto the pelvic floor muscles and organs.

Yoga Pose 7 – Chaturanga

Chaturanga Chaturanga or Yoga push up to Plank involves intense core abdominal muscle activity.

Some women can modify Chaturanga to reduce pelvic floor loading by kneeling rather than weight bearing through the feet as shown above.

Yoga Pose 8 – Locust Pose

Locust PoseWomen with prolapse problems often report increased prolapse symptoms (bulging) associated with this pose.

Some women report increased prolapse symptoms associated with doing this pose however this remains anecdotal.

Yoga Pose 9 – Fish Pose (Legs Raised)

Fish Pose Legs Raised Fish Pose with legs raised increases pressure within the abdomen that is transferred to the pelvic floor.

To modify this exercise perform without legs raised for a pelvic floor safe alternative to this double legs raised pose.

Yoga Pose 10 – Crow Pose

Crow Pose

Intense upper body strength exercise … and it’s wise to avoid doing any Yoga poses on the ledge of a balcony!

This list of 10 Yoga poses that may increase pressure on the pelvic floor is by no means exhaustive.

Some women have sufficient pelvic floor strength and function to perform these Yoga poses without straining their pelvic floor.

Other women with weak pelvic floor muscles, prolapse problems, after prolapse repair surgery or with pelvic floor muscle tension may find that they benefit from avoiding or modifying these poses.

Read on for 7 Pelvic Floor Safe Yoga Poses

Copyright © Pelvic Exercises. All rights reserved

Related Articles