1Transversus Abdominis Breathing
- Come into a kneeling posture with the wrists directly underneath the shoulders and the knees directly underneath the hips.
- Inhale and allow the abdomen to expand, ribs moving wide. Visualise a balloon in the abdomen and it expanding 360 degrees.
- Exhale and draw the lower abdomen towards the spine. Visualise a candle underneath the belly-button and draw away from the floor.
- Repeat for a cycle of 3-5 or as prescribed by Physiotherapist.
2Leg Extension
- Come onto all fours on a soft surface.
- The wrists are positioned under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.
- Maintain a soft bend in the elbows and a neutral pelvis and lumbar spine.
- Slowly extend the leg so the head, tailbone and foot are in line.
- Lower the leg to the start position and repeat as per Physiotherapist guidelines.
3Pelvic Floor
- Perform lying on your back with the knees gently bent and feet firmly planted.
- It is best to complete this exercise without any distractions and in a calming space.
- Contract the pelvic floor as if you were trying to stop yourself from passing wind.
- Other cues: picking up a blueberry with your back passage, zipping from vagina to anus, walking into ice cold water.
- Completely relax after the contraction.
- When contracting ensure that the muscles of the thigh and buttocks don’t activate.
- Complete these 3 variations in contraction:
- 10x fast reps.
- 8-12 reps of 6-8 second maximum voluntary contraction.
- 60 seconds submaximal 30-50% contraction.
POST PARTUM – this is the re-introduction of the contraction ‘drawing urine up/ stopping gas’. Start this after the birth only.