Can Posture improve your Sex Life? (and help your digestion too?)

Posture is powerful! It can support intimate pelvic health, continence, digestion and affect our mood and mental wellbeing. But what is good posture?

Mention the word posture and immediately people pull in their stomach, push out their chest and tighten their back. They tense up. Many even stop breathing properly. They do all the things that can lead to problems in the long term, for example, health issues such as back and neck pain, headaches, digestive health issues and pelvic floor dysfunction. Tension can also be the root of intimate and sexual health problems. So what's the answer?

More Core Strength?

Many of us have been led to believe that core strength equates rigid, hard muscles at all times. We might even be told to "pull in and up". So we pull in our belly and create a kind of corset around our waist. Now, there are occasions when a sexy corset might be fun to wear - but could you imagine wearing one 24/7? Here are 4 problems that tension in your core could cause:

1. The invisible corset you create by pulling in your abdominal muscles squeezes your digestive organs, inhibits breathing, puts pressure on your pelvic floor and causes nonstop tension in many other parts of your body. Any one of these is a potential underlying cause for many of the chronic health issues I see in my clinic.

2. Pulling in our abdomen forcefully increases intra-abdominal pressure. Increased intra-abdominal pressure puts excessive pressure on our digestive organs as well as our pelvic floor and urinary organs. It can lead to hernias, incontinence and pelvic floor problems, including prolapse.

3. Chronic tension can also disturb the natural rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the digestive tract and pelvic floor. This can cause bloating, constipation and many other digestive health issues, cause pelvic and vaginal pain and contribute to some forms of incontinence, for example.

4. Chronic muscular tension also restricts circulation. Healthy circulation of blood and lymph is vital for digestive and intimate health. I won't say much more about digestion in this blog (if you are interested you can read my blog on how bloating may be connected to lymph). I will focus on pelvic circulation in this blog as it relates to intimate health

Why pelvic circulation is so important for intimate health, libido and virility

Good pelvic circulation is vital for vulvovaginal health. It is important for our pelvic floor, vaginal health and sexual wellbeing. Circulation can also improve lubrication and orgasm. And it's not just important for women's sexual health. Men also benefit from good pelvic circulation. Remember that Viagra works by increasing blood flow!

Circulation is not limited to blood. Lymph is another important fluid that can be affected by stiff muscles and fascia. Lymph removes waste products. This is also vital for intimate pelvic and vaginal health.

So what can you do to improve your posture instead of stiffening those core muscles, instead of "pulling in and up"?

Here are some postural exercises that help with tension-free posture.

1. Think of a tall red rose: reach up from the crown of your head as if you are wearing a crown whilst at the same time feeling the ground under your feet.

2. Think "looking at the world from your heart": Many people think that good posture means sticking out their chest. But this can lead to tension in the back, neck and shoulders. Of course, a collapsed chest causes many digestive and intimate health issues but flaring out your ribs is not the answer. Imagine yourself gently looking out into the world with your heart instead.

Here's a short exercise for a more uplifted chest:

3. Posture is a playful dance that, like intimacy, is a fluid dance between head and heart and, of course, the pelvis. Shift your weight from one foot to the other and let your pelvis and body sway with you.

Most important of all, find the pleasure in moving again!

Happy Valentine's Day xxx

Written by Kat Hesse:

Kat Hesse is a movement therapist, medical herbalist, intimate ecology health practitioner and has a certificate in psychosexual counselling. She teaches therapeutic movement and is a trained Feldenkrais practitioner, Chi Gong and Yoga teacher with special trainings in women's health (fascial pelvic floor rehabilitation and also the hypopressive method) and in digestive health. She is presently taking a Masters degree in Mindfulness and has researched extensively about Mindfulness for intimate health, especially female libido.

If you are interested in finding out more about Kat's work in pelvic and intimate health, go to her Women's Health page or contact her via this form.

Categories: : digestive health