Getting started

How to exercise your pelvic floor

The pelvic floor is a powerful little set of muscles that stretch like a hammock between your pubic bone and your tailbone.

When healthy and toned, they lift up your pelvic organs for a strong core and great control.

If you aren't sure what it feels like to exercise your pelvic floor, try stopping yourself from peeing midstream. This muscle movement is what you need to master. (But don't keep doing it while you're peeing!) When exercising, remember to:

Make sure your stomach, buttocks and thighs remain relaxed and try not to hold your breath
Take a deep breath to relax and as you breathe out squeeze your pelvic floor inwards and upwards
Exercise in a comfortable position such as standing with your legs shoulder width apart or lying down with your knees bent. Lying down is often easier for beginners.

If you're still having trouble, some simple visualization exercises might help:

1) Zip visualization:

Lying on your back with your knees bent, imagine you are zipping upwards from the very centre of the space between your legs towards your navel

2) Marble visualization:

Lying on your back with your knees bent, visualise the area around your vagina. Imagine you are using these muscles to pull a marble all the way up your vagina. As you relax, imagine the marble rolling out.