The body has many horizontal membranes, including the roof of the mouth, the circle of the first rib, the diaphragm, the pelvic floor and the foot arches. This week we will explore the connections between all of these.

Day 78

This week, we’ll exercise our pelvic floor every day, with 3 times as many reps you are comfortable with (i.e. do as many as you feel comfortable with, take a few minutes rest, and repeat this two more times) of the exercise from week 9:

Lie on your back, knees bent, with two exercise balls or a rolled up cloth under the pelvis, positioned far apart and in a way that the support the pelvis without bowing the back. Lie your hands on the inner sides of the spread thighs. Again, visualise the shape of the large muscle triangle. Imagine this triangle getting smaller, its sides getting closer, as the sit bones come together. This lets the legs lift a little. Make sure your breath and shoulders stay relaxed.

For today we will also practice our breathing, with special focus on the lowering and raising of the diaphragm, both as source of lung expansion, and as a result of the ribcage opening like an umbrella

Take some time to observe your diaphragm, while breathing. With your hand, mimic your diaphragm going down as you breathe in, and up as you breathe out. Examine what happens if you think of “down” as being the “relaxed” state and “up” being the “toned” state (or vice versa - or maybe there is no toned state).

Now take some time to observe your pelvic floor, for example as it stretches in plié.

The diaphragm and pelvic floor are linked in several ways.

  • First they are linked by fascia. If you have tension in the one, it will be more difficult to release tension in the other. Try breathing from an “extra stretched” pelvic floor and notice the effect on your diaphragm. After breathing out, add tone to the area of your diaphragm and ribcage and try a plié.
  • Second, the diaphragm needs space to move down. In this space, to some extent, it displaces and compresses the organs. If you have a relaxed pelvic floor, the displaced organs can find extra room in the pelvic bowl. If you do not, the displaced organs must push out against the abdominal wall, giving you a rounded tummy.
    From standing, let your pelvis slide forward, off the femur heads, effectively locking the pelvis and pelvic floor. Observe what happens to your tummy as your diaphragm goes down when breathing in. Now let your pelvis come back onto the femur heads, leaving your pelvis free to breathe. Let the breath fill the pelvic bowl and observe your tummy.

Day 80

The mouth has a roof and a floor and can be related to the diaphragm (roof) and pelvic floor.

Make an ooooooooo sound with your mouth open and relaxed. Focus on both roof-floor pairs - the goal is for them to vibrate slightly.

  • Tense up your mouth, trapping your tongue. Try doing a plié.
  • Tense up your mouth, try to relax your anus. Tense up the anus, try to relax the mouth.
  • Tense up mouth and anus, try to relax the eyes. Screw eyes shut and relax mouth and anus.
  • Tense up mouth, anus and eyes, relax your hands and your feet. Make a fist with your hands and curl your toes, relax mouth, anus and eyes.

All these contrary tensions are quite challenging. Let your mouth open wide and yawn, allowing the pelvic floor and diaphragm to yawn to. Stick your tongue out and feel the effect in the pelvic floor. Pull your tongue all the way in and feel the effect in the pelvic floor.

Day 81

The feet are like two arches (heel-ball) supporting a bigger arch (pelvis). The keystone of each of these arches is supported by floor-like fascia. Today we’re going to observe our pelvic floor and diaphragm, spend some time rolling the feet and observe the differences this brings about in the pelvic floor. Less tone? More amplitude? More power?

Day 82

Constructive rest friday! You know what to do.

Day 83

We will observe the relationship between the jaw, neck, first rib, sacrum and pelvic floor (pelvic power has some ideas for this, so this is a placeholder until I write them up)

Day 84

We will take a closer look at the tongue, where it has its root, and how this figures into the fascia of the trunk and neck - and therefore the link with the pelvic floor. (DATI in the head section has some ideas for this, so this is a placeholder until I write them up)