Pelvic Floor 101
What Every Body Should Know
At Raising Your Barre, we believe strength starts from the inside out, and the pelvic floor is a great place to start. This post is meant purely as education, not diagnosis. Just think of it as a friendly primer before our upcoming Social Club exploring the pelvic floor.
What Is the Pelvic Floor, Really?
Picture a hammock or a bowl of muscles stretching from your pubic bone in front to your tailbone in back, and side to side between your sit bones. That's your pelvic floor. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these muscles form a supportive sling that holds up the organs of the pelvis (the bladder, bowel, and, in women, the uterus and vagina) while also helping control urination, bowel movements, and sexual function.
Like any other muscle group, the pelvic floor can be strong, weak, tight, or a combination of all three. And like the muscles in your legs or your core, it responds to training and awareness. The difference is that most of us never learn how to feel this part of our body working, let alone how to strengthen or release it intentionally.
It's Not Just a "Postpartum Thing"
One of the biggest myths about pelvic floor health is that it's only relevant to people who have given birth. In reality, pelvic floor function matters across the lifespan and across genders. Factors like aging, chronic coughing, high-impact exercise, prolonged sitting, core-strengthening habits that skip the pelvic floor entirely, and even how we breathe under stress can all influence how well these muscles do their job.
That means this conversation is for every single person who walks into our studio, whether you're 25 or 65, a new parent or have never been pregnant, a runner, a desk-worker, or a barre regular who's never given it much thought.
Signs Your Pelvic Floor Might Want Some Attention
Again, we're not here to diagnose. That’s a conversation for a doctor or a pelvic floor physical therapist. But it's worth knowing some common signs that this muscle group could use extra care, so you know when it's worth asking a professional:
Leaking a little urine when you sneeze, laugh, jump, or lift something heavy
A frequent or sudden urge to use the bathroom
A feeling of heaviness or pressure in the pelvic region
Lower back or hip discomfort that doesn't have an obvious cause
Discomfort during exercise, sex, or everyday movement
None of these are something to be embarrassed about, and none of them mean something is "wrong" with you. They're simply signals your body is sending and pelvic floor awareness is often the first step toward addressing them.
Strong Doesn't Always Mean Tight
Here's where a lot of fitness culture gets it wrong: the goal isn't simply to "squeeze" the pelvic floor as hard as possible, as often as possible. A pelvic floor that's chronically gripped or overly tense can cause just as many issues as one that's under-active, including pain, tension, and difficulty fully relaxing during movement or rest.
Healthy pelvic floor function is really about coordination: the ability to contract when you need support (like before a jump or a heavy lift) and to fully release and lengthen when you don't. That push-pull, that rhythm of engagement and release, is very similar to how we think about breath and core work in barre which is exactly why this muscle group fits so naturally into our classes.
How Barre Naturally Supports Pelvic Floor Awareness
You may already be building pelvic floor awareness without realizing it. Many of the fundamentals we return to in barre support this muscle group:
Breath work. Deep diaphragmatic breathing works in tandem with the pelvic floor: as your diaphragm descends on an inhale, the pelvic floor naturally lengthens; as you exhale, it can gently lift. This is often called the "piston" relationship, and it's foundational to real core strength.
Postural alignment. Pelvic tilt, rib position, and spinal alignment all influence how much load the pelvic floor carries during movement.
Low, controlled movement. The small isometric holds and controlled tempos in barre give you the chance to actually feel these deep stabilizing muscles working, rather than rushing through big, ballistic movements.
Mind-body connection. Barre asks you to slow down and notice, which is exactly the skill needed to locate and engage the pelvic floor in the first place.
A Few Gentle Self-Care Basics
While we always recommend working with a pelvic floor physical therapist for anything beyond general wellness, there are a few low-risk, educational starting points worth knowing:
Notice your breath first. Before trying to "engage" anything, simply practice full, relaxed belly breathing. Awareness comes before strength.
Avoid holding your breath during effort. Bracing and breath-holding (common when lifting or straining) can put excess pressure on the pelvic floor over time.
Balance engagement with release. If your practice only ever asks these muscles to squeeze, build in moments of intentional release and rest too.
Listen to your body, not a trend. Kegels aren't a one-size-fits-all solution. The Mayo Clinic notes that Kegel exercises are genuinely helpful for some people, but are less effective for others, and in some cases, targeted physical therapy is a better path than at-home exercises alone.
When in doubt, ask a professional. If you're noticing any of the signs above, a pelvic floor physical therapist can assess what's actually going on and build a plan specific to you.
Join Us for Pelvic Floor Exploration Night
This post only scratches the surface, and that's the point. Pelvic floor health is nuanced, personal, and genuinely worth exploring in a supportive, judgment-free space. Our Social Club: Pelvic Floor Exploration evening will go beyond the basics with guided movement, breathwork, and education designed to help you actually feel this part of your body for the first time (or the first time in a while).
Whether you're brand new to the concept or just want to deepen your practice, we'd love to have you in the room.
Explore our classes here where you’ll find great support for your overall wellness, posture, breath, and yes, pelvic floor. And read more about how to get started at Raising Your Barre.
And read more about our philosophy here.
As always, this article is intended for general education and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have concerns about pelvic floor symptoms, please consult a healthcare provider or pelvic floor physical therapist.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, "Pelvic Floor Muscles: Anatomy, Function & Conditions" Mayo Clinic, "Kegel exercises: A how-to guide for women"