You may have seen that I trained in Hypopressives last year.  You also may still be wondering – well what on earth are hypopressives & how can they help with a pelvic organ prolapse or dysfunctional pelvic floor??

You may be reading this as you do have a prolapse or maybe your pelvic floor doesn’t feel right?

What exactly are hypopressives?

Hypopressives are a breathing technique that uses tensions in the upper & lower body to activate the deep core which helps ‘lift’ the pelvic floor.

It is about learning to breathe using the diaphragm properly – which is connected to the pelvic floor through facia – a connective tissue throughout the body.

Once you have learnt how to breathe into the diaphragm you then learn to do an ‘apnoea breath’ which is basically holding your breath – but in a very relaxed and safe way.   When you do an ‘apnoea breath’ it creates a negative pressure between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor.

This then enables the abdominals to get activated, which draws the pelvic organs upwards.  The best way to describe it is, the ribcage muscles are expanding which then suck, like a vacuum, the abdominals & organs upwards.

It can look like you are pulling the tummy muscles inwards, but you aren’t.  The focus is on totally relaxing the face & tummy which lets the ribcage muscles expand & hence activate the core.

You learn different poses to do the diaphragmatic breathing in, which can help tone the whole body as well as release the tension in the fascia in the body.

Hypopressives are an amazing holistic way for you to regain control of your pelvic floor and support a pelvic organ prolapse.   It is about improving the resting tone & strength of your whole body and can also help improve your sports stamina and create a sense of calm/relaxation in your body.

It has very good results for women who have a pelvic organ prolapse (POP) – you can learn how to support the prolapse / pelvic floor and help you get back to exercising safely & confidently with a prolapse.

I will soon be adding this in my 1:1 work and create small, short classes for those who learn how to do it.  You will need a 6 session course to then enable you to do the ‘flow’ & poses on your own or at the short online ‘flow sessions which I will be offering.

Hypopressives work well with my Holistic Core Restore® work – which is also about the holistic approach and the importance of breath work.

Who can benefit from hypopressives?

Hypopressives have been around for a long time, mainly in Spain where they are a used a lot more.  There has been a lot of research into hypopressives & how effective they are in supporting those with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) & a diastasis.

They can also help posture & tone the upper body – due to the different poses & focus on length through the body.

They can help you if you have any of the following:

• If you have been trying to do your pelvic floor exercises for ages and still feel you have issues
• Have you been diagnosed with a pelvic organ prolapse? Do you feel a heaviness in your vagina – an uncomfortable sensation or a dragging sensation?
• Have you been told you are over-tight / over-recruiting the pelvic floor muscles and not relaxing them enough?
• Can you just not feel anything in the pelvic floor – can’t feel the engagement or the relaxation?
• Do you have stress incontinence or find you leak a bit when you cough or sneeze?
• Have you had a hysterectomy or are a new mum and feel your pelvic floor is not very strong
• Are you menopausal and are suddenly noticing you are leaking a bit when exercising or can’t get to the loo on time?
• Is sex painful or using tampons uncomfortable?
• Do you have a diastasis – gap down the middle of your tummy? Or feel you are very weak in your core muscles?

All of these are associated with pelvic floor issues and can all be supported with learning how to do the hypopressives.

I won’t lie. Once you have learnt how to do them, you will need to practice 10 – 15minutes at least 4 days  a week.  However, if you have any sort of pelvic floor issues, you HAVE to work at them anyway.

If you want to know more, get in touch with me or book the 1 ½ hr introductory session with me.  If anything – even learning to do the diaphragmatic breathing properly can also really help the pelvic floor.

Here is more info about the pelvic floor – some of my blogs: https://www.vickihill.co.uk/pelvic-health/, https://www.vickihill.co.uk/pelvic-organ-prolapse/

Here is more info about them: https://www.vickihill.co.uk/class/hypopressives/