Yoga Nashit Principles
01 | Mula Bandha
It is essential for female yoga (Yoga Nashit) practitioners to practice Mula Bandha, understand it and get to know it. The Mula Bandha exercise involves carefully and precisely moving pelvic floor muscles in conjunction with the breathing diaphragm. With soft and timed pulses, the pelvic floor muscles stabilize the body, supporting the pelvic organs and spinal column.Through movement, blood flows to the pelvis, strengthening muscles to prevent urine leaks and prolapse of pelvic organs, improving the performance of the pelvic organs, and above all, providing a stable foundation for the body. A stable foundation in a life full of changes...
Throughout the day, the organs are compressed by the pressure box between the breath's diaphragm and the pelvic floor's diaphragm. The lack of proper support can lead to leaks, sagging, and pain even in young people. With Mula Bandha practice, you can improve and even restore the health of your organs over the course of your lifetime.
Activating Mula Bandha is like breathing in and out at the right time with respect to every movement. In this way, movement becomes stable and connected to our core beings and the center of our lives. In Sanskrit, "Mula" refers to the following words: root, well collected, cause, base, foot, foundation, and lowest part of the bottom.Bandha refers to the words: lock, curb, stop, close, and also: to curb a river, to break, to build a bridge over the sea that allows one to pass from ignorance to knowledge.Sanskrit is the language of layers. Some of its essences can be revealed by making connections between Mola Bandha words. This is a feeling of slight restraint as the pelvic muscles are gathered and lifted upwards. Due to the fact that these muscles are hidden from view, understanding what needs to be done might take some time. In light of the fact that we did not receive the correct information about them over the years during practice, the brain becomes more adept at communicating with this neglected group of muscles.
Having never been given the correct information about this neglected group of muscles, practice allows the brain to become more adept at recognizing and communicating with them. You can begin by stopping your urine flow the next time you go to the bathroom. If it stops, you have correctly activated the pelvic floor muscles (the urine should not be stopped as part of the practice, but only once for testing).
A picture from the book "Female Yoga - Women's Health in the Way of Yoga"
Important information about the Mula Bandha
The pelvic floor muscle system is hidden from view but requires deep attention to keep our lives stable.To internalize a practice like this takes time and, most importantly, curiosity. The brain learns to communicate with neglected pelvic muscle groups. We were never taught how important this area is, and sometimes life forces us to disregard and disconnect from it. No one explained to us how important they were for bringing deep change to our lives: not in sports classes, not in gyms, and not in sex ed classes.
Patience and attention are two of the most important words in this deep practice. Through practice, you will learn to pay closer attention to the pelvic floor muscles and the entire pelvic area. Persistence will come from your motivation to practice. As you persevere, you will notice a significant improvement and progress.
Several women have said that after a few months of practice, they were beginning to realize the precision and power this muscle group possesses. Despite many years of practice, I continuously learn about the pelvis, its movement, and its secrets. As life changes, new insights emerge.
Women's yoga (Yoga Nashit) can also be described as "Mula Bandha work":It involves the movement of two diaphragms: the diaphragm of the breath and the diaphragm of the pelvic floor. This is not an over-contraction but rather a pulse of collection and release.As they move together, they support the abdominal and pelvic organs and relieve intra-abdominal pressure when coughing, laughing, talking, climbing stairs, or carrying laundry baskets...
This involves a deep understanding of breathing and the movements of the diaphragm, including its regular connection to the deep muscles of the pelvic floor and the cooperation they have between each other (these are actually two diaphragms working together), as well as the adapted movement of the broad abdominal muscle (transversus abdominis).
This combined movement develops as a result of awareness and practice that allows the spine to be supported as a community of muscles. Together, they activate the muscles that move the vertebrae apart (the multifidus). This way, the spine is extended to its optimal extent, and the central nervous system is loaded less. By gradually relaxing the body and the mind, relaxation becomes possible. This is the "internal stabilization," the deep connection to the authentic self. The deep secrets that lie in the pelvic memories of a woman can be revealed, releasing repressed memories, letting go of phenomena related to her life cycle, and healing.
It is important to receive proper guidance in order to practice correctly! When practiced incorrectly, as with poor lifestyles, the pelvic floor muscles are easily pushed downward, further causing deep intra-abdominal pressure on the pelvic organs, resulting in urinary leaks, organ prolapse, pelvic pain, and even a reduction in sexual desire.
02 | The cycle of life
The cycle of life - Represented by the ebb and flow of life
The practice of female yoga reflects the constant changes women undergo.Just as every month thereafter, the girl's body signals to her that she is experiencing her femininity in full force by receiving her first period. Each cycle, each menstruation, shows that the body is functioning as it should. It is the body's nature to do things thoroughly. However, the culture in which we grow up and live does not teach us any framework for understanding and listening to this constant change.
No one ever told us that we should adapt our lives to these important changes. Women's intuitive wisdom is encoded within the menstrual cycle. The ebb and flow of ideas, dreams, and creation. The cycle of the body is also reflected in the cycle of the mind. A woman's emotional and mental state changes during menstruation, after, and in the days leading up to and following ovulation. Each monthly cycle provides an opportunity to observe the body's signals; How the body starts and ends a cycle. Are the changes accompanied by pain or discomfort? Does everything flow smoothly?
The menstrual cycle is like a reflection between the previous month and the next. Menstruation provides a moment of reflection and a chance to reorganize life.
Practicing female yoga (Yoga Nashit) teaches us to listen to change, adapt the practice to the change, and adapt our lives to the changes within us.
Practicing yoga teaches us to listen to our lives as women as well as to the changes we experience. As a result, our bodies gradually learn to stabilize and reduce tension, discomfort, and pain.
Throughout your menstrual cycle, your body sends you signals to alert you to its needs. The better you understand the quality of the hormones that manage your life, the better you can adjust your outer life to your inner one. By doing this, you will be able to reduce and even eliminate symptoms.The best way to monitor your hormones is to keep a diary. This is your commitment to yourself...
So, what hormones are responsible for the cycle change?
FSH
Menstruation is the first stage of every monthly cycle.
As the body bleeds during menstruation, the uterus is cleansed of the signs left behind by the previous period. During bleeding, the body flushes out estrogen and progesterone released in the previous month. It is only by keeping a cycle monitoring diary that you will understand the unique way in which your body ends and starts a new cycle.
The FSH hormone - follicle stimulating hormone - rises with the onset of menstruation (sometimes with spotting until bleeding and sometimes with full bleeding). The hormone is responsible for waking up the ovaries and stimulating ovulation.
When the FSH hormone is released, it invites silence, your focus, and precision. It allows you to connect with your deepest intuition. We call it "now me" in female yoga. It directs alternating current intelligence without masking estrogen and progesterone. It allows you to listen to your inner voice.
Allow it to be expressed by practicing meditation, reducing talking, doing, and finding spaces of silence. Take a break from cooking, laundry, entertaining... Leave them all for another day...
In fact, you have the opportunity each month to just be you ... As this hormone increases during these days, you can gain a glimpse of your inner quality in preparation for menopause.
Estrogen
Around the third-fifth day of bleeding, estrogen begins to rise with the fall in FSH. The expression of femininity is at its best: shining hair, full breasts, increasing sexual desire, sensual lips, and extraordinary cognitive abilities. You look and feel wonderful! Feel free to take on anything that suits you.
As a result of estrogen, your joints are better protected, your yoga practice will be dynamic, moving, and energetic, and you'll get a fabulous squeeze of your reproductive organs.
There is often an increase in vaginal secretions, which serve to keep the sperm alive and active until the egg emerges from the ovary, along with a thickening of the uterus and an expansion of its lining that allow fertilization to occur.
Now's the time to have people over and care for everyone. You've got this.But it doesn't last forever... the moment you ovulate, you move on to the next stage...
Progesterone
Progesterone rises immediately after the egg emerges from the ovary. Its purpose is to continue thickening the endometrium in order to protect the pregnancy. As a result, you become sensitive, vulnerable, and enclosed within yourself. There is a heightened sensitivity to smells, to unpleasant sentences heard, to touch, and you may experience a growing sadness. You may also experience stomach pains, migraines, sensitivity in your digestive system, herpes that may break out, and other symptoms of vaginal dryness... Now is the time to slow down.
As you manage your follow-up diary, you will discover when progesterone has a more substantial effect on you. Symptoms do not appear immediately after ovulation but gradually develop. Be sure that every woman is impacted by progesterone in some way.
Exercise to relieve PMS (premenstrual syndrome) symptoms.During this period, focus on practicing balance, and try brushing your teeth while standing on one leg... Injuries are more likely to occur these days, so you should adjust your routine accordingly.
After about 14 days of progesterone, if you are not yet pregnant, menstruation will wash away all the emotions...And everything will start over...
Here is a small example:Suppose you're driving and someone beeps at you:If you are on estrogen days, you will laugh at itIt will make you cry on progesterone daysAnd on FSH days, you might not even notice...
03 | The pelvic floor muscle
Everything you didn't know about the pelvic floor...
Where is it... My pelvic floor muscle?...It is located at the bottom of your pelvis.A strong and stable structure located at the base of your spine, the pelvis is made up of three main bones:From behind - the Scrum bone.On either side - the Ilium bones.In front is the pubic bone - the bosom.Your lower abdomen forms the upper border of the pelvis, while your pelvic floor muscles form the lower border.What is the pelvic floor's role?
• To support the abdominal and pelvic organs.
• To help control the sphincters in the urinary, digestive, and sexual systems.
• Posture - stabilizing the hip joints and the spine.
• Serving as a pump to flow blood and lymph fluid throughout the body.
What's the connection between the pelvic floor and the diaphragm?
A pelvic floor is like a diaphragm - imagine it as a hammock or a trampoline. The respiratory diaphragm at the base of the lungs records pressures. Together, the respiratory diaphragm and the pelvic floor work to prevent compression at the pelvic openings during any increase in intra-abdominal pressure. This pressure increases when you talk, laugh, cough, carry laundry baskets, pick up babies, and more...
Female yoga refers to this as connecting diaphragms. Just like a precisely stretched string: if it is stretched too much, it will break, and if it is too loose, it will not produce your unique sound.
What organs are located above my pelvic floor, or what does my pelvic contain (from Latin - container)?:
The pelvis contains your bladder and urethra, uterus, cervix, vagina, and lower digestive system - the ileum. It is a complex tissue of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue which serve as a sliding plane between the pelvic organs.
A selection of illustrations from the book "Female Yoga - Women's Health in the Way of Yoga"
Does the female pelvis differ from the male pelvis?
Absolutely... The purpose of this unique organ is to allow the baby to develop comfortably and even pass through the pelvis bones, which are supposed to expand so that the head of the baby can reach the cervix and birth canal comfortably.
The female pelvis is:
• Wider
• Flatter
• Has larger openings
• Contains a thinner pone structure
• Has less developed muscles
As a result of the wider scrum, the hip bones are further apart. The female pelvis also contains the urethra and anus as well as the vaginal opening. As a result, the female pelvis becomes weaker.
What about the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is like a muscle hammock located at the base of the pelvis. It is these muscles that determine the quality of your life! Insufficient contractions of these muscles will hinder the daily functioning of your pelvic organs, and excessive contractions will interfere with your sexual life. On the other hand, when these muscles are properly contracted, the bladder and rectum relax, preventing urine, gasses, and feces from escaping...
It's important to learn how to work these muscles correctly! These muscles are out of sight, out of mind, and can easily be crammed rather than collected. This can be accomplished by working with a pelvic floor physiotherapist who can help refine your practice.
Why is it so important?
Maintaining a healthy urinary system is essential throughout your life!You don't have to suffer from urinary leaks induced by exertion, laughter, sneezing, running, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries, laundry baskets, or babies! It is possible for you to strengthen and restore these muscles. By understanding how they work, you can improve their effectiveness.
Frequent urination - if your bladder insists on forcing you to urinate when it doesn't really suit you, you have the power to control it. With the proper practice, you can strengthen this involuntary muscle - your bladder, by voluntarily activating your pelvic floor muscles, thus allowing you to conduct yourself comfortably in front of this pampered organ...
Prolapse of the pelvic organs - if you experience prolapse in the pelvic organs, the bladder, the uterus, or the anus, it is your responsibility to improve their position through proper pelvic floor exercises and proper connective tissue movement. Should you need to undergo lifting surgery on the pelvic organs, you should practice and strengthen these muscles, changing habits of movement, breathing, posture, and consciousness to prevent a recurrence. Surgery is not a magic trick! It is the right treatment if you have no choice, but you have to put in the work in order to prevent a recurrence. Before surgery, practice! Get the tools you need to significantly improve your quality of life.
Normal sexual functions rely on it!
Weak pelvic floor muscles may lead to prolapse and leaks, which can restrict your sexual pleasure and even be a source of embarrassment... And excessive contraction may cause pain during sexual activity.
Furthermore, while hormonal changes affect sexual function, proper movement and muscle strengthening will always improve sexual desire.
What happens during pregnancy and childbirth?
In pregnancy and childbirth, the pelvic organs stretch, pelvic floor muscles weaken, and nerves passing through the pelvis may tear. One nerve, in particular, is sensitive to obstructed birthing guides: lying on the back... This situation may result in you pushing in vain. In addition, extended pressure on the pudendal nerve can cause elongation and tears along this nerve in the back of the pelvis. Due to slow nerve conductivity after birth, bladder function may be affected. Moreover, you may experience permanent or transient pain that may affect your quality of life in the future and even your ability to have sex.
It is true that the pelvic floor muscles weaken during pregnancy and delivery, but with proper practice, they can be restored to their original function!
Yoga for women is specifically designed to strengthen your pelvic floor!
A practice that does not prioritize your health may be harmful in the short or long run!
In what ways does it affect our daily lives?As you practice female yoga, which focuses on stabilizing and arranging your pelvis, you will learn how to stand correctly according to the appropriate posture for women, not men! It will help you understand and even change your movement and breathing patterns by allowing you to move correctly and take care of your pelvic area. It is all for improving the function of the pelvic organs and, as a result, organizing and stabilizing your life.
Incorporate female yoga into any physical activity you enjoy:
Swimming, dancing, running, and more. Make your pelvic floor your utmost priority! Put your pelvis in the spotlight, recognize it, and incorporate it into everything you do.
By practicing regularly, you will also gain a stable, supportive place to return to every time you organize your life.
It is the pelvis that contains all the secrets of your life, and through repetition, this practice allows you to reorganize your life every day. It will become your life's stable and supportive center.
Make sure you take care of your pelvic floor!
Consult a pelvic floor physiotherapist to ensure you work your pelvic floor correctly.