Yoga for Pelvic Health with Yoga With Swaati
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
Many of us may have spent the last year working from home, sitting in front of our computers with limited activity. This lack of activity and movement can lead to increased back pain and discomfort. In last week’s Forever Young podcast episode, we were joined by our guest, Swaati to talk about yoga for pelvic health! Swaati has always had a passion for healthy living. She completed her yoga teacher training, specialized training in pre and post-natal training, and yoga for pelvic health. Read on to learn more about what yoga for pelvic health means and why it is important to listen to your body.
Swaati always enjoyed yoga, but always thought of it as a luxury of some sort. “I felt like if I was going to spend time moving, I better do some strength training or cardio to lose weight or to strengthen. After having kids, my body felt different and all I really felt like doing was attending a yoga class,” Swaati shares. After having lower back issues for years, she finally found the help she needed after seeing a pelvic physiotherapist. Fast forward to now, Swaati found her calling in yoga and yoga for pelvic health! Whether it was clients with back issues, pelvic pain and prolapse, she realized there was a need for private sessions and small classes that geared towards pelvic health.
Yoga can be considered a spiritual, mental, and physical practice that can be intertwined with culture and religion. It can also be considered a way of life. Yoga allows us to focus not only on our body but also on our breath, our mind, and emotions. Yoga can mean different things to different people, especially if we think of where it originated from in South Asia, and then in the Western world. Most people think of yoga as a practice of movement, but there's so much more to yoga such as connection and exploration. Swaati says, “it's about connecting to yourself and the people around you. It's an exploration of the body, mind and connecting to your highest self”.
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Pelvic health involves everything within your pelvic region. Some may think pelvic health is relevant to only women, but it is just as important in men as women. The best tools for our pelvic health are movement and breath, which are big components yoga can offer. By using movement and breath through yoga, you can improve your pelvic health. There is much taboo and silence around pelvic health that a lot of us haven't been made aware of. Swaati’s goal is to create more awareness about pelvic health.
Swaati focuses on awareness of the pelvic region in general. Swaati likes to teach yoga for pelvic health with a focus on gentle movement, focused on the breath to bring relaxation to the body and mind. She tailors her teaching based on her clients’ health issues and what they would benefit from. As the yoga world evolves and grows, there are a ton of options. Any movement is good for our body. As you may know, there are many types of yoga that focus on certain areas of the body. There is yoga that focuses on breath, yoga that is more physically demanding, yoga that involves chanting or hot yoga! Some pelvic health issues may need someone to find more relaxation in their body, whereas some may need to strengthen more. This is why using yoga as a tool is a great method to start becoming more aware and in tune with our bodies. So that's just great for your pelvic health!
Move your body. Just moving in some sort of way, especially in a way that you enjoy, will help you stay motivated. You don’t need to have a good exercise routine, but small movements go a long way and improve your overall health.
Practice tuning in to your body and take notice of what you are feeling. It is important to take notice of how we are feeling, what we are feeling and where we are feeling it. If you are experiencing persistent pain or discomfort, we recommend seeing your health care professional. The most important message is that pain is not normal and that you should ask questions from healthcare professionals and get the help you need. Listen to your body… after all, we do want to stay Forever Young! Healthcare professionals can help you figure out these things and give you the best advice.
Follow Swaati’s journey on Instagram here! You can also learn more about her story, yoga for pelvic health, and her upcoming events at her website yogawithswaati.com
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The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
