Yoga for incontinence: 10 yoga poses that help

“It’s accepted as the status quo, as if this is just normal,” says Leslee Subak, MD, a gynecologist at Stanford who studies urinary incontinence in women. In fact: “It’s not normal. It’s common, but it’s not normal. And it is a problem.”

Incontinence can contribute to the risk of falls and fractures and can cause people to become less physically and socially active. That can lead to a host of health problems, from depression to cardiovascular problems and much more. Incontinence is also one of the main reasons people become nursing home residents, which can be difficult for individuals and can dramatically increase healthcare costs.

“Bladder problems are a major problem for the individual, the family and for our national health care budget,” says Dr. Subak. “We haven’t really worked it into our social and medical systems to take care of urinary problems and incontinence.”

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For all these reasons, Dr. Subak studied behavioral interventions to improve bladder control. Typically, doctors will recommend doing things like learning to activate your pelvic floor before you sneeze, and strengthening that pelvic floor with exercises like Kegels. But recently Dr. Subak that something else helps people: Iyengar yoga.

Iyengar is a more restorative form of yoga. In recent years, yoga teacher Leslie Howard saw her clients’ bladder problems improve, so she began offering yoga specifically for pelvic floor health. She told Dr. Subak that the proof was in the pudding, but as a researcher, Dr. Subak had to be sure.

“(Howard) had been practicing pelvic floor yoga for years and she said, ‘This stuff works,’” says Dr. Subak. She asked Howard, “How do you know it works and you haven’t actually tested it yet?” And then we started our small trials, which grew into a larger trial to see if yoga was actually effective.”

In August, Dr. Subak and her co-authors conducted a study among 240 women over the age of 45 who suffered from bladder urgency on a daily basis. Half the group did ‘pelvic floor yoga’ three times a week for 12 weeks to see if this would improve incontinence, while the other half did general strength and conditioning. Women in both groups experienced about a third as much urgency and incontinence as before.

“If we can achieve between 50 and 70 percent improvement in the number of incontinent episodes or incontinence frequency, that is considered very effective because that is the point at which patients and participants say: I feel much better, I am much better off. explains Dr. Subak out. “It turned out that both interventions met those criteria. So they both had a very good reduction in incontinence.”

The most surprising aspect of the research for Dr. Subak was that neither type of exercise actually targeted the pelvic floor specifically. The strength and flexibility regimen included movements such as biceps curls. And the “pelvic floor yoga” movements were common positions in an Iyengar practice that were accessible to people of all ages.

“We were just a little intrigued as to why this might work,” says Dr. Subak. “We haven’t specifically said that we want movements that target the pelvic floor or core. We went along with what she was doing.

Dr. Subak and her co-authors aren’t sure exactly why yoga, and fitness in general, improve incontinence, but they have a theory.

“Our hypothesis is that it works not only by potentially strengthening the pelvic floor, but also by changing the balance of the nervous system so that you’re a little bit more parasympathetic, which is a more relaxed state that can help the bladder calm down. ” she says.

It is also possible that breathing connections play a role, but Dr. Subak did not specifically test that. Another factor includes being more physically active.

“No matter what, being physically active is great for your health,” says Dr. Subak. “If it improves your incontinence, that’s fantastic.”

10 yoga poses for incontinence

Would you like to give yoga that has been scientifically linked to better bladder control a try? The women in the study did sixteen poses three times a week. These are 10 of our favorites. Don’t forget to breathe!

1. Parsvakonasana: Side Angle Pose

Do you want to open your lower body and upper body at the same time? The side angle hits your hips, groin, chest, shoulders and back all at once, while also providing an isometric challenge for your core, quads and hamstrings.

1. Start in a lunge, with your front knee bent and your other leg straight behind you.
2. Position your back foot so that it is perpendicular to your front foot. This should open your hips and upper body to the side.
3. Lean over the front leg and place your arm on your thigh or on the floor. Delay.

2. Salabhasana: Locust pose

Activating the stabilizing muscles along your spine and training the upper back is crucial for maintaining good posture. The locust pose does just that.

1. Lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides.
2. Simultaneously lift your legs and chest off the floor.
3. If you can, clasp your hands together behind your back.

3. Salamba Setu Bandhasana: Supported Bridge Pose

Bridge pose is a classic glute- and hamstring-building pose that also secretly works your core and opens your chest.

1. Lie face up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your hands on your lower back.
3. Lift your hips into the air using your glutes, but continue to support your hips with your arms by keeping your elbows on the floor.
4. Alternatively, you can place a yoga block under your lower back to support your bridge.

4. Supta Baddha Konasana: Reclining Cobbler’s Pose

The longer you stay in the cobbler’s position, the more you will feel your hips opening up little by little. Where your knees start is not where they end.

1. If you have a bolster, place it lengthwise in the center of your mat and sit against the short edge at the bottom.
2. Inhale to lengthen your spine and lie back on the mat or pillow, then bring the soles of your feet together.
3. Use other props, such as a blanket or eye pillow, to make any necessary adjustments.
4. Relax your arms at your sides or place them on your heart or stomach (or place one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach).

5. Tadasana: mountain pose

Mountain pose is so much more than just standing upright. Check your different body parts and make the pose “active” by using your muscles throughout the body.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
2. Open your chest and breathe.
3. To stretch, lift your arms above your head and then bring your hands together toward your chest.

6. Trikonasana: Triangle pose

Triangle pose is all about tuning into your form. Are your hips to the side or are you turning? Is the side of your body closest to your leg shrunken or elongated? When done correctly, the triangle will greatly stretch your sides and hips, while also activating your muscles throughout the body to maintain that balance.

1. Stand in a staggered position, with one foot in front of the other.
2. Rotate your back foot so that it is flat on the floor (this will open your hips and torso to the side).
3. Raise your arms in line with your shoulders, parallel to the floor.
4. Shift your hips back toward your back leg, still keeping them open at the side.
5. At the same time, move your torso and forearm forward, equal and opposite to the hip.
6. Place your forearm where it lands naturally on your front leg and lift your back arm straight up toward the sky.

7. Utkatasana: chair pose

The yoga class burner is a classic for good reason. In chair position, make sure you tuck your pelvis so that your lower back is not too arched. This also engages your hamstrings for an even more intensive leg workout.

1. Start standing with your feet touching each other.
2. Move your hips back to a sitting position and bend your knees down.
3. Raise your arms.

8. Viparita Karani: Variation Legs against the wall pose

Reversing blood flow in the legs along the wall can help send blood and oxygen to muscles throughout the body, aiding recovery.

1. Place a blanket on the floor where it meets the wall.
2. Slide up toward the wall so that your butt is on the blanket and your torso is resting on the floor.
3. Lift your legs up so that your heels touch the wall.
4. Rest and breathe.

9. Virabhadrasana 2: Warrior 2 pose

You’ll need to engage those quads and hamstrings, not to mention those shoulders and triceps, if you want to stay balanced and in warrior 2 pose.

1. Start in a lunge, with the knee of your front leg bent and your back leg straight.
2. Open your torso and hips to the side while pressing your back foot flat on the floor.
3. Send your arms up to shoulder height, with one in front of you and one behind you, parallel to the floor.
4. Look over your front arm and hold.

10. Savasana: Corpse pose

If you’re working up a sweat, savasana is great for returning your nervous system to that parasympathetic state. Who couldn’t use a moment to lie down?

1. Lie on your back on your yoga mat. Stretch your legs long on the mat, allowing your feet to fall open naturally.
2. Place your arms at your sides, with palms facing up and fingers naturally curled.
3. Close your eyes gently and let your whole body relax.
4. Release any tension in your muscles, starting at your feet and working your way to your head.
5. Bring your attention to your breathing and observe the natural rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations.
6. Stay here as long as you want.
7. When you are ready to step out of savasana, begin to deepen your breathing and gently move your fingers and toes to bring the movement back into your body.