Beyond Kegels: Cultivating Pelvic Floor Awareness Through Your Practice
by Danelle weller
When I say “pelvic floor” to anyone in the Pilates classes I teach, I notice their eyes widen and a noticeable brace in the abdomen. We both know that you’re currently pretending that you have to pee and gripping the muscles that stop you from doing that.
The old Kegel. What a wonderful name for a saloon that would be.
While these familiar squeeze-and-release movements have their place, they often only target the front portion of the pelvic floor. It takes a little intention and mindful awareness to access the entirety of this complex network of muscles that support holistic core function and build lasting strength. The work begins with engaging the pelvic floor from pubic bone to tailbone with a deeper understanding of all the muscles involved and how they support the core from the bottom up.
•Understanding Your Core Container•
Your core functions like a cylinder. Your diaphragm forms the top, your pelvic floor creates the bottom, and your deep abdominal and back muscles wrap around the sides. When you inhale, your diaphragm drops and your core container expands, creating gentle downward pressure on your pelvic floor.
This is important to understand because most people hold their breath or push when they think about “core work.” But your pelvic floor actually needs to move with your breath to function properly.
•The Clock Visualization•
In my class I use a visualization of a clock face to help students connect with their entire pelvic floor. From a comfortable seated position on a block or Pilates ball, we picture a clock where your pubic bone sits at 12 o’clock, your tailbone rests at 6 o’clock, and your sit bones mark 3 and 9 o’clock.
Unlike traditional Kegels that mostly work the front muscles (the 11, 12, and 1 of the clock), this approach invites your whole pelvic floor into the conversation. We’re building a relationship with muscles you may not have consciously connected to before.
The Release (Inhale): Take a deep breath and let your diaphragm drop, creating that natural downward pressure on your pelvic floor. Allow all the muscles around your pelvic floor clock to receive this pressure and completely relax. Imagine them melting like a Dalí painting—soft, flowing, utterly released. This isn’t about letting go carelessly, but about conscious relaxation that works with your body’s natural breathing.
The Activation (Exhale): As you exhale, your diaphragm rises and your core begins to draw inward. This is when you gently lift your pelvic floor muscles up into your body while drawing all the numbers of the clock toward the center and lifting it up into your body. Picture 12 o’clock moving toward 6 o’clock, and 3 o’clock drawing toward 9 o’clock, all gathering in the middle and rising up between the hip bones.
•Adding the Ball•
One of the best ways to really feel this work is by sitting on a 9-inch Pilates ball while practicing the clock visualization. The ball’s unstable surface gives you feedback that’s impossible to get on a flat surface. Its curve mirrors the natural dome shape of your pelvic floor, creating an instant physical reference.
When you sit on the ball and practice the clock breathing, you can actually feel what’s happening. The ball responds to the subtle changes in your pelvic floor, like having a conversation with your body where the ball becomes the translator.
•Building Awareness•
This work develops what we call neuromuscular awareness. We’re not just strengthening muscles, we’re building a conscious relationship with them. The look on students faces when they discover muscles they didn’t know existed is truly my favorite part of teaching this work.
As we lift the clock higher into the body we feel the low core activate, the pelvis subtly tilt and support the low back, and all of a sudden how the core supports the lower back and begins to heal pain in the back and hips becomes really accessible.
•Integration Into Your Life and Yoga Practice•
Try this visualization during your yoga practice, core work, or even while sitting at your desk or in your car. The more you practice this conscious connection, the more naturally it becomes part of how you move through your day. Your pelvic floor is far more sophisticated than simple on-off switches. By working with its full geography through this clock method, you’re building a foundation that supports not just your physical practice, but how you feel in your body every day.
Danelle Weller has been helping people discover the mind-body connection in their own bodies for over 20 years as a personal trainer, Physical Therapy Assistant and Pilates instructor at Metta. Her approach comes from two decades of working with physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and movement coaches to understand how the body works in various modalities of movement.
Rather than following strict Pilates methods, she focuses on the original purpose of this work—strengthening the mind-body connection to your deep internal core and discovering how it supports your joints and movement in everything you do.
If you’re curious to explore this work more deeply, Danelle teaches in Corte Madera on Mondays and Fridays at 1.30pm and in San Rafael on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12.15pm.
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