The Pelvis A project for Sun & Moon Teacher Training Written by Dena Jensen August 2011

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1 The Pelvis A project for Sun & Moon Teacher Training Written by Dena Jensen August 2011 Understanding and visualizing the way the body works can be an effective tool in self study. Self discovery and self study enhances the yogic experience. The inner workings of the body remain a mystery to most people. This paper will describe the bones and muscles of the pelvis in an effort to begin unraveling the mystery of this important part of the body. The pelvis supports the weight of the upper body, contains the abdominal organs, absorbs forces from the feet, and connects the legs to the axial skeleton. The axial skeleton consists of the spine, ribs, and skull. The pelvis can be imagined as a funnel from top to bottom. This shape is divided into two sections, the greater pelvis and the lesser pelvis. The greater pelvis is superior and holds the upper abdominal organs. It is large and can be visualized as a wide basin. The lesser pelvis is distal and holds the lower abdominal organs, including the bladder, uterus, and rectum. It is narrower than the greater pelvis can can be imagined as the bottom of the funnel. The pelvic floor muscles support the lower abdominal organs. The pelvic inlet separates the greater pelvis and the lesser pelvis. The bones of the pelvis consist of two hip bones. These hip bones are divided into three sections,which are separate until puberty is reached. The three parts of the hip bones are the ilium, the ischium and the pubis. The ilium is located within the greater pelvis and makes up the widest part of the funnel. The upper edge of the ilium is the iliac crest. This part of the bone is thick, has many muscles attached to it, and is curved. The iliac crest can be located by placing the hands on the hips. The front of the ilium is called the anterior superior iliac spine, or ASIS for short. This area is also called the hip points. The hip points can be felt by tracing the iliac crest until two bones are felt in the front body. The iliac crest ends in the back body at the posterior superior iliac spine, or PSIS for short. The ischium is the second section of the hip bone. This part is located in the lesser pelvis and the bottom of it has two thick bones called the ischial tuberosities. The ischial tuberosities are also known as the sitz bones. The front of the pelvis is connected by the pubic symphosis. This area is referred to as the pubis or pubic region. This pubis is the third part of the hip bone. The pelvic floor is made of four cornerstone bones. These bones consist of the pubis in front, the coccyx in back, and the two tuberosities, one on each side. The muscles of the perineum connect these four bones creating a diamond shape. The symbol for the root chakra is a diamond. The root chakra is located in the perineum. The diamond shape is divided into two triangles at the tuberosities. The anterior triangle is defined by the tuberosities and the pubis. The openings of the vagina and urethra are located within the anterior triangle. The posterior triangle is defined by the tuberosities and the coccyx. The opening of the rectum is located within the posterior triangle.

2 The muscles running from the pubic bone to the tailbone form a figure eight. The bulbospongiosus muscle (bp) forms the top of the figure eight. It is located within the anterior triangle of the perineum. The BP surrounds the vagina and the penis. The sphincter of the anus forms the bottom of the figure eight. The place where this figure eight muscle crosses is known as the central tendon. All connective tissue and muscles of the pelvic floor attach at the central tendon. It forms the strength of the pelvic floor. Eric Franklin calls this spot the perineal center. The diamond shaped perineum is divided in half by the superficial transverse perineal muscle (TPS). The TPS muscle stretches between the tuberosities. This muscle is in engaged when drawing the tuberosities toward each other. The TPS has connections to the central tendon. The ischiocavernosus muscle (IC) runs from the pubis to the tuberosities forming the sides of the anterior triangle. Located above the muscles of the perineum, but still in the lesser pelvis, are a deeper set of muscles which are closer to the internal organs. The muscles are known as the pelvic diaphragm and form a hammock to hold the internal organs in place. The muscles of the pelvic diaphragm are the levator ani and the coccygenus muscle (CG). The levator ani is a horse-shoe shaped muscle that runs from the coccyx, along the ischium, and connects to the backside of the pubic bone. Tilting the pelvis forward stretches this muscle and tucking the pelvis contracts it. The pubic symphosis and the sacroiliac joints are located in the pelvic region. The pubic symphosis joins the two hips bones in the front body and the sacroiliac joints join the hip bones to the sacrum in the back body. These joints can move slightly, especially during childbirth. Understanding the bones of the pelvis, engaging the pelvic floor muscles, and paying attention to the bones and muscles in everyday movement increases body awareness, strength, and flexibility. This newly cultivated awareness, strength, and flexibility can lead to enhanced function and greater vitality in daily life. Bibliography Calais-Germain, Blandine. The Female pelvis: anatomy & exercises. Seattle, WA; Eastland, Franklin, Eric N. Pelvic power: mind/body exercises for strength, flexibility, posture, and balance for men and women. Hightstown, NJ: Elysian Editions, Long, Ray. The key muscles of yoga: your guide to functional anatomy in yoga. Bandha Yoga Publications, 2006.

3 Petrone, Elaine. The miracle ball method: relieve your pain, reshape your body, reduce your stress. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Summerfield Kozak, Sandra. Banish Back Pain, the Pelvic Stabilization Series. Yoga Therapy. Feb/March 2001: lesson plan locating the pelvis mountain pose/tadasana come to standing place your hands on your hips the bone you feel under your hands is the ilium, it is curved at the top the curved part is called the iliac crest. It is thick and has many muscles that attach to it. Show this bone on the skeleton Trace the iliac crest to the front body and feel where it sticks out a bit, these two points are the hip points sukhasana sit down in an easy seat lift one buttock cheek off the ground, place the hand under it and then sit back down. If you feel a bone, this is the sitz bone(ischial tuberosity). The sacrum (low back) connects the hip bones (pelvis) in the back and is the base of the spine. Place the feet on the floor in front of you as you bend the knees. Lean back on your hands as you roll. The sacrum is making contact with the floor as you roll gently. The very bottom of the sacrum is the tail bone. See if you can feel this as you roll the pelvis. Sit on your heels or in easy seat. Place hands on the hips. The bone you feel is called the iliac crest. The distance from the iliac crest to the sitz bones you are sitting on gives you a feeling of the height of the pelvis. The distance between your hands gives you an idea of the width of the top of the pelvis.

4 Lie back to located the pubic bone. Start with a hand on your navel. Work the hand straight down toward your feet. Stop when you feel a bone. This is the pubic bone. The two hip bones are connected in the front at the pubic bone. The general shape of the pelvis is similar to a funnel, larger at top smaller at bottom. The top half is wider like a bowl or a basin. It is called the greater pelvis. The bottom half is narrower, imagine an inverted pyramid, and surrounded by bones and ligaments. It is called the lesser pelvis. Guided relaxation letting go of tension in the pelvic region Take your awareness to your low belly. Let the belly sink down toward your spine and toward the floor. Feel the contact your sacrum is making to the floor. Image this area spreading out like a putty on the floor. Feel connected to the ground through your pelvic region. bend knees, feet on floor Pelvic tilts lying on back, cue movement from tailbone area Feel the neutral pelvis when you have a small arch in your low back. Mini windshield wipers with knees together Marching up Find your hip points Try to keep the hip points level as you lift the RIGHT foot off the ground about an inch, do this on the LEFT side and go back and forth marching while maintaining a neutral pelvis. You will have the small arch in your low back as you did when you were lying on the ground. Do 10 rounds of marching Constructive Rest during constructive rest bend knees and support legs by looping a strap around thighs, imagine that your knees are draped over a large hanger like a pair of pants as your low back spreads out on the floor (from Eric Franklin's Pelvic Power) place block in between knees keeping the strap wrapped around your thighs ½ bridge Lift the hips off the ground a few inches as you let the low belly sink down toward sacrum, lower do ½ bridge 10 times, exhaling as you lift and inhaling as you lower

5 ½ bridge with knees release block and strap lift to ½ bridge on an exhale, inhale in ½ bridge exhale as you gently squeeze the knees together inhale as you release the knees but stay in ½ bridge do this knee squeeze 10 times with the breath Yoga sit ups Table Pelvic tilts cueing from tailbone Easy Seat/pelvic tilts using imagery of a bowl for the pelvis, filling the bowl with water and spilling out front, back etc. Pelvic tilts in Down dog Pelvic Floor Muscles: anatomy Four cornerstone bones of the pelvic floor: 2 tuberosities, the pubis bone in front and tailbone in back thera band demo of pelvic floor muscles connecting 4 conerstone bones (page 47, Pelvic Power by Eric Franklin) divide into groups of 4 and form a diamond shape (point out same shape as root chakra) 2 sit across from each other to represent sitz bones the other 2 people represent the pubic bone and the tailbone each pair stretches a thera band connecting bones the theraband stretched across sitz bones is the superficial transverse perineal muscle (TPS) the theraband stretched from pubis to tailbone is the bulbospongiosus muscle (bp) this whole area is called the perineum located above the perineum are the pelvic diaphragm muscles which support the internal organs of the lesser pelvis pelvic tilts lying down picture one long muscle running from tailbone to the jaw, as jaw draws downward toward coccyx and coccyx draws toward jaw the whole series of muscles is contracted. (from Pelvic Power) find or imagine your pubic bone and tailbone imagine a figure 8 muscle connecting these bones (the TPS muscles we showed with the theraband) imagine the muscle connecting your sitz bones

6 Table/Pelvic tilts cue from pelvis feel pelvic floor muscles contracting when you tuck tailbone feel pelvic floor muscles stretching when you tilt pelvic bowl toward front body Utkatasana come to standing in mountain pose as you bend the knees place your hands on your hip points and feel them come together slightly stand up next time you squat picture the sitz bones spreading in the back squat several times feeling hip points coming together while at the same time sitz bones spreading The muscles in the pelvic floor stretch when you bend to squat or sit and contract when you stand up Practice sitting stand in front of a chair as you sit down feel your pelvic floor muscles stretch as you stand up feel the muscles contract try to pay attention to these muscles when you sit down for dinner every night (exercise learned from Eric Franklin at Pelvic workshop in Kripalu) Kegal exercises on the chair ball work (from The Miracle Ball Method by Elaine Petrone) Place the miracle balls under the place where the hip bones meet the sacrum move in a way that feels good experiment with 1 and 2 balls place 1 ball on the sacrum, close to the tailbone with knees bent Breathe Lift knees toward chest, let legs fall apart breathe lower feet to the ground Hug RIGHT knee into chest slowly begin to straighten bottom leg Breathe Bring both feet to floor Hug LEFT knee into chest slowly begin to straighten bottom leg Breathe work balls down leg stop under knee and prepare for savasana