Insights

Pathways to Pain Relief: Insights and Resources for Your Journey

Reflux, Silent Reflux & Hiatal Hernia: When Less Is More in Hypopressives

Hypopressives are designed to reduce pressure in the abdominal cavity — but what if your session left you with a wave of reflux, throat tightness, or even heartburn?

It can feel disheartening when a technique meant to help seems to aggravate your symptoms. But this isn’t a sign to quit — it’s a sign to listen. In many cases, these sensations aren’t failure; they’re feedback. And when we soften, modify, and approach things with less performance and more presence, the benefits often return tenfold.

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Ready to Rebound: A 12-Week Prep Plan for Safe, Strong, and Joyful Jumping

Rebounding can be an incredible way to boost your cardiovascular health, build strength, and support your pelvic floor when your system is ready for it.
But jumping—whether on a trampoline or not—isn’t just child’s play. It’s a full-body event that demands elastic recoil, fascial glide, pressure management, and joint integrity. That’s why preparation is everything.

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Everyday Movements That Heal (or Hurt): How to Move Smarter for Your Pelvic Floor

When we think about healing pelvic floor dysfunction, we often think about exercises, physio appointments, or breathing drills. But the truth is: it’s not just about what you do in class or clinic. It’s what you do all day long that really shapes how your pelvic floor responds, recovers, and supports you.

The way we lift, sit, stand, carry, sleep, and clean can either reinforce dysfunction—or quietly build strength, resilience, and ease.

This post will walk you through 8 everyday movements—with the why, the how, and what to avoid—so you can turn your daily life into a healing practice.

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Eyes Wide Open: How Your Gaze Impacts Your Brain, Nervous System—and Pelvic Floor

When you rest in stillness with your eyes gently closed—or softly behind the eyelids with a downward gaze—you allow the visual system to take a break. This reduces sympathetic activation and frees up energy for internal regulation: like better bladder control, digestive rhythm, and pelvic floor coordination.

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Healing, Breath, and the Body: Can Hypopressives Support Cancer Recovery?

Cancer is a journey that can feel overwhelmingly out of our control. Between treatments, side effects, and the mental toll of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel like your body has been hijacked by something you can’t influence. But what if there was a way to reclaim some of that power? What if you could take an active role in your own healing and find moments of calm, relief, and even strength along the way?

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Rebounding and Your Pelvic Floor: Helpful or Harmful?

Your pelvic floor needs load. Fascia and soft tissue thrive on load—it stimulates collagen and elastin production, keeping your tissues strong, responsive, and well-hydrated.

Rebounding (aka bouncing on a trampoline) delivers dynamic, elastic load through the whole body—hips, spine, core, feet—and, when done well, can actually support pelvic floor resilience.

In fact, studies show that trampolining offers greater biomechanical stimulus than running, especially when it comes to gravitational loading. So yes—it’s effective.

But effective isn’t the same as appropriate—especially if your system isn’t ready.

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The Brain–Pelvic Floor Connection: Why Thoughts Matter More Than You Think

The pelvic floor doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s part of a deeply interconnected system, regulated by the brain through both the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Motor signals from the brain travel down the spinal cord and out through nerves like the pudendal, directing muscle tone, contraction, and relaxation in the pelvic floor.

But there’s more—emotions, trauma, and even thoughts can change the brain’s outputs.

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“What’s Going On Down There?”: Understanding the Perineum and Perineal Descent

You’re Not Alone (and You’re Not Doomed)

Let’s break the taboo. Your perineum deserves just as much attention as your abs, your glutes, or your heart. If you’ve been feeling like something’s “off” or like your body isn’t responding how it used to, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.

The great news? Your perineum is responsive. With the right tools—like Hypopressives, gentle release work, and postural awareness—it can heal, lift, and reclaim its place in your pelvic puzzle.

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🦶 From Sole to Core: How Your Feet Influence Pelvic Floor Health

When people think about pelvic floor dysfunction, they often focus on what’s happening “down there.” But zoom out for a moment—and look down. Way down. The feet, our often-overlooked foundation, hold a powerful key to unlocking pelvic balance, nervous system regulation, and better breath mechanics.

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Hiatal Hernia: Why It’s More Common Than You Think — and How Hypopressives Can Help

Experiencing reflux, breathlessness, or chest pressure? Hiatal hernias are becoming more common — and posture, breath, and fascia may be to blame. Discover how Hypopressives can relieve symptoms by decompressing the diaphragm, restoring fascial support, and reducing internal pressure. A holistic approach to healing from the inside out.

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✨ The Hidden Cost of Shapewear: What It’s Doing to Your Pelvic Floor

We’ve been told that shapewear is a quick fix — smoothing the belly, lifting the bottom, holding everything “in place.” But at what cost?

As a pelvic floor specialist, I see behind the scenes — what’s happening inside the body when it’s tightly wrapped, compressed, and silenced by elasticized control. Spoiler alert: it’s not doing your pelvic health any favours.

Here’s what you need to know.

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When the Ribs Won’t Let Go: Emotional Roots of Rib Cage Tension (And How to Release Them)

If your ribs feel stuck, it’s not a sign of failure—it’s a signal.

Your body isn’t broken.

It might just be asking for safety before mobility.

Support before stretch.

Listening before forcing.

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Why Kegels May Not Be the Best Choice for Most Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Your pelvic floor isn’t meant to work in isolation—it’s part of a complex, coordinated team. It works alongside your diaphragm, deep core, hips, feet, and nervous system.

What your body really needs is a responsive pelvic floor:
One that contracts when needed, relaxes when it’s safe, and moves rhythmically with your breath and posture.

Kegels isolate the pelvic floor from this team. They often fail to restore true function—and can even create further imbalance.

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Why Voice Projection Can Overload Your Pelvic Floor

Do’s and Don’ts for Voice & Pelvic Floor Health

✅ DO:

  • Practice exhaling while speaking rather than holding your breath and pushing.

  • Use diaphragmatic breath before and after long speaking or singing sessions to reset pressure.

  • Check your posture: Tall spine, soft knees, relaxed jaw. Alignment helps the canister function.

  • Incorporate voice and breath coordination drills (see below).

  • Use voice resonance (vibration in the chest or face) instead of pure force.

❌ DON’T:

  • Yell or speak forcefully while breath-holding.

  • Tuck your pelvis or lock your knees while speaking.

  • Push your belly out on inhale or clench your abs on exhale.

  • Ignore signs like pelvic heaviness or leaking—those are cues your system needs support.

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Breathing: A Gateway to Brain Health and Resilience Against Neurological Diseases

Breathing is an automatic process we often take for granted, yet it holds profound influence over our brain's health and function. Emerging research reveals that conscious breathwork can impact brain structures like the amygdala, potentially offering protective benefits against age-related neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's.

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Hypopressives and the benefit for those living with and recovering from Cancer.

Cancer is a journey that can feel overwhelmingly out of our control. Between treatments, side effects, and the mental toll of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel like your body has been hijacked by something you can’t influence. But what if there was a way to reclaim some of that power? What if you could take an active role in your own healing and find moments of calm, relief, and even strength along the way?

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Getting to know your V

Exploring your own body can lead to some surprising discoveries, and it’s completely natural to have questions—especially when it comes to your pelvic floor and vaginal health. If you’ve noticed a firm ridge along the front (anterior) wall of your vagina, it might leave you feeling a bit confused or even worried. Let’s dive into what this might be, why it happens, and how you can support your body through self-care and gentle exploration.

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How Hypopressives and Apnoeas Impact the Fascia, Pelvic Organs, and Pelvic Floor

In Hypopressives, we’re always focusing on creating an elongated, neutral spine and stacking the ribcage efficiently over the pelvis. This alignment supports the vacuum effect, allowing the fascia to move upward in a more balanced, unrestricted way. It also means that the pelvic floor reflexively responds to this pressure shift without any conscious squeezing or bracing. The abdominal muscles, particularly the deeper ones like the transversus abdominis, cinch inward naturally, creating a corset-like effect without forcing a contraction.

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The Breath Cascade: How Breath Mechanics Influence Pelvic Floor Health

Breathing is often seen as a simple, automatic process, but the cascade of movements and reactions within the body during a breath cycle is far more intricate and purposeful. This breath cascade not only supports vital functions but also profoundly influences spinal stability and pelvic floor health. Let’s break down this fascinating chain reaction step by step.

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Breathing Through the Ages: How Anatomy Shapes Breath & Why Adults Need 360° Lateral Costal Breathing

Final Takeaway: When to Use Each Type of Breathing

🌬️ Belly Expansion (Vagal Stimulation) → Great for
✔️ Deep relaxation (Yoga Nidra, meditation, sleep prep)
✔️ Stimulating digestion & gut motility
✔️ Reducing anxiety & nervous system overactivity

🌀 360° Lateral Costal Breathing (Vagal Stimulation + Pressure Balance) → Best for
✔️ Everyday function, movement, and posture
✔️ Core stability & pelvic floor integrity
✔️ Sustained nervous system regulation without pressure imbalances

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