The Healthy Pelvic Floor Book

By Jana Danielson

All rights reserved. No part of this material may be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole or in part without express written permission.

The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this material are not intended to replace a one on one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and are not intended as medical advice. Always consult a knowledgeable medical professional about your symptoms.

Neither the author nor publisher has any control and does not assume any responsibility for author or third party websites or their content.

Copyright 2023

CHAPTER 1: Your Body Basics

When was the last time you thought about your pelvic floor health? Days, weeks, months, or even years?? Maybe you’ve never thought about it at all

The truth is, the pelvic floor is often a very under-loved, underappreciated, and, well under-understood part of our body. And I think it’s time we all start to understand more about our pelvic floor health To look at different ways that our body can both prevent and heal from a pelvic floor health perspective

The human body is not made up of pieces. And when you look at your body as a collection of pieces, chances are you’re going to fall flat in your health and wellness journey When you look at the body as a series of systems, you’ll soon discover an understanding of how if one system in the body is lacking in function, the other systems around it will also be affected

Let’s use our posture as an example. When you have poor posture it impacts not only your skeletal system, but your muscular system and your circulatory system This leads to impacting your digestion, elimination, and your nervous and lymphatic systems What does this all mean, well, just from sitting poorly in your chair at work all day, you could be causing constipation, indigestion and other gut issues, headaches, jaw tension and the list goes on and on and on.

So, what in the world could the health of our pelvic floor possibly have to do with the health of the rest of our body??? Well, simply the location of the pelvic floor as a junction between our upper and lower body counts for a lot of the importance, as women, we tend to carry a lot of stress and tension in this area and from an energetic perspective, our root energy center is located here as well. All of these reasons add up to our pelvic floor having tons of significance in our physical, mental, emotional and energetic health

So let me ask you, what is your pelvic floor IQ?? Perhaps you don’t know very much about your pelvic floor, but you’re looking for prevention hints and tips so you can make a positive impact on this area before there’s an issue Or maybe you’ve started noticing some changes in your body such as when you cough or sneeze and find yourself peeing a little bit and you want to nip this in the bud and take inspired action

Maybe you’re unsure of where to turn, or you’ve tried several things but nothing’s worked. Whatever the scenario may be, it can be very frustrating and isolating

Look, you’re not alone. And it’s certainly not your fault. Pelvic floor dysfunction is much more prevalent than you think. In fact, in the United States alone, upwards of 30 million women are dealing with some sort of pelvic floor issue - and the fact is, all of the solutions out there for pelvic floor health are not the only fixes and in most cases, these so-called ‘fixes’ really only mask the symptoms!

So then what are they if they’re not medical in nature? Well, to put it simply, they’re fitness/movement issues. And why is this a MAJOR reframe when it comes to women’s health???? Well, with the right education and the right tools, you can fix your pelvic floor dysfunction!!!! YAY!!

It’s important to remember that this part of your body (the pelvic floor) is a group of muscles These muscles are surrounded by connective tissue called fascia, there are nerves and there is blood. It’s no different than your bicep or any other muscle in your body! This is the environment our muscles live in.

And again it’s not your fault We have been given information for years that the issues “down there” are just part of being a woman and a part of aging and we just need to live with it.

We’ve been told that the only fix is to use incontinence products, which, by the way, is a $21 BILLION DOLLAR industry. This means that $21 BILLION dollars worth of time, effort, and money has been spent on a solution that 90% of us don’t need (and let’s face it, wearing a pad is nowhere near a ‘solution’). And that’s just not right.

On top of that, research shows that 90% of pelvic floor dysfunction cases, in a man or woman’s body, are not medical issues.

We’re not being taught the correct information! Instead, we’re being taught that this is the solution to deal with the symptom rather than how to find and deal with the root causes. Copyright

For men - 90% of incontinence or erectile dysfunction is a pelvic floor issue as well, yet the erectile dysfunction drug industry dances in the realm of a $9 BILLION industry.

And did you know that erectile dysfunction can be solved with pelvic floor physiotherapy? It’s true!

So essentially we’re being told that there’s not much we can do to resolve these issues

But that is all going to end with you having this ebook to use a reference guide to learn the basics of pelvic floor health, blood flow, and what makes the neural network (the information highways) in the brain communicate effectively with the body

I know you’ll start to understand how you can make a huge difference in the health of your pelvic floor! The best part is that you can do it in only three minutes a day that’s right, in only 180 seconds a day you can improve the health of your pelvic floor.

CHAPTER 2: Jana's Story

Let me tell you a little bit about my own story and how I came to realize that something needed to change.

When I was in my late teens/early 20s, I was gifted with, what I consider, my pain journey. This pain journey lasted about four years, but the last two years were the most intense so I started a medical pathway to try and figure out a diagnosis so that I could get better

The pain I experienced was digestive in nature, starting with just a burning tummy issue. If I was about to write a test or anxiously waiting for my now husband (then boyfriend) to call me after school, my stomach would get a little bit uneasy

Now, here’s the thing. I am the first born in my family, a high achiever, and an athlete, who always wanted to do well in school And so everyone would just kind of shrug it off as “Oh, that’s just Jana It’s just her stomach. She just gets like that,” and I believed it. Especially considering my dad, being a farmer, had antacids in the console of his truck, so I just thought to myself, “I must be just like my dad, I guess ”

After I moved away to university, the pain got even worse and much more frequent which led to my medical journey where I was searching for a diagnosis - going from doctor to doctor and specialist to specialist, yet my pain never subsided. Not to mention the 11 different medications I was put on during this time

Even though my pain was digestive, when you live with any type of acute or chronic pain, it impacts your entire body.

So not only did my posture change significantly, but also my voice, my literal voice, my energetic voice, and my spiritual voice was muted. I wouldn’t even pick up the phone to make a hair appointment. My pelvic floor pain also began from all of the guarding I was doing from the pain that was plaguing my whole body

I didn’t realize that when my posture was changing, it was impacting even more of my gut my digestion and pooping became impacted, and my pelvic floor became impacted as well because I was holding so much tension I was like this turtle all of the time hiding under my hard shell.

One day, I was at my doctor’s office, she looked at me and said, “Jana, we believe that the pain you’re experiencing is in your head, we also believe you’re seeking attention, and we hope you have a nice life.” And that was it.

It was all I could do to not burst into tears But in reality, it felt like I was in the ocean holding on with all my might to a little rubber dinghy waiting for this big boat to come and save me - and just as I was getting to the boat, they cut the rope and I drifted away And this overwhelming feeling occurred because I didn’t know what else to do. I thought if I didn’t have the support of mainstrteam medicine, I would never heal this would be my life.

This led to a devastating 6-month depression. Sure, I looked healthy on the outside, but on the inside, I felt like I was dying because nothing was working and the pain was just too much.

And then I had my 'Madonna' moment - six months after that conversation with my doctor. I was in the grocery store one day, looked over at the magazine rack, and noticed a fitness magazine with Madonna on the cover It was the fall of 1999 and had the word Pilates splattered across it. I picked it up, bought it, went home, and read the article about ten or twenty times because what I was reading didn’t make sense in my head

See, I taught fitness classes through university to pay for my tuition - step classes, spin classes, and weightlifting classes. At this time in my life, I had the mindset that for a workout to be worth it, you needed to leave a puddle of sweat on the floor and you should be sore the next day. Yet this article I was reading was about a form of movement that focussed on the spine, alignment, posture, and something called the pelvic floor So I thought to myself, “What is all of this? How does this make you healthy? What’s the point? How is this different?” Copyright

I was so intrigued (and loved Madonna - still do) so decided to find a Pilates class to attend. During my first class, I couldn’t do anything right. Nothing. I couldn’t even breathe properly - and I was devastated Had I not been in the front row in the center of that class, I would have rolled up my mat, made a beeline for the door, and never gone back. But I was front-row-center and my ego would have been too bruised had I left early, so I stayed and watched all of these people moving and breathing all of which my body could not do.

At the end of the class, the instructor walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me which led to me bursting into tears. All she said to me was “Come back on Thursday.” And I did. I went back every Tuesday and Thursday after that. Then something incredible happened after 16 weeks I was off all 11 pills of my daily medication I didn’t understand what was going on in my body but it started changing My pain was gone and the bonus was the the shape of my body changed too!

That was an AH-HA moment for me. I realized that I was looking for healing in the wrong place. I was looking for healing outside of me and I thought I needed someone to heal me What I totally missed was the fact that we are all gifted with a body that is innately brilliant. Yes, there are times when your body needs help from outside sources, but after that, when you can go inside and start to connect with the essence of ‘you’ and this is when it becomes more than simply physical. We start to peel back the layers of your mental body, your emotional body and your energetic body

That’s when I realized I have the power to heal and it really was simple. All I needed to to was to turn the information I was learning into education by living what I was learning!

And so I did I started to trust and love my body again Which led to becoming certified in Pilates and dive into this wonderful world of women’s health and the pelvic floor.

Chapter 3: Learning About Your Body

Let me ask you this: Are you looking for less pain and more energy, confidence and sensuality, and to really become informed about your body?

Well, to get started you need to learn about your body. Let’s begin with your diaphragm The diaphragm is your main muscle of respiration (aka main breathing muscle) - it sits inside your ribcage. Imagine looking up at a mushroom cap or an open umbrella, that’s what the diaphragm looks like. It’s huge! It plays a critical role in pelvic floor health Joseph Pilates said, “breath is the first and the last act of life, and somewhere in the middle, we forget how to do it.” And, boy oh boy, was he right. Thanks to our less than optimal posture, lack of hydration, being disconnected from our body, and our restricted clothing we stop using our diaphragm as our main breather and we start to use the small muscles in our neck (who already have a job by the way……they hold our head up on our spine and this could be why you live with chronic jaw, neck and upper back tension, TMJ, low grade headaches at the browline or hair line……because these small neck muscles NEVER GET A BREAK)!!

Diaphragm - Front View

Diaphragm - Bottom Up View

Look at it this way - the diaphragm is the roof of your core and the pelvic floor is the floor of your core. Don’t just think about the core as being your abdominal muscles - I know that people often think things like, “I have to improve my core strength,” and so what does that lead to, well most of the time it leads to laying on a mat and banging out a bunch of crunches But still, the focus is always on, I have to improve my heart, my core strength, and so on - but that’s not what you need to do. What we need to realize is that proper diaphragmatic breathing can tone your waistline, can help to strengthen the area around any diastasis recti, can feed your cells 600% more oxygen and can give your whole body an energy boost. All this from breathing diaphragmatically 3 times a day for 1 minute each time!!

Female Pelvic Floor

Ok, just to be sure you are clear on this, the diaphragm is the roof of your core and the pelvic floor is the floor of your core Then we have four sets of abdominal muscles that create this cylinder around our rib cage So let's take a closer look at these 4 sets of abdominal muscles.

We have the rectus abdominals, we know it as the six–pack. It's the one that we chase the most, right? But listen, it's ludicrous because you need to have low enough body fat percentage to be able to even see that muscle that we've been told time and time again is a sign of being fit and healthy. It's just not true - your rectus abs are in no way THE indicator of fitness. They're just not, there is so much more to it.

Next and one layer deeper, we have our obliques. The external obliques connect to the internal obliques in a crisscross way. Deeper than that are the transverse abs that wrap around the body These are the deepest abdominal muscles that you have and these are the ab muscles that we want to ‘wake up’ with diaphragmatic breathing.

Abs (Back View)

Transverse Abs (Side View)

Transverse Abs (Front View)

Now that we have a sense of the structure of our core with the roof, cylinder and floor, I want to share a bit on the communication system that runs messages and sensations from the brain to the pelvic floor This all happens via the pudendal nerve This is the nerve that comes out of the sacrum and branches into the genitals Men and women alike have this same exact nerve, and it has two jobs; it is a motor nerve so it sends and receives messages back and forth from the pelvic floor to the brain and back again. It is also a sensory nerve which means all of the feelings between pleasure and pain travel this nerve pathway to the pelvic floor

Transverse

This chapter would not be complete without talking about your fascia. Fascia is an intricate, complex, and incredibly important connective tissue. Fascia is not the same as muscle. Muscle stretches like an elastic band, whereas fascia is more like a plastic grocery bag, you can stretch it a little Fascia can be released with heat and force

Here’s what your oh-so-important fascia does in your body - it surrounds every muscle fiber you have and every nerve you have. It sticks to organs too. When you do not care for your fascia and keep it healthy it can start to react like a boa constrictor wrapping tightly around each muscle fibre and it begins to deplete healthy oxygen-rich and nutrient-rich blood flow from these fibres. When a muscle doesn’t have adequate oxygen and nutrients, it dies. Think about it this way if you were being suffocated, you would die without oxygen, right? And that’s what is happening to your muscles, the exact same thing when we are over caffeinated and dehydrated and our fascia becomes unhealthy

Earlier in this book, I mentioned that 90% of pelvic floor dysfunction is a fitness/movement issue. When you have a lack of oxygen-rich, nutrient-rich blood in the pelvic floor, it’s not if you will experience pelvic floor dysfunction, but when

So if you experience these pelvic floor issues because the tissues are actually dying, you know you need to resuscitate them, but may not know how. Often the thought arises, well if I do kegels, that will fix it, right? Unfortunately no, because that’s not the only thing that you need.

Sure, kegels and breathing are super important - but it’s certainly not the solution for a lack of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood And when there is a lack of that oxygen and nutrient-rich blood, the muscle simply cannot thrive the neural network in the brain cannot rebuild or be effective and efficient in sending those messages through that pudendal nerve.

So what does all of this mean? It means that you need to get that oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to your pelvic floor And when that happens, then you can add in proper breathing techniques and are well on your way to transforming your pelvic floor health.

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Let's dive a little deeper...

A pelvic floor can be too tight, that’s referred to as hypertonic when it’s too tight and there’s too much tone For instance, in a man’s body, erectile dysfunction is often caused by hypertone. How can you expect to get blood to flow through this rock wall of a muscle to the penis? Pelvic Floor physiotherapy is very effective for healing this situation for men Pelvic floor physiotherapy in a man’s body is done anally. The therapists will work to release tension in the muscle, and then the blood flow will be able to return.

For women hypertone looks like this: whenever you cough, sneeze, jump on a trampoline, or even go for a run, there’s impact - that’s where you experience that little or a lot bit of leaking When it’s too tight, or too toned, pelvic floor pain can also occur during intercourse and constipation (yes, constipation, the gut, the health of your gut microbiome, and digestion all have a connection to the pelvic floor)

On the other end of the spectrum, there is a hypotonic pelvic floor And when you have a lack of tone, that’s when you can experience urge and /or frequency incontinence.

Picture this: You’re carrying bags of groceries up to your house, you put the bags down, put your hand on the doorknob, and while you didn’t have to pee two nanoseconds ago, suddenly you are flinging the door open, dropping the groceries on the floor, and trying to undo your pants as you sprint to the bathroom That’s an urge, and so many people have this urge.

It is also important to acknowledge that every body is so different and there’s a lot of spectrum in-between, and sometimes people can actually show symptoms from both hypo and hyper.

So there you have it, the basics of our anatomy and what makes the pelvic floor tick!

Chapter 4: Energetics of the Pelvic Floor

We are much more than a physical body- there is your mental body, your emotional body, your energetic body, and your spiritual body

You’ve likely heard about the chakra system (the energy system). Well, at the base of your spine between the anus and genitals you can find your root chakra - your root energy center This is what grounds you, and makes you feel connected and safe.

This energy center should be spinning like a beautiful vortex but sometimes it gets stuck or begins to spin the opposite way. That’s when you begin feeling not so at home in your body, or more distrustful, and unsafe. And sometimes this can be a feeling that you experience all of the time

You may even think to yourself, I’ve been dealing with my pelvic floor issues or pelvic floor pain for decades, but it still hasn’t gone away Maybe you have a list of things you’ve tried too - including nerve blocker medications because it’s nerve pain. Again, that's a symptom, not the root cause that needs to be dealt with.

It is crucial that you acknowledge this energetic part of your body, and until you do, the pelvic floor dysfunction will remain status quo and the pain you’re experiencing will probably stick around for a long time

Chapter 5: The Solution

Whenever you take the necessary actions to properly and effectively deal with fascia, it allows your blood flow to surround these muscles. On the other hand, if you don’t deal with the health of your fascia, all of the pieces of the puzzle are simply not in the box.

So you might be wondering what does fascia need in order to be healthy? How can you release and stretch this tissue so that the oxygen rich, nutrient rich blood that the pelvic floor needs to start to function optimally can be allowed in.

So here’s the simple solution The Cooch Ball!!!!

And here’s what makes this product so spectacular it’s simple! It’s so easy to use

I carefully and thoughtfully created the Cooch Ball. As a mom of 3 boys and a Pilates & Pelvic Floor expert, I created it so that you can improve the way your blood flow positively impacts your pelvic floor muscles, your pudendal nerve and your fascia.

The solution really is a two-step system. Step 1: you sit on the ball (and you will work your way up to 3 minutes each day ) The weight of your body on the patented Cooch Ball will start a process of melting these fascial restrictions and will allow blood flow to the area.

Now you are beginning to create the environment for change and healing/strengthening/improving your pelvic floor health can begin as we are now connected to the root cause This is why kegels alone can only take your pelvic floor healing to a certain level and then you will plateau and may even start to return back to where you were in the first place - peeing or having pelvic floor pain

Now, onto step 2, the diaphragmatic breathing technique that we spoke about earlier. You do this while using the Cooch Ball take a moment to try this little breathing exercise:

Start by placing one hand on your sternum, the flat bone of the chest. Next, place your other hand over your belly button - you’re going to begin by inhaling through your nose like you are smelling a fresh baked apple pie and then exhaling out of your mouth as if you are fogging up your bathroom mirror.

Focus on your bottom hand, the one touching your belly buttonyou’re going to breathe into your bottom hand as if there was a bullseye target on it.

Breathe in through your nose, and fill your bottom hand with air. Now exhale, melting your belly button away from your bottom hand - inhale into your bottom hand, and exhale away from your bottom hand

When you inhale through your nose, your pelvic floor is at rest on that first breath. Your lungs are filling with air, so your big diaphragm muscle has to get out of the way of your lungs and contracts (gets smaller and moves downward) and your pelvic floor also slightly moves downward as well And as you exhale, your diaphragm expands and rises back up inside of the ribcage as your lungs empty At this point your pelvic floor is like an elevator and it is moving upwards from the lobby to the 4th floor, it is contracting. This feeling is going to be very subtle, like picking up a grape with your vagina that you do not want to squash. We want the subtlety vs the intense or forced feeling we often get when we are told how to do a kegel

Click here or the image below to see the breathing demonstration.

When you add the weight of your body onto the Cooch Ball, you can achieve the beautiful experience of fascia releaseand this proper breathing method creates movement in the strength and release of the pelvic floor. It’s the perfect storm, so to speak.

It’s important to mention that for some people, there may be an ouch factor when they first sit on their Cooch Ball Let me explain Some people may only be able to stay on the ball and do this breathing exercise for 15-30 seconds when they begin. The ouch factor has a direct relationship to the health of your pelvic floor. Lots of ouch means you need lots of help and as you stay consistent with your daily practice, the ouch will slowly start to disappear and this is how you know that you are changing the health of your body from the inside out.

Use your breath as your guide as long as you are breathing calmly, you’re golden, and you’re good to go.

Now, when you get off of the ball it might feel like you’re sitting in the Grand Canyon, and it feels that way because now there is space where there used to be tension. You’ll experience a warm tingly sensation too, which is how you know that change is happening. This is the sensation of blood flow You’re going to feel it This is the change you’ve been looking for

Chapter 6: The Invitation

Imagine it is 6 weeks from today. You wake up in the morning, you have slept all night because you no longer have to get up to go to the bathroom multiple times a night so you are RESTED and full of ENERGY You are feeling more CONFIDENT and notice how you are making and taking the time to move your body, keeping your hydration in check and you are eating more healthy (as this is what starts to happen when you begin this inside out wellness journey). You are feeling more SENSUAL and are reconnecting with your partner and maybe even having a little fun on your own when it suits you! Sex feels better! Your MINDSET and MOTIVATION are soaring!

Just imagine!

Are you ready to join me and the Cooch Ball sisterhood full of women who were where you are right now, who have achieved dramatic changes in their pelvic floor health which evolved into total body wellness.

Are you ready?

Let’s take another look at the Cooch Ball process just to make sure you have clarity and confidence about how simple and easy it is to use.

Here’s what you do: Place the ball between the pubic bone and anus, then sit on it. And you don’t have to be on the floor, you can sit on a chair, your couch, or the mattress of your bed

Just Look What People Are Saying:

“So before the Cooch Ball, my bladder was giving me issues every day, both frequency and urgency and sometimes just not being able to control it. Once I started using the Cooch Ball, I started improving quickly. I bet it wasn’t even a month before I saw a dramatic difference. And now, four months later, I hardly ever even think about it ” -Stephanie

“Thank you, Jana I’m a little over a week into my Cooch Ball experience And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to cross my legs when I sneeze. You’re an incredible instructor/educator, and I love your detailed instructions and videos.” -Melissa

I use mine every single night My pelvic floor has become so strong No more accidents, no more gushes or dribbles The Cooch Ball has changed my life

Thank you! -Pamela

I'm 67 now and this is my report to you-I started with the Cooch Ball just over a month ago and my over-active bladder is 99% better Wow! What a gift that is I walk differently, I no longer slump into my hips, my balance is so much better, my posture is better, I felt good enough to do a 2 week liver cleanse, so I lost 10 lbs, look better, feel better, and now am on a healthier trajectory. YAY!! Thank you so much for all your efforts, your time, your delightful presence, and your constant encouragement!!! -Marie