I believe this
exercise is the
foundation of
the post natal
woman and can
re-habilitate
her pelvic floor.
•
When your client is ready, ask her
to take a natural breath in, then
breathe all the way out and draw in
and up through her front passage.
(I use the very glamorous analogy
of asking her to imagine she has a
tampon inserted and she is gently
trying to squeeze it in and up
when talking about this pelvic floor
activation)
• Once you feel she has got her pelvic
floor contraction right you can move
on to add TA activation
• Ask her to take her natural breath
in and as she breathes out she can
gently draw her pelvic fl oor in and
up away from the hand laying
across her hip bone to hip bone,
drawing toward her tailbone to
activate her TA
It’s important to remember this is a
gentle movement—no big ‘tensing’ or
‘bracing’ of the abdominals. There is no
external way you can truly know your
client is most effectively activating her
Pelvic Floor and TA without her seeing a
WHP.
your client’s back muscles and stretch
out her chest—pair it with a chest stretch
for the best effect.
A cobra can be performed lying or
standing but for post-natal mums I chose
a standing cobra, as many women will
experience tender or sore breasts.
How to correctly teach the cobra stretch:
• Ask your client to stand with her feet
hip width apart and a slight bend in
her kneess
• Ensure the chest is up, shoulders
down and she has an awareness
through her PF and TA
• She has a neutral spine tip and her
hands are resting on her knees
• Ask her to tip at her hips until fingers
are on her knees
• Then lead with the thumbs drawing
her shoulders back and down taking
arms out to the sides
2. Cobra
Almost every new mum complains of
upper back and trap tiredness or pain,
along with a tightness through her chest
muscles. This is caused by a constant
need to carry and feed her new baby,
leaving many women in a rounded
position for hours on end. A cobra stretch
can simultaneously help to strengthen
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