An Approach for Pelvic Pain

This session is offered for those who experience pelvic pain, from menstruation or endometriosis. It is a combination of gentle movement, relaxation, breath and visualisation. The pace is gentle and easy, guided by Kirsten, in a pleasant Australian accent. The practice begins in standing, if the listener is able to, and then progresses to supported lying postiton. It is suggested to have some pillows available to create maximum comfort. This practice, if enjoyed, could become part of a regular routine, to be listened to often, not only during times of pain. At all times the listener is encouraged to move with in their comfortable range and with an attitude of self care and concern.

Transcript

Pelvic Pain Meditation by Kirsten Doesle.

Welcome to this gentle meditation of movement,

Stretch and stillness which has been designed to bring ease to pelvic pain.

You may require some pillows to support you in positions of comfort.

It is important that you move within your available range only.

If your pain does not permit the suggested movements then simply remain well supported and imagine yourself performing the movements.

This practice is one of honoring your body in the state that is in today.

I invite you to commence in standing but if you wish to move directly to lying then just imagine yourself completing these movements.

Drop your shoulders and soften your jaw and unfurl yourself into a full body stretch and if you can find a yawn or deep sigh out.

Imagine the desire to yawn starting from within and expanding.

Sense this growing urge to yawn and stretch.

Oh it's irresistible.

Stay well within your comfort range as you open your joints into the body yawn and again let your breath out with a long sigh.

Allow your jaw to hang open,

Your tongue to be loose almost as if you might drool and now move to your supported lying position.

You may wish to choose on your back with your knees bent up,

Feet flat on the surface on which you are lying.

If this is not comfortable for you choose another position of comfort.

Gather your attention to be here now.

Notice how you are approaching this routine.

Is it with gentle kindness toward your pelvic region or is it layered with some less than loving attitudes?

Perhaps annoyance,

Frustration,

Anger or a sense of deciding to listen to this as a last resort.

Spend a moment to observe your approach.

I invite you to consider an approach from a point of self-love and respect for your body preparing to accept,

Honor and support your body.

You may choose to approach this routine with an attitude of compassion to your body.

We begin by noticing breath.

Observe your breathing pattern.

Does your upper chest move with the breath or is your belly involved in the movement as your body breathes itself?

Just watch.

If you are happy to,

Gently place one hand on your chest and the other over your belly.

Follow your next breath in and out and if you have normal lung function on the next out breath,

Imagine you are blowing out all the candles on a cake.

If you have any breathing issues just continue feeling your breath movement with your hands.

If you are breathing out fully,

Notice that the belly muscles draw in a little to help the last of the breath leave the lungs and return to your restful breath.

On your next breath in,

Imagine that you have nostrils just below your belly button.

Don't think too much about this but let the air enter through the lower belly nostrils.

Just an easy breath.

If you are comfortable to do so,

Continue this easy belly breathing for a few rounds.

We are designed to breathe allowing the belly to move outwards as our diaphragm activates.

And now let that focus go.

Notice if you can whether you have tightening in your pelvic floor muscles during your breathing patterns.

I invite you to let go and drop your pelvic floor as you breathe in.

Place your awareness on your pelvic floor and observe any subtle activity.

You may wish to place your hand over your perineum to feel any change in tension of your pelvic floor muscles.

When these muscles tighten they'll pull slightly away from your hand.

When they soften to let go they will release gently and quite subtly toward your hand.

Release pelvic floor with your breath in.

So making space in the abdominal cavity for the filling of the lungs.

And again release,

Let go pelvic floor as you breathe in and allow your belly to bulge outward.

Now let that focus on breath go and allow your body just to breathe itself.

If you wish to change your position a little,

Hands can be at your side or on your belly.

I invite you to either let your legs slide out straight with or without pillow under your knees or let your legs come to the butterfly posture well supported by pillows.

For the butterfly leg posture with the soles of the feet together drop your knees out to the side to rest on pillows.

Imagine your legs as the open wings of a butterfly.

Adjust your feet for comfort.

Please feel welcome to move for comfort through the session and be aware that this butterfly position is not comfortable for all women.

We're going to bring the body to a place of soft muscles by routine of slight tightening or activation of muscles and more importantly the letting go of tension.

Your tightening effort should be 5% or less only just perceptible to you.

Start at the dome of your head add a little tension to the scalp and soften and loosen.

Tighten your forehead just a little then let go.

Melt any frown or holding of your forehead.

Feel the spherical shape of your eyeballs and let them rest deep into the sockets.

Eyelids are soft like velvety curtains resting gently over your eyes.

Run your tongue over the roof of your mouth and around the inside of your mouth to stretch your lips away from your teeth and gums and then let go.

Allow your tongue to rest fat and soft in the bottom of the cave of your mouth.

The tip of your tongue resting behind the top teeth.

Unlock your jaw.

Feel the space between your top and bottom teeth and again almost feel that you are so let go in your mouth that you might drool.

Allow your shoulders to drop away from your ears.

Allow your shoulder blades to melt into the support.

In the position that they're in slightly tighten your arms left and right then let go.

Release and drop.

Feel into your hands.

Open out the stars of your hands then release effort and let your hands come to a gentle cupped natural shape.

Sense the cage of your ribs expanding with breath.

Feel also the expansion of your belly with breath.

Gently draw the belly button in just a tiny action and as soon as you notice the tension soften.

Let go.

No need to hold.

Allow the belly to be soft.

Sense the roundness of the soft belly.

Beautiful feminine softness and notice your belly button for a moment.

Bring your awareness to your buttocks.

Gently tighten then let go and let go again.

We often hold tension here with pelvic pain.

What more can you let go of around your buttocks and hips?

You may feel your legs roll out if you were lying with legs straight down.

Feel the muscles that scissor the legs together.

They run on the inside of the thighs.

Release and loosen these long muscles.

Imagine or very gently activate the muscles as if you are pushing your legs out toward an A shape.

That's using the muscles on the outside of your legs.

Then release.

If you are in the butterfly posture gently push your knees down then rest again.

The gentle wings of your thigh supported like the wings of a butterfly.

Notice the tension of your pelvic floor muscles.

Draw up a little and then let go.

Soften and release the pelvic floor again.

Push your feet together and let go.

Sense the space in the arch of your feet and the soles of your feet kissing.

If your feet are flat on the floor push to the floor and then melt in as you release.

If your legs are straight out sparkle your toes up and apart and then let go.

Sense a whole body release and soften.

Safe to let go.

Invite in a long breath out or sigh or yawn.

Refocus again at your pelvic floor area.

Ask yourself what more can I let go of here?

Well supported it is safe to soften and release.

Melt and surrender to gravity and ease.

Allowing any holding tension to unwind.

Now place one hand at the front of your pubic bone and the other if you can in the small of your back.

Begin a gentle pelvic rock flattening into the hand at your back and then arching away from that hand.

If it is more comfortable have no hand under your low back and arch and flatten into the support that you are on.

This movement can be very small.

Stay within your comfort range.

Notice what you are doing with your breath.

Ensure you are allowing an easy rhythm and tide of breath.

Sense the rocking of your pelvis soft and easy.

Notice any areas of your body that are calling your attention.

Perhaps you feel a stretch in your low back maybe an awareness of your tailbone.

Possibly a tensing under your hands of muscles at the front.

Observe with interest how your body engages with this gentle rocking.

Always only what is comfortable and if there is too much pain you will be picturing this in your mind only.

Now bring both hands to the front body resting over your lower belly.

Ensure you are comfortable so perhaps take a moment to tweak your position or to reposition.

Notice again how you are feeling in attitude toward this part of your body.

I invite you to offer this sacred female area comfort and support as you would a small delicate animal.

Feel a cupped shape of your hands over this area.

Your hands that provide loving and nurturing touch.

Provide safety to precious things.

Feel that caring healing energy in your hands softly cupped.

Perhaps a sensation of tingliness or lightness in your palms.

Or a sense of warmth or you may not feel any different sensation at all.

Now imagine a light healing energy traveling through the wall of your abdomen.

Healing and dissolving any tissues that create pain.

Soothing nerve endings.

Soothing and lubricating connective tissue.

Relaxing tight and held tension in organs and muscles.

Bring your hands to the front of tissue.

Relaxing tight and held tension in organs and muscles.

Bringing ease and softness to this whole space.

Open to receive the healing energy of your hands,

Of your heart.

You may like to picture a beautiful red rose,

Soft and velvety petals opening into full and generous bloom.

Opening with ease and grace.

Now find a place in your body where ease is the primary sensation.

Ease,

Comfort or pleasure.

This might be in your cheeks or your hands,

Anywhere at all.

Now let this sensation be a color and imagine that your body was an image on a computer screen.

Drag and drop the color of this comfortable place over your pelvis.

Now this may sound a little odd but let your mind go with this.

Sense the area of comfort,

Highlight it,

Drag it,

Drop it into your pelvis.

Invite this comfort experience into the pelvic body space.

Don't think too much about this.

Release your thinking mind and play with this once more.

Find the place of pleasure and ease and comfort.

Map it in a color,

Drag it and drop it to your pelvis.

Let that go and again invite in a stretch either in your mind's eye or in your body.

Imagining connective tissue moving easily,

Muscles sliding and stretching.

And now just let your mind float free.

Place one hand to your heart and the other to your belly.

Thank you body.

Thank yourself also for taking this time.

Begin to invite in some gentle movement as you transition out of this routine.

Revisit your attitude and pain level as you begin to leave this practice.

Inviting in movement,

Opening your eyes,

Becoming aware of the space around you.

Returning to the activities of your day.

Thank you for following this dialogue with me.

I wish you well.

Reviews

Truly feel support and loving kindness. Thanks so much.

This helped a lot, thank you so much!♥️

I really loved this meditation! I felt both my pelvis and belly were more relaxed after this. Will come back for sure.

Thank you very much. So grateful for this relaxing experience today. I'm saving this one!

This is my go-to practice when I’m early in my cycle. My body always feel relaxed and loved each time I do the meditation. Thank you! ❤️🙏🏼

I found this incredibly relaxing. I wasn’t experiencing pain specifically at the time but just feel that it was some much needed tlc and love towards my body.

Thank you. I've been dealing with period pain for several weeks now (not to mention for years before now). I've listened to this quite a few times and found it really helps even when I think it's not going to. I like when you encourage thinking lovingly about the pelvic region, it is easy to forget in painful moments. I also really like the paint fill thing, I have even done it on my own other times and it has helped. Thanks so much for sharing it.

This + Hot Water Bottle + Bed + ibuprofen = the best period cramps solution

Thank you so much! This was so helpful and pleasant to do during severe pain of endometriosis. I will revisit this meditation I’m sure.
I think this might be the first time after getting diagnosed that I have felt loving and compassionate towards my body instead of angry and sad and afraid.
Also, the pace was just right. So was the visualisation. I’m very glad I found this.

Hello!
I am 12 and am experiencing cramps from menstruation, and this washed away my pain... thank you so much

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you! I can’t say enough wonderful things about this practice! I’m 50 & despite a full hysterectomy years ago- I have begun experiencing significant endometriosis pain again. I wish I had this available to me as an adolescent because it would’ve helped so much. Incredibly, I found myself naturally putting my hands where you suggested just prior to your suggestions, so the movements felt very meaningful. Butterfly imagery was nice and the position was comfortable for me. I’m so glad you had me check my attitude towards my body; that was so eye opening. I have felt betrayed by my body for decades and as such, have not had very loving thoughts or feelings towards it most
Of the time. What a difference
💜🙏🏽💜Namaste

Exactly what I need! I’ll listen again and again. Thank you🙏🏻

Thank you for this gentle, compassionate meditation. I actually did this at the end of my period where I didn't have any pain, but it helped me to feel I was closing this month's chapter with kindness and ease! I feel refreshed and ready for what's coming next 🙏

Very helpful, and much gratitude for such a specific and unique subject. I have a variety of causes for this type of pain, and can see these techniques working on the all. I especially enjoyed the enthusiasm you put into certain movements (standing body stretch among them). Thank you for sharing this with me and the world. I see the light in you. 🤲❤️🤲