The Yin and Yang of Lifelong Pelvic Floor Integrity
- Nina Isabella
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Somatic Pelvic Floor Practice | Pelvic Floor Rx | A Wild Paradigm Shift in Pelvic Health
Welcome to a radically different way of caring for your pelvic floor - one that moves beyond “tighten and hold” to embrace balance, breath, softness, and embodied strength.
For nearly two decades, I’ve been pioneering this work, blending somatic psychotherapy, postural awareness, gentle movement and acceptance and commitment therapy - ACT to support women in reconnecting with their bodies. This practice has evolved through deep listening, learning, and witnessing the profound changes it brings to those I work with.
Trauma, the Pelvic Floor, and Somatic Psychotherapy
The pelvic floor often holds the echoes of our lived experiences - moments of fear, tension, or vulnerability that the body remembers even when the mind has moved on. Trauma, whether physical (such as birth injury or surgery) or emotional (like stress, loss, or violation), can express itself through chronic tension, pain, or numbness in this deeply sensitive area.
From a somatic psychotherapy perspective, these patterns are not just “muscle issues” - they are embodied stories of protection and survival. Through gentle awareness, breath, and guided movement, we can invite the pelvic floor to soften and reawaken, helping the nervous system feel safe again. Somatic psychotherapy supports this process by bridging the emotional and physical layers of healing - allowing release, integration, and a return to embodied wholeness.
Somatic Pelvic Floor Practice
This is the umbrella under which all of my offerings live. It’s less about exercises - and more about whole-body, whole-life approach to pelvic floor care that weaves together:
Postural re-education and alignment awareness
Breathwork and visualisation techniques
Yoga-inspired, fluid movement (with plenty of support and padding)
Playful use of squishy gym balls for counter-pressure and release
Gentle acupressure points
Nervous system-informed somatic practices
Rich psychoeducation that replaces outdated myths with grounded, evidence-informed wisdom
At its heart, Somatic Pelvic Floor Practice is about cultivating the conditions for a healthy, buoyant pelvic floor — and a grounded, integrated sense of self.
This approach integrates somatic therapy, pelvic floor rehabilitation, and embodied anatomy to support emotional, physical, and energetic balance.
Pelvic Floor Rx – Individual Sessions
My Pelvic Floor Rx sessions are deeply personalised. Each session meets you exactly where you are - whether you’re recovering from birth, preparing for conception, managing prolapse symptoms, or simply seeking reconnection and relief.
These sessions are especially supportive for:
Trauma recovery (birth or otherwise)
Pre- and post-natal preparation and recovery
Fertility and reproductive health support
Menopausal transitions
Mild to moderate prolapse
Hypertonic (over-tight) pelvic floors
Women seeking to move beyond the “strong vs. weak” pelvic floor myth
Countless clients over the years have found their way to me after realising the old paradigm of strong pelvic floor equals tight have come to realise that their pelvic floor “strength” is actually tension. Over time, that tension can create disconnection, fatigue pain and left long enough pelvic floor dysfunction.
Pelvic health isn’t about control - it’s about coherence, allowing your body’s natural intelligence to restore rhythm and balance. Through this somatic approach, we gently unwind those patterns, inviting softness, integration, and safety back into the body.
The Yin and Yang of Lifelong Pelvic Floor Integrity – Group Program
This group journey - offered as two immersive days or six 2-hour sessions - invites you into a shared exploration of somatic pelvic wisdom.
Together, we explore:
The nervous system’s role in pelvic wellbeing
The dance between tone (Yang) and suppleness (Yin)
The power of rest, restoration, and reconnection
Embodied anatomy and respectful movement practices
The vital link between emotional processing and pelvic vitality
In community, healing deepens. These groups offer space for insight, laughter, vulnerability, and empowerment - a reminder that pelvic healing is not a solitary act, but a shared reclamation.
A Practice Informed by Experience
This work hasn’t come just from textbooks - it has emerged through two decades of practice, deep listening, and embodied learning.
My approach is shaped by:
20 years supporting birthing women and postpartum recovery through my sister practice - Mamashanti
Collaboration with osteopaths and pelvic floor physiotherapists
My own somatic psychotherapy training and personal embodiment practice
Lifelong study into the interplay between body, mind, breath, and story
Every element of this work is informed by deep and wise research, lived experience and professional collaboration - ensuring it is trauma-informed, inclusive, and deeply respectful.
A Wild Paradigm Shift in Pelvic Health
This is not about squeezing or fixing. It’s not about “doing it right.”
It’s about remembering how to feel, how to breathe, and how to move - from the inside out.
True pelvic floor integrity comes from balance: the Yin and the Yang. Suppleness and tone. Surrender and stability.
If you’ve ever felt disheartened by conventional pelvic floor advice… if you’ve been told to “just do your Kegels” and found it doesn’t feel right… or if you’re longing for a kinder, wiser, more embodied path -
✨ Welcome. You’re in the right place. ✨
Curious to Learn More or Book a Session?
Whether you’re ready for a one-on-one Pelvic Floor Rx session or drawn to join the next Yin and Yang of Lifelong Pelvic Floor Integrity group, I’d love to connect.
Let’s rewrite the story of pelvic health — together.
Research supporting somatic psychotherapy for pelvic floor health and resilience
Miller, D., Zanagnolo, V., & Baumgartner, R. N. (2022). Breathing, (S)training and the pelvic floor — A basic concept.Healthcare, 10(6), 1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10061035
Miller, S. L., Miller, L. D., & Mishra, K. (2019). Pelvic floor physical therapy in the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction in women. Current Opinion in Urology, 29(4), 407–412. https://urology.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/urology/JJimages/publications/Pelvic-floor-physical-therapy-in-the-treatment-of-pelvic-floor-dysfunction-in-women.pdf
Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute. (2023, April 10). Breathwork for pelvic health. Herman & Wallace Blog. https://hermanwallace.com/blog/breathwork-for-pelvic-health
Ramm, O. (2024, March 14). Rethinking chronic pelvic pain through trauma, stress, and somatic healing. Brainz Magazine. https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/rethinking-chronic-pelvic-pain-through-trauma-stress-and-somatic-healing
Sutton, C., & McLean, L. (2024). Neurologic pelvic pain: Diagnosis and treatment. Pain Reports, 9(2), e1098. https://doi.org/10.1097/PR9.0000000000001098
ProActive Physical Health. (2023, November 8). The nervous system and your pelvic floor: How somatic therapy can help you regulate and heal. ProActive PT Blog. https://www.proactiveph.com/blog/how-somatic-therapy-can-help-you-regulate-and-heal
CityWomen Health. (2023, June 15). The connection between trauma and pelvic floor health. CityWomen Blog. https://blog.citywomen.co/the-connection-between-trauma-and-pelvic-floor-health
Moonrise Health. (2025, January 20). Functional breathwork to reverse pelvic floor dysfunction. Moonrise Health Blog. https://www.moonrise.health/blog/functional-breath-work-to-reverse-pelvic-floor-dysfunction-2025
