The musculature of the pelvic floor can be toned and strengthened with exercise. Clenches are the easiest way to tone your pelvic muscles. Start with slow easy clenches, rhythmically tightening and relaxing the muscles around your genitals and anus. Try to do a set of five clenches a few times a day. When this feels easy, move on to sets of ten, fifteen, or more clenches at a time.
After mastering easy, slow clenches, begin adding in sets of faster clenches. Flutter your pelvic floor muscles. Pay attention to the sensations created through these clenches- can you feel the blood rushing to your genitals? What do you notice while doing these clenches? A regular practice of pelvic clenches can have dramatic benefits. These clenches can be done anywhere at anytime- try them next time you are getting aroused or during a boring business meeting and notice the results!
Over time, the musculature of your pelvic floor will strengthen and you will be able to work each muscle within the group independently. Try working the left or right side, or work from back to front and see how many muscle actions you can isolate.
Exercise 1: Clench and Release
Practicing clenches is easier lying down or standing, rather than sitting up with your weight on the pelvic floor. Begin by lying in a comfortable position, and bring your attention to the pelvic floor. Try and locate the muscles of the pelvic floor by clenching – clench your butt muscles first, then your anal sphincters, then move forward into the muscles around the genitals. See if you can feel these distinct regions of the pelvic musculature. If you can not, do not worry. What you feel will change wildly over time. Just keep exploring what you do feel. Clench and release, clench and release. Check in and make sure you are releasing completely. Just like the breath, each part of this cycle is equally important. Over time, this action of clenching and releasing will relax patterns of chronic tension or constriction in these muscles. Begin with sets of 10 clenches. Then take a break. Over time, add more repetitions. You can also experiment with holding each clench a bit longer.
Exercise 2: Quick Flutter
Once you’ve located the major pelvic floor muscles and begun to feel comfortable with the clench and release practice, try a quick flutter clench. Very quickly, contract and release the muscles in the pelvis. Try ten quick flutters, and over time work up to sets of fifty or more. Many find the quick flutter to be quite tiring. This clench helps train the muscles to contract rapidly, which is part of the natural orgasm response when aroused. By creating this clench deliberately, you are strengthening this response and have the opportunity to pay attention to the effect of creating more movement and blood flow in this muscle group.
Exercise 3: Gradual Clench
This is a very powerful strengthening clench, and also helps to release chronic tension. You can practice the gradual clench focusing just on the muscles around the anus. Many have found this practice to be helpful in relief of hemorrhoids, which are caused when severe tension pushes blood vessels through the sensitive tissues around the anus. Try these clenches in sets of one or two to begin, then add a few more as you build strength.
First, to get a sense of the movement, try it in your hand. Make a fist, squeeze as hard as you can. Try to squeeze even harder. You may find the second squeeze difficult. Now, shake it out. Make a fist again, squeeze as hard as you can. Now relax it just a little bit, not all the way, and squeeze again. Relax just a little, then squeeze even harder. Repeat until you feel like you can’t clench any deeper. Now relax your hand completely.
Now try this with your anal sphincter muscles. Clench the sphincters a little bit, then relax a little. Clench deeper, then relax. Clench deeper yet. Make sure at the end of each set to relax your sphincter muscles completely – do not hold onto any extra tension. Notice if you feel any heat, energy or arousal in your body while practicing these gradual clenches.
