Have you been diagnosed with vulvodynia or vaginismus? Have you noticed your pelvic floor muscles are overactive and have a difficult time letting go and might also be painful? Did your pelvic floor physical therapist recommended using vaginal dilators to decrease vulvar pain? Did your doctor recommend dilators to help with vaginismus? If so, where do you start?
I have found that patients have the best results with dilators when they take a mindful approach, especially if they are experience discomfort.
Pranayama, or breathwork, has been shown to be a helpful strategy for those healing pelvic pain. We can use the breath consciously with the dilator to assist our pelvic floor to lengthen.
Imagine that as you inhale, your belly expands (but doesn’t push out) and your pelvic floor lengthens towards your feet. Call in softness at the hips, buttocks, jaw, and wherever else you can discover unconscious holding patterns.
I believe in the power of mindfulness with dilators so much that I have created a mindfulness meditation for dilator use.
