The Spiritual Meaning of Pelvic Floor Pain

The pelvic floor is one of those parts of the body you don’t necessarily think about until there’s a problem. Pelvic floor dysfunction can show up in many different ways, including as recurring hemorrhoids, constipation, incontinence, pubic bone pain, and pain during sex. It can also cause other issues like sciatica, low back pain, balance issues, and more.

Pelvic floor pain is most common for people who have been pregnant, but pelvic floor issues can affect anyone, the major symptom being pain. Physiotherapists can help identify the physical symptoms and recommend good exercises for your particular condition. But what’s the spiritual meaning of pelvic floor pain?

Pelvic Floor: The Energy Gateway

The pelvic floor is a very important place, energetically speaking. It’s so deeply hooked into what’s happening with our nervous system that we are only consciously in control of about 50 percent of its functioning. Naturally, the pelvic floor muscles will contract when we feel unsafe. If we’ve experienced trauma or are under a lot of stress, this area will not be able to completely relax. That also means it won’t be able to strengthen properly, so we end up with a tight and weak pelvic floor.

When the pelvic floor contracts, it is trying to protect you. It is trying to close the energy gateway in this area. When the pelvic floor is contracted, we are containing our energy inside of ourselves. When it can relax, energy can release down into the earth. When the pelvic floor is relaxed, energy can also enter into the system. When it is open, we are open.

[Read: “Using the Pelvic Floor as an Energetic Gateway.”]

Often, that openness is a good thing. When we’re connecting with people we feel safe and comfortable with or when we’re absorbing something we’d like to learn, it’s best to have the pelvic floor soft and receptive. When we need to protect ourselves from something that is being said or seen, or when we’re otherwise nervous, it’s a good idea to keep the pelvic floor gateway closed so we are a little more in control of our energy.

When we lose the natural rhythm of tense and release in this area and feel tense all the time, our energy gateway is closed. Old energy cannot leave the body, so it gets stuck and can toxify inside of us. We are not receiving any new energy, so we get a little stuck.

[Read: “Are You Blocked? Take This Chakra Quiz to Find Out.”]

Pelvic Floor Pain & the First Chakra

The pelvic floor is related to the first chakra, muladhara. Again, this is an area we associate with feeling safe. When the first chakra is balanced, our basic needs are met: we have safe shelter, enough food to eat, a way to cleanse our bodies, a home, enough money. Pain in the pelvic floor usually means something is unbalanced in one of these ways.

As you consider the spiritual meaning of pelvic floor pain, here are some questions you could ask around your first chakra:

• Do I feel safe in my home environment?
• Do I feel secure in terms of my job, my finances, my home?
• Which people, actions, or environments help me feel safe and secure?
• How can I include more of those things in my day-to-day life?

Personal Power

When the pelvic floor isn’t working well, there’s often a feeling that we’ve lost our sense of personal power. We don’t feel in control in our lives. We don’t feel able to make the things happen that we need to make happen. We don’t feel that we are in touch with the natural flow of energy in the world around us, and everything we do feels like a struggle.

Paradoxically, the first thing we must do to regain a sense of power in our lives is surrender. Notice what is happening in your life that you do not have control over: the weather, other people’s thoughts/feelings/opinions, your kids being exposed to illness when away from home, and so on. Surrendering to what we cannot change is a fantastic way of relaxing the body and opening this energetic gateway again.

Then think about what you do have control over: your behaviors, your habits, the places where you have an opportunity to say yes or no. Where could you ask for some help? In thinking this through, you may discover there are lots of things you can control but that you actually don’t have to. What else can you let go of in your life? Which are the small things that don’t really need so much attention? What really matters to you?

Taking the time to take stock, to soften, to surrender, and to cultivate safety may help contribute to a nervous system that is able to release tension in the pelvic floor. This will complement any physical therapy you are doing to address pelvic floor pain and help you return to a balanced, safe, calm energy in the body that is able to flow clearly without getting stuck.

Try Julie’s guided meditation for pelvic floor wellness.