What Tokyo Taught Me About Your Pelvic Floor

What Tokyo Taught Me About Your Pelvic Floor

Claire has just landed back from Tokyo, where she taught pelvic health workshops to some of Japan's most experienced Pilates teachers, and she is closing the season with the thing she cannot stop thinking about: everything was different, except the questions. The same prolapse fears. The same leaking on the run for a train. The same belief that the answer is to squeeze harder. In this season finale, Claire shares what happened when she started, as she always starts, with breath, and watched a room of teachers with decades of experience have the lightbulb moment that changes everything: the pelvic floor is not a separate sling to be trained in isolation, it is part of a whole-body system that moves with every breath. If seasoned professionals are still having that penny drop, then hear this: you have not failed at kegels. You were given the wrong starting point. In this episode: * What was beautifully different about teaching in Japan, and what was exactly the same * Why women's pelvic health needs do not change across cultures, and why the silence around them doesn't either * The whole-body lightbulb moment, and why breath comes before the squeeze * A look back at what this season was really about * What to do during the season break Start where Claire started in Tokyo, with the breath, not the squeeze: Beyond Kegels Course [https://go.clairesparrowpilates.co.uk/beyond-kegels] Free community: The Pelvic Health Cafe [https://go.clairesparrowpilates.co.uk/pelvic-health-cafe-register] Claire's book: buy it here [https://amzn.eu/d/073oqyWe]

Your Pelvic Floor Checklist: How To Exercise Without Fear

You have probably been told what not to do. Don’t lift. Don’t run. Don’t jump. You’ll make it worse. So you stopped, and stopping shrank what your body could do. This episode hands you the opposite of a warning label. It is a simple checklist of three things to notice when you move, so you can exercise without fear and read what your body is actually telling you. I walk you through the three, in the order that matters: breathing as the foundation, then pressure management, then the full contractile cycle, the one almost nobody teaches, where your pelvic floor learns to let go as fully as it lifts. Plus the gym moment where going up a single kilo told me everything, and what I did about it. Some of these you will see. Most of them you will feel. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hopeforyourpelvicfloor If this helped, please follow, leave a review and share it.

Wearing A Pad Isn’t Giving Up. How To Tell If It’s Helping Or Holding You Back

You grab a packet of pads with the weekly shop and barely think about it. But that small, automatic decision is quietly telling you a story about whether you believe your body can change. This episode is the one I’ve been building towards all season. There are four camps women fall into with incontinence pads, and three of them are driven by fear or avoidance, not by choice. I share the client whose question changed how I think about pads completely, the difference between a pad as a bridge and a pad as a trap, and why knowing your type of incontinence, stress, urge or the very common mix of both, changes everything about your plan. A pad removed a barrier. It did not solve the problem. Knowing the difference is the whole episode. If you have ever felt that wearing a pad means giving in, this one is for you. Listen, then come find me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hopeforyourpelvicfloor If this helped, please follow, leave a review and share it with a woman who needs it.

What You Are Being Told About Prolapse Is Incomplete

It's Prolapse Awareness Month — and this week, Claire is asking a bigger question: what are we actually making women aware of? In this episode, Claire breaks down the gap between what women are told about prolapse and what's actually supported by the evidence. From the "just do Kegels" advice that can make symptoms worse, to the research bias that has left women waiting decades for information they deserve right now — this is a conversation that will change how you think about your pelvic floor. Because you don't have to wait 17 years for the research to filter through. You can have the information now. In this episode: * What women are commonly told about prolapse — and why it's often incomplete or unhelpful * Why 60-90% of chronic pelvic floor pain involves hypertonicity (too tight, not too weak) * The problem with prescribing Kegels as a one-size-fits-all solution * How fear-based avoidance of exercise can actually worsen prolapse symptoms * The research gap: 17 years, 14% of findings, and the history of women being excluded from clinical trials * 26 FDA-approved drugs for male sexual health vs 2 for female sexual dysfunction * What Whole Body Pelvic Health offers instead — and why it matters right now * Claire's reminder: you're not broken, you're not behind, and you're not alone Mentioned in this episode: Catch up on the prolapse deep-dive episodes from June 2025: June 2025 — Episode 1 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000711972389] June 2025 — Episode 2 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000713267755] June 2025 — Episode 3 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000714019481] June 2025 — Episode 4 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000714982251] June 2025 — Episode 5 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000715717177] The 7-Day / 7-Minute Challenge: [INSERT LINK] Join the Pelvic Health Cafe: Register here [https://go.clairesparrowpilates.co.uk/pelvic-health-cafe-register]

What Prolapse Taught Me

Prolapse is one of those words that can stop a woman in her tracks. And yet — when we actually sit with it, slow down, and listen to what it's telling us — it becomes one of the most powerful teachers we'll ever have. In this episode, Claire shares what prolapse has taught her: about the body, about pressure, about rest, about asking for help, and about what it really means to support your pelvic floor for the long term. Whether you're newly diagnosed, have been managing prolapse for years, or simply want to understand more about your body — this is a conversation full of honesty, hope, and practical insight. In this episode: * Why prolapse is information, not just a problem to fix * What the pelvic floor is actually doing — and why Kegels aren't always the answer * The role of breath, posture, and intra-abdominal pressure in prolapse management * Pessaries as an underused, undertalked-about support tool * The mindset shift that helps most with long-term recovery * Why rest is not giving up Links mentioned: S4 E40 — The Pessaries Episode: Listen here [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000710718821] June 2025 Episodes: June 2025 — Episode 1 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000711972389] June 2025 — Episode 2 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000713267755] June 2025 — Episode 3 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000714019481] June 2025 — Episode 4 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000714982251] June 2025 — Episode 5 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hope-for-your-pelvic-floor-the-whole-body-pelvic/id1799754117?i=1000715717177] Join the Pelvic Health Cafe: Register here [https://go.clairesparrowpilates.co.uk/pelvic-health-cafe-register]