The pelvic floor is an essential and misunderstood muscle group - there’s no other region of the body that has such a great impact on all of our systems, especially how we move.

  • ➢ Does the extent of your pelvic floor knowledge end at kegels?

  • ➢ Are you looking to learn how to help students and clients with their pelvic floor function that is beyond (not) internal work? Yet something broader, and more holistic that takes a whole person approach?

In this one-of-a kind course, we teach you a science backed mind-body-spirit framework for addressing pelvic floor function

Throughout Unlocking Pelvic Floor Health, we decode the biomechanics of the kinetic chain piece by piece to help you understand how mobility and alignment from the feet to the head help to facilitate optimal pelvic floor health.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN FROM THIS COURSE?

  • Gain new and effective cueing to facilitate optimal pelvic floor function during yoga, pilates, and weight lifting through an evidence based approach

  • Unlock persistent core weakness by addressing pelvic floor function through body mechanics, breath, and nervous system

  • Create change in persistent hip or lower back aches + pains by learning how to down-train, release, and re-educate a hypertonic (too tight) pelvic floor

  • Optimize pelvic floor (PF) function for clients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), constipation, and pelvic pain

  • Learn tools and language to facilitate rib cage and pelvis stacking for optimal PF function

  • Examine suboptimal breathing patterns and learn how to address them to facilitate PF function

  • Utilize the tools of proprioception, interoception, and mindful awareness to facilitate an optimal relationship between nervous system and pelvic floor

  • Understand the relationship between our feet and ankles and pelvic floor function

  • Use props to help clients and students connect to their pelvic floor

Who is the course for?

It is designed for yoga + pilates teachers, fitness trainers, physical + occupational therapists interested in using science-based strategies to help empower your clients and students to continue to perform and live their best lives.

  • ➢ Do you feel unprepared when clients ask about pelvic floor related issues like incontinence, constipation, trouble accessing core strength, persistent low back, hip, tailbone or pelvic pain?

  • ➢ Are you a physical therapist who wants to learn a holistic approach to caring for and optimizing the pelvic floor, including breathing techniques, interoception and mindful awareness?

COMPLETE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

This comprehensive course is rooted in 20 years of clinical experience in orthopedics, sports medicine, and pelvic health PT. This is combined with the holistic approach of yoga creating an evidence based program integrating pelvic health, psychosocial medicine and pain science.

  • 10 modules containing over 6 hours of video-based learning delivered in a comfortable, demonstrative, and experiential way

  • Course includes: learning slides, homework/reflection prompts, links to research articles, and 5 case studies

  • A Course Completion certification will be issued once you have completed the course and answered the feedback survey

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome

    • Welcome to the Course!

    • Disclaimer

    • Copyright Statement

    • How to Get the Most Out of This Course

    • Props Utilized in This Course

    • Access to the Threes Online Studio
  • 2

    Module 1: Introduction

    • Introduction + Course Overview

    • Functions of the Pelvic Floor

    • Local + Global Functions of the Pelvic Floor

    • Homework/Reflection Questions
  • 3

    Module 2: Anatomy + Mechanics Foundations

    • Introduction to Module 2

    • Anatomy: Bony Structures

    • Pelvic Skeleton + Ligaments

    • Anatomy Review: Muscles of the Pelvic Floor

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Name Bony Landmarks

    • Palpation Lab: Bony Structures

    • Pelvic Floor Diamond

    • Palpation Lab: Mapping the Pelvic Floor

    • Relevant Anatomy Images for Mapping

    • Deeper Dive into the Mechanics of the Pelvic Floor

    • Home Base, Neutral & Stacked

    • Head Over Lampshade Over Bowl + Three Valves Including Glottis

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Kinetic Chain: Why Does It Matter?

    • Length Tension Influences on the Pelvis

    • Influences of the Hip on the Pelvic Floor

    • Ribcage Position and the Pelvic Floor

    • Feet and the Pelvic Floor

    • Head Position and the Pelvic Floor

    • Homework/Reflection
  • 4

    Module 3: Breath Foundations

    • Introduction to Module 3: Foundations of the Breath

    • Mechanics of Breath

    • Deeper Dive into Intra-Abdominal Pressure

    • Intra Abdominal Pressure

    • Bandhas

    • Influences of the Breath

    • Breath as a Bridge

    • Homework/Reflection
  • 5

    Module 4: Nervous System Foundations

    • Foundations of the Nervous System

    • The Nervous System + The Pelvic Floor

    • New Framework for Attending to the Pelvic Floor

    • Homework/Reflection
  • 6

    Module 5: Restoration Tools for the Body

    • Restoration Tools: Body

    • Restoration for Posterior Pelvic Tilt

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for Anterior Pelvic Tilt

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for Pelvic Hike + Rotation

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for the Hips

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for the Ribcage

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for the Feet

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for Forward Head Position

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Body Restoration Tools: Sequences + Techniques
  • 7

    Module 6: Restoration Tools for the Breath

    • Breathing Restoration for the Pelvic Floor

    • Restoration for the Breath 1

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for the Breath 2
  • 8

    Module 7: Restoration Tools for the Nervous System

    • Restoration Tools: Nervous System

    • Restoration for the Nervous System: Proprioception

    • Restoration for the Nervous System: Interoception

    • Homework/Reflection

    • Restoration for the Nervous System: Mindful Awareness

    • Homework/Reflection
  • 9

    Module 8: Assessment

    • How to Assess

    • Interview & Assessment with Jessica

    • Body Assessment with Jessica (no sound)

    • Homework/Reflections

    • Body Assessment with Jessica

    • Homework/Reflection
  • 10

    Module 9: Case Studies

    • Case Studies
  • 11

    Module 10: Conclusions

    • Conclusions

    • Literature from the Course

    • What's Next?

    • Ready for More Learning?

    • Feedback Survey of Your Learning Experience

Join Diana Zotos Florio, PT, MS, CSCS, and certified yoga teacher, to educate yourself and empower your clients

Your understanding around the interplay of different bodily systems will increase. Expand not only your pelvic floor knowledge, but also discover the intersections of the feet, hips, core, diaphragm, and ribcage position, and how to work skillfully with these areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is this course in person or online?

    The course is fully virtual - take it on your own time. There will be an optional in-person lab in NYC on March 15th where you'll learn how to use your new skills with clients. This event is separate from the course, and is intended as an optional add on for those in the area. Details TBD

  • How much does it cost?

    The program is $475

  • Is it worth the money?

    Investing in your education is always worth it. This knowledge will help forever - there is no end date on its usefulness. The information taught is so much more than "just" the PF, you'll learn about the interconnected systems throughout the body that affect the PF - expect a rich learning experience that will change the way you think about, teach, and treat the pelvic floor.

  • Isn't this outside the scope of my teaching as a yoga/pilates teacher or personal trainer?

    The pelvic floor is a group of muscles like any other in the body - there's no need to shy away from learning about this topic. It comes down to what you want to learn about as a movement teacher and if you want to be an informed resource about PF health. This is an issue that plagues so many, largely women, due to the amount of trauma to this area. The more teachers that have a baseline understanding of this topic, the better served our community is.

  • Do I really need to know about this? I've been doing just fine teaching without addressing the PF.

    The PF is an integral component of our core power + stability, therefore it could be the missing piece to chronic low back or hip issues. A weak or dysfunctional PF can limit how strong you can lift because it is the bottom of your core. If you’re teaching core work but have very little knowledge about the PF, you’re likely teaching incomplete or possibly ineffective core work. At the very least, any movement professional should know enough to NOT make PF issues worse - this alone is a huge service.

  • Can I take this course if I've had very little anatomy training?

    Yes, you can. The course is comprehensive, meaning it gives a well rounded, 360° approach to understanding and treating the PF. You will gain confidence and understanding that will open the door to teaching about this. Some sections are science heavy and you'll learn new terminology; the benefit of an online program is you can take it multiple times as your knowledge base and familiarity builds. Those with little anatomy & physiology experience will learn a very solid foundation to start off your journey. Those who already have a strong foundation will be able to take this even further into assessment.

  • Is this only for women?

    Everyone has a pelvic floor! All genders are welcome to learn this content.

  • Will this course teach me to diagnose and treat specific pf conditions like incontinence, prolapse etc?

    No, this course will not give you credentials or knowledge to diagnose or treat, rather this course will teach you about the pelvic floor and how the pelvic floor is affected and effects the rest of the body, the breath and the nervous system through video lectures, slide presentations and movement/breath/nervous system demonstrations

  • Will this course be available on the online studio?

    No, this professional education course is not included with the online studio.