Why Every Woman Needs Pelvic Bodywork
It’s no secret that the allopathic model of obstetrics and gynecology leaves much to be desired.
Women are way too often left with more questions than answers, medical trauma, handed band-aid prescriptions, and coerced into life-altering procedures.
This all contributes to the limiting belief system that our female anatomy is overly complicated and not worth keeping around. So why not just numb and/or cut it out when you are experiencing symptoms?
Here’s the thing— the more I dive into female physiology, the more I understand why women’s bodies were never meant to be approached with such a masculine framework of care.
Our bodies don’t operate under an “input X, get Y” model (e.g. synthetic hormones). Our bodies need slow, unrushed time to open, unfold, and soften into safety.
Healing doesn’t happen in a 15 minute doctor’s appointment. That model is designed to lead to one of two solutions: surgery or prescription.
When a speculum or finger is shoved inside of us, of course our bodies are tense, guarded, and under stress. This is not an environment for healing.
Healing is also less likely to be effective in a one hour clinical physical therapy setting. While women can see results working with pelvic floor physical therapists, it is still a clinical environment with a limit to how relaxed, surrendered, and receptive your body can be to the healthcare provider’s touch.
There will always be a level of disconnection and disembodiment in a medical setting.
What is pelvic bodywork?
Pelvic bodywork is a hands-on, hands-in method of caring for your female physiology. It is likely something you’ve never experienced before.
A typical session involves abdominal (belly) work, fascial massage, uterine alignment, vulva work, and intra-vaginal work.
Ideally, you are able to receive work from a practitioner for a few sessions to learn more about your body and/or symptoms and then take the techniques into your own hands-on, hands-in practice for the full healing effects.
This practitioner is then someone you can reach out to for support when you feel your body needs another set of eyes and hands on it.
The idea is not to solely rely on an external source to care for your body. When you begin to gain deeper literacy for your own female anatomy, have true confidence in your female physiology, you will know when to seek outside support.
The average woman in one year has touched herself less than her doctor, partner, and/or vibrator.
Our bodies are screaming for our touch. Our tissues and cells need presence, love, and healthy blood flow to thrive.
It’s no wonder so many women are struggling with pelvic organs symptoms of stagnancy, dehydration, and inflammation.
Pelvic bodywork is the way to take your health back into your own hands— literally.
Who do I recommend pelvic bodywork for?
The short answer— every woman.
Whether you’re a menstruating maiden with no children, you’re recovering from birth, or you’re entering menopause, every woman will benefit deeply from this kind of bodywork.
In particular, if you’re struggling with any kind of gynecological label such as:
Endometriosis
Vulvodynia
Vaginismus
Fibroids
Chronic UTIs
Chronic vaginal infections
Painful menstruation
Painful penetration
Prolapse
Cysts
Retroverted/tilted uterus positioning
Mysterious infertility
C-section scar
Vaginal scar tissue
Vaginal atrophy
These labels are highly common in today’s world, but they are not necessarily “normal” for what a woman's experience of health is meant to be in her body.
Medical technology has increased substantially yet women are struggling more than ever in their bodies. It begs us to consider that maybe more technology isn’t the solution to our women’s health crisis.
We used to put our hands on each other. We used to massage ourselves daily. We used to know our bodies inside and out.
If you’ve run into door after door trying to feel more bliss, health, and vitality in your body, maybe it’s time to try another way. A look inside my cycle awareness practice
Why is it so hard to find a pelvic bodyworker?
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering where to find one of these magical pelvic bodyworkers! Great question.
Here’s the thing— due to the nature of the work, pelvic bodywork at this time is a mostly unregulated industry.
Before that scares you off, this has its pros and cons! If the industry was super regulated, that would mean an experience closer to what you get from your average pelvic floor physical therapist. A medical setting with a colder clinical feeling versus an intimate, sacred, and even spiritual experience.
The cons of it being unregulated means it is harder to find a high-quality practitioner. Not everyone uses the same title to advertise themselves (e.g. pelvic bodyworker versus sexological bodywork). And not everyone has the same background of training, skills, and areas of expertise.
You should always thoroughly research the practitioner you’re working with as this is a highly intimate kind of bodywork that should always be treated with professionalism, care, and high standards.
Fortunately, in recent years some incredible progress has formed in the pelvic bodywork space that has made sourcing a practitioner easier than it ever has been.
Where to find a pelvic bodyworker
These are the leaders in the pelvic bodywork space whose work I highly recommend looking into.
Tami Lynn Kent (Holistic Pelvic Care)
Years ago, I read Tami’s book, Wild Feminine. It completely transformed the way I view touching myself and working with my body.
The biggest insight it left me with is the fact that our pelvic bowls are truly the center of our lives as women.
When anything is out of balance in our pelvic organs, we feel out of balance in our lives as a whole.
On the contrary, when we move out of numbness and activate the vitality and creative energy that naturally resides inside of us, we feel that reflected in our full bodies and experiences.
Tami provides Holistic Pelvic Care™ sessions based in Portland, OR.
She also has been training other Holistic Pelvic Care practitioners for years. This is her directory of practitioners around the world that have been trained by Tami herself.
Carly Rae Beaudry (Ma School)
The way Carly talks about the female body and approaches women's health is truly revolutionary.
She has been a long-time inspiration of mine and a major influence on my own work.
Over the last year, she launched Ma School: A Womb Continuum Practitioner Training.
This is her compiled body of work, from decades of experience, with the intent to train other practitioners in the specific method of bodywork she has used to support thousands of other women in her own practice.
“From menarche to menopause and beyond, womb continuum care is a holistic, integrative, hands-on, hands-in approach to women’s healthcare.”
She has a vision, much like my own, that this kind of care and approach to women’s health will become widespread and available to women everywhere.
The first class of graduates from Ma School are now live in the directory.
Martin Beaudoin (Beaudoin Bodywork)
Martin has also trained many of the pelvic bodyworkers you’ll find around the world today. He has been practicing various forms of massage therapy for over 12 years, with his practice focusing on female bodywork.
“Over the last several years I chose to specialize in female bodywork exclusively because I feel women are largely underserved by the medical and para-medical communities.”
He offers several trainings every year around the world, primarily based in Canada and Europe.
Martin primarily offers sessions based out of Vancouver, Canada. You can reach out to him and his team directly to see if there is a Beaudoin Bodywork trained practitioner near you.
*Note: If you happen to live in an area where you don’t have access to a practitioner connected to either of these trainings, keep in mind that many of these practitioners are used to people traveling from afar to see them. You can customize a bodywork retreat for yourself to really make the trip worthwhile!
Healing is meant to take time
No matter the reasons you’re seeking out pelvic bodywork, know that healing is meant to take time.
It’s actually a beautiful thing that our bodies unfurl slowly. Slower changes mean more sustainable, long-term shifts in our health.
This includes the process of finding the right practitioner to work with your body.
If I can offer one final word of advice: Always trust your instincts and tune into the energy of the person who will be touching your intimate body. How you feel about someone certainly matters in relation to receiving touch from them.
And while you search for the right practitioner for you, the best healing tool is already available to you— your own touch.
With love,
Jules
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