The Method
This is what you do
Buy our cushion and start using it with the help of our instruction video.
When you first start using the cushion, we recommend using it for 5 minutes every day. Once you have become familiar with the method and have resolved any challenges you may have had, you can train every day or whenever you feel that your pelvic floor needs care.
You can also use the cushion by just sitting on it and massaging the places where you may feel it is necessary. Just sitting on it gives increased awareness and helps the pelvic floor to be more supple in your everyday life.
What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor consists of several muscles that extend between your pubic bone at the front, your tailbone at the back and the gluteal bones in the sides. The pelvic floor also includes connective tissue, which is part of the entire body’s connective tissue network.
The pelvic floor includes openings to the anus, vagina and urethra.
What is a healthy and well-functioning pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor should stabilize your pelvis and open and close when needed. A healthy pelvic floor is therefore one which can register what function you need and then respond to this need.
Your pelvic floor must also be flexible enough to stretch to different positions.
It should be able to tighten when necessary (to close for urine and faeces).
It must also be able to stretch and relax to open for these functions.
A strong pelvic floor is thus both flexible and well-cared-for!
Problems that require pelvic floor care
General training / Kegel exercises / clench training
We developed the method because too many people experienced Kegel exercises as problematic. Many were in doubt about whether they were training properly and sufficiently, while some found it uncomfortable. Our method enables you to feel how you should train in a comfortable way while ensuring both clenching and relaxation.Both are important for achieving a healthy pelvic floor.
Incontinence
Stress incontinence
When we experience incontinence or involuntary urination in the form of leakage when we, for example, cough, jump, run and laugh, it is because the pelvic floor cannot close quickly and reactively. Broadly speaking, this is because, the pelvic floor is too passive or simply too tense. If it is too tense, it has “nothing to give” when it is stressed by, for example, a cough. We have achieved extremely good results in treating this type of incontinence with Empelvic. Some users already notice results after 1 week, while others need to spend more time.
Urinary incontinence
Are you plagued by a sudden urge to urinate and are unable restrain the urge? This problem is caused by the lack of fine-tuning of the cooperation between the brain and the pelvic floor.The brain registers a filled bladder and incorrectly interprets this as a signal to “let go”. Here, gradual training is needed to help restrain the urge and stimulate the nerve signals between the pelvic floor and the brain. It takes patience, but our method will guide you.
Following birth
When we are pregnant, our pelvic floor is stressed by both pressure and hormonal changes. When we give birth, both vaginally and by caesarean section, the pelvic floor is also under severe pressure and stress. Once we have given birth, it is important to restore contact with the pelvic floor and gently help it back into shape. The first thing you need to do is spend time on your breathing. You need to show your body that it can breathe deeply again and you need to sigh deeply and relax. It is important both in relation to muscles and joints and in relation to adjusting to your changed body and your new role as a parent.
Vaginismus
Vaginismus is the classic term used to describe reflexive, involuntary tensioning of the vaginal opening muscles – the pelvic floor. In broader terms, one can also call it reflex tension in the lower abdomen. Our method gives you an intuitive guide to relaxation and is groundbreaking in the way it teaches you how to let go of the tension reflex.
Erectile problems / impotence
Achieving an erection requires a large amount of blood to flow to the erectile chambers in the penis and stay there. This requires an interaction between nerves, muscles, blood vessels and the mind. Potency is thus an interplay between thoughts and the tissue in the lower abdomen. Many men have an overstretched and hence inflexible pelvic floor that inhibits the filling of the erectile chambers and the optimal retention the blood during erection. Our Empelvic cushion for men has provided men with the possibility of obtaining a free and enjoyable erection without the use of pills.
The method
The method is based on the pelvic floor’s natural way of cooperating with our breathing.Instead of trying to force your muscles to work in a certain way, which is the focus of the old-school Kegel exercises, you support the movements that always take place subconsciously, without you being aware of them.
The pressure from the cushion increases the ability to feel
When you sit on the cushion you start to feel the area where it exerts pressure. That is, the surfaces, the muscles and the connective tissue deeper inside you that, together, make up the pelvic floor. Apart from the area that you consciously notice, the brain “discovers” the area that you intend to make contact with and which might have been “blocked” for a while. You can then start passing data or information to the brain about how the pelvic floor is doing and what it needs. You can sometimes make a change simply by sitting on the cushion.
Cooperation with breathing
Inhalation
When you inhale, the pelvic floor needs to stretch. It needs to make space inside you and it needs to do so without completely losing its tension.
Exhalation
When you exhale, the pelvic floor wants to contract, move forward and tense itself. It squeezes when you exhale, at the same time giving little tension in your lips and jaws.
The Sigh
When you sigh with a relaxed jaw, tongue and lips, the pelvic floor relaxes. It finds its most relaxed position and allows the blood to flow through. It is important to be able to distinguish between an exhalation and a sigh.
Awareness
You start with simply sitting on the cushion and breathing.
Make consonant sounds (K, T, D and S) and, with your eyes closed, pay attention to what is happening. Notice if something twitches or moves when you make the sounds.
Then try the different types of breathing. The inhalation, the exhalation and the sigh and simply notice if you feel something reacting in your pelvis.
In this phase pay particular attention to the sigh. Try to let go of any control when you sigh. Let the cushion support you.
Do this for 5 minutes each day for a week, or for as long as you need on order to achieve connection with your pelvic floor.
Some people feel a lot in the beginning, some less. Give it time – and curiosity.
To awaken
As your awareness increases, help the movements to increase too. When you inhale, focus on allowing the tissue to stretch even more. As you inhale, follow the breath through your armpits, your back through to your lower back and into your pelvis.
When you exhale, wait for some tensioning to occur and once you feel it, support it slightly. Allow it to move forward softly and slowly as it tenses.
Take another deep breath in and sigh deeply. Repeat the sigh.
To train
Once your awareness and cooperation with breathing has become familiar to you, you can start training this every day for about 5 minutes. Repeat the different breaths and movements in cycles.
If it Hurts
If it hurts when you start sitting on the cushion, it is because you are tense. This will change as you learn to relax the muscles. Try placing the cushion on a softer surface. Put your knees together and move your heels to the sides.
The Empelvic method and the Danish Design Award
Our method is based on addressing all the needs of a healthy pelvic floor. And, thanks to the easy approach to training, we won the 2020 Danish Design Award in the Healthy Life category.
The pelvic floor – a fantastic group of muscles
The term “pelvic floor” is commonly used to refer to all of the muscles and connective tissue (fascia) that form the base of your pelvis, including the openings of the anus, vagina and urethra.
The muscles in the pelvic floor are about 1 cm in diameter. They are in layers with the connective tissue about 3-5 cm inside your pelvis.
The pelvic floor can move actively whenever you choose and it also moves reflexively in a constant collaboration with your breathing, the other parts of your body and the challenges you face.
