Yoga Glossary · Muscles
Pelvic floor
The muscular sling at the base of the pelvis — the floor of the core and the root of Mula Bandha.
The pelvic floor is a layered sling of muscles stretching between the pubic bone, tailbone and sitting bones. It supports the pelvic organs, helps control continence, and forms the bottom of the core pressure system together with the diaphragm, transversus abdominis and deep back muscles. It subtly rises and lowers with every breath.
In yoga language, the gentle lift of the pelvic floor is Mula Bandha, the root lock — cued as a soft engagement, not a clench. That lift steadies the pelvis in standing balances, arm balances and transitions, and it is part of why exhaling into effort feels more stable. Like any muscle, it needs to be able to release as well as engage; Savasana is its rest pose too.
In practice
- Cue it as a gentle lift, about a quarter of your maximum squeeze — more is not better.
- It should move with the breath: softening on the inhale, lifting slightly on the exhale.
- If balance poses feel wobbly at the base, waking up the pelvic floor often steadies the whole column.
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The Yoga Glossary is an educational study reference. Definitions are standard yoga and anatomy knowledge in plain language; nothing here is medical advice.