I don’t know about you, but I’ve been horrified by all the gruesome things ladies are doing to their vaginas lately. From the grossly misnamed “vaginal rejuvenation” procedure to the g-spot shot, women are paying medical professionals to cut, tighten, and adjust—all in a quest for great sex. Surely there must be a more pleasant way to make our bodies more receptive to the big O. And certainly that method wouldn’t involve lasers or (ack!) otherwise maiming our delicate vag tissue.
There is an easier way. It’s called Pilates. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but what you probably haven’t heard is that it’s a great workout for what Oprah has dubbed your vajayjay. (God, I hate that word!)
Clare Amory has been practicing Pilates for ten years and began teaching four years ago. Last year she opened her own studio, Flesh and Bone, in scenic Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I caught up with her to get the skinny on how Pilates can impact a lady’s sweet booty action.
Betty Confidential: Clare, tell me about Pilates—specifically, Pilates and sex. I’ve taken classes with you and you’re always talking about the pelvic floor. This sounds vaguely dirty …
Clare Amory: The pelvic floor is made up of the muscles at the base of your pelvis. Some people hold a whole bunch of tension there, but if you have the ability to contract and fully release your pelvic floor at will, you’re open to a whole bunch of new sensations.
The more familiar you are with what these muscles can do and how to use them, the more possibilities you have.
Betty Confidential: How do I figure that out?
Clare Amory: To feel your pelvic floor—it’s not quite your peeing muscles—but if you think about where your sitz bones are, when you sit on someone’s lap, the sitz bones are the ones that dig into their legs. By squeezing those bones towards each other, you activate your pelvic floor.
Betty Confidential: Which is orgasm central!
Clare Amory: It’s not just about that. The Pilates philosophy is that you’re always involving your whole body. Just like when you’re having sex, you wouldn’t just use your vagina.
If I was going to give someone a workout focused on the pelvic floor, I might start with a modification on an exercise called the Breathing, where you lay on your back, with your feet flat on the floor. You pull navel to spine, and then tilt your pelvis so that you press the air out from under your back, squeeze your butt—your sitz bones—together and then lift your pelvis off the ground. Stay up for a long, soft inhale and then slowly roll your spine back to the floor or bed. Don’t forget to pay attention to the feeling of release in your pelvis as you come back to rest. Repeat this five times.
