Singing with Your Pelvic Floor

How Pelvic Health Supports Vocal Power and Performance

Have you ever considered how your pelvic floor might be influencing your voice? Singers historically have focused on breath control, posture, and vocal technique, but there is a critical role that the pelvic floor plays in vocal health. The pelvic floor is more than just a set of muscles at the base of the torso—it’s an integral part of our core stability and breath support. Understanding this connection can help singers unlock greater vocal freedom, reduce strain, and enhance their overall performance.

The Science Behind the Connection

The voice and pelvic floor are connected through a system of deep core muscles that work together to regulate breath, support movement, and maintain stability. The diaphragm, which controls breath flow, moves in coordination with the pelvic floor—when you inhale, the diaphragm descends, and the pelvic floor stretches or lowers. When you exhale, both muscles naturally lift or return to their resting position. This coordinated movement is called a “piston effect” and is essential for efficient respiration and phonation.

Additionally, the vagus nerve, which plays a role in vocalization, the stress response, cardiac regulation, respiration and sexual function, and inflammation, among many functions of this wandering nerve, reinforces the link between pelvic and vocal health. There is also a facial connection via the superficial and deep front lines, as well as embryological anatomical connections.

Multiple studies now reinforce the theory that the pelvic floor contributes to a stronger singing voice and can also contribute to or detract from related functions like postural control in postpartum women. In a pilot study, classically trained singers had good voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction, with gradually increasing pelvic floor recruitment with upright posture, and further recruitment with singing.  

Proper engagement and awareness of these muscles create a foundation for stronger breath control, clearer projection, and a more resonant voice. In my clinical practice, I use ultrasound imaging to measure pelvic floor function and improve singing technique, which has been shown to be a reliable method for evaluation and treatment.

How Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Can Affect Singing

If the pelvic floor is too tense (hypertonic) or too weak (hypotonic), it can interfere with a singer’s ability to control airflow and vocal resonance.

• Hypertonic Pelvic Floor: Overly tight muscles can restrict deep diaphragmatic breathing, leading to shallow breath support and vocal strain. This can manifest as breathiness, vocal fatigue, or a sense of tightness when singing.
  
• Weak Pelvic Floor: If the pelvic floor lacks proper tone, it may not provide enough support for the core, affecting posture and reducing the strength of vocal projection.
  
• Postural Imbalances: A hypermobile or unstable pelvic foundation can lead to compensations in the shoulders, neck, and jaw—common problem areas for singers experiencing tension.
  
• Scars: Adhesions, fibrosis, and general lack of tissue or visceral mobility can limit the excursion of the respiratory diaphragm and pelvic floor, as well as the spine and ribcage, which can impair and limit sustaining the breath that supports vocal power and projection and contributes to vocal endurance and sustainability.

Techniques for Singing with a Strong & Flexible Pelvic Floor

1. Breathwork & Diaphragmatic Coordination

• Exercise: Try “360-degree breathing.” Place your hands on your lower ribs, inhale deeply, and feel expansion in all directions. As you exhale, imagine your pelvic floor gently lifting with your breath.

2. Relaxation Techniques

• Exercise: Practice a pelvic floor release by lying on your back with knees bent, taking slow, deep belly breaths while consciously relaxing the pelvic floor on each inhale. This can help reduce unnecessary tension that may be affecting your vocal performance.

3. Postural Awareness & Core Stability

• Tip: Align your ribcage over your pelvis when singing. Avoid excessive tucking or arching of the lower back, as both can disrupt natural breath mechanics and vocal freedom.

4. Mindfulness & Embodiment Practices

• Exercise: Try humming or singing with a focus on sensing vibrations in the pelvic area. This can create awareness of how sound travels through the body and encourage a deeper mind-body connection.

The pelvic floor is an often-overlooked key to vocal power and health. By integrating pelvic floor awareness into your singing practice, you can experience greater breath control, reduce vocal strain, and unlock a more resonant, effortless sound.

Something to Consider Before You Sing

Before your next vocal warm-up, take five deep breaths focusing on the movement of your pelvic floor. Notice how it responds to your breath and see if it changes the way you feel while singing.

Your voice is not just in your throat—it resonates through your entire body. When you sing with your pelvic floor, you sing with your whole self.

Sources

1. Talasz H, Kremser C, Talasz HJ, Kofler M, Rudisch A. Breathing, (S)Training and the Pelvic Floor-A Basic Concept. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Jun 2;10(6):1035.
2. Volløyhaug I, Semmingsen T, Laukkanen AM, Karoliussen C, Bjørkøy K. Pelvic floor status in opera singers. a pilot study using transperineal ultrasound. BMC Womens Health. 2024 Jan 24;24(1):67.
3. Nyhus MØ, Oversand SH, Salvesen Ø, Salvesen KÅ, Mathew S, Volløyhaug I. Ultrasound assessment of pelvic floor muscle contraction: reliability and development of an ultrasound-based contraction scale. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Jan;55(1):125-131. 
4. Emerich Gordon K, Reed O. The Role of the Pelvic Floor in Respiration: A Multidisciplinary Literature Review. J Voice. 2020 Mar;34(2):243-249.
5. Bordoni B., Zanier E. Anatomic connections of the diaphragm: Influence of respiration on the body system. J. Multidiscip. Healthc. 2013;6:281–291. 
6. Talasz, H., Kofler, M., Kalchschmid, E., Pretterklieber, M., Lechleitner, M., 2010. Breathing with the pelvic floor? Correlation of pelvic floor muscle function and expiratory flows in healthy young nulliparous women. Int Urogynecol J 21, 475–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-009-1060-1
7. Rudavsky, A., Turner, T., 2020. Novel insight into the coordination between pelvic floor muscles and the glottis through ultrasound imaging: a pilot study. Int Urogynecol J 31, 2645–2652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-020-04461-8