Reverse Kegel: A Plain Guide to Relaxing the Pelvic Floor

A Kegel is a squeeze and lift. A "reverse Kegel" is the opposite direction: instead of tightening the pelvic floor, you let it soften and release, usually while breathing slowly. It isn't a push or a strain. It's a letting go. This guide covers what a reverse Kegel means in plain terms, what public sources describe, and how relaxing fits into every Kegel round.

Squeeze and let go are two halves

Every Kegel has two parts: the squeeze and the release. Sources that teach the squeeze also stress the release. Pelvic Floor First says to relax the muscles after each squeeze, before the next one.

So even if you never do a separate relaxation exercise, you already practice letting go in every round. That's why each round in Steady ends with Relax, and why the relax is at least as long as the squeeze in every built-in plan. How to do Kegels for men covers the full round.

What "reverse Kegel" means

"Reverse Kegel" isn't a clinical name, and different websites use it in different ways. In this guide it means one thing only: relaxing the pelvic floor on purpose, with your breath, rather than squeezing it.

Health services usually call this pelvic floor relaxation. A patient leaflet from University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, written for men and women, describes several ways to do it.

What the NHS leaflet describes

The Plymouth leaflet builds relaxation around slow breathing. In short:

• Belly breathing. One hand on your chest, one on your tummy. Breathe in slowly through your nose and let your tummy soften and gently rise. Breathe out slowly and let it fall back.
• Wider breathing. Hands around your lower ribs, and let the ribs widen forwards, sideways and back as you breathe in.
• A body scan. Notice where you're holding tension, including your jaw, and let it soften.
• Imagery. Picture your sit bones gently spreading apart as you breathe in.

The leaflet also describes a short sequence it calls "sniff, flop, drop": a slow breath in, letting your tummy relax outwards, and letting the pelvic floor release. It suggests positions such as sitting or lying with your knees bent.

None of this is forceful. If you notice yourself pushing or straining, ease off and go back to the breath.

How it differs from a Kegel

What	Kegel	Relaxation ("reverse Kegel")
Direction	squeeze and lift	soften and release
Breath	keep breathing as usual	slow breath in, slow breath out
Effort	a small, deliberate squeeze	no squeeze, a letting go

The Relax set in Steady

Steady has one session with no squeeze in it: the Relax set. Each round is Breathe in for 4 s, then Let go for 6 s, for 10 rounds. It takes about 1 min 40 s, and it's free.

The Relax set is a timer for slow breathing and letting go. It follows the same idea as the breathing in the leaflet above, but it isn't taken from it, and Steady doesn't check what your muscles are doing. You can also set your own slow rhythm in the free Kegel timer, using a long relax.

When to speak with someone

The Plymouth leaflet describes manual techniques that a physiotherapist may use. If you think your pelvic floor is tense, if anything hurts, or if you have any symptoms or health questions, speak with a doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist. This page describes breathing and relaxing. It isn't advice about your body.

If you're wondering whether you've been squeezing too much, read Can you do too many Kegels?. The squeeze itself is covered in How to do it, and the first week of Steady 28 shows how the relax grows with the hold. Every source on this page, with the date we checked it, is on Sources.

For the whole picture in one place, see Pelvic floor exercises for men.

In the app

Steady times each squeeze, hold and relax, and each breath in and let go in the Relax set, with cues you can feel and hear. It records the sessions you finish, on your phone.