“You should train with a full bladder”. This was advice from my teacher.

It took me a while to understand. The pubococcygeus muscle controls the urinary flow and coccyx and is the lower bridge between the governor and conception vessels promoting the flow of chi.

But it doesn’t act alone. The spiralling of the feet to the floor opens the hips and raises the pelvic floor the tightening of the PC muscle in this movement bows the bottom part of the spine helping to connect the 3 bows of the body (legs, spine and arms) connecting, stimulating, storing and releasing energy in the body.

Retaining urine is like ‘weight training’ for the PC muscle. Most women are taught to train this muscle in their pelvic floor training and men for prostate health. It was invaluable to me when I was being treated for prostate cancer. If you urinate without allowing the bladder to fill, it trains the muscle to say you have a full bladder too early. To hold too much for too long is also unhealthy.

Male or female, particularly if you train in the martial arts and or meditation, pelvic floor and PC muscle health and control is invaluable!

Photo from https://www.yoganatomy.com/pubococcygeal-muscle-pc-muscle/