When Pain Becomes a Teacher – My Journey With SPD and Why I Teach the Way I Do
During my first pregnancy, I had been practicing yoga for many years. I believed it would help me have a smoother pregnancy and birth. But despite all of my experience, I found myself in so much pain. The kind of pain that stops you in your tracks just trying to walk to the kitchen. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was dealing with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)—a condition that affects about one-third of pregnant people and is often misunderstood or dismissed (Owens, Pearson, & Mason, 2002).
For me, it was debilitating. And it didn't just affect me—it affected my birth.
Because of the instability in my pelvis, my baby wasn’t able to get into an ideal position. Instead of being aligned with my birth canal, his head was pointed toward my hip. He got stuck. My body was doing everything it could to help him out, but the muscular imbalances and joint misalignment meant that he couldn’t move down without assistance. That birth was hard—physically and emotionally.
I realized afterward that so much of it could have been different if I had known how to support my pelvis. If I had known how to calm and stabilize the muscles that were working overtime just to hold my body together. If someone had told me that yoga, done intentionally, could have helped.
I dove into research. I humbly re-examined my practice, my teaching, and my understanding of anatomy and birth. I studied pelvic floor rehabilitation, prenatal biomechanics, and birth positioning. I stopped chasing the “right” poses and started asking better questions:
How do we teach movement that stabilizes the pelvis—not strains it?
How do we support optimal fetal positioning through muscle balance and mobility?
How can yoga help reduce the risk of complications like diastasis recti, prolapse, or tearing?
How do we teach people to listen to their bodies instead of pushing past pain?
These are the questions that shaped the method I teach today.
When SPD and Low Back Pain Show Up Together
One thing I wish more people understood is this:
Pubic symphysis dysfunction rarely lives in isolation.
Because the pelvis functions as a ring, irritation at the pubic joint often changes how load moves through the sacroiliac joints and the lumbar spine. Many people navigating SPD begin to notice a familiar companion pattern:
aching in the low back
sacral tenderness
deep hip fatigue
or the feeling that the entire pelvis is working overtime
This is not your body being dramatic.
It is your body adapting.
When the front of the pelvis becomes sensitive or unstable, the body often redistributes effort to the back of the pelvis and surrounding musculature. Over time, this compensation pattern can contribute to the very common experience of pregnancy-related low back pain.
The encouraging news is that these patterns are highly responsive to thoughtful, functional support.
✨ If you are also noticing low back discomfort during pregnancy or postpartum, I go much deeper into the “why” and the “what actually helps” in my newest Learning Library article:
👉 Read next: Low Back Pain in Pregnancy: What It Really Means — and What Actually Helps
Because you deserve more than generic advice to “just stretch.”
Ready to dive deeper into this kind of healing and functional movement?
If you are navigating SPD, pelvic girdle discomfort, or core changes in pregnancy or postpartum, working together individually can make a meaningful difference.
In my private 1:1 sessions, I share practical, evidence-informed tools to help stabilize your pelvis, support your deep core, and reduce symptoms of SPD, diastasis recti, and pelvic floor dysfunction — all tailored to your body and your season of life.
✨ A stronger, more supported pregnancy and postpartum recovery begins with personalized care.
Learn more about working with me 1:1.
References
Owens, K., Pearson, A., & Mason, G. (2002). Symphysis pubis dysfunction—a cause of significant obstetric morbidity. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 105(2), 143–146.
All content © Anne Catherine Yoga. This blog and any affiliated handouts is for personal use only. Please do not distribute or reproduce without permission. Yoga practices are offered as general education and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always consult your provider before beginning any new movement practice.
