The Graceful Aging Series
Graceful Aging: Pelvic Floor Resilience
Learn to both strengthen and soften your pelvic floor with a practice that can help you laugh without leaking, sleep through the night, and walk with more ease.
Mary Richards
Lizzie Lasater
Live on Zoom
Sunday, November 22, 2026
7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. UK / 4:00 p.m. EU
Replay included
A quick note: The entire practice is fully clothed, with no internal work. And because we’ll meet webinar-style, no one can see you practice.
Your pelvic floor needs more than Mula Bandha.
For years, you’ve probably been taught to squeeze and tighten your pelvic floor, especially through practices like Mula Bandha.
But Mula Bandha comes from a male, renunciate tradition. What happens when we look at it again through the realities of the female pelvis that not only has structural differences but experiences childbirth, menopause, and normal aging?
There's nothing wrong with building strength. But when we focus only on tightening, we miss an equally important skill: letting go. That's why this class defines pelvic floor health as resilience: the ability to bear strain and to release it.
Many of us are holding tension in the root of the body without realizing it. Pregnancy and birth can change how the pelvic floor works. So can menopause, as hormonal shifts affect tissue resilience. Sexual trauma, stress and habitual holding play a part, too.
You might notice it when you leak a little as you laugh, cough or sneeze, or get up several times a night to use the bathroom. It can also show up as pain with intercourse or penetration, or as persistent hip, low back or SI joint pain.
So in this 2.5-hour pelvic floor yoga class, we’ll explore both sides of pelvic floor resilience: compound movements that help rebalance the pelvic floor and pranayama practices that help us access its often-overlooked capacity to soften and release.
What could change with a more resilient pelvic floor?
Mary's practice can help you:
Laugh, cough, or sneeze without immediately worrying about leaking
Sleep through more of the night, with fewer trips to the bathroom
Experience less pain or discomfort with intercourse or penetration
Walk with more ease and feel more comfortable in your everyday movement
Explore how pelvic floor function may be connected to persistent hip, low back and SI joint discomfort
Learn to release the pelvic floor tension you may not even realize you're holding
From tightening to resilience
In this class, you'll learn:
- Why centuries-old yoga teachings around Mula Bandha were never designed with the female pelvis, childbirth or menopause in mind.
- Two simple breathing practices that can help you access an area of chronic, subconscious holding and help your nervous system shift into a more receptive state.
- What happens to pelvic floor tissue after menopause, and why the practices that served you at 25 may not be what you need at 40, 50 or 60 and beyond.
- How compound movements can help rebalance and "reprogram" your pelvic floor and why it matters how well the heads of your thigh bones sit in your hip sockets.
- The whole-body connection most of us miss: how your pelvic floor relates to the way you walk, your low back, your SI joints and even your feet.
- What genitourinary syndrome of menopause actually is and what hormones have to do with urinary tract infections, vaginal dryness, itching, hemorrhoids and fissures.
Everything that comes with your class
2.5-hour live class
Join us live on Zoom for the complete pelvic floor practice, combining compound movement, breath and a more nuanced approach to pelvic floor resilience.
Replay access for 3 years
Return to the full class whenever you want to revisit the practice, refresh what you learned, or simply move at your own pace.
Downloadable PDF
Keep the complete sequence at your fingertips with a detailed PDF guide, illustrated with Mary’s beloved stick-figure drawings.
Plus: This class qualifies for 3 non-contact continuing education hours with Yoga Alliance.
What students say about the Graceful Aging Series
Mary and Lizzie are a GIFT
Jill
Gratitude to Mary for her thorough expertise and Lizzie for her joy in learning and demonstrating for us.
Gratitude to Mary for her thorough expertise and Lizzie for her joy in learning and demonstrating for us.
Read LessGraceful Aging at 70yo!
Jill
One of your best courses, Mary and Lizzie. I was worn out by the end!
One of your best courses, Mary and Lizzie. I was worn out by the end!
Read LessEngaging and Informative
Liz
This workshop was clear and relevant with perfect explanations and lots of modification options.
This workshop was clear and relevant with perfect explanations and lots of modification options.
Read LessMuch more than I expected!
Mimi
Mary and Lizzie presented a wonderful course that was so easy to understand with lots of laughter along the way.
Mary and Lizzie presented a wonderful course that was so easy to understand with lots of laughter along the way.
Read LessFabulous Course for Active Aging
Amy
As a yoga teacher with 15+ years experience, this course provided a WEALTH of information I can share with my students.
As a yoga teacher with 15+ years experience, this course provided a WEALTH of information I can share with my students.
Read LessExcellent material presented well
Eva
Mary and Lizzie's explanations, demonstrations, and practice were all spot on!
Mary and Lizzie's explanations, demonstrations, and practice were all spot on!
Read LessPractical way to evolve with your body
Grace
Practical and science based movements infused with passion and laughter led by Lizzie and Mary. And the pdfs come in handy!
Practical and science based movements infused with passion and laughter led by Lizzie and Mary. And the pdfs come in handy!
Read LessLoved this course!
Leslie
It is a treasure trove of info I am happy to share with my yoga class!
It is a treasure trove of info I am happy to share with my yoga class!
Read LessLove this team!
Alison
I always walk away from Lasater courses with new insight into my practice and body. Thank you!!!
I always walk away from Lasater courses with new insight into my practice and body. Thank you!!!
Read LessExcellent!
Judy
Engaging AND challenging. Spot on explanations from Mary and Lizzie!
Engaging AND challenging. Spot on explanations from Mary and Lizzie!
Read LessBrilliant!
sarah
This was so good. Lizzie asked all the questions I had and Mary was a superb instructor - as always.
This was so good. Lizzie asked all the questions I had and Mary was a superb instructor - as always.
Read LessThis class is for you if …
You’ve given birth, whether vaginally or by cesarean and want to better understand and support your pelvic floor.
You’re in perimenopause or past the menopause transition and have noticed changes in your pelvic floor, bladder or vaginal health.
You live with stress or urge incontinence, prolapse, constipation, hemorrhoids or fissures.
You experience pain or discomfort with intercourse or penetration.
You tend to be Type A, always on the go, and suspect you may be holding tension in your pelvic floor that is affecting you more than you realize.
You have a prostate and want to better support your urinary health.
You’re a yoga teacher who wants to understand and teach asana and pranayama with more nuance.
Meet Your Teachers
Mary Richards
Mary Richards is a yoga therapist, educator and author of Teach People, Not Poses, known for her intelligent, anatomy-informed approach to practice. She blends science and humor with practical wisdom, helping students experience strength, mobility and self-awareness through functional movement. Her teaching combines precision and curiosity, inviting you to explore how your body works best.
Lizzie Lasater
Lizzie Lasater is a designer, author, and second-generation yoga teacher who hosts this Graceful Aging Series. With a master's degree from Columbia University and twenty years of teaching, she blends design and yoga to create inspiring learning experiences. Lizzie lives in Salzburg with her husband and twin boys, teaching online and writing about creativity, embodiment and practical self-care.
Your body changes. Your practice can evolve with it.
You may have spent years learning how to engage, strengthen and control your pelvic floor.
This class helps you understand it more fully: how it moves with your breath, how it connects to the rest of your body, and how both resistance and release can help it stay resilient as you age.
Join us live for 2.5 hours of pelvic floor yoga, with movement, breath and exploration, and leave with a practice you can return to for years to come.
Sunday, November 22, 2026
10:00 a.m. Eastern | Live on Zoom
FAQ
“Is this practice clothed?”
Yes. The practice is fully clothed, with no internal work.
“Will anyone see me?”
No. The class is webinar-style, so students are not on camera.
“What if I can't make it live?”
Every student receives the full replay and has three years of access, so you can watch whenever suits you.
“Will there be live Q&A?”
Lizzie hosts and asks Mary questions throughout, so the conversation covers what students most often want to know. Because the group is large, we don't offer individual Q&A.
“I have a prostate. Is this class for me?”
Yes. Mary's teaching supports anyone with a pelvic floor, including people with an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and other urinary concerns.
“I'm pregnant or postpartum. Can I take this class?”
Please check with your healthcare provider first. If you are pregnant or postpartum, make sure you have been cleared for exercise before you practice.
“I have a pelvic floor condition. Is this safe for me?”
If you have any concerns about your health, please check with your healthcare provider before practicing. This class is education, not medical treatment.
“What props do I need?”
A yoga mat, two blocks, a short resistance band, and an eye cover. A bolster and a couple of blankets are nice to have.
“Can I earn continuing education credit?”
Yes. This class qualifies for 3 non-contact continuing education hours with Yoga Alliance.
“What is the refund policy?”
All sales are final.