You may find lying down the easiest position to start Kegel exercises: with gravity taken off the pelvic floor, the lift and the release are easier to feel. Once you can find the muscle reliably, move to sitting and then standing, because standing adds gravity and body weight. The Mayo Clinic and NIDDK how-to guides both describe practicing in all three positions, for example one set lying down, one seated and one standing. Women and men progress the same way.
Lying down: where to start
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, or on your side with a pillow between your knees, and let your belly and buttocks go soft. Lift the pelvic floor up and in, as if stopping yourself from passing gas, hold for a few seconds, then let it go completely before the next one. Lying down may also be the easiest place to practice the release, because nothing is pulling on the muscle.
In pregnancy, side-lying is the better choice from around the middle: ACOG advises against long periods flat on your back after 20 weeks, because the uterus can press on major blood vessels.
Sitting: the everyday position
Sit upright on a firm chair with your feet flat and your weight on your sit bones, rather than slumped back. You should feel the lift draw away from the seat, with your thighs and buttocks staying relaxed. Sitting is the position most people can repeat every day, at a desk, on the bus or on a birth ball, which is why it carries most routines. Kegel exercises at work covers how to fit sets into a working day.
Standing: the hardest
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees soft, not locked. Now the pelvic floor has to lift against gravity and the weight of the organs above it, so the same squeeze feels harder; an NHS physiotherapy program uses standing for exactly that reason. Start with shorter holds than you manage sitting. When standing feels steady, take the squeeze into movement: squeeze your pelvic floor muscles just before you cough, sneeze or pick something up, which is the Knack, or hold a gentle lift as you walk a few steps.
When to move to the next position
Move on when, in your current position, you can find the lift straight away, hold it while you keep breathing, and let go fully, without squeezing your buttocks, holding your breath or pushing down. The NHS program, for example, waits until people can manage ten 10-second holds and ten quick squeezes before moving them on. It is fine to go back to an easier position on a tired day. If you can't feel the muscle in any position, the step-by-step technique guide is the place to start, and a pelvic floor physical therapist can check it with you.
A position shouldn't hurt.
Pain when you contract, a feeling of heaviness or bulging that is worse when you stand, or a muscle you can tighten but not release are reasons to see a pelvic floor specialist before you add more sets or harder positions.
Where Kegelia fits
The Kegelia app works in any of these positions: the jellyfish shows the lift, up and in, and the release, and a haptic marks every lift, so you can follow it with the phone in view or in your hand. In Secret Mode only the jellyfish is on screen, which helps when you practice sitting in public. The Kegelia app does not check your position or measure your muscles; it shows the movement you are aiming for.