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Let me start off by saying nothing can replace individualized attention and prescription from a licensed physical therapist. These are three of the most common stretches I give to my patients who are experiencing pelvic pain, however not everyone gets all of these stretches. For some people one or more of these stretches may make them feel worse. No exercise or stretch should cause you pain, and if it does please stop doing it and seek professional advice.
Ok, now that my disclaimer is out of the way lets talk about stretching! A lot of people I see with pelvic pain (men and women) have tight muscles surrounding their hips and pelvis, which can be contributing to their pain. It is not always the internal pelvic floor muscles that are the cause of pelvic pain, sometimes it is the external muscles. Another reason why it is a good idea to pay to see a pelvic floor therapist who will spend time to do a thorough assessment of you and not just look at the pelvic floor muscles. Not everyone needs kegels!
The first is the butterfly stretch. The inner thigh muscles connect onto the same places that the pelvic floor muscles connect which is why this stretch feels so good for most people with pelvic pain!
Also, I find a lot of tight glute and piriformis muscles so this cross legged stretch is also a good one. You can do it sitting or lying down, both are good ways to stretch this muscle.
Stretching the front of this hips also is important. There are many ways to stretch the hip flexors and this is just one example. Some people prefer a different form of the stretch such as pigeon pose. Find whatever works for you and feels good (no pain!) and use that stretch. We are all different which is why I emphasize working with a physical therapist to find what stretches are best for your body, but this is a place to start.
Please share this with your friend who is not flexible and could use a little help stretching out.
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P.S. I like to hold my stretches for about 30 seconds to get a nice stretch of the muscle.