Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Abdominal Massage...it's not just for the body, but also for the spirit

I was getting into a habit of letting go of stuff and titling it appropriately, but I'm shakin' it up!

I got this amazing abdominal massage today from April Bolding, PT at Highline Physical Therapy. April herself is awesome, but the Mayan Abdominal Massage Technique(s) is what I was clued into.

What's this have to do with letting go?

Well, while on the table, we were discussing the healing process of a cesarean section, and that it's common to feel like a failure or that you didn't give birth (I don't feel like this, but I know some folks who do). And attaching those feelings to your body creates a lot of healing potential, I think. We started talking about how the body can be viewed according to its function, first and foremost. We place a lot of value on our brains, but I'm not hearing a lot of value placed on our abdominal/stomach area. In Mayan culture (and actually, many other cultures), that area is the seat of POWER.

I got sad thinking about how in my world, my "flabby" (I usually call it "flubby") stomach/abdominal area is not only not valued, but I often ignore it because it's out of shape, it's not rock hard, it's weak, and ultimately unattractive. If it's not thin and tan (um, how is this fantasy ever going to come true, living in Seattle???), then it's useless. Yikes! That's no way to think or feel about this amazing vessel of birth, power, groundedness, and all around awesome. I guess I want to let go of thinking that my stomach is just a body part in between my head and my feet.

I am letting the cult of body take away my abdominal power. And I don't mean how many crunches I can do, or how often I attend Pilates classes. My song comes from my second chakra. My ability to act calmly comes from my gut. My intuition and connection centers are in my belly. My beautiful belly. I love to hug a soft belly. I love to cradle my baby to my soft belly. I love to plant my feet, unlock my knees, and 'CareBear stare' into the souls of others with the clarity of my power, located in my lower abdomen.

So in this one session, I heard Little Voice tell me that I can come back and say hello and reestablish my connection to my awesome belly. There's a lot of awesome that I haven't tapped and it's silly to work on letting go while ignoring this component of my life.

I have to say out loud that it's not about losing weight or doing yoga, it's about establishing a relationship with my whole body. I worked my body harder than I ever have before in a 10 month period and it's only fair to:  1) acknowledge AND appreciate that, 2) get back in touch after a very long hiatus 3) and be more than just "nice" to it. I need to respect and honor it. I need to pay attention to it. I need to be gentle but not condescending. My core has endured a lot, over my lifetime. And it's time to start giving back.

I will start focusing on eating healthy, prepared-with-love food, working with my scar tissue, saying nice things to myself, getting body work, and generally respecting all the work my abdomen and really, my entire body, does without any thought on my end.

2 comments:

  1. I cried reading this. Thank you for writing it.

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  2. My heart sings reading your high-vibration truth Becca. The reclamation of our highest selves from the daily static is the path of vitality, health and connection with all. May you continue to walk in Beauty!

    ReplyDelete

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