YOUR GUT DOESN’T LIE: An Emotion-based Perspective
Have you ever wondered why digestive issues tend to flare up when you're stressed? There's a reason for that, and it's not just in your head.
According to acupuncturists, shiatsu practitioners, and Maya abdominal massage practitioners, the belly is the seat of the body's emotions. When you're calm and regulated, your energy stays centralized, available for the things your body does every day: thinking, breathing, digesting food, functioning. But when something hits you emotionally, your body can shift into fight-or-flight. It pulls energy away from your core and sends it to your extremities because it thinks it needs to run or fight.
And your digestion? It pays the price.
When energy is pulled from the center of the body, the digestive system slows down. Food takes longer to break down. The muscles of the stomach and intestines can become too tight to function properly. Stress affects how well the liver filters toxins and produces bile. It impacts the gallbladder. It can reduce the pancreas's ability to produce digestive enzymes. And when everything slows and tightens? Intestinal contents sit longer than they should — leading to constipation, diarrhea, or both.
Kind of horrifying, right?
Practices To Support Your Digestion
The good news is there's a lot you can do. Here are some of my favorites:
Deep Breathing: The breath is the body's natural muscle relaxant. When you breathe deeply and intentionally, you signal to your nervous system that you're safe, and your body can begin returning to its natural homeostatic state.
Castor Oil Packs: These are wonderful for softening muscle tissue, reducing inflammation, and getting things moving through your system again.
Maya Abdominal Massage: This modality manually softens the muscles and organs of the abdomen so they can function more effectively and efficiently. It's one of my favorite tools for this kind of work.
Coaching + Maya Abdominal Massage: If you suspect there's an emotional component to your digestive issues, and there often is, combining coaching with your abdominal massage appointment can help you process the emotional triggers more fully, not just manage the physical symptoms.
Something to sit with:
The stomach, liver, transverse colon, and upper small intestines all live in the solar plexus, the area that governs transformation. If your body is having difficulty transforming food into fuel and waste, it's worth asking: Is there an area of your life where you're also struggling to transform? To take in what nourishes you, and release what you're ready to let go of?