The Easiest Abdominal Massage

A fun fact about me: I’ve had my abdomen cut open three times, twice for C-sections and once to repair an umbilical hernia and a large diastasis recti (gap between the two halves of the superficial abdominal muscle). Not surprisingly, I struggled with digestive issues during those years.

As part of my healing journey, I needed to learn how to both engage and relax my core. On Monday, I posted a primer on core engagement. Today, Tranquility Thursday, is about core relaxation. 

I got the technique in this video from a physical therapist years ago, and you won’t believe how easy it is.

Lie on your back. Use your fingers to gently poke around your abdomen in search of a tight spot. When you find one, gently massage it with little circles or press lightly down until you feel a release. Then continue your gentle poking until you find another tight spot. Repeat as many times as you’d like.

You might notice in the video that my right hand stays in more or less the same place the whole time; that’s where my tension resided on the day I was filming.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a gentle, light touch here. Never go to the point of pain.

I love to do this before I go to sleep at night, or first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. I’ve found it helps with digestion and activates my body’s relaxation response.

If you try it, I’d love to hear how it feels for you. And please reach out anytime with questions or content requests.