Abdominal Massage Tutorial

Today I had the absolute pleasure of giving abdominal massage to two of my favorite people-and I wanted to take a minute to talk about this little known, and little talked about, kind of massage that has created such HUGE shifts in my life and my relationship to my body.⁣
⁣
Did you know that almost every culture has aversion of abdominal massage? The kind I know comes from the Far East, but there are sooo many different ways of caring for this region of your body. The Japanese even have a map of the stomach and how each part correlates to different organ systems. ⁣
⁣
Our gut as well as being the seat of our digestive and elimination systems also rules how we digest and eliminate our emotions. The navel in many cultures is considered to be our first connection to the divine and the first piece of us to be created upon our conception. It certainly once connected all of us to our earthly mothers. Tending to this part of our body can be a way to stoke our digestive fire, ease elimination challenges, let go of stagnant/stuck emotions, and reconnect us to our center 🌻⁣
⁣
This is another great opportunity to use herbally infused oils to aid us in this process of integration. Even just a few drops directly in our belly buttons is said to deliver the essence of that herb through all of our energetic channels because every single meridian we have at some point flows through this point. Herbs like peppermint, anise, and fennel are traditional associated digestive movers. As with all things, be discerning in your choices: not all herbs are right for all people. Do some research or inbox your favorite herbalist for a consultation 🙋🏻‍♀️⁣
⁣
When giving abdominal massage to yourself or to others-be sure that you always make clockwise movements. This follows the anatomy of the colon which moves up the right side of the body (ascending colon) across the upper abdomen (transverse colon) and down the left side (descending colon). Be gentle, and sync your movements with your breath. And be prepared for many a funny noise as you get things flowing 🙈⁣
⁣
Happy rubbing! And happy pooping 💩🌟😜⁣