When I was an 18-year-old yogini, I was also an active bulimic. I was in college studying dance, training to be a shiatsu therapist (Japanese pressure point massage), making sandwiches and slicing salami at Jimmy John’s Deli, racing around Chicago learning yoga, and using food to self-medicate.
During that time, I remember never feeling connected to my core, my abdominal muscles. My Pilates teacher was always giving me corrections that I could not embody. In dance class, I was never able to find balance in my turns or jumps, and I would often duck out of class in frustration. Then I would become even angrier with myself because I was a quitter! This would inevitably lead to a binge and purge.
Getting in touch with my core through touch
One day, I confessed to my yoga teacher that I was bulimic and that I had a hard time feeling my abdominal muscles. She handed me a bean bag shaped like a large hamburger bun and told me to place it on my abdomen, lay on top of it and breathe into my belly. It was agony. I had so much tension, discomfort and bizarre pain. And then it came — the grief. That bean bag tapped into a mother lode of suppressed rage and sorrow that I’d been storing in my gut for years.
Back in my dorm room, I rolled up a towel into the shape of the hamburger bun and began laying on it every day, moving the towel from tender spot to tender spot on my core until I no longer felt pain or resistance. It worked! And so did I. I made progress in my healing, found a therapist and began treating my body with respect — which resulted in other people respecting me more, too. I soon fell in love for the first time in my life, and my bulimia completely evaporated by the time I was 20. (beyondbeaute.com)
Have a ball reshaping your core
Twenty years later, I have innovated on the old “towel burger” prop and now use a kinder and gentler squishy air-filled ball called the Coregeous® Ball. I can tell you from experience, this process of self-abdominal massage is not just an excellent self-treatment for emotional wounds, but also helps with scar tissue from abdominal surgeries.
According to my colleague, Kelly Starrett, DPT, this process “should be a first stop for anyone with back pain, post-abdominal surgery, post-partum depression, etc.”
In this video, Kelly and I discuss how the layers of the abdomen can become adhered, full of tension, and ultimately unresponsive to physical training. That is exactly what had happened to me in my early yogini/dancer/bulimic days. Using the bean bag/towel/squishy ball has freed up all of the internal tensions, and I now have the suppleness and fluidity to do crazy stuff with my core, like the lateral abdominal churning move called nauli kriya (pictured below).
Uncork your core, free your mind
If you have been living with physical or emotional scars in your core, tenderly dig into its layers and listen to your body talk. You will be one step further on the road to recovering the vitality of these tissues and experiencing the benefits of abdominal massage. My newest DVD, Coregeous, details embodied exercises (includingnauli kriya) to help you reinhabit the layers of your core and redefine your abdominals from the inside out.
If your self-image has become dependent on the size and shape of your abdomen, it is time to do something about it. I encourage you to step away from media that promises a quick fix from the outside in. What this calls for is an inside-out approach to help you refine your relationship with yourself and the layers of your body in a compassionate, respectful and honorable way. There is a way out, but it requires your willingness to want to change, remain consistent and believe that the world has a loving place for you. You are wanted, you are loved.
With love,
Jill
Check out Coregeous to strengthern your core.
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[Reprinted with permission from GaiamLife]
A wonderful article for me to stumble upon on the last day, Day 7 of the Yoga Tune Up teacher training with Casey Easton in Carleton Place, Ontario. My “core” has been my nemesis forever, easily over 25 years, and add multiple injuries to spine, limbs, and skull, not to mention so much trauma and abuse, I needed to find this article to wrap up my digital day. Even though it is the last day of the in-person training, it is the beginning of a whole new chapter in my life. It is so empowering to Embody your body. I am a student of my body. I am a student of my discomfort. I am the master of me.
Today, in my teaching sequence, my Sequence was called “Cause sometimes (or often!) less is more!” I need to learn to get strong within the range I have established through my years in yoga. I used to be so physically strong before my multiple back surgeries, but now the permanent complications I was left with have left my body an unrecognizable, weak place to live in. I need to get strong from the center of my being to the outside. My body has learned to be strong from the outside, but the insides have been crumbling for years. How the hell do you improve a house’s overall integrity if you don’t address the foundation? I am a student of my blind spots! I am a student of the truths my body teaches me and reveals to me.
There has been a shift deep within me in the last 8 days, there is no question. What lies ahead is up to me! I am a student of my intentions, I am a student of my needs and desires!
A huge thank you, merci and gracias to Casey and Sarah Atkinson for all the amazing work they put into this experience, and for holding space for us each to grow as individuals, but also as a group, and a new Yoga Tune Up family.
So many emotions arise touching my belly. It’s always surprising.
Thanks for adding context to the coreageous ball. I love how it came from a towel burger. As a yogini, it seems easier to stomach than nauli kriya too 🙂
I found your site via a search for “back pain when I cross my legs,” and somehow I found this page. When I read this, I knew IMMEDIATELY I needed the Coregeous exercises and ball. So much stress and hatred focused in my poor, sore belly and absolutely no core strength. I cannot wait for the video and ball to arrive. Thank you.
What an interesting article. I had heard of storing emotion in the hips, but not in the abdomen. I am glad you discovered your path to wellness and continue to find strength in the knowledge that you are helping others!
This makes me think about how disconnected our culture tends to be from the core– the real core, from inside out as you phrase it. We are so bombarded with messages about the outward appearance of the superficial abdominal muscles and reasons to either feel shitty about or embrace or change that appearance. And at the same time, we’re so disconnected from the inside, the real core– for instance, I know so few women who can feel when they are ovulating, or western medicine is just barely starting to skim the surface of understanding and appreciating the microbiome. Thank you for your work in this area, Jill. It goes deep.
Wow. I am in aw of the honesty, integrity, compassion, and scope of your work. Thank you Jill for all you have done to bring forth this work that so powerfully effects and heals so many people from all walks of life and experience, all from the inside out. Amazing! I can’t wait to learn and share more. Thank you, thank you!
I am really happy I read this article today. It really resonated with me. Having gone through Thyroid issues and menopause over the last few years, my self image has really struggled and I think I have been trying to find a quick fix, and it doesn’t work, will try to start fixing from the inside out.
I can relate to this article on a very deep level, coming from a professional dance background constantly worrying about my size and my weight (I no longer own a scale). Then I finally got up enough courage to put that ball where I thought it didn’t belong….My belly. My first experience was quite similar…painful, challenging, and heavy. But my curiosity also took a step forward, and my patience, and love for my body – all of my body. So I recognize that I have a long way to go, but I’m excited about the journey. Thank you.
After my Histerectomy surgery I discovered the powerful of abdominal massage for help me to erase the scars tissues and for release the physical tensions.
My whole life I have suffered from fairly significant irritable bowel, and much tension in my belly and organs. I know I will need a lot of work for to feel a new body for a new life ….but this is my new journey. thanks
I recently have discovered the powers of abdominal massage. My whole life I have suffered from fairly significant irritable bowel, a lot of which has to do with anxiety, and I had no idea that I could store so much tension in my belly and organs. I have now had various practitioners work on my belly and it is always extremely intense and usually painful. I think I store a lot of built up physical and emotional tension in my belly due to years of stomach discomfort. I recently got a Coregeous ball and have only used it a couple times because of the intense sensation it provided. However, after reading this amazing story and the many blog comments, I am going to use it on a regular basis to see how it will change me. It is amazing to be able to connect and talk about this with a community!
I have been so excited to use the coregeous ball for GI tract work. I was not prepared for the profound effect it would have in unwinding self hurts I thought had been processed. I am not sure I am yet prepared, but the work has begun. Such a common theme with patients and students of all backgrounds, I look forward to being able to share the work with them.
The stomach in my opinion is such a powerful area to be treated. I find it very effective to release my diaphragm and psoas area. Being able to self massage in these area allows me to decide how much pressure and input I need. Thanks for sharing Jill Miller.
Thanks Jill for sharing your journey to healing. Such an empowering message about self-image especially in a society where we are constantly bombarded on how we should look. I appreciate how the YTU coregeous ball has an ‘inside-out’ approach to help us find and rebuild a healthier relationship within ourselves. Thanks again jill.
I too struggle with disordered eating and feel like connecting to my core is like making a long distance call to China. I recently purchased a courageous ball and look forward to slowly re-connecting and making friends with my abdomen.
Though I have been using the therapy balls for well over a year, I didn’t really ‘get’ the Coregeous ball until a few months ago during a YTU training. For me, it was a pretty useful prop to use with the other therapy balls, but it has moved to a nearly daily ‘smash my belly’ activity on its own. I anticipate I will continue to receive even more benefits from its use – for now I’m just happy to have started that journey and to slowly make connections to what is happening in my tissues. Thanks for sharing such a personal story!
I have read this post before, but am reading it from a very different place now both physically and emotionally so am seeing it with new lenses. I appreciate and admire your authenticity and dedication to not only your own recovery but to teaching others the power of self care and self acceptance. The first time I rolled on a courgeous ball in class I would say it was painful, I had my abdominals contracted throughout the class to prevent the ball from permeating my abdominal layers. I’m not sure now what was more painful, the physical sensation of the ball, or what it was touching for me emotionally that had found a home in my core. This became even clearer for me in my YTT training during our core module (where we used the ball a lot) when I could barely get through a practice without some sort of emotional response. It’s amazing what our bodies hold onto physically, but incredible that there are tools to help release the physical pain and begin to release what’s underneath those beautiful layers of ours. Thank you Jill.
On several occasions, I’ve laid on the Coregeous Ball, but a column of something unrelated to anything I can see in an anatomy book, something mysterious is unwilling to give. My core was also subject to an adolescent bout of bulimia and later by an emergency C-section. The weakness there in my otherwise healthy body has been something I have not yet healed. It can be discouraging because there seems to be no road map through except the one my own core will traverse. Thank you for your encouragement. It helps!
The first time I laid on a squishy ball (in a YT-based workshop), it was a complete revelation. I had no idea of all the tightness, tenderness, and emotional baggage I was carrying in this region. Even though it was amazing, I haven’t really done it again since (other than laying a few times on a rolled up yoga blanket). This article has reminded me that I should do this every day and give my core the release and attention that it needs.
I think this is great! and have used a similar process in a different Yoga discipline. It took getting used to but I find a large amount of relief from my back pain in laying on the ball/mat. At this time, there has not been an emotional trigger from laying on the ball but maybe I have not been there long enough 🙂 Thanks Jill for sharing your personal journey as well!
I have had low pain recently and had a C-section 31 years ago and gave birth to a disabled child. I’ve always had emotional issues around his birth….. I’m going to get a coregorous ball and start rolling out my back pain as well as emotionally issues.
For years I worked to get strong abs to combat back pain. I ended up having More back pain, as I was mostly strengthening the superficial layer and not getting to deeper transversus layer that is necessary for organ and back health and stability. My friends were always asking me to flash my abs and I even got flown to NYC for a magazine shoot! The corgeous ball has been so valuable in erasing years of abuse and releasing physical tension and mental confusion around this area. My back feels better and better as I age! Thank you for your video and sharing your journey to healing with others.
Step away from the media! Wise words. I’ve discovered this week that my core is completely adhered to everything. What a powerful discovery. I look forward to my journey of ungluing my guts and many layers of hurt that are buried there. Thank you for helping me heal.
After reading this I am Very interested in using the squishy ball. It all hit home and reminded me of things I already knew but had been avoiding….and I’m sure have been storing in my belly. Thank you for this clear message and demonstration of self compassion and understanding and the journey that has brought you to us with this deep insight.
I am very happy to have across this article on the blog. I had my first myofascial treatment about one year ago and even though I initially went in for back and neck pain, the therapist ended up working on my abdomen for a good amount of the session. I was really shocked as to just how sensitive this area was in my body, and how so much of the discomfort I was feeling elsewhere in body was connected to an area that I really think of as being tight. This one session gave me greater overall body awareness and an understanding of how pain felt in the body can be connected to an area that you might be clueless about. I use the therapy ball on my abdomen the therapist recommended, and even though it is slow progress, I am happy to say that there is some progress releasing some of tightness in my belly, little by little.
Michelle
Thank you Jill for sharing this experience, I have so many clients that will benefit from using the inflated ball. As a Massage Therapist, I have learned through the years the importance of abdominal massage but using the inflated ball will definitely make it more personal for my clients. They can easily do it at home by themselves.
I have started keeping a journal about my mood before using the coregeous ball, how it feels during use, how I feel right after and how I feel hours later. It is amazing what we store here and how some days it will feel wonderful to allow the ball to do its magic and other days I can find myself in a puddle of tears. This work has done so much for my moods, my relati1onship with food/what certain foods do to my stomach and my posture. So amazing! More people need to be exposed to this
I would like to echo the sentiments of other bloggers and say thank you for sharing your story. I have done some ball rolling and find it very powerful and would like to incorporate it more into my practice. I am curious whether or not is may be dangerous for anyone who may be an active bulimic to be rolling on their stomachs? Couldn’t it aggravate already damaged tissues or swollen intestines? I found this process very painful, how can we help people to identify if this is appropriate for them or not.
I find your article very interesting. I can say 2 things. The core is important because it can tell us what emotion we’re hidding, and also with a strong core can support the lower back that some times it’s in pain because we’re not able to engange the core muscles.
I’m going to try the ball with it, I’m sure I’m going to know me better.
Thanks for sharing Jill
Thank you for sharing your story Jill. In another yoga therapy training I did I learned that it was common for women to have uneven pelvis and it was often related to emotional storage. I related to these symptoms having and do struggle with low back pain, weak lower core and uneven hips for a majority of my life. I’ve come a long way but I know there is still a long way to go. Thank you again for sharing.
This is an amazing tool to rub out all the core kinks and it’s gentle. Chester (my dog) loves it, although his use for it is much different than mine. I’ll post more pictures of him when time permits. I used to think and love my rock hard(ish) core; but now come to think that rock hardishness is some rather harden fuzz aka fascia mixed in with abdominal muscles. But having a core that is pliable and supple is just as important. If we massage the rest of our body why is the core not getting the same attention? The Coregeous ball is my go to tool for some R&R after a long day at the office.
Thank you, Jill, for sharing your story of your struggles with bulimia. I had considered these ball exercises in regards to depression and post-trauma, but never with eating disorders, although this now seems obvious. These exercises really do seem to work miracles and I look forward to helping students in the future heal their belly “wounds” by helping them connect to their core.
Jill thanks so much for sharing!!
Your story is so inspiring and gives many hope for taking ownership of their emotional pain that is often linked to their belly and eating habits. I’m so intrigued about what I will uncover and learn about myself but more excited about what I can heal.
You are beyond inspiring and a creative genius, so thankful for you and all you share with us.
I can’t wait to get my Coregeous DVD and ball set, if you have some left tomorrow!
xo
Thank you Jill ! I am personally, just beginning to discover the corogeous ball on the belly… and going gentle to start. Last year, I had a little injury belly rolling, which caused me to bleed internally a little bit. So I shied away from belly-balling for a while. Now, I am re-approaching the ball and have had no injury yet 🙂 I am really looking forward to making a daily practice of belly-rolling and getting to know this belly of mine more intimately. Also, I am an opera singer and as I work with the belly, as well as with opening the pectoralis (mostly minor), I feel the freedom that’s beginning to open in my voice. Thank you!! Bless you.
This your personal experience is so inspiring!
As a massage therapist myself, “touch” is caring/healing. I’ve seen so many my clients has tightness in their abdominal area,but never connect with massaging our vital organ area for emotional scars!! but totally make sense!!
Also if you wants to change the size or shape of your abdominal, most of people try a diet or exercise before even massage their abdominal. Your note totally changed my idea of abdominal massage. Thank you so much!
For some reason I would never think to massage here! Even in thinking of emotion or tension stored in the core, I think of the back automatically; of course the belly makes total sense, especially in thinking about how much has to happen there and how this area is perceived in our own minds. SO looking forward to exploring these ideas.
I must confess my eyes were filled with water while reading. I recall on my 19s having kinda the same stuff going on- and doing so much chakra and other work with my counsellor – I was determined to get out of that ‘hole’ and I did, but it quite never left 100% – I guess I put some of the remaining necessity of control over sports and not food anymore. Thanks to the universe I met one of my yoga teachers Larry Schultz who once saw me practicing ashtanga in SF and he was like — “you know, you don’t have to BE a master of all poses if you want to walk free when you’re 80 Nars”- of course, there was more of a deep conversation at that time & made me realize what i was doing that time– and that was the beginning of my healing journey , of letting go ‘perfect asanas’ -it has been slow, and i have so many set backs,(specially when ego gets on the way) in yoga , life and other disciplines such as CF,Climbing or cycling.. but Im happy to be here now learning even more of what I can prevent or reverse in my body now. What is done, is done.
oh and about the ball in the belly– SO GOOD! I just did it and I think I will implement that every morning as well! I guess it can help also with digestion =) double win!
Thank you so much for sharing your story to really reveal what so many of us need to hear. We all carry so much “stuff” in our gut. I started using (parts of) your Coregeous video about 1 month ago. In addition to helping my low back via freeing up my psoas slowly, I feel other emotional releases also and am getting stronger literally and figuratively. Thank goodness for the Hamburger shaped pillow inspiration!!!
This article is inspiring for me on a personal level as well…thank you . I was a living liver donor over 10 years ago . Hence a lot of stuff inside was moved , shifted , put back….not to mention cut, and oh yes my 1/2 of a liver regrew. So I struggle with trying to connect with my abdominals from this. I’ getting there…thankfully from using the coregeous ball. And reawakening some tissues. This a wonderful tool to really access the psoas as well! :). P.S. my donor is doing great!
Jill – I cannot imagine you in any way but “healthy”, so thanks for sharing that you are indeed mortal….although still quite mystical and magical. So important to see that you can take what could have been insurmountable and turning it into a lifes-work that is transforming the lives of others. I am dealing with scars from years ago. I’d given the scars the rolled up mat treatment before, but so much of it was so intense that it only lasted a short while before I pulled away and moved on to something more “comfortable” and stayed with that…ignoring what really needed my attention. I tried the new belly ball and OMG….what a revelation and an invitation to get back to the work of healing that I had started years ago. Thank you.
I love the story of you reclaiming The Sugar Plum Fairy!!!! So much! Brava and aren’t wigs THE BEST!!!! I can not wait to try the abdominal balls. My PT does skin rolling and fascial stuff on my diastase and c-section scars but I can’t feel much…maybe more frequent proprioceptical exploration will!!!!
Jill – Thanks for sharing such a intimate part of your path thru this article. I have had similar issues with relationships with food and my perception of my belly/body over the years. Yoga has helped me a greatly in facing this issue but there’s been something missing. As I stated in a reply in another one of your blogs, I feel like I have finally met my core. Now I need to start unearthing everything that is hiding in this deep cave where I know I’ve stored things like disappointment, discontent, hurt, fear and who knows what else. I cannot wait to see where the next part of my yogic path will lead and what I will discover.
I am beyond grateful for the addition to the abdominal massage work I have learned from you. If I go more than two days without giving the belly attention with self-massage I feel effects of the tension in my back, in my breath and even in my mood. I will be rolling tonight for sure. Thank you.
This post is so inspiring. Thank you, JIll, for being so open and willing to share your story and use it as a platform for healing and inspiration. I want to purchase a soft ball now!
Although I haven’t rolled on a soft ball yet in the manner described above, I can already sense it will help immensely. Thank you for sharing the story Jill. I have suffered from an intestinal disease for 10 years and my core has definitely suffered in the process due to my resistance and avoidance of attention to the area out of fear of exasperating anything in that region. I know that to move forward in my practice, I need to start giving it some love!
I would love to try the softer ball on my abdominals! I have been rolling out on a foam roller for years on my abs, but the use of a softer ball seems like it will give me valuable feedback for my own abdominals, which are difficult to access at times.To understand how to soften the abdominal space is difficult. I would also love to try it with several clients who have chronic back & stomach issues
once again youve made me cry! having struggled for over ten years with anorexia, and having experienced similar “agony” when encouraged by my voice teachers (when i was studying acting) to breathe into my abdomen, havinig endured the avalanche of emotions and fears that seemed unstoppable, i was astonished to discover during my ytu teacher training that, all these many many years later, there is still more inside. its amazing, but i feel so lucky to have these new tools to help myself!
And this is an approach I am sure will help with the residual tightness and scar tissue from my c-section 2 years ago! And beginning to really peel down the layers of the core and the diaphragmatic connection to all of the inner workings of the body is just tremendous in educating instructors and clients. Time for to delve into the Coregeous video and eventually the Core Immersion training!!!
I am reading this blog with watery eyes as I have in front of me the image of someone very dear to me, who’s belly bears a scar from the pubic bone up to the sternum. A lot of scar tissue and even more emotional matter entrapped in there. Doctors don’t tell their patients what to do after a surgery, how to break down the scar tissue, proper nutrition, and let alone deal with emotions. It is not in their agenda. I have been time and again, witness of the gap that exist between application of western medicine and finding optimal health. Luckily, there are innovator and change-makers like Jill Miller bridging that gap. Personally, I can’t thank you enough Jill, and I can’t wait to delve more in this amazing self-care system that is Yoga Tune Up.
I think it’s so mindblowing to put together the surface of your belly (which our society spends a lot of time telling us to obsess over) and the organs and life-sustaining processes underneath. I’ll be honest, I don’t yet totally embody integration there and am definitely still working through some past digestive traumas of my own, but just the idea that we don’t have to slice apart the layers of our center is one that I am eager to keep exploring.
I have realized that I have no connection with my core and that I compensate with other muscles, so that I avoid any ‘hard’ core work. After taking the core workshop with Jill last year at the ECA conference, it took me a while to revisit the idea of laying down with an object under my abdomen. I’m working with this slowly, each time that I fully exhale, tension spikes and my body ‘protects’ itself from this foreign object invading my space. I will always be a student of my body and the steps may be small, but I will one day be able to invite these obstacles (both physical and mental) into my center.
I want to try this! I’ve felt for awhile now that I have trouble accessing my core strength at it’s deepest levels & also felt that it’s correlated to some unresolved, or unreleased, issues. I often have lower back pain coming out of a more vigorous practice, but been confused by it because my overall strength is good. Now I need a big enough squishy ball, and enough floor space to roll around on it.
And some nerves of steel.
Nervous and excited to get into some of this abdominal work with you.
After initially healing from abdominal surgery last summer I played with nauli and abdominal massage but got distracted by shiny barbells and sweaty workouts. I suspect I am in for some really intense work this week in YTU TT.
I’m ready!
Your story hit me right in my own gut. Thank you for sharing your relationship to your stomach through out your life. It is such a sensitive area of my own. I am eager to try abdominal massaging to reconnect and promote self love…we only have one body in this lifetime!
So well written, Jill! (:
I can completely relate to the internal abdominal pains and discomfort from all the stress and tension build up. Undereating, overeating, binge eating, and all the other nutritional diseases are discomforting to the body. When I get my clients to rest over the ball, allowing it to sink into to stomach, and to roll it from one lateral side to ther other of the abdomen, and then to contract while rolling, most of them will fart or burp. It definetly helps with digestion!
As many others have said, thank you for sharing this deeply personal experience in an informational way and to use as a teaching for others. I too come from a dance background and despite hours spent at the gym could also never really feel my core. Whenever my teachers said to “engage your abdominals” I always faked it by just tightening up my muscles which only lead to me holding my breath and maybe, just maybe, acheiving the balancing position or amount of turns they were asking for. It wasn’t until recently that I was in a yoga class with a teacher who had us lie on our stomach with a rolled up blanket underneath. At first it was so painful and showed just how much tension I was carrying there. Throughout the rest of the class though, as we kept coming back to this, it got more tolerable and I could (finally!!!!) begin to really feel my core and what it was to engage them without holding my breath. I think that in the world we live in today where so much emphasis is placed on the outward appearance of our core, we forget about the insides. If we get a massage to release tension in the rest of the body, why not the core?!?!
Jill, thank you for being so courageous and generous to share this very personal story. I have heard and read about storing feelings in our gut and I am aware of Yoga stomach cleansing exercises, but I’ve never heard of this method, and it seems so simple! I’m dying to get started! Like you said, I work out, I have the muscles there but I feel the weakness – the disconnect – when I attempt to do yoga poses. Hence, I always say (despite my workouts) that I’m weak in the abs. Maybe I am, but also maybe there’s more to the story than I ever thought. This blog was truly insightful!
This article is so inspiring and important! There is HUGE trend in the media and popular culture towards having “hard flat abs”. And if your belly doesn’t look hard and flat you are mislead to believe you are fat and should be ashamed. Well I am here to tell you that your soft belly is beautiful! In fact, there is nothing healthy about having frozen rock hard abs. We need core strength BUT it must be in balance with spaciousness and fluidity in the belly area. So many many emotions dwell in the belly, as well as our intuition and insight! The expression “I had a gut feeling about it” comes from the fact that there is great wisdom in our bellies. Unfortunately, most people are disconnected from their core through abusive exercise, poor eating habits, and distorted self image. I believe that doing the belly awareness exercises Jill describes above, combined with self love and compassion, is one of the most needed practices for people in today’s culture.
Hi Jill, a great post and very timely reminder for me. During the last few months I’ve been going through a time of upheaval, stress and uncertainty, and yes, unfortunately I’ve been storing a lot of anxiety and tension in my body – in my gut. I’ve been “doing my yoga” but still feeling out of sorts and out of balance. Reading your post brought my attention to my tense belly and got me rolling into it – rolling out the fear and armouring that was keeping my belly hard. Wonderful! I’ve been at it for a week now and can hardly believe it, I am feeling the difference, lightening the load, and breathing better! 🙂 This also reminded me of a really effective guided meditation I’ve used in my classes many times over the years – “Soft Belly” by Stephen Levine. I’ve been “opening and releasing into the spaciousness of soft belly”, and “breathing into levels and levels of soft belly” ever since. The combination of your abdominal self-massage and the meditation has really been effective. Thanks so much!
I think your message is beautiful. In society today there is such a pressure to conform to a certain look and size. Growing up I felt a lot of pressure to look like girls on magazines and movies. Yoga is a great way to connect with your body and see yourself differently than those images in the social media. I think we’re all somewhat affected, but it’s brave and encouraging of you to share your story.
Jill-I really appreciate how much courage it must have taken to post this. I have suffered with IBS for years and have noticed how much working my core has helped me overcome my digestive issues, but like Melissa, I have been focusing solely on those exercises that will give me abs. I am going to try the towel tonight. Also, I have found that giving up caffeine has been hugely helpful.
Jill; I appreciate you being so open and honest about your personal experience-a very generous thing to do in through which others can feel they have found a road to get on for recovery. I “cleansed” myself of much emotional baggage through the Core Immersion course and learned effective techniques to help me continue on the path of healing. I am re-motivated to integrate these highly effectiveYoga Tune Up practices on a daily basis as they can be so crucial to emotional well-being and spiritual connectedness.
Namaste,
Silvia Marisol
Great post and information! Honestly, until recently the only work I have ever thought my abdomen needed, are exercises that “will give me abs”. During our recent training we rolled a blanket to rest under our belly and helped keep our pelvis squared on the mat going into a version of Bow pose. WOW…. Hello sensations!!! This was a wake up call that I have some work to do. My gut is overdue for some attention! Thank you for encouraging us all to move into a place of looking from the inside-out.
can’t help but wonder if the massage i get from my cat when he “marches” on my abdomen actually can be something i might benefit from. i do not at all enjoy full body massages that include the abdominal area, but my cat kneading is ok and a little more interesting than a rolled up towel…
I cannot even begin to count how many of us, my friends, colleagues, students, all of us blogging here, have the same “uncomfortable” experience with this area. As we know- that which is uncomfortable, is likely something to study…And so my uncomfortable journey and study of this continues.
A few months ago I had a body therapy session in which the therapist spent a long time massaging my abdomen. It was an intense physical and emotional experience. I have had abdominal pain and problems with food allergies in the past. What that bodywork session made me realize was that my abdominal/stomach pain was tied up with my emotions. I have been paying attention to how my emotions affect my pain and working with it mindfully. I haven’t thought about massaging my abdomen on my own (maybe because the thought of how uncomfortable it will be makes me cringe). You’re blog has inspired me to go out an get a bouncy ball and give it a try.
After severe abdominal surgery, I have experienced the wonderful healing effect of the “squishy ball” ball in one of Jill’s workshops. It’s the only thing I have found that softens the scar tissue in the deep layers of the abdomen and relieves pain. I am going to start incorporating it into my daily life, maybe when I’m watching TV. I believe it can be the most important exercise I can do because the abdomen is where it all starts.
Hi Jill,
Thank you for sharing your deeply personal experience. It’s so interesting that we store so many emotions in our abdominal area. I admit I have a jelly belly and have always linked self esteem to the size of my waist. I can’t wait to try some abdominal massage to see if I can give some loving to that area and in the process work on my negative self image.
Julia
Hi Jill,
Thank you so much for sharing this blog! I was introduced to using a soft inflated ball a year ago in my 200 hour teacher training and the soft ball wasn’t hard enough to get into my tense tummy! I stored all of my traumas and pain there and held on tight to it. I was even proud of my six pack! I had to upgrade to a playground ball and slowly over the past year I have noticed that my anxiety has dramatically reduced! On top of that my connection to my core has increased and my comfort with the idea of a soft and supple belly has given me a whole new outlook on how I treat myself, teach my fitness classes and go about my daily activities. Within the next year I hope to loosen up enough to find my Uddiyana Bandha.
E
Whoah. This is me except anorexia vs bulemia in my Professional dance days. Unfortunately, I have not excavated to the place of healing as of yet. I must get this video, try it out and then re-post.
HI Leslie, There are many forms of IBS, so I cannot say that the inflatable ball is the best solution for all. Using the inflatable ball may be helpful for some, as it does help with tension in the gut region, although I would proceed very slowly with any student with IBS, and make sure that deep abdominal breathing is incorporated at all times. I do think that training the body through deep breathing and meditation practices while using the ball would be the most helpful scenario. If a student is chronically constipated, the ball could be very helpful for stimulating motion of the colon. I hope this helps.
Hi Jill, what is your recommendation for students with intermittent IBS (irritable bowel syndrome?) If there is an energy block/stop with the rolled up towel or soft inflatable ball, is this appropriate for other elimination problems?
thanks, L .