Hello everyone! Tutu Mora here with the Y bringing you tools to feel well in your body, mind and spirit.
So today, we're going to be going through a gentle sequence just to ease and soften some symptoms of digestive discomfort.
Bloating, gas, all the things that can happen for a number of different reasons whether that's stress and anxiety, or allergies, or inflammation
there are so many reasons why we could be experiencing those symptoms of discomfort.
And so we're just going to offer a sequence to ease those symptoms.
Now before we get started, you're not going to need any props today just a soft surface to lie down on whether that's a couch, a bed, the floor, a yoga mat
just anywhere that you feel comfortable.
and allowing yourself the props that you need so whether you want to put a pillow behind your knees to keep yourself comfortable
or a small pillow behind your neck to keep yourself comfortable. Really set up this space so your body is going to be as relaxed as possible.
Before we lie down, I'm just going to show you a movement here sitting up so that when we take it down to the mat, it will be a little easier to get into it.
So I'm just going to tilt my screen down here.
And so one movement that we're going to be doing over the course of this video is just a gentle self massage over the abdomen.
And so I've got my right hand, my left hand, and what we're going to do in this movement...you're going to go in a clockwise motion here with your right hand, left hand is going to be going in the opposite motion.
So you're going to have this rotating massage happening.
Now your left hand is going to have to come over your right, so find this motion here sitting up just so you know what it feels like and can take it down to the mat.
You can play around with bringing this higher up right at that top of the solar plexus all the way down to the low belly.
You can play around with making it a little bit closer into the belly button and spiraling out.
But however that kind of feels good to you, just allow this movement to come into your memory there so that when we take it down to the mat, you'll be able to apply it.
So let's go ahead and lay down, make yourself comfortable. If you need to pause this video so you can set yourself up, go ahead and do so.
Alright so.
We're going to begin by lying down, now if lying down is uncomfortable for you, you can certainly sit up or stand through this sequence. So take what you need, allow this video to work for you
and let's just start by taking a couple deep breaths here.
Now I'm going to invite you to put one hand on your low belly, one hand on your high chest
and we're going to breathe down into the low belly so I want you to feel that belly hand expand and rise with your inhale and fall with your exhale.
So if you feel your chest hand rising and falling, see if you can instead encourage that breath to come a little further down the length of the torso.
So just finding that breath.
Almost imagining that your inhale, that fresh oxygen, is going to be like a massage for all your insides here.
And so just allowing it to be so as you inhale.
Fully exhale. See if you can squeeze out every last bit of air.
Inhaling deeply, exhaling fully.
And so let's take a couple more just like that.
And now if you have that feeling of allowing the breath to come all the way down to your low belly, you can let your hands relax anywhere that feels comfortable but I would invite you just to place them on your low belly.
Couple more deep breaths here, just taking your time.
Allowing that breath to really swirl in and be like an internal massage for all your organs here.
And so we're gently going bring those feet and knees here together so if you have your legs stretched out, you can gently bend them here.
And we're going to just very softly rotate here from side to side.
Staying with that breath, so as you rotate, see if you can allow the breath to come into the back of the rib cage.
And then taking that over gently to the other side.
Taking a couple more here. Now, sometimes digestive discomfort can mean that this movement doesn't allow for very much rotation.
So if you start to feel any sort of digestive or bloating or gas pain as you take your rotation, try making your range just a little bit smaller
working with the range that's available to you and allowing your breath to soften some of those spaces.
And again, just taking it from side to side here gently.
Really letting your exhale be full as if you're exhaling all this stale air in your body.
And back to center, let's gently separate the feet just about hip distance apart
and take that sway again. Little bit different here, little bit of a different movement of the legs and hips.
But just taking what's available to you as you stay with your breath, finding the range that feels good for your body here in this moment.
One more time here to each side. Now of course if this feels really good for you, feel free to pause this video and take as many times of this sway as you need to. Really let this video work for you.
Every body is going to be a little bit different.
And so may need a little extra repetitions of some of these so take what you need.
Back to center.
Alright so go ahead and stretch your legs out if that's more comfortable for you.
You can leave them bent if that's fine and we're going to bring our hands to the low belly.
Just like we were doing at the start of the video.
So before we start that self massage, I would just invite you to rub your hands together.
Just generating a little bit of friction, a little bit of heat.
And then placing them on your low belly and we're going to start that swirling movement that we were going over at the beginning.
So letting your right hand move in a gentle clockwise motion, as wide of a circle as feels good.
Left hand will follow the right, coming over the right hand when it meets it.
And just letting that swirl take place as you breathe
And we're just going to hang out here for a moment with this gentle massage.
Now, keeping the pressure light.
So we're not you know - digging into the belly here. We're just keeping this gentle, keeping this soft.
And we're going to take this for another minute more. Just finding that rhythm, finding your breath.
Playing around with making that circle really big across your torso or abdomen or making it just closer into the center.
Finding what feels good.
And you may notice that you start to hear a little gurgling or a little movement
so just allowing whatever begins to shift or move within that abdomen to move.
So just let your body do what it needs to do.
We'll take a couple more here, just finding that slow moving mindful self massage.
Perhaps taking that all the way out to the sides as you continue that circle.
Two more rotations here, of course you can take as many as you need. So, take your time.
And so, pausing here once again let's bring those hands together. Just find a little friction, find a little warmth.
You're going to bring your fingers to your belly button, just your finger tips, nice and soft touch.
We're just going to move in little circles around that belly button. Clockwise again.
And now, we're not digging the finger tips in, just gentle
and if you notice a spot that feels really tight or feels like there is some trapped air or something in that, just pause, let your fingers massage that space gently as you breathe into that space.
And we're gently going to just expand that circle outward.
Kind of like you're gently making a tight spiral across your whole abdomen here.
Still going in that same direction and pausing wherever you feel like you need to pause
and just work out anything that feels trapped, anything that feels tight.
Staying with that breath, allowing that breath to work for you, be a tool in moving what needs to move here.
And so once again, moving at the pace that works for you.
So I might be moving faster than feels supportive to you
so take your time. If you really are feeling pretty bloated, you might want to just really move slowly
and take your time through those spots that feel distended or tight, letting your breath help you and letting your fingers gently massage out those spaces
so listen to your body, listen to what you need today and let this practice work for you.
And so we're going to continue with that little spiral just until you reach kind of your hip bones, that bottom of the rib cage area
Alright. So.
Let's go ahead and gently bring those knees in towards the torso, however you're able to make that happen if it feels doable for you.
We're going to just gently rock that from side to side. Gently gently as you breathe.
And resting your feet back down, now if you feel like you need to just hang out here for a while, I would encourage you to roll over onto your left side
just in the fetal position here, supportive of your head.
And just rest here. Let things kind of continue to move and circulate as you breathe.
And so once again, just letting this practice work for you
so taking your time, listening to your body and whatever pace feels good.
So I hope you found this helpful and I will see you back here next time on the Y's YouTube channel!
Take care!