Riding a motorcycle is something I love to do. I live in a mountain community and the road from the city is delightfully curved. Now, I always feel that in order to ride in an enjoyable and safe way, I need to use not my mind but my belly.
This seems to be not only my private experience. People talk about ‘gut feeling’ , they say ‘I felt it in my belly’ . Many times the knowledge that something is right is felt as certain energy in the belly.
This abdomen has been called ‘the second brain’ ; it has a large combination of nerves. These nerves are creating a sort of consciousness that is responsible for many aspects of our lives. Empathy, playfulness, emotions, connecting to ourselves and others, and intuition are all clearly attributes of this abdominal wisdom, this ‘second brain’.
Maybe this is the reason why abdominal massage is such a deep, relaxing yet intense experience.
See, massage in general has many benefits for the nervous system: touch brings relaxation and thus reduces stress. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which encourages our bodies to rest and heal, a highly needed quality in our fast moving, digital Information Age.
But massaging the belly, the ‘second brain’ has a much deeper effect. Much of the stress that we hold in our belly comes from emotional blocks. Suppressed fear, old emotional pain and habitual ‘toning down’ of our emotional capacity are creating these tense pockets in our abdomen.
The relaxing effect of massage is sending a message to our nervous system that it is now time to relax and let go of old stress. Some scientists believe that stress is number one health risk factor. It certainly isn’t fun to live with constant stress!
Letting go feels wonderful and it is good for you. It also means that you will get better at many life skills; from motorcycle riding to loving connection and better intuitive responses. Abdominal massage is really the key to optimize our nervous system.