This is what happened to me, maybe you can relate.
I’ve had two pregnancy, both finished with a C-section. And especially after the second one, I had a really hard time recovering. Something shifted. Or rather, something stayed off. After two serious abdominal surgeries my belly didn’t feel like a part of me anymore. I had this profound sense of disconnection. To add to the physical issues, I was really unhappy with the way these births went and what happened to me. I didn’t want to touch my scar or relate to is in any way.
It took many months, and honestly years, to truly feel at home in my body again. In my yoga practice I couldn’t do things that were a breeze before that. Simple things – like stepping forward from downward dog. It was as if my brain was sending the signal but the wires were cut. Slowly, I came back but even now I am well aware that my belly will never be the same.
In a way, it’s easy to understand why a C-section causes a disconnect. There is physical scarring, severed nerves, and layers of tissue that must knit back together. But this “loss of centre” happens after natural births too. It happens because of pregnancy in the first place. While carrying a baby our centre of gravity shifts, organs are pushed away in all directions to make space in a tight cavity, muscles are separated and underused.. It’s a sudden expansion followed by an abrupt emptiness. It’s intense.
And when the baby comes and the mum is basically forgotten.
For a long time, I was livings in body that felt a bit like a stranger. Yoga helped but it took me a while to realise that I didn’t just need more time or more movement. I needed to reconnect with my centre on a visceral, energetic level.
Now that I have discovered the practice of Chi Nei Tsang, I feel this is the bridge I never had. Chi Nei Tsang (CNT) is a Taoist abdominal massage that works directly with the internal organs. It is a modality I’ve found that can address the ‘hollowed out’ feeling and help us start to feel our bellies after birth.
Now, I offer this work to help other mothers skip the years of disconnection I went through. I want to help you ‘re-inhabit’ your body, not in years, but in weeks.
How can Chi Nei Tsang help after pregnancy
1. Realignment of the “Internal House”
Our organs don’t always settle back into their optimal positions immediately after birth. Sometimes they become entangled too. CNT works on the internal organs to make more space, to separate and to return them to their place, improving overall function and comfort.
2. Re-igniting Digestion and Detox
Postpartum constipation and bloating are common but we don’t often talk about it. CNT can help restore healthy peristalsis. It also supports the liver and kidneys in flushing out the high levels of pregnancy hormones that can linger for a while.
3. Emotional “Digestion”
The abdomen is a major storage site for stress and trauma. Whatever your birth experience was, it was a significant event. CNT can bring on a release of “stuck” emotions stored in the navel and solar plexus.
4. Supporting the Pelvic Floor and Core
CNT addresses the deep fascia and the psoas muscle, which is sometimes called the “muscle of the soul” and connects our upper and lower body. Releasing tension here can improve posture, ease lower back pain, and create a better environment for pelvic floor recovery.
5. A moment for you
In the whirlwind that is taking care of a newborn, Chi Nei Tsang is a way to start reclaiming your centre. It can help you reconnect with the body that just performed a miracle.
Do get in touch if you you would like to explore the benefits of Chi Nei Tsang after pregnancy.
Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash
