According to Western aesthetic tradition, a flat stomach in a woman is beautiful. In the East, on the contrary, the shape of the abdomen should be rounded, and the abdomen itself should be soft and mobile. Who is right? And how does the state of the press affect women’s health?
If you have seen a belly dance, you have noticed that the belly of the dancers seems to flow, it moves freely and smoothly, it can pull up and roll out. And in this case we are not talking about any press with cubes. For some chronic women’s diseases, doctors sometimes prescribe not only traditional treatment, but also classes that relax the stomach, for example, the same belly dance or, even better, women’s Taoist practices. Why? Is it really more useful for us not to pump the press, but, on the contrary, sacrificing aesthetics, to relax the muscles of the press?
Tone: what is it?
First, a little bit of anatomy: the stomach contains vital organs. The upper abdomen is associated with digestion, while the lower abdomen is associated with the genitourinary system. In order for these organs to receive enough nutrition, good microcirculation is needed. And it is possible only when the abdominal muscles are in good shape.
What does it mean? Muscles must be able to tense and relax qualitatively. Please note: one without the other does not work. “So, you need to download!” — fitness fans will be delighted. Unfortunately, in modern reality, even without any rocking, the tendency to overstrain the muscles, especially the area of the diaphragm and pelvic floor, dominates. These are two zones of the so-called emotional tension: they tense up in response to certain experiences, most often in response to stress. Against the background of this emotional tension, the abdominal muscles can literally become stone.
Our students who have mastered the practice of Qigong for the spine Sing Shen Juang or female Taoist practices regularly face the following situation: the press was perfect, the stomach was flat, but as soon as the diaphragm or pelvic area was relaxed, the tummy became rounded. From an aesthetic point of view, it’s a disaster. And from the point of view of healing the body – an excellent result.
This means that the usual tensions are gone, the diaphragm began to move freely, the nutrition and functioning of the stomach, spleen, and intestines improved. Thanks to this, numerous accumulated digestive problems go away: pain, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome. As a result of relaxation of the pelvic floor and improved nutrition of the pelvic organs, chronic “female” inflammatory diseases disappear, libido and even the possibility of conception increase. But the stomach is not perfect. How to find a balance between beauty and health?
Basis – relaxation
Based on the results of the work that I do with women studying at my school, I can say: work on the beauty of the abdomen should begin with relaxation. To relax the diaphragm and the pelvic floor, and indirectly the abdominal muscles, to restore mobility, softness, freedom and breathing to the stomach, you can master certain qigong practices, for example, Sing Shen Juang or female Taoist practices.
After the elasticity of the abdominal muscles is restored, the abdomen regains the ability to expand on inspiration and gently deflate like a balloon on exhalation, you can start strength exercises. Thus, you will maintain the health of internal organs and at the same time get a flat, beautiful tummy.
Relaxation exercise
To find out how effective the practices for relaxing the abdominal muscles are and how much pleasant sensations they bring, let’s do a basic breathing exercise from women’s Taoist practices together.
- Sit on a chair or on pillows, straighten your back, cross your legs. Place your palm on the lower abdomen.
- Inhale as if inhaling under the palm: the stomach expands on the inhale, deflates on the exhale.
- As you inhale, ask yourself the question: how can I inhale even more relaxed? Then watch how the body responds to this request. The signal that you are doing the exercise correctly will be a feeling of warmth in the lower abdomen. It will arise, of course, not immediately: breathe measuredly and freely for 3-5 minutes. Perhaps, after doing this practice several times, you will feel how the lower abdomen is filled with warmth.