Befriending Your Belly

Would you believe me if I told you that you have a treasure trove that is always with you no matter where you are, no matter what is happening? It may be hard to believe but you do, and it lives in your belly. “My belly?” you may be saying. “That distant place in the further reaches of my body out of which comes blood, poop and pee? That is where the treasures live?”

This may be hard to believe but it is true!

“Then why have I not ever heard about this?” you may be asking. There are three core reasons why we don’t inhabit our bellies and thus receive all the treasures that live there. The first reason is as we were growing up, we all were conditioned to leave our bodies for the world of our minds. As James Joyce once said, “Mr. Duffy lives a short distanced from his body!” We all live a long distance from our bodies. They have become vehicles for maneuvering through life rather than our home.

The second reason we are cut off from our bellies is that very early in our lives we discovered if we held our breath, we could have some control over all the deep feelings that come with being human, feelings we didn’t have a clue how to be with. And when we hold our breath, we lock our diaphragm, which is like putting a wall between ourselves and our bellies, disconnecting ourselves from the wisdom and nourishment that lives there.

The third is we were sold a bill of goods about what beauty truly is. One of the core beliefs of this conditioning is that a flat belly is beautiful and a rounded one is not. And a flat belly is oftentimes a tightly held belly.  We all send so much rejection into our bellies that it makes my heart ache.

In the East what we are talking about is called the Hara. It means soft belly, but it means so much more than that. There is no accident that the umbilical cord from you to your mother was attached in your belly. It wasn’t attached at the base of your spine or the top of your head or around your heart – the life-giving nourishment of the umbilical cord was located in your belly!

Residing in your belly is also an energetic umbilical cord that is linked to a reservoir of vital energy that is connected to the source of life. To begin to breathe into your belly again, so you can rest there, is to tap into a field of energy and wisdom that is always with you, supporting and guiding you in every step of your life.

Your Hara is not only a dynamic field in your body. It is also your true center of gravity. Because our center gravity is usually in our heads, we are like top-heavy trees and when the winds of life come, they knock us over. But when we are grounded in our bellies, we stay rooted deep in our true center and sway with the storms of life.

I invite you to place your hand over your belly and for just a moment say hello.

Now notice what happened when you heard this invitation. You may be like I was for many years. There was so much disgust about my belly I couldn’t even touch it let alone inhabited. Whether you are able to touch it or not, ask life to show you how to come home for there are multiple treasures waiting for you as you begin to befriend your belly.

And when you can, soften your belly.  Soften, soften, soften so you can again know the joy of befriending your belly.