Belly Care
Holistic Practices for Digestive Wellness
pset belly? Disrupted bowels?
When the body is not at ease, it is hard to live well.
And it is especially hard to really get out, never mind travel, when your belly needs constant special attention.
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• Often a medical mystery or long term chronic condition, abdominal aches and discomforts can be unsettling, disruptive and difficult to manage;
• Western medicine offers few sustainable options, often relying on masking the symptoms with long-term pharmaceutical regimens - that may include side effects;
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• Even the more holistic approaches commercially available, mostly offer expensive supplements as an ongoing, lifestyle approach. And they do not guarantee results.
• Disempowered from fully understanding our bodies, many people with digestive complaints believe it is totally a matter of diet and either berate themselves for some of their choices and/or obsess over strict eating protocols with little or no results.
As a bodywork professional, I have been surprised to find how little attention is given to the digestive system as part of the body that needs a wellness approach on par with what we do for our cardio-vascular system or respiratory systems - especially when they show us any trouble.
Exercise and yoga hardly mention digestion, even though any movement practice will impact it and many of my past massage therapy clients were surprised when I asked whether to include abdominal work in our sessions - as it hadn’t occurred to them that this part of the body can - or even should - be massaged.
I was lucky to have started my study of yoga’s impact on digestion over 20 years ago and since then, have also been trained in several modalities of abdominal bodywork such as Swedish massage and polarity therapy. Further, I trained in Ayurvedic massage and Marma point treatments and have since made abdominal work a key component of my practice.
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I know that people with chronic digestive problems are everywhere and many of them don’t even know what sort of specialist or alternative practitioner to reach out to - a nutritionist to learn another diet? A gastroenterologist to run some labs?
For many this condition doesn’t have an urgency to seem to warrant medical intervention. For others, it may have even begun after a health event or medical procedure.
So maybe a mental health provider is the place to go? Digestive discomfort does have a close relationship with stress and anxiety and can impact life beyond the physical body.
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Where to begin?
Introducing Olga Chwa’s Illustrated Guide to Travel Belly...or How to Poop on the Road, a friendly, all-bodies accessible self-care guidebook/zine loaded with natural solutions, simple practices, transformative prompts, and even a habit change tracking system.
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• It starts working as soon as you start doing any of the practices
• It addresses the physical but also goes beyond to emotions and spirit
• It's affordable (just compare it to one month of supplements or a visit with a specialist)
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• It can be further supported with personal guidance and accountability
• It creates real changes that produce long term healing
• It empowers folks with tools to access daily relief, anywhere
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If you are ready to tame your tummy and find digestive peace, wherever you are on the journey of life, click here and purchase your copy of "Travel Belly." Or take a peek inside.
"For a while I was simply looking for a quick fix to my jaw tension. The first book in Olga's self-care series, Jaw Love taught me to really learn about my jaw and how it fits in with the rest of my body, mind, and spirit. I am also learning to consider my jaw as needing and deserving on-going care rather than a quick fix. I'm still in the early days, but the practices and lessons in this book are already shifting the tensions and providing relief. I'm grateful for Olga's caring and extensively knowledgeable guidance."
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Jennifer, Plant Enthusiast, Ohio
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What is in this book?
• Part one dives deeply into experiential anatomy. What are the shapes and sensations in your unique body?
• Part two offers a breadth of holistic practices, more reflection and journaling prompts and unique ways of connecting with digestion for a fresh perspective.
• Part three puts it all together, helping you choose the best approaches for your body and then complete the 21-day accountability tracker to set new habits in place.
Start with Olga Chwa’s Illustrated Guide to Travel Belly and, if you like, bolster your confidence with a personal care program - schedule your exploratory phone or video-call with Olga.
I look forward to hearing from you and helping you feel better.
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Effective practices and techniques to ease digestive discomfort in travel and at home.