image by: nancy waldman

HWN Suggests

The Mind-Belly Connection

The Western beauty ideal has a flat belly and washboard abs. Clothes are designed to girdle the gut, or to hide it. We often try to make the belly simply go away, and many of us feel badly if our bellies do anything but. Controlling our bellies is our outward sign of self-control, and if we cannot, we often feel shame or guilt. In yoga and other Eastern systems, however, your belly is the very center of your energetic system. It is a key access point to your spiritual wisdom. Western yoga borrows the Japanese term “hara” to describe the belly and its transpersonal power. Does the Buddha have washboard abs? Most definitely not.

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 Introduction to abdomen

Cylindrical chamber extending from diaphragm to the base of the pelvis, comprising of abdomen proper & the lesser pelvis

Articles of Interest

Stomach or Abdomen?

"Suck your stomach in!" goes a common instruction in yoga class. This cue is present in a lot of different lineages and styles, and goes to the heart of an important conversation in the yoga world: What are we teaching? Most importantly for this conversation, the abdomen has four muscles that we can control consciously.... Not surprisingly, these are called the "abdominal muscles." (If you Google stomach muscles, it will redirect you automatically to abdominal muscles.)

Abdomen - Anatomy, Functions, and Conditions

The abdomen is the body space from the chest to the pelvis. The diaphragm is the upper border of the abdomen, and the lower end is the level of the pelvic bone. The abdomen comprises all the organs involved in digestion, such as the stomach, small intestine, liver, pancreas, and large intestine.

Abdominal Muscles

All the abdominal muscles have different muscle fibers orientation and act in all three planes during movements and are linked together by having a common site of connection or by fascia. Actions associated with abdominal muscle control can be complex. A single muscle does not usually work in isolation but in harmony with others. Physical activity involves a nearly infinite number of variations all regulated by the brain.

Human abdomen

The human abdomen (from the Latin word meaning "belly") is the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax. Anatomically, the abdomen stretches from the thorax at the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvis at the pelvic brim. The pelvic brim stretches from the lumbosacral angle (the intervertebral disk between L5 and S1) to the pubic symphysis and is the edge of the pelvic inlet. The space above this inlet and under the thoracic diaphragm is termed the abdominal cavity. The boundary of the abdominal cavity is the abdominal wall in the front and the peritoneal surface at the rear.

Learn the anatomy of abs

The stars of the show are the main abdominal muscles: the rectus abdominis, the obliques (internal and external), and the transversus abdominis. However, in order to train more effectively, you need to make the distinction between the inner and outer abdominal muscles.

Linea Alba

The linea alba is a thin band of connective tissue that runs down the front of your abdomen. It separates the left and right sides of your rectus abdominis.

The Importance Of Your Belly Button And What It Reveals About Your Health

Navels, belly buttons, innies or outies … whatever term you use, your umbilicus may have plenty to tell you about the state of your health. For some, they are the thing of nightmares – omphalophobia (the fear of belly buttons) is a real condition. For others, they are a fashion accessory to be shown off in a crop top, or decorated with a body piercing.

The Nine Abdominal Regions | Upper, Middle & Lower Abdomen

The abdomen can be divided into nine different regions based on their anatomical location. These include the right and left hypochondriac regions and the epigastric region, which are located in the upper abdomen. The right and left lumbar regions and the umbilical region are in the middle abdomen. The right and left iliac regions are in the lower abdomen and the hypogastric region.

What Makes Your Abdomen Beautiful and How Can You Achieve It?

Everyone wants a tight, firm, flat, and well-defined abdomen to show off in a bikini. But have you ever stopped to wonder what our culture perceives to be beautiful abs in this age of social media where everyone is showing off on Instagram?

Why the Transverse Abdominus Muscle is an Important Part of Your Core

Along with other core muscles, the main roles of the transverse abdominis are to protect internal organs by holding them in place, and to support the torso by maintaining abdominal wall tension which stabilizes the spine and pelvis before any movement of the limbs can occur.

Resources

Kenhub

The abdomen is the body region found between the thorax and the pelvis. Its superior aperture faces towards the thorax, enclosed by the diaphragm. Inferiorly the abdomen is open to the pelvis, communicating through the superior pelvic aperture (pelvic inlet). These two apertures, together with abdominal walls, bound the abdominal cavity. There are two musculofascial abdominal walls; anterolateral and posterior.

StatPearls

The abdomen ultimately serves as a cavity to house vital organs of the digestive, urinary, endocrine, exocrine, circulatory, and parts of the reproductive system.

TeachMe Anatomy

The abdomen contains many of the body’s vital organs and plays a central role in digestion, circulation and immunity. This section examines the layered anatomy of the abdominal wall and the organisation of the internal viscera. It offers a structured approach to understanding spatial relationships within the peritoneal cavity and their clinical significance.