Four exercises, about five minutes. For the knot that shows up before anything difficult.
The belly is soft and unprotected and the body treats it that way. It braces ahead of what it expects, which is why your stomach knows before you can explain it.
You know this one before you can explain it. Something is coming and your stomach knows first.
The belly is soft and unprotected and the body treats it that way. It is also where a lot of people hold constantly for reasons that have nothing to do with fear, because they were told to pull it in and never stopped.
Either way the effect is the same. A belly held tight does not let the breath down, and a breath that cannot get down keeps everything above it slightly on alert.
The exercises below ask you to let the belly be soft, which sounds easy and is not. If you notice yourself pulling it in again halfway through, that is the pattern. Just let it go and carry on.
Do them in this order and go slowly. If something feels like too much, stop and breathe. That is part of the practice, not fine print.
Perception
“everything is here”
Position yourself comfortably. Keep the spine upright with minimal effort. Breathe naturally. Release perceived tensions through gentle mental intention, allowing self-regulation to arise organically.
Straight at it
“I can release spaces of tension within me”
Touch the solar plexus area with a deep, penetrating touch — sinking your fingertips into the belly as if reaching inside. Do this with firmness and self-care, going as deep as your body allows in that moment. Stay in this touch while breathing, maintaining steady pressure throughout. Let your breath move through the belly and chest; if possible, allow full diaphragmatic movement so that your hand is pushed outward by the belly on the inhale. Complete the central touch, then move to the left and right sides. You may also deepen the pressure there.
Working around it
“I can expand my emotional palate”
Run your tongue around the inside of the mouth in all directions — along the cheeks, every angle, over the teeth, reaching as far as possible. Make circular and straight movements, exploring as much as you can. You can imagine you are emotionally brushing the interior of your mouth. Breathe consciously while performing the movements. Moving without breathing does not release physical tension or emotions.
Centring
“I can always access my nest”
Lie comfortably on your side with legs drawn in and your trunk slightly curled toward your legs (fetal position). Use your arms to support your head in whatever way feels most comfortable, or adjust other body parts as needed — shoulders, face. Breathe deeply and rest in this place.
About the order. It looks shuffled and it is meant to be. Going straight at the tense place and staying there can bring up more than you were ready for, so the sequence pulls away, works somewhere else, and then comes back to close. The order is part of the protocol, not a detail.
The abdominal segment, sixth of Reich's seven rings, approached through the contact work Boyesen developed.
Body Anchor’s method is inspired by four foundational thinkers in body-based psychotherapy. Their work is the lineage every sequence on this site sits in.
The belly is soft and unprotected and the body treats it that way. It braces ahead of what it expects, which is why your stomach knows before you can explain it.
Many people hold constantly for reasons that have nothing to do with fear, because they were told to pull it in and never stopped. A belly held tight does not let the breath down.
The app asks what you feel and where you feel it, then builds the protocol for that exact pair. 218 exercises, three to ten minutes.
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