The Belly Button Connection to Mother Earth

A desire to heal a physical ailment can also become a quest to solve deeper spiritual questions about our life, such as how can we create world peace, heal the environment and olive together to care for our Mother Earth as responsible stewards.

Usually, our belly button is treated as simply the place our umbilical cord was connected and fell out after we were born. But our belly button is the center point of our body and there’s a lot going on behind it. Using the belly button, we can tap into ancient Eastern wisdom and modern scientific discovery to create a complete physical, emotional and spiritual healing modality. When we directly stimulate this area, we call it belly button healing.

Healing, as opposed to treatment, takes place inside of us, and belly button healing starts with the core of our being in the gut. Because about a third of our blood is stored in our belly, pressure and stimulation pump more blood throughout the body, increasing overall circulation.

The lymphatic system and lymph nodes in particular are a very important part of our immune system, and there are many lymph nodes gathered around the navel. Belly button healing assists immune response by stimulating these lymph nodes, aiding in the flow of lymphatic fluid and the excretion of waste resulting from our body’s immune response.

And the trillions of microbes living in the intestines also affect intestinal immunity. The enteric immune system, which includes the activity of immune cells and microbes in the gut, accounts for 70 to 80 percent of the body’s immune system. Belly button healing keeps our gut environment clean by helping food, waste and fluid move through more efficiently. Protecting the health of our intestine is central to maintaining our general health.

The gut microbes also influence the neurons that manage the gut. This system is called the enteric nervous system, or ENS, which operates independently from our brain. Like the brain, the ENS has cells which take in information, cells which process information and cells that tell the digestive system what to do. Our gut brain and the brain in our head are in close communication through the vagus nerve.

When a problem develops in the intestines, it affects the brain immediately and conversely, when a problem develops in the brain, that is eveidenced the intestines. This is why the ENS and its related cells are called “the second brain”.
That also influences our emotions. More than 90 percent of our serotonin, the neurotransmitter that gives us feelings of well-being, is created in the gut, while only 3 percent is made in the brain.

Our belly button represents our connection to Mother Earth. Healing our belly button connects us to our origin; through this connection, we realize that we all individually are a part of nature. We are from nature and we are nature itself. With this realization, we begin to love and protect nature, as well as each other. This process can initialize a spiritual awakening that can help us discover and recover our original nature; the beginning of healing on the deepest level.

The easiest way to experience belly button healing is through a breathing technique that utilizes the fingertips or a healing wand at the center of the abdomen. We can rhythmically and comfortably pump the center of the abdomen over the belly button while at the same time exhaling in short, sharp breaths. Doing this for five minutes will create noticeable heat in the abdomen.

After pumping, gently massage by rubbing in a circular movement over the navel, breathing comfortably and focusing on the feeling. Our blood circulation will increase and we can experience a sense of relaxation in our internal organs. Practicing belly button healing three times a day and giving attention to our lower abdomen will enrich our healing journey.

John Thompson is a Body and Brain instructor and reiki master. For more information, visit bodynbrain.com/wyckoff.