Pregnancy: Back-body expansion practice to minimize Diastasis Recti

It may seem like the only thing to do to minimize diastasis (separation of the rectus abdominal muscles) is to strengthen your deep core.

But actually, there's another part of the equation that you don't want to overlook. Think about your body as a front half and a back half. As your baby (and belly) grows, you may start to feel an uncomfortable amount stretching of the abdominal muscles. That's the front half.

But what happens to the back half? Typically, it gets tighter, the muscles shorten and you feel less mobile and flexible.

And guess what? When your front body is expanding, but your back body is locking down, the result is MORE pressure on the midline, which increases diastasis.

The fix for this front body expansion and back body tightening is to restore balance to the core by increasing the flexibility and length in your back body.

And we've put together a 13-minute practice to show you the moves that will help you with this!

Ideally, once you are in the second and third trimesters, you will want to do this practice once or twice a week. During both of these stages, your baby grows consistently and your body changes consistently, so staying regular with a practice that keeps your back half flexible and strong will help you feel amazing.

You can actually feel comfortable at every stage of pregnancy if you incorporate this practice into your weekly rotation of exercises.

Ready to practice along with Nicole? Grab your mat and a couple of blocks, and let us know in the comments if you could feel your back body opening up.