Quick Guide

• Breath rhythm: 4 s inhale / 6–8 s exhale through the nose, belly-first expansion.
• Pressure/pain scale: Avoid straining; keep effort at a gentle/moderate level.
• Stop signs: Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, blood in stool — seek care.
• Success indicators: Bowel urge within 24–48 hours, softer abdominal feel, less heaviness.

Step 1 — Morning Bowel Reflex Activation (5–7 minutes)
Goal: use natural post-sleep reflexes and abdominal pressure gradients to initiate peristalsis

1. Within 15–20 minutes of waking, drink a glass (200–300 ml) of warm water.
2. Stand tall and take 6–8 slow belly breaths, inhaling fully into the lower abdomen and exhaling long.
3. Follow with 20–30 seconds of gentle marching in place, letting arms swing freely.
4. Optional: include a few heel drops — rise onto toes, then drop heels to the floor lightly to create an internal jostle.

Success: Mild bowel urge soon after or within a few hours.

Step 2 — Seated Abdominal Pumping (2–3 minutes)
Goal: rhythmically compress and decompress intestines while keeping pelvic floor relaxed

1. Sit upright at the edge of a chair, feet flat, knees apart.
2. Inhale, letting the belly expand fully.
3. Exhale and gently draw the belly in (about 20–30% effort), imagining you are wringing out your gut.
4. Repeat at a steady pace, coordinating each movement with breath.

Dosage: 15–20 cycles. Success: Audible gut movement or softened abdominal tension.

Step 3 — Kneeling Pelvic Tilts (Cat-Cow Variation, 2 minutes)
Goal: mobilise spine and massage abdominal contents

1. Come onto hands and knees; hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
2. Inhale, lift tailbone and chest, let belly drop toward the floor (Cow).
3. Exhale, tuck tailbone, round back, draw navel toward spine (Cat).
4. Keep breath smooth, movement slow, and shoulders relaxed.

Dosage: 8–12 cycles. Success: Increased warmth in abdomen, lighter feeling in belly.

Step 4 — Post-Meal Walking (10–15 minutes)
Goal: trigger gastrocolic reflex after main meals

1. Begin within 15–30 minutes after a meal.
2. Walk at a steady, relaxed pace; keep shoulders loose and arms swinging gently.
3. Maintain nasal breathing with belly movement.

Success: Noticeable bowel movement urge later in the day.

Step 5 — Supine Spinal Twist (1–2 minutes per side)
Goal: stimulate colon along its path and release tension

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat.
2. Let knees fall gently to one side, keeping shoulders grounded.
3. Breathe deeply into side ribs and abdomen, visualising colon lengthening and un-kinking.
4. Switch sides after 1–2 minutes.

Success: Easier abdominal expansion, more comfortable gut movement.

Step 6 — Evening Diaphragm & Pelvic Floor Release (5 minutes)
Goal: downregulate nervous system to support night-time digestion

1. Lie on your back with knees supported by a pillow.
2. Inhale into the belly and perineum, feel sit bones widen.
3. Exhale slowly, releasing all tension in the belly and pelvis.
4. Visualise the colon moving contents forward without resistance.

Success: Calm, heavy limbs; reduced abdominal tightness.