Supporting Your Gut Through Massage, Movement, and Nervous System Care

Gut Health Blog 2 Part Series

PART 1: A New Year Reset

The start of a new year is a natural time to pause, reset, and gently reconnect with your body. While many resolutions focus on strict rules or quick fixes, true wellness begins with creating supportive habits that help your body function better from the inside out — especially your gut.

Gut health is about more than just what you eat. It reflects your nervous system, movement patterns, and how well your body feels supported in day-to-day life. As we move into a new year, this is an ideal opportunity to integrate practices that nourish digestion, reduce inflammation, and restore balance.

As a massage therapist with 22 years of experience, a dancer for over 30 years (including 13 years in partner dance), and a yoga practitioner since 2009, I’ve seen how intentional bodywork, mindful movement, and nervous system regulation can become powerful foundations for long-term wellness — especially when introduced with consistency at the beginning of a new year.

Massage as a Gut-Friendly Tool

In the new year, many people commit to taking better care of their bodies — and massage therapy is a meaningful place to start. Massage isn’t just for sore muscles; it plays a direct role in supporting digestion and nervous system health.

Techniques such as abdominal massage and lymphatic work can stimulate digestion, improve circulation to the gut, and assist the body in clearing metabolic waste. Just as importantly, relaxation-focused massage helps shift the body into a parasympathetic state, which is essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption, and healing.

Integrating massage into your wellness routine at the start of the year helps set the tone for consistency, rather than waiting until stress or discomfort builds.

Movement That Nourishes Your Digestive System

A new year often brings renewed motivation to move more — but movement doesn’t need to be intense to be effective. Gentle, intentional movement supports digestion just as much as it supports joints and muscles.

Practices such as yoga, partner or solo dance, and mindful stretching can:

• Improve peristalsis (the natural movement of your intestines)

• Reduce bloating and stagnation

• Support a healthy microbiome by encouraging circulation

  
  

Even 10–15 minutes of intentional movement a day, practiced consistently throughout the year, can help your gut recover from stress, dietary changes, or long-standing tension patterns.

Regulating the Nervous System for Gut Health

The nervous system plays a central role in digestion, and the new year is an ideal time to prioritize nervous system care. Chronic stress keeps the body in fight-or-flight mode, which slows digestion, increases inflammation, and disrupts gut bacteria balance.

The vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the digestive tract, helps regulate this process. Supporting vagal tone through intentional practices can improve digestion and overall resilience.

Helpful practices to integrate into your new year include:

• Deep, mindful breathing

• Meditation or short centering exercises

• Relaxation-focused massage

• Slow, intentional movement

  
  

When these practices become part of your routine, they create a cycle of support: a calmer nervous system leads to better digestion, which supports overall health and energy.