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A smarter, gentler approach to healing diastasis recti, rebuilding core strength, and supporting your pelvic floor
Abdominal separation, core weakness, and even hernias are rarely just “ab problems.” The way you sit, stand, walk, carry groceries (or toddlers), tense your shoulders, scroll your phone, and even breathe affects the pressure and forces moving through your midsection every day.
In Diastasis Recti, Katy Bowman offers a practical, whole-body approach to abdominal healing that goes far beyond “bounce back” culture and punishing workouts. Warm, funny, and deeply informative, this guide helps you better understand your body, and move yourself well.Whether you’re navigating postpartum recovery, pelvic floor dysfunction, hypermobility, hernias, or ongoing core weakness, Bowman shows how simple exercises plus adjustments to every day movements can add up to meaningful change over time.
Learn:- To resolve “core confusion” and learn the difference between actually using your abs and just sucking everything in
- 30+ exercises organized into Little, Medium, and Big Moves—so you can build strength without needing a full life overhaul
- To use walls, floors, and everyday surroundings as built-in “movement coaches” to improve form and support your core
- How pressure and forces from both inside and outside the body affect abdominal separation, posture, and pelvic floor health
- Quick posture and movement tweaks that can reduce strain on your abdomen while sitting, standing, walking, lifting, and carrying
- Everyday strategies that fit into real life—even if you’re busy, tired, working, parenting, caregiving, or all of the above
- To become a body nerd (in the best way) and finally understand what your core is actually doing all day long
- How to strengthen your core without increasing pressure on the pelvic floor or relying on endless crunches
“Understandable, approachable, achievable. An outstanding and necessary guide to diastasis recti and many other abdomen-related issues.” —Foreword Reviews
“During pregnancy, Diastasis Recti was a lifesaver, helping me understand what was happening in my changing body, and preparing me for what to expect and how to recover after birth.” —Nicole Tsong, author of 24 Ways to Move More
“The best book I’ve ever read about the core. Perfect for physical therapists who like to geek out on the mechanics of tissue function and forces.”—Libby Hinsley, DPT, author of Yoga for Bendy People
“Whether you have a DR from childbirth, posture, or came into the world with one, you will learn new ways of integrating strength into your body and transferring intelligent movement across this adaptable zone.” —Jill Miller, author of Body By Breath and The Roll Model
“Diastasis recti is a whole-body issue that requires a whole-body approach. It’s refreshing to find a resource that acknowledges that need and provides concrete steps to achieve it.”—Breaking Muscle
“...helpful not only to pregnant moms experiencing diastasis recti, but also to anyone dealing with prolapse, hernias, or seeking a framework to identify how their body and habits compromise their optimal health.”—Anietie Ukpe-Wallace, DPT, author of Tending to Your Womb
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Section 1--Think
Chapter 1: The Anatomy of Diastasis Recti
Chapter 2: The Forces of Diastasis Recti
Chapter 3: Under Pressure: DR, Hernias, and Pelvic Prolapse, Oh My
Chapter 4: Diastasis Recti and
Nutritious Movement
Section 2—Move
Equipment List
Chapter 5: Stance and “Body Neutral”
Chapter 6: Little Moves
Chapter 7: Medium Moves
Chapter 8: Big Moves
Chapter 9: Drop Your Ribs
Conclusion: Change
The Program
What’s Next
References and Further Reading
Index
About Katy