I noticed a long time ago that some popular sayings are very similar in several languages. I don’t remember all the details, but the first such revelation I had was in China when my colleagues were translating their popular expressions for me and I noticed how similar they were to Romanian ones, the so-called old people’s sayings.
The other day I thought of an expression related to the stomach, which refers to intuition, what the English call gut feeling. I looked on the internet to see if there was a similar expression in other languages. It was confirmed! Most peoples have an equivalent form, be it German, French, Arabic or even Japanese, and they all point to the abdominal area as the seat of intuition.
Intuition has many faces. But I find it fascinating that what we call, in popular parlance, gut feeling is that deep, almost animal-like feeling in the solar plexus area that you know…. you just know. And what’s even stranger is that you know with your gut.
So… does our stomach think?
Modern neuroscience confirms what our ancestors knew intuitively. The human gut contains around 100 million neurons (more than the spinal cord) and forms what researchers call the enteric nervous system, or ‘second brain’.
It functions independently of the central brain, has memory, produces 90% of the body’s serotonin and communicates intensely via the vagus nerve with the entire autonomic nervous system.
In other words, when you say “I have a knot in my stomach” or “I feel butterflies in my tummy”, your body is not just sensing emotions, it’s also processing information.
So the expression “I have a nervous stomach” is not just a figure of speech. Stress, anxiety, frustration – all these things are often somatized in the abdominal area. Ulcers, gastritis, bloating or irritable bowel syndrome are just a few of the concrete manifestations of an overworked nervous system.
Stomach feels. It registers. It responds. And sometimes it knows better than your mind what to do.
You may ask: what use is this information to me?
I have three ideas I’d like to share with you:
1. I think we deeply underestimate the role of this “second brain”. The enteric nervous system not only “thinks” in its own way, but influences mental state, stress levels and intuition. When we say “something feels wrong in my stomach”, it’s not just a metaphor, but a neurobiological reality.
2. We make most decisions emotionally and then try to explain them rationally. The English say: Trust your gut. Loosely translated: “Trust your gut.” Maybe sometimes you don’t need logic, just the courage to listen to your gut. Put your palm on your solar plexus, take a deep breath and ask, “What do you want to tell me?”
3. Beyond the science, spiritual traditions speak of an energy center located right in the upper abdomen: the solar plexus chakra – Manipura. It governs will, discernment and self-confidence. When balanced, you feel inner clarity and direction. When blocked, fear, uncertainty and confusion arise. Basically, what we call gut feeling is energetically an indicator of harmony (or imbalance) between body, mind and spirit.
Conclusion? Look after your stomach… just like you look after your brain.
How? Through mindful eating, deep breathing (activating the vagus nerve), meditations focusing on the solar plexus chakra and more.
Do your research! Give it the importance it deserves.
A quiet day,
Claudiu
