Welcome to the MamasteFit Blog! In this video, we break down our approach to healing diastasis recti postpartum, focusing on breathing, positioning, and movement integration to help you return to fitness confidently. Hayley Kava, our in-house pelvic floor PT, demonstrates core healing exercises using a birth ball, stability ball, and theraband. Learn the nuances of pressure management and core function with techniques to expand and engage the chest, sides, and back muscles.
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Why Diastasis Recti Healing Is More Than “Core Exercises”
Diastasis recti isn’t just about the gap between your abdominal muscles — it’s about how your entire core system functions together. Your diaphragm, rib cage, abdominals, pelvic floor, and even your hips all play a role in managing pressure and supporting movement.
Rather than jumping straight into “strengthening,” we start by:
Improving breathing mechanics
Restoring rib cage and pelvic mobility
Reducing excessive tension in the neck, chest, and back
Teaching the core to work automatically during real-life movement
When these pieces come together, the core can do its job without you having to overthink it.
Starting with Breath: Expanding From the Top Down and Bottom Up
Our approach to diastasis begins with breathing — not because it’s trendy, but because breath is the driver of pressure management.
Chest-Opening Breathing on the Ball
Sitting and nursing postpartum can leave the chest and neck tight, limiting how well the diaphragm and abdominals work. Using a stability ball to gently open the chest allows you to:
Restore rib mobility
Improve diaphragmatic movement
Encourage the abdominals to engage naturally on the exhale
This position helps reconnect the breath to the core without force or gripping.
Side Body Expansion: Training the Core in All Directions
Your abdominal muscles don’t just work front-to-back — they function side-to-side and rotationally, too.
By rolling sideways over the ball, you can:
Create expansion through the rib cage
Activate the opposite side abdominals
Improve lateral breathing capacity
Many people notice asymmetries here — and that’s normal. Feeling tighter on one side doesn’t mean something is “wrong,” but it does give valuable information about how your body is compensating.
Back Body Decompression: Letting the Abs Do Their Job
Tight back muscles often overpower the abdominal wall, making it difficult to feel true core engagement.
By allowing the body to drape over the ball:
The low back decompresses
The posterior rib cage expands
The abdominals can approximate more effectively on the exhale
This type of “inhibition” work often makes deep core engagement feel easier and more automatic — especially early postpartum.
Quadruped Ball Work: Strengthening Without Over-Gripping
From a kneeling position with forearms on the ball, we start exploring both the shortening and lengthening phases of the abdominal muscles.
This teaches the core to:
Engage without clenching the glutes
Support the spine through controlled movement
Maintain tension while lengthening — a critical skill for everyday life
This work may look subtle, but it’s challenging in all the right ways.
Standing Integration: Bringing Core Work Into Real Life
Healing diastasis isn’t just about mat work — it’s about how your core shows up when you’re standing, rotating, lifting, and squatting.
Diagonal Band Rotations
Using a resistance band helps integrate:
Rib rotation
Oblique coordination
Weight transfer through the feet
Breathing into rotation encourages rib mobility, while the exhale helps connect the deep core across the body.
Squats as Core Work
Yes — squats are core exercises.
With a band providing feedback around the rib cage, squats become a way to:
Maintain rib-to-pelvis stacking
Improve pressure management
Learn how to “blow out from the bottom” to connect the lower and upper core
This is where diastasis healing meets functional movement.
Can You Exercise, Lift, or Run With Diastasis Recti?
Yes. You can.
Having diastasis does not mean you’re broken or banned from movement. But it does mean your approach may need to be more intentional.
When breathing mechanics, rib mobility, and pelvic coordination improve, the core is better prepared to:
Handle load
Manage impact
Support strength training and cardio
That’s why our philosophy goes far beyond “top five diastasis exercises.”
Want More Support?
If this approach resonates with you, there are several ways to dive deeper:
Pelvic Balance Series with Hayley Kava
A pay-what-you-want, four-week series designed to help you connect more deeply with your core and pelvic floor — live or recorded.MamasteFit Postpartum Fitness Programs
Self-paced programs that guide you from the mat to standing, integrating core and pelvic floor work into functional movement.
Use code YOUTUBE10 for 10% off.
These programs are built from real clinical experience working with postpartum clients — not guesswork.
Final Thoughts on Healing Diastasis Recti
Healing diastasis recti isn’t about fixing a gap — it’s about restoring confidence, movement, and trust in your body. When we stop isolating the core and start integrating it into the whole system, everything changes.
If you want to understand why these strategies work — not just what to do — be sure to check out our podcast episode all about diastasis and modern healing approaches.