Abdominal Therapy with Roots in Maya Traditional Healing

Abdominal Therapy with Roots in Maya Traditional Healing

In Maya healing, physical ailments are not separated from spiritual ailments. For thousands of years, the Maya healing system looked at the ailments of the body as a whole, and addressed the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual together.

In ancient times when a person fell ill they were taken to the village healer or granny midwife who were often the same individual. This person massaged their belly, knowing that circulation to this area worked to balance the whole body, increasing circulation of blood, bioenergy and fluids, creating optimal health. Abdominal massage was helpful for good digestion, elimination and to ensure a healthy reproductive organs. 

Abdominal massage has been practiced all over the world since antiquity; in ancient Greece, Rome, Asia, Africa, Oceania and of course the Americas. This practice was typically passed down from teacher to student, shaman to apprentice, parent to child, grandparent to grandchildren, since time immemorial. 

In the last 100 years or so, with the advent of “modern medicine” surgery and drugs,  abdominal massage has taken a backseat to medicines and procedures that “cure” modern maladies such as heartburn, dyspepsia, constipation, and diarrhea. Other treatments were created to treat difficult fertility, painful and irregular periods. Along with these new drugs and procedures came new disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, food sensitivities and allergies, Small intestine bacterial overgrowth and celiac. 

Modern life has created many difficulties for our global population; food lacking optimal vitamins and minerals, pesticides that diminish our microbiome and mimic hormones, busy lives with no time to rest. 

We need abdominal therapy now more than ever. With each gentle stroke, we increase circulation into our organs, allowing us to breathe deeper, bringing vitality to our bodies for optimal digestion, energizing the nervous system, endocrine system, and reproductive organs. Abdominal therapy reduces stress and tension that contributes to many modern diseases including diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation and difficult fertility.

This practice of Abdominal Therapy specifically works over the abdomen, back and hips. It is an effective combination of ancient Maya folk healing traditions from Central America with modern Western understanding of the functional body. 

Abdominal Therapy supports the health of ligaments and organs in the pelvis, often resulting in improved digestive, circulatory, menstrual and sexual health.

It’s all about stimulation; encouraging the circulation of blood, lymph, nerves and energy, and assisting in helping the body gain and maintain its natural healthy balance called homeostasis.

Abdominal Therapy is also very beneficial for pregnant individuals.

Early Pregnancy: Upper Abdominal Therapy can help with digestion, settling the nervous system, and perhaps improving sleep. Loving hands just resting on the low belly can help your client connect with the baby and with the wisdom of their own system. Modified posterior work is helpful for relaxation and alignment.

Easier and shorter Labor: Abdominal Therapy practitioners around the world have repeatedly found that their clients experience significantly shorter and easier labors. Midwifery-based practices that have integrated our work into their care have reported positive differences in birth outcomes as evidenced by more efficient contractions and shorter labors.

Supported and Buoyant Fundus: Abdominal Therapy helps to normalize and maintain pelvic alignment which guides the uterus into a more neutral position in the abdomen. A well-positioned uterus receives a good blood supply and grows strong and resilient. Digestion and respiration during pregnancy are also improved and the lower back and pelvic bones are kept well-aligned. A balanced uterus means a better opportunity for the baby to descend in an ideal presentation when the time comes.

Pregnancy YAM, Your Abdominal Massage: YAM can be empowering for a pregnant person, allowing them to actively participate and take steps to address pain. It helps keep the uterus more balanced, thereby assisting the baby to find the optimal position. Feeling more relaxed and deeply connected to the baby, the birthing person knows they have done what they can to physically prepare for a smoother birth.

Sidelying Posterior Therapy: Once dilation is complete, the baby must navigate its passage through the bones. Our posterior work helps the sacrum move to expand the pelvic inlet for descent and then shift to increase the pelvic outlet for expulsion.

Abdominal Therapy Sessions: €100 Europe, US $200