Maya Abdominal Massage

Maya abdominal massage is best described by its founder:
Maya Abdominal Massage, The Arvigo Techniques ™, is based on the ancient Mayan technique which is an external non invasive manipulation of the abdomen. This is a holistic approach to health care which includes holistic massage, anatomy and physiology, herbology, nutrition, and emotional and spiritual healing. The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage ™ address the pelvic and abdominal organs and improves organ function by releasing physical and emotional congestion from the abdomen. This massage is effective for both men and women. It is best known for the correction of the prolapsed, fallen, or tilted uterus and for the prevention and treatment of benign prostate enlargement in men, and for relief of many common digestive disorders.

- Dr. Rosita Arvigo, Maya Abdominal Massage, The Arvigo Techniques ™
For more information: www.arvigomassage.com

Introduction to the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy

Maya Abdominal Massage is a non-invasive, external, massage technique. It guides internal abdominal organs into their proper position for optimum health and well being. The technique works by relieving congestion and blockages to improve the flow of chi and fluids of the circulatory, lymphatic and nervous systems to prevent the progression of chronic disease symptomatology.
Maya Massage improves organ function by releasing physical and emotional congestion from the abdomen. This massage is effective for both men and women. The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapies™ are offered as a supportive modality to enhance health and wellness, and are not meant as an entire approach to health care. If you have any serious medical conditions, please consult your health care provider first. This being said, our techniques support and enhance health and wellness and have been found to provide satisfactory results when compared to alternate treatments. Practitioners of this amazing work report that many common health care symptoms are alleviated by these techniques. Organ functions are supported and enhanced.

The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapies™ are founded on the ancient Mayan technique of abdominal massage and other supportive tools. Based on over thirty years of training and experience in massage, naprapathy, herbology, and spiritual healing, Dr. Rosita Arvigo developed these techniques which now bear her name.
This modality incorporates a holistic approach to health, emotional and spiritual healing. Dr. Arvigo believes that with any natural healing technique, these areas must be simultaneously addressed to promote optimal health. Dr. Arvigo learned these techniques from her mentor, Don Elijio Panti, the great Maya Shaman of Belize, Central America with whom she apprenticed for 10 years.
Don Elijio believed that a woman’s centre is her uterus. “If a woman’s uterus is out of balance, so is she,” he would say. Midwives and healers of Central America agree that most female troubles are caused by the wandering womb. Don Elijio passed away in 1996 at the age of 103. Rosita also studied with Hortence Robinson, a 73 year old herbal midwife of Belize who has been delivering babies since she was 13.

It has been estimated that approx 30% of women who have been unsuccessful in conceiving eventually conceive after a succession of Maya Abdominal Therapy™ treatments. Treatments generally consist of massage, diet and lifestyle modifications, herbal therapies to enhance fertility. Once the uterus is in its optimal position, there is improved haemodynamics and homeostasis to support and enhance fertility. When including the partner in the process, we find fertility is increased! After all, men need this work as much as women do.

Receiving the Maya Abdominal Massage throughout pregnancy can bring both relief and support to a growing uterus, as well as other discomforts sometimes experienced throughout the different trimesters. By continuing massage we are encouraging the stretching ligaments as well as soothing the indigestion, which so often can accompany pregnancy. Maya Abdominal Therapy is not recommended before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

It has been observed that some women who have been receiving massage throughout pregnancy have a smoother labour, and a quicker second stage.

After 6 weeks post partum, the new mother can receive a full Maya Abdominal Massage (only if delivery was normal without complications) This supports the uterus and other organs returning to optimum position.

Untold numbers of Caesarean births could be prevented with this simple, safe, easy to learn massage technique. Our practitioners use this to prevent the need for a C-section. By strengthening and toning the uterus, ligaments and other pelvic organs, the massage helps to place and maintain the uterus in her optimal position for giving birth. Well being of the mother and baby are improved as they prepare for labour and delivery. For women who have had a C-section, this technique is beneficial for breaking up scar tissue in the same way it works for women who have had hysterectomies.

Each client is instructed in performing the abdominal massage for themselves. By doing self care massage daily it provides the individual with the ability to improve their symptoms while working with their practitioner. Depending on the severity of the problem, it may take as little as one session and as long as many months for the uterine position to be corrected and for the ligaments to gain enough strength and elasticity for it to stay in place.

Three sessions are usually the minimum. The Self Care is also effective for the ongoing health regime for all digestive and reproductive conditions. Both men and women often report a rapid improvement in symptoms and sense of wellbeing when self care is performed regularly.

Self Care Courses

This external massage lifts and guides the uterus into its optimal position in the lower pelvis. The uterus is held in position by over 10 ligaments. Ligaments, when stressed or strained cause the uterus to become mal-positioned. If the uterus is mal-positioned, women experience a multitude of symptoms.

What are the symptoms of a displaced uterus?

Painful or irregular periods; painful or irregular ovulation
Dark or brown blood at the onset and at the end of menstruation
Headache or migraine with period
Varicose veins of the legs and/or tired, weak or numb legs
Lower backache; back pain with period
More serious imbalances including: Endometriosis^W, Uterine fibroids^W and Endometrial polyp^Ws
PMS/depression
Frequent urination; bladder infections, incontinence
Recurrent vaginal infections
Chronic miscarriages
Difficulty getting pregnant/infertility
Painful intercourse
Chronic constipation
Difficult menopause

What could cause a displaced uterus?

Injury to the sacrum or tailbone from a fall, car accidents, etc
Pelvic ligaments that have weakened due to overstretching during pregnancy and birth
High impact exercise, running on cement surfaces, high impact aerobics, etc
Lifting and carrying heavy objects before or during menstruation and too soon after child birth
Time and gravity
Past surgeries
Weak pelvic floor muscles
Chronic muscle spasm around the low back and sacrum
Emotional armouring from abuse at anytime in life

What conditions can it help?

Displaced or prolapsed uterus and/or bladder
Painful periods and ovulation
Irregular menstrual cycles and ovulation
Bladder or yeast infections
Miscarriages, difficult pregnancies
Endometriosis
Perimenopause^W, menopausal symptoms
Infertility
PMS/Depression with menstruation
Ovarian cyst^Ws
Uterine fibroids^W
Abnormal uterine bleeding
Enhances pregnancy, aids in labour and delivery

Is Uterine Massage recommended for all women?

Almost every woman, even those who have had hysterectomies can benefit greatly from Maya Abdominal Therapies™ through improved circulation, lymphatic drainage and a decrease in the formation of scar tissue.

Uterine Massage is not performed:

During menstrual bleeding
Within the first 6 weeks following a normal vaginal delivery or the first 3 months after a c-section
For a woman using an IUD for birth control
If cancer is present or suspected anywhere in the pelvis, or the client is undergoing chemotherapy for this condition
During the first trimester of pregnancy
Hiatal Hernia^W – gentle touch only

Benefits

Normally the uterus leans slightly over the bladder in the centre of the pelvis, about one and a half inches above the pubic bone. It is held in this position by muscles, the vaginal wall and ligaments that attach it to the back, front, and sides of the pelvis.

Uterine ligaments are made to stretch to accommodate a growing foetus inside and to move freely when the bladder or bowel is full. The ligaments and muscles can weaken and loosen, causing the uterus to fall downward, forwards, backward or to either side. A uterus in any of these positions is called tilted or prolapsed. Modern medicine has little or nothing to offer women with this problem.

Options may include using the birth control pill, muscle relaxants, or surgery and women are generally told, “your uterus is tipped, but that is normal and don’t worry about it.” Yet women have a laundry list of physical and emotional symptoms that can be addressed and prevented with these simple techniques, non-invasive massage techniques. When reproductive organs shift, they can constrict normal flow of blood and lymph, and disrupt nerve connections. Just over half a kilo sitting on blood and lymph vessels can cause havoc throughout the different systems in the body. By shifting the uterus back into place, homeostasis, or the natural balance of the body, is restored in the pelvic area and the surrounding organs. Toxins are flushed and nutrients that help to tone tissue and balance hormones are restored to normal order. This is essential for healthy pregnancy, labour, and delivery. Old adhesions from invasive treatments to the pelvic and abdominal area, including fibroid tumours, endometriosis, and caesarean delivery are diminished when addressed by uterine massage. In addition, digestion, urinary and bladder problems can be helped.

How does it help women who have had a Hysterectomy?

Women who have had hysterectomies benefit greatly from Maya Abdominal Therapies™ as well. The technique improves circulation in and around the area of the scar and allows for proper flow of the lymph, which often becomes blocked after surgery, resulting in swelling, burning and deep aching pains in the pelvis. By using Maya Abdominal Therapies™ techniques on a regular basis, scar tissue will be prevented from forming in the pelvis after surgery. Ligaments and other remaining organs are benefited from improving circulatory flow to the pelvis.

The massage is done the same way for men. The prostate is a glandular organ that rests behind the bladder it has no ligaments to speak of for support. The prostate gland can become congested resulting in early stages of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia^W (BPH), impotence (depending on the cause), decrease count, etc. By applying the massage to the abdomen it supports healthy organ function and relieves congestion.

Benefits

Men benefit greatly from The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy™ techniques as well. By ensuring a full blood supply to the prostate, the abdominal massage helps to prevent swelling and inflammation. Men report that they can feel a distinct difference in blood flow after a treatment. Not only does the massage relieve prostate swelling, but it helps alleviate varicose veins, premature ejaculation, some impotency problems and the need to urinate frequently.