Abdominal Therapy is a type of massage that works to release chronic tension held in the respiratory and pelvic diaphragm, support the rhythm and overall wellness of your menstrual cycle, calm your nervous system, and foster connection to the power and wisdom that lives in your core.
Often referred to as Fertility Massage, Abdominal Therapy provides benefits well beyond fertility support.
The techniques also address digestive issues, painful periods, stress, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and so much more. Each treatment involves a series of massage, alignment, and stretching techniques which release areas of restriction or patterns of chronic tension within the abdomen and pelvis. As we release diaphragmatic tension, we are able to breathe more deeply. This breath brings vitality to our whole body, allowing tension to melt away and our body’s innate state of balance to return.
My Process: Prenatal and Postpartum Abdominal Therapy
Whether you’re navigating fertility, menstrual cycles, or the joys of pregnancy and postpartum, I’m here to support you. Drawing upon the wisdom of traditional midwives, I use a series of gentle massage, stretching, and alignment techniques. Together through your breath and my touch, we work to release tension, soothe sore hips and muscles, and bring your body into balance.
During Pregnancy
We are still learning just how much our physical body affects our emotions, and how much our emotions influence our physiology. As such, there is no better time to receive extra physical and emotional support than during pregnancy. The techniques I learned originate in part from traditional midwives who used massage, stretching, and other hands-on care to support women as they prepared for birth. In addition to caring for the physical body, a central focus of abdominal therapy is tending to our emotional core. Taking the time to relax, release tension, connect with your body, and receive some TLC does wonders for the body, the mind, and the spirit. Treatments are designed to encourage good circulation, relax the nervous system, and foster a sense of calmness and connection to the deepest parts of us.
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Gentle abdominal strokes help encourage good digestion and absorption of nutrients, while also providing relief for common pregnancy symptoms such as heartburn and constipation.
Stretching and alignment techniques aim to reduce tension in the sacrum, low back, and hips.
Lymphatic drainage reduces edema in legs and feet.
Pelvic congestion is reduced and tension on nearby muscles is released, often improving nerve pain like sciatica.
Hormones associated with stress such as norepinephrine and cortisol are lowered, while “feel-good hormones” like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin are increased through hands-on care.
Postpartum Healing
Postpartum is a time of great physical and emotional adjustment, healing, and integration. Abdominal massage helps with the integration process, allowing for a time of restoration and TLC. More specifically, postpartum treatments help to restore vital energy to your core. Through gentle massage and stretching techniques we work to realign your sacrum, hips, spine and pelvic organs. I also place great emphasis on releasing the tension often held in the nursing mother’s neck and back. It is my central belief that as we nurture you, this directly ripples out to support the health of your baby, your family, and your community. The techniques I use are designed to support your body's innate healing process.
History and Lineage
The threads of abdominal therapy are found, in one form or another, throughout every culture. Those threads lie in the heart and hands of the midwives and traditional healers who have cared for their communities for generations. Dr. Rosita Arvigo picked up these threads in Central America and wove them together with her understanding as a Napropathic Doctor into what is now known as Abdominal Therapy (formally known as The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy). The work continues to evolve to reflect new insights, yet the essence remains the same.
Credit: Rosita Arvigo + Don Elijio Panti
Cultural Acknowledgment
“We are profoundly grateful to our teachers, and their teachers before them. They defy categorization, because Belize is truly a melting pot of peoples from various nations and cultures. We also recognize much of this shared wisdom came from dream visions, intuition and Spirit.
We acknowledge that many of our clients’ successes are due directly to the wisdom of people who are rarely honored by society for their contributions. We have all learned from many teachers from many places and cultures. However, one teacher binds us as a group: Dr. Rosita Arvigo.
Dr. Arvigo’s teachings are founded upon many years and the knowledge of multiple healers, cultures, and lands. She, and we, recognize these most influential Belizean teachers – Don Elijio Panti, Miss Hortense Robinson, Miss Juana Xix and Mexican midwife Dona Maria Torres.
We promise to continue making efforts of reparation and restoration to the Central American people from whom our good work has sprung.”
— The Abdominal Therapy Collective
Communication and connection are cornerstones of midwifery care.
Free consultations are open to any potential client wishing to learn more about my services.