Maya abdominal massage

Maya Abdominal Massage is a gentle, therapeutic modality designed to support the optimal alignment of your uterus within the pelvic bowl. When the uterus is properly positioned, it can enhance reproductive, urinary, digestive and emotional health.

Each session begins with a comprehensive health intake, to understand your unique herstory and needs. From there, I offer intuitive hands-on bodywork that listens deeply to your body's signals and supports its natural capacity to find balance.

Together, we also explore "small wins" that create big shifts-- simple sustainable lifestyle adjustments that support your long-term wellness goals. These incremental changes open the door to profound transformation in pelvic, reproductive, and whole-body health.

I have been blessed to have studied directly with Dr. Rosita Arvigo, who apprenticed Mayan elders and healers in Belize. With their guidance and wisdom, she wove ancient Mayan wisdom with her studies of naprapathy, to create this lineage of work.

These techniques are gentle, hands-on and non-invasive, helping to reposition organs that have shifted, restricting the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and chi. These techniques focus on the abdomen, lower back, sacrum and tailbone -- areas central to pelvic and reproductive vitality.

I studied Maya Abdominal Therapy with Rosita Arvigo and became a certified practitioner in 2009. Today I am a member of the Abdominal Therapy Collective, Rosita's current organization, where you can learn more about her work.

 

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Maya Abdominal Massage

The Origins of Maya Abdominal Massage

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 care, which including massage, anatomy and physiology, herbology, nutrition, and emotional and spiritual healing.

Dr. Arvigo learned these techniques from her mentor, Don Elijio Panti, the great Maya Shaman of Belize, Central America, with whom she apprenticed for ten years. Don Elijio believed that a woman's center is her uterus. "If a woman's uterus is out of balance, so is she," he would say. Rosita also studied with Hortense Robinson, a 73 year old herbal midwife of Belize who has been delivering babies since she was 13.

Maya Abdominal Massage

"If a woman's uterus is out of balance, so is she."
- Don Elijio Panti, Maya healer

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Benefits of Maya Abdominal Massage

Maya Abdominal Massage offers a wide range of physical, emotional, and energetic benefits by supporting the optimal alignment and function of the pelvic and abdominal organs. Clients often experience both immediate relief and long-term transformation.

Reproductive Health

  • Encourages optimal uterine alignment

  • Supports menstrual regularity and ease

  • Many women find their periods become easier, with less cramping and congestion

  • Supports circulation to the uterus and ovaries, which many women find helpful when preparing to conceive

  • Supports healing after miscarriage, birth, or pregnancy loss

  • Nourishes hormonal balance during perimenopause and other transitions

Digestive & Urinary Well-Being

  • Improves digestion by supporting organ function and motility

  • Reduces bloating, constipation, and gas

  • Supports sluggish digestion and can ease constipation

  • Enhances urinary flow and reduces frequency or urgency

  • Supports lymphatic flow

Pelvic & Structural Support

  • Relieves lower back, sacral, and pelvic pain

  • Encourages healthy circulation of blood, lymph, nerve, and chi

  • Supports alignment in the pelvis and lower abdomen

  • Helps ease tension patterns held in the hips, low back, and tailbone

Emotional & Energetic Benefits

  • Creates deeper connection with the womb, belly, and intuition

  • Releases emotional imprinting stored in the pelvic bowl

  • Supports grounding, stability, and a sense of inner belonging

  • Offers a gentle pathway for trauma-informed nervous system regulation

  • Cultivates a renewed sense of vitality and embodiment

Long-Term Wellness

  • Builds awareness of your body’s signals and needs

  • Encourages simple lifestyle shifts that create sustainable change

  • Supports the body’s natural capacity for balance and healing

  • Serves as a preventative practice for long-term pelvic health

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"I received Maya Abdominal Massage from Chaya in the last week of my pregnancy, at a time when I had such extreme pubic symphysis pain that basic activities like walking were difficult. I thought it would be impossible for me to get comfortable on the table, but Chaya was able to get everything just right so that I could really relax. She provided much needed relief and support to help me move through that last week and my early labor."

Esther W.

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After a series of sessions with Chaya, my menstrual cycles shifted profoundly. My symptoms included debilitating cramps that often induced vomiting, with an understandably melancholy affect. After five sessions that including Maya Abdominal Massage, Holistic Pelvic Care and Vaginal Steaming, I actually began to have peaceful menstrual cycles. I now have more awareness of my internal organs, and that feels empowering. " Chaya has an admirable way of creating space for healing. I have never had such an encouraging outcome from a chronic health issue. Thank you Chaya!

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Maya Abdominal Massage FAQ

What is Maya Abdominal Massage

Maya Abdominal Massage is a gentle, non-invasive therapy that helps support optimal alignment of the uterus and abdominal organs. When these organs are properly positioned, the body can experience improved reproductive, urinary, digestive and emotional health.

What concerns can this work support?

Clients seek this work for a variety of reasons, including: 

  • Painful, irregular or heavy periods
  • Fertility support
  • Digestive disorders (bloating, constipation, IBS)
  • Pelvic congestion or pain / pain with sex
  • Perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and hormonal shifts
  • Postpartum healing
  • Lower back and sacral pain
  • Emotional tension / stress held in the belly or womb space

This work is both restorative and preventative - supporting the body's capacity to heal and self-regulate. 

What would cause a tilted or displaced uterus?
  • Injury to the sacrum or tailbone from a fall or car accidents
  • Pelvic ligaments that have weakened due to overstretching during pregnancy and birth
  • Having multiple pregnancies spaced less than 2 years apart
  • Running on concrete or high impact exercise/sports
  • Lifting & carrying heavy objects before or during menstruation and too soon after childbirth
  • Time and gravity
  • Past surgeries
  • Weak pelvic floor muscles
  • Chronic cough
  • Chronic tension around the low back and sacrum
  • Physical, emotional or sexual trauma
Is this work painful?

No. This work is gentle and deeply respectful. Most people find it relaxing, relieving, and grounding. You may feel mild tenderness in areas where you hold tension or stagnation, and we can always adjust the level of pressure to accommodate your comfort. 

Are there any contraindications for Maya Abdominal Massage?

There are a few times when abdominal therapy is not recommended, such as: 

  • During the first trimester of pregnancy.
  • During an active infection, fever or severe inflammation.
  • Immediately after an abdominal surgery. A waiting period is required.
  • We use extra caution and gentle touch with an IUD.
  • If cancer is present or suspected anywhere in the pelvis, or undergoing chemotherapy for this condition.
How does Maya Abdominal Massage support Fertility?

Optimizing the position of the uterus improves blood flow and clears congestion in the pelvic, therefore increasing the chances of successful conception. Treatments consist of massage, diet and lifestyle modifications, emotional support and Vaginal Steam Baths. Maya Abdominal Massage and Vaginal Steam Baths before retrieval and transfer during ARTs (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) increase chances of successful conception.

Often treating the male partner, if present, further supports likelihood of healthy conception, as clearing congestion in the male pelvis supports healthier and more vital sperm.

I've had a Hysterectomy - Is Maya Abdominal Massage helpful?

Even with a hysterectomy, Maya Abdominal Massage is beneficial for women. It improves circulation and helps to break up the scar tissue from the surgery. The remaining ligaments as well as all of the other abdominal organs receive benefit from improved circulation. The uterus is the creative center of a woman. I believe that even when the uterus has been removed, the space where she once lived still contains that creative energy of the uterus.

What is "Self Care Massage" and why does it help?

Each client is instructed in performing the abdominal massage for themselves. By doing self care massage consistently, it provides the individual with agency to affect their own body and symptoms with the support of their practitioner.

Can I receive Maya Abdominal Massage during my Menstrual cycle?

Doing deep work around the uterus is contraindicated during your menstrual cycle. Though you can still receive and benefit from gentler touch around the uterus. Bodywork on the upper belly and back can be done as they would anytime. Some women prefer not to have bodywork while bleeding, so I trust your body's wisdom!