Mayan Abdominal Massage

Last Thursday I had a session with Corrine Porterfield-Brown, the massage therapist I saw a couple of times about three years ago.  Her specialty is Mayan Abdominal Massage (MAM), which is a type of therapeutic bodywork based on the Maya technique of abdominal massage.  The descriptive paragraph in a pamphlet I picked up describes it as "an external, non-invasive manipulation that repositions internal organs that have shifted, thereby restricting the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and chi."  The techniques were developed by Dr. Rosita Arvigo, who has lived in Central America for over 30 years and studied with the celebrated Mayan shaman of Belize, Don Elijio Panti.

What I like about MAM is that it not only produces the physical effects of increasing blood and lymph flow, and encourages organs (like the womb), to gently find their most ideal positions, but also addresses the emotional and spiritual aspects of each person and how those parts of us need healing as well.  It is a type of bodywork that is more intimate and requires more trust than a regular Swedish massage, since the practitioner is working very close to the genital area.  MAM helps bring focus and attention inward and uses the client's intuition to uncover insights she/he may be missing--hence the emotional and spiritual healing.  In my experience, it is also extremely nurturing massage.  Every time I have had a session, I've felt supported and almost cradled like a child. 

My session with Corrine was wonderful and just what I needed.  It, like the qigong, helped ground me in my body, where I feel I need to be in order to get through what may prove to be an intense cycle of IVF.  I, like many people, am constantly "in my head," analyzing and ruminating about situations and experiences, which for me contributes to anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.  During my session I was made really aware of the importance of breath, especially when feeling nervous or disconnected.  Corrine suggested that I breath into my womb, which I've been practicing and which I've found causes me to breathe more deeply (instead of just into my upper chest), and brings me back to myself. 

From this space, I can ask myself a question and tap into my intuition.  I can ask "What do I need to do to feel more calm?" and see an image of myself sitting quietly, meditating as I do for a short time before my qigong practice.  When I did this during my session on Thursday, I felt again, how important it is for me to do qigong or yoga every day--not just to try to get pregnant, but to feel like I am in a calm state and that I can handle whatever comes my way. 

Corrine did some work on my sacrum (the flat, triangular bone at the end of the spine), which felt amazingly good and reminded me of just how long it's been since I've had a massage--far too long.  She reviewed the self-care massage techniques with me, which was a good refresher.  I can use them to encourage my womb to stay in the most optimal position for pregnancy.  During my massage, Corrine discovered that she (my womb) was resting in my abdomen toward the right instead of center.  The gentle massage toward the midline of my body helps her to shift and hopefully stay in a centered position.  Since my appointment on Thursday, I've done the self-care daily, along with a castor oil pack treatment and qigong session.  Time-consuming, but good.

I feel now like I have more tools going into IVF, which will help me stay in a good place and remind me that no matter what happens, everything will be all right.  Everything will be as it should be.

I see Corrine for another session on June 25th.  I'll let you know how it goes.