The Maya believe a woman’s center is her uterus. “If a woman’s uterus is out of balance, so is she,” says Don Elijo Panti. The Arvigo massage, named after Rosita Arvigo, was developed after her 10-year apprenticeship with Don Elijo Panti, a very famous master healer in Belize. With Dr.Arvigo’s training in massage, naprapathy, herbology, and spiritual healing, she created a holistic approach to healing that addressed a variety of physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. One of which is fertility! 

The ‘fertility’ massage does a few things. It encourages blood flow to the abdominal organs and pelvic bowl which can help if you’re dealing with irregular cycles or reproductive problems by encouraging fresh blood to circulate in the area. It also helps to re-align the uterus.  If you have been told you have a tilted uterus, this massage could potentially be beneficial in helping guide it back into it’s optimal position. 

What I found really interesting (and obvious when I thought about it) was how much my practitioner spoke about how connected our lower body organs are. I never really thought about all of the organs that surround our uterus but it makes sense – colon, uterus, bladder – all right next to one another! I grew up having serious urinary tract infections and I was always curious, what, if any, impact they had on my female reproductive system (I don’t know the answer to this but am curious to find out). 

When I first arrived with we chatted for a good half hour. I was sent a questionnaire to fill out and when I arrived, we went through each of the answers together. I appreciated that she took the time to connect with me and really find out why I was there. With more energetic healing methods I definitely think there is a big mind body connection and I liked that I was able to learn a little bit more about how this might benefit me before we got started!

When we were ready to begin, she asked me to lie face up on a massage table and for about the first five minutes, she told me just to slow my breathing down and really connect with my breath. I found this really helpful and it also allowed me to to really relax. After that she began with the massage, starting closer to the pelvic bone and then moving up towards the upper abdominal area and then finally finishing around my belly button! This part of the treatment probably took about 20 minutes and was done with an aromatic oil so it smelled great and made for an even more relaxing environment! She was really able to feel around my organs and let me know what she was doing every step of the way which I found very helpful.  It is a combination of light hand/finger pressure in stroking and circular motion (clockwise) on the middle part of your body. I was then asked to turn over and she continued a different version of the massage on my back. 

I can’t say yet whether or not it was really a successful experience but it was very interesting and definitely relaxing. What was really great was that before we even got started, she said she would be teaching me how to perform the massage on myself at the end of the treatment! I really loved the idea that I wouldn’t have to spend more money on seeing her but could hopefully figure out how to do it on my own at home! 

I will say that about five or so hours after the massage I had some cramps and felt a little fatigued ( which is normal) but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. I am going to continue with the massage on myself for the next two week and will make a point of doing a follow up post if and when something happens!

From my sessions with my Naturopath, I was used to various techniques used to increase blood flow to my general abdominal area/pelvis such as acupuncture and hydrotherapy. This was a little different in that it was more intimate and that I am now able to perform it on myself. If you are curious about trying a Maya abdominal massage I would definitely recommend it and if you have any questions feel free to write me an email. 

* Please note that Maya fertility massages are not recommended up to 5 days before your cycle, or during your cycle. It is also not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy. *