Welcome!

A warm welcome to those of you who are here for the 1st time and Welcome back to those of you who have been reading my blog articles for a few years.

For 8 and a half years I have been writing about the many healing modalities and spiritual practices I’ve come across, including yoga, meditation and silence, craniosacral therapy, ancestral medicine, movement medicine, sound healing and more. 

In this article I share about an ancestral healing practice that seems to have been used by different ancient cultures including the Chinese, the Mayan and the Thai as part of Thai Yoga Massage (which I also started studying and practicing recently) – which naturally makes me think it’s worth exploring. 

Mayan Abdominal Massage

Having lived in Guatemala close to 4 years, I had been hearing about Mayan Abdominal Massage for a while and this time when I saw a flyer about this 2 day training, which was more of an introduction, I felt a clear calling to take part and I am so glad I did.

Day 1 Mayan Abdominal Massage

Though I initially signed up to learn for myself, I knew the moment I gave my first massage to another participant that I wanted to offer this service to women. This massage can be practiced on both men and women and I have already given my boyfriend a treatment, which he gave me good feedback for, but I feel particularly called to work with women. 

Touch me anywhere but…

The abdomen is an intimate part of the body and I’ve heard many women share that it has been one that they find challenging to love. I myself remember times when I cringed as I felt a lover inch their hands closer to my belly. I would suck it in or wiggle myself into a different position until their hand was anywhere but there. 

Intuitive learning with Nana Tina 

Allowing someone to not only place their hands on our belly but to rub it and knead it like dough can be interesting, uncomfortable, surprisingly pleasant at times and painful at other moments.

Cristina is strong and joyful and touches the body without hesitation with her thick warm hands. As I lay on the massage table in my pants surrounded by 6 women, I thought “well this is a new experience”. Cristina stood to one side of the massage table, put her hands together and started praying in Tzutujil. Once done, she rubbed some oil in her hands and started working on my abdomen vigorously as if playing with play dough. We both laughed as we heard air moving through my digestive system and she said it’s very normal to fart during such a treatment. She also spent a little longer on the left side of my womb, very matter of factly saying that side was a little sticky and saying she was unsticking it. 

Cristina massaged all 6 women, pausing only for a few breaths and sips of her tea between women. I didn’t ask how often she receives the massage herself but she is full of vitality.

Benefit of Mayan abdominal massage

Cristina told us the massage is especially recommended right after giving birth and not recommended during menstruation but otherwise recommended for women and men of all ages. The massage has an array of health benefits on both the physical and energetic levels. It support digestion, draws dispersed energy back to the belly button, which promotes overall health, it helps release stuck emotions – crying is not uncommon during a session, and it also helps to prevent uterine prolapse in women. During pregnancy a mild version of the massage is possible and we were fortunate to have a pregnant sister in the group so we got to see how she did it, though I would not offer the massage to a pregnant woman myself yet. 

Interesting fact about Nana Cristina: For her 3rd child she went to the Dr 2 weeks before her baby was due and they told her she’d need a caesarean as the baby was sideways. Having had 2 natural births prior to this one, Nana Cristina was adamant she would not have her body opened up to birth this baby so she massaged her baby back into place and when she returned to the Dr he was astonished to confirm that all was well and she could indeed give birth at home naturally, which she did. 

Methodical learning with Genoveva

Watching Cristina massage each woman provided some guidance and inspiration but I was very grateful that Genoveva provided us with notes including sketches of the different moves. ‘Geno’, the other teacher, also a wonderful healer, has more of a scientific background and has also studied Chinese medicine, which we learned more about on the 2nd day of the training. 

I was very fortunate to receive a massage from Genoveva as well and it felt somehow similar yet different. Geno was more methodical, perhaps for the sake of teaching, and her touch felt less like my grandmother’s hands and more like a Dr’s hands, but equally comforting as she also doesn’t dither and clearly knows the human body inside out – literally! As this was my 2nd massage of the day, she was able to go deeper and at times I felt like she was close to touching the massage table, digging her hands beyond what I thought was possible, which was weirdly painful and enjoyable at the same time. 

We were fortunate to arrive when a local family was leaving, their gratitude for Geno’s help expressed on their smiling faces. To me, this is a sign of a true healer, someone who wants to help others no matter the financial exchange.  

Our turn

Having spent all morning watching Cristina give massages while Geno translated and added important information about the practice, followed by Geno’s more systematic demonstration on my well kneaded belly, we were given the opportunity to massage each other in pairs. 

The first massage I gave was to a dear sister I already knew and it felt very natural and intuitive. As I stood by her side with my hands in a prayer, I felt like this was the most innate thing to do to and for each other. I called upon our ancestors and set the intention for the exchange to be mutually beneficial and for the benefit of All. I rubbed my hands together to warm them up and placed my hands on her soft belly. I practiced the moves I could remember, not feeling like looking at my notes as I enjoyed moving my hands lovingly, hoping I was doing a good job. Every so often I would ask about the pressure and she would smile encouragingly and let me know all felt good. 

Receiving my 3rd message of the day I thought I may have had enough but I enjoyed it, feeling much more spacious than in the 1st one. She did look at her notes and did all the moves, including a couple I forgot. She checked in with me as well and I also reassured her that all was great, it felt like she couldn’t do anything wrong. 

I went home feeling light and energised and excited to continue learning the following day.

Day 2 Chinese Abdominal Massage or Chi Nei Tsang

On the 2nd morning as we gathered to make our way up the forest path to the home where the program took place, we found out from one of the other participants that she’d had a migraine since we had left each other the previous day and had spent 2 hours throwing up in the afternoon. 

Though I was surprised at first, I almost immediately remembered both our teachers specifying that the treatment could have an array of physical responses including nausea, headaches and other unpleasant results, which would eventually dissipate and bring forth better health. And having checked in with this sister later in the week I am happy to confirm that this was the case for her.

Once we arrived at Geno’s home we were served fresh herbal tea and learnt about the 5 elements in Chinese Medicine and their qualities. I have been studying Ayurveda, the traditional medicine system of India, for a few years now and was fascinated to learn about the Chinese system and discover similarities. 

Genoveva also spoke to us about the Dan Tian – ‘the gate of life’ and how it is believed to hold the primordial Chi. We watched her give a massage to one of the participants while keeping an eye on our notes which included 2 drawings with coloured dots representing the different organs. 

While the Mayan version seemed quite relaxed about precision, the Chinese method demanded more exactitude and pressure, which made me a little less confident than the previous day. Having said this, I was relieved when Geno told us that it’s highly unlikely to hurt someone as long as they don’t have a preexisting acute condition like appendicitis, in which case we should advise the person to go to the hospital immediately. 

I was also reassured when I asked about the meaning of pain in a certain area and Geno kindly told me that the focus should be to move the Chi (energy) around, releasing blockages and stimulating the flow of energy. 

Gift or Work

When we know that it takes more or less a decade to become a Dr in the modern medicine system, a 2 day course most probably sounds like way too little to be qualified to offer the massage. 

Unsurprisingly, the course was prefaced by Geno sharing with us that in Mayan culture parents are told if their child should be a healer at the moment of birth, depending on specific details the midwife sees as well as the moment of birth. From this point of view, it’s more to do with a soul calling rather than an official qualification. There is currently no governing body that qualifies Mayan Abdominal Massage though there is an increase in courses given by Mayan Nanas like Cristina. 

When asked how she felt about ‘us’ – non Mayan women, giving the massage Cristina said it was great. 

Will I offer this?

Yes, as a matter of fact I’ve already done an energy exchange with a dear Guatemalan sister who came over earlier this week and gave me wonderful feedback which I am very grateful about. She also gave me a beautiful macrame pot holder which I am even happier about hehe! 

I am also planning on doing some exchanges with a sister who also took the course so we can both gain more experience.

I booked the massage with the intention of learning more as I’d heard about her before from different people and I would highly recommend her to anyone. I announced at the beginning that I had recently taken a course and wanted to learn more by receiving. At the end of the massage she told me there were hummingbirds and bees flying around us during the session and she shared some very kind things that she perceived about me, which felt like her blessing.

I have also received a blessing from another Mayan Nana who gave me a reading and affirmed that my Mayan cross sign pointed that I could pursue this calling. 

I don’t intend on making this a full time occupation but I am very grateful to know how to be able to offer it to women when given the opportunity.

If you come to Lake Atitlan I would be very happy to recommend Nana Tina in San Pedro, Genoveva in Jaibalito and Lucia in San Juan. I would also be honoured to offer it as part of a Thai Massage if this is of interest. 

Thank you for reading and for your interest in the healing arts. I pray that the information about the healing powers of abdominal massage travel far and wide, for the benefit of All.

With Love and gratitude,

Melissa