Maya Abdominal Massage - A Holistic Healing Path
Catherine Gregory, CMT, is a certified Arvigo Maya Abdominal Massage Practitioner. She is an expert in helping couples and individuals to address fertility concerns through a holistic approach. She also assists individuals with a wide range of reproductive and digestive imbalances. Catherine's personal and professional story is so inspiring - we have personally benefited from her work and know many of her clients who have overcome fertility and digestive issues. She lights a path for others to follow and offers hope for those who may suffer from a diagnosis that is unexplained by conventional medicine. We are honored to have Catherine stop by and share her insights and knowledge on Maya Abdominal Massage and the underlying conditions that it supports and heals. To learn more about Catherine, visit her Fertile Being website. WBDD: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what brought you into your work with abdominal massage and fertility. Catherine: About a decade ago, I was working as an alternative health journalist and stumbled upon Maya Abdominal Massage while vacationing in Tulum, Mexico. A traditional shaman gave me an amazing abdominal massage session and when I returned home a week later, we conceived a baby. For years gynecologists had told me that my tipped uterus was just a variation of normal and not to worry. But my intuition told me otherwise because my fertility as well as digestive health had been compromised for years. After receiving the work and so quickly conceiving a baby, I knew abdominal massage was the key to regaining my own health and I also wanted to share it with others. I decided to leave my career as a stressed out magazine editor and enroll in massage school. I became pregnant with my second child after attending the first level of Maya massage training, and so I knew I’d made the right choice in my new career path. Now I am blessed every day to introduce others to this powerful fertility-enhancing, holistically focused healing modality. WBDD: What is Maya Abdominal Massage? Catherine: The Maya women have been doing this simple pelvic massage for millennia. The uterus is seen as sacred to the Maya, the seat of a woman's soul. It is believed all of her creative energy is channeled through this organ, so if it is out of balance, then so, too, is she. From a physical perspective, the uterus is a fairly mobile organ, and when it is displaced out of its proper position (due commonly to high impact sports, falls, trauma, etc.), the reproductive system is thrown out of balance. The abdominal massage aims to center the womb in the pelvis to allow the proper flow of energy and circulation of blood, lymph and hormones, helping to balance overall reproductive function. The client's pelvic alignment and digestive organs, along with their spiritual and emotional well-being, are also addressed through this work. WBDD: Who can benefit from this type of body work? Catherine: Anyone seeking holistic healing for a wide range of reproductive and digestive imbalances can benefit from this modality. Many of my clients have overcome the disheartening diagnosis of unexplained infertility, some after years of medical intervention and numerous failures to conceive through IVF or IUI. (Lots of smiling babies out there to prove it!) Outside of fertility, my clients have been amazed to find that this simple massage has helped to end their painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, low back pain, gastric reflux or GERD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, chronic constipation, endometriosis, as well as hormonal imbalances resulting in PMS and menopausal symptoms. I also treat women who have experienced sexual trauma or abuse that has manifested in reproductive health imbalances. The emotional healing that comes from this deep abdominal work is profound. The list of symptoms that are associated with a displaced uterus is comprehensive, and unfortunately in the medical arena, such symptoms are typically never associated with the health or position of the uterus. WBDD: How can someone benefit without access to a nearby practitioner?
WBDD: What do you believe are some of the more common causes of infertility? Catherine: I have to say stress hormones are a huge factor. Our lives are simply amped up to such a degree that most of our bodies are constantly in a fight or flight mode of operation. When stress hormones are coursing through our blood, the body's wisdom says it's not a safe place for a baby, so the reproductive hormones basically shut down, or sometimes go haywire. I also see the displaced uterus as a major factor in cases of fertility struggles. The uterine lining is so important to the fragile embryo as it grows. When you think of the uterus as the embryo's fertile garden, its home for nine months as it miraculously grows and transforms into a baby, the importance of its health is revealed. If the uterus is displaced, the uterine lining usually isn't shedding properly with each menstrual flow, and so a stagnant, unhealthy environment can develop resulting in a number of symptoms, including the inability to conceive. Like a garden with poor soil where plants don’t thrive, a uterus with an unhealthy lining isn’t a place where babies thrive either. In some cases where conception does happen, miscarriage is common because the unhealthy uterine lining isn’t able to sustain the pregnancy.
WBDD: What role does diet and nutrition play in your work with clients? Catherine: Diet is huge. If we go back to the concept of the womb as a garden and the uterine lining as its rich fertile soil, we need to be tending to our garden from the perspective of what we put in it. How are you caring for or amending the "soil" of your garden? The toxic foods we consume end up in our tissues, affecting our hormonal balance and overall reproductive health. Seeing your womb from this perspective, you can understand that choosing nutrient rich, organic, whole foods is the best way to nourish your body and your future baby. WBDD: Do you have any concerns with conventional infertility treatment methods?
I work holistically, first looking for the many contributing causes of reproductive imbalance. Conventional treatment often works to suppress symptoms, working around imbalances to artificially introduce pregnancies into bodies that simply aren’t ready. For the many couples that end up with an “unexplained infertility” diagnosis, that’s where the beauty of holistic healing shines. I seek to find and explain why there’s an imbalance in the first place and then work to heal from that perspective. When my clients do conceive, they are prepared not just on a physical level, but on an emotional and spiritual level, too. WBDD: Do you have any final tips for individuals or couples struggling with fertility? Catherine: For couples, come together on this mysterious journey of creating a family! So often, one partner takes on the weight or responsibility for not conceiving, and that is a heavy burden to bear. The other partner ends up feeling left out, communication issues arise and the relationship suffers. These wise babies coming in want their parents to have healthy, loving relationships! For anyone wanting to conceive, you must first “feel the love” required to conceive and foster a precious human life. This most importantly includes self-love. Conceiving a human life is nothing short of a miracle. Be gentle with yourself, cultivate more love and less stress in your life, and let the journey be your teacher! WBDD: Catherine that is amazing and wonderful advice! Where might someone go for additional information and help? Catherine's recommended websites: Thank you Catherine for sharing your powerful story and your inspired knowledge with our readers. We know that many people already find hope, inspiration and healing through your expertise. May many more be guided on this holistic path!
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Catherine: My teacher, Dr. Rosita Arvigo, has a great following of practitioners now based all over the world. You can access a list of Arvigo Maya Abdominal Massage practitioners by state, and country, from her 
Catherine: I do not like the word “infertility”. It sets us up to feel like failures and creates more stress. I prefer to say fertility imbalances or even fertility struggles. Conventional fertility treatments can be wonderful in some cases, but so often, the clinical poking and prodding and escalating expenses can simply deflate a couple’s passion, creating more stress and breaking so many hearts when the procedures fail.
