Mayan Abdominal Massage, Sobada, training in Guatemala 2026

It’s been two weeks since I returned home from my Sobada and Mayan Abdominal Massage training in Guatemala, and I am still processing so much of the experience. Some of it is very difficult to put into words. I am in deep gratitude, and I am also deeply humbled by these teachings.

When I created Phoenix Women’s Health Massage seven years ago, I knew I had a vision for what I wanted to offer women in the community. When I sat in the Arvigo training in 2017, something deep within my soul shifted. I knew this work was sacred. To this day, I hold it in the highest reverence and with a profound level of responsibility.

I was led to Guatemala, and specifically to this training, for a much bigger reason. This was absolutely a remembrance, but it was also a gentle reminder that creation is born out of no-thing-ness. It emerges from that liminal space of darkness — sitting with the uncomfortable thoughts, sounds, messages from the body, environmental factors, language barriers, trusting yourself, and tending to primal needs such as food and shelter. Unfamiliar lands, lush vegetation, the abundance of life, even the insects — all of it became part of the experience.

Coming into the circle felt like entering a sacred sisterhood. But I also recognized that I have grown exponentially. My need for validation and my longing to belong were no longer this looming presence. Instead, there was simply a true desire for authentic connection in each given moment. Those moments were intentional and bound in love.

The Mayans, specifically the K’iche’, taught me so much during my time in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. We sat with the fire spirits, tobacco, the plants, the energy of the volcanoes, the energy of the lake, and the energy of every sister who sat in circle during our time together. This is what created that life force. That core experience. That willingness and fire in our bellies that was so present within each and every one of us.

As each day moved into the next, I realized how much I still do not know. This realization does not come from a place of insecurity, but from a place of curiosity and reverence for how the sacred lineage of Mayan Abdominal Massage has been passed through communities for thousands of years. The nanas, the midwives, and those holding this sacred knowledge are eager to share and eager to help transform a modern world that is so deeply in need of reconnection — not only to each other, but to our own wombs. That is the place that connects us to everything.

Coming back to the United States, specifically Phoenix, Arizona, was an adjustment. I went from a state of complete presence and simplicity in my needs to a place that feels hurried, busy, and filled with constant distraction and energy coming in from every angle at every hour of the day.

What I have noticed in my Mayan Abdominal Massage sessions since returning to Phoenix is a softness. A flow. A wisdom within the unknowing that this work will transmit through me to the clients who are ready to receive it. This reciprocity continues to show up in sessions over and over again for me. This work is not depleting. This work is a continuum of love and energetic flow.

Moving forward, these sessions will look a little different. I hold the Guatemalan experience in the highest regard. Peaceful sessions can last anywhere from two to three hours, and I intend to honor this medicine fully as I bring it into my community.

What does this look like moving forward?

These sessions will become a full-body experience that connects breath, energy, deep intentional presence with the client, womb work, and visceral massage of the organs. They will also include low back, sacrum, neck, and shoulder work, as well as focused points on the feet and calves that directly relate to the womb. This experience will also incorporate guided breathwork, jaw release, and supportive nervous system regulation throughout the session.

Each session will conclude with support from a faja — a traditional wrapping around the abdomen used to secure and support the work that was done during our time together.

I would also like to honor these teachings by giving support back to the Indigenous communities who have entrusted me with this knowledge. For every full session booked, 2% will go directly back to support the mission of the K’iche’ midwives and nanas — including their vision of creating a birthing center that honors the sacredness of women, birth, life, and the wisdom carried through the lineage of Mayan Abdominal Massage teachings.