Abdominal Massage
with Hannah Ford
10am-5pm
**10% discount for TLC students/grads**
Belly Love: Reawakening Abdominal Massage
It is a touchy spot for many – the belly must be approached with compassion, honoring its stories, scars, and fears. But I can’t count how many times clients have commented after a massage session, “That was amazing! I’ve never had a massage that included my belly!”
It’s a sad state of affairs to have so many bodyworkers ignoring our clients’ very centers! This course aims to examine our collective cultural beliefs and individual stories about bellies, shake the dust off your training in abdominal massage techniques, and send you back to your practice confident and enthusiastic about massaging the abdomen.
We’ll be doing some breathing exercises for self-care, and sharing some for client education. We’ll review the basic anatomy between the ribs and the pelvis, including cautions and contraindications for belly work. And we’ll review some basic techniques for softening and freeing the belly, including relaxation strokes to gently encourage flow, as well as deep massage techniques for the psoas and quadratus lumborum to help release deeply held tension.
My private massage practice, Belly Love Massage Therapy, focuses on abdominal massage for women’s health, including fertility massage, pre- and postnatal massage, and the Arvigo Techniques for Maya Abdominal Therapy. Please note that ATMAT techniques will not be taught or demonstrated in this class, but that I am more than happy to answer questions about the techniques and training available on that path.
Hannah Ford, BA, LMT, MTI, ATMAT traveled a winding path that began in South Dakota and meandered through Japan before settling in Austin in 2003. She became a licensed massage therapist in 2006, graduated from Lauterstein-Conway’s 550-hour program in 2007, and jumped to the other side of the classroom soon after. Hannah teaches practical classes and revels in the opportunity to teach and learn with TLC students as they discover the power of skilled, heartfelt touch. Hannah’s private practice is Belly Love Massage Therapy, where she specializes in the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy for fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and general women’s health.