“Take the children as though they were your own. Train them and teach them to help each other.” – Don Elijio Panti to Rosita Arvigo.

I would like to start by honouring the path of Dr Rosita, at a time when the world at large was still greatly undermining indigenous peoples and their cultures, she stayed steadfast on following her calling to apprentice with Don Elijio Panti, Maya Shaman of Belize. She was committed to learn, integrate, honour and re-distribute the knowledge back into the world and most importantly, making sure the knowledge goes back into the community of Belize. 

Her path is a deeply guided path, because it could not have been easy to have laid a path of such integrity between western and indigenous knowledge systems, especially not in 1976. Even today this is a difficult path. So we give thanks. Camagu!

Rosita moved to Belize in 1976, as a doctor of Naprapathy, a herbalist, a mother and wife, she heard about a bush doctor named, Don Elijio Panti, healing people in the forest of Belize, for months she looked for him, until one day he arrived on her door step. She asked if she could go visit him to which he said yes and for one year she visited him every week! She asked if she could be his student but he said no, because she is a foreigner and she cannot speak the language of the Maya spirits and even if she learnt it, what use will it be when she goes back to North America. She continued to visit him weekly and her calling became stronger. 

Now, I’ve heard this story many times and I’m sure I’m not getting it 100% correct, but I would venture as far as to say that it might have been that the Mayan spirits themselves whispered to Don Elijio that they approve of Rosita, because after about a year he was satisfied and accepted her as an apprentice, an apprenticeship that continued for 13 years. 

Rosita also learned form herbal midwife and spiritual healer, Miss Hortense Robinson, of whom Rosita says that every time Miss Hortense came to visit her, a Jaguar would come out of the forest and sleep on the porch, right next to the wall of Miss Hortence’s room. Miss Hortense has an incredible story herself, she was born on the ancient sanctuary island of Ix Chel, which was a very active pilgrimage site for all the Maya lands. Coming from a long linage of midwives, she was a child when she started work as a midwife and became the most famous herbal midwife of Belize.

Don Eijio himself had a few teachers, as did Miss Hortense Robinson, as did Dr Rosita Arvigo, and we gives thanks to them all. Camagu!

With the blessing of Don Elijio, Rosita started teaching what she had learned in Belize combined with her expert knowledge as a doctor of Naprapathy (ligaments and connective tissue) And what a blessed path she has had, for thousands of people have gone to her to learn and to be healed.

That brings us to this moment and the tremendous pleasure I have to share that Amanda Porter, Co-Founder, Sun Circle member and Educator of the Abdominal Therapy Collective (Rosita’s school) is returning to Cape Town in April 2025 to teach the professional training ATP 1 & 2!

This is a 6 day intensive training for professionals, here is the link to the training information: Cape Town Training.

What can Abdominal Therapy support with?

From digestive troubles, painful periods, fertility support, pelvic and prostate problems, to relief from chronic back and sacral issues. A great addition to any clinic.

Categories: UncategorizedTags: abdominal massage, cape town, rosita arvigo, south africa, traditional healing