My name is Amanda Porter and I am an Abdominal Therapy Practitioner and Educator based in Surrey, practising since 2006. I also offer holistic massage and energy work rooted in the Tradition of the Maya.
As featured in the Telegraph August 2023
My journey into complementary therapy began while I was raising my wonderful offspring. I became fascinated by therapies and techniques that could support my family through their early years and beyond. When my children flew the nest, I felt the calling to become a complementary therapist myself, and embarked on a journey that has shaped both my life and my work.
In 2005, at the insistence of my great friend Hilary Lewin, I attended an extraordinary class based on the work of Dr Rosita Arvigo. The experience had a profound effect on me.
As I practised abdominal massage at home, I became fascinated by how such a gentle and seemingly simple technique could have such a profound effect. I wanted not only to learn the work, but to understand the anatomy, physiology and traditional wisdom that lay behind it.
My journey had begun.
They say the right teacher appears when the time is right, and I have been blessed with some remarkable teachers.
I trained directly with Dr Rosita Arvigo, founder of the work that forms the foundation of the Abdominal Therapy I now offer in both my clinic and classroom.
My curiosity also led me to explore the connections between different traditional healing systems. In 2011, I travelled to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand to study traditional Thai massage with the renowned traditional healer Homprang Chaleekanha (Bann Hom). I was fascinated to discover abdominal techniques within her traditional practice that resonated strongly with the work I already knew and loved.
My understanding of the human body has continued to evolve through many teachers. I have studied with anatomist Gil Hedley, including spending ten extraordinary days in the dissection laboratory exploring the anatomical relationships within the human form.
Marty Ryan’s Love Your Guts seminars transformed the way I palpate and listen through my hands, helping me develop an even deeper appreciation of what we can feel beneath the skin.
Life is for learning, and every belly I touch teaches me something new.
Today, my work encompasses both clinical practice and education. I have a thriving Abdominal Therapy practice in Surrey and teach professional therapists and members of the public in the UK and internationally.
I am also a founding member and Board Director of the Abdominal Therapy Collective (ATC), a global community of practitioners and educators committed to sharing and developing the work of Abdominal Therapy.
www.abdominaltherapycollective.com
Alongside my clinical practice, I continue to teach professional Abdominal Therapy training, workshops and self-care classes. You can explore my Professional Classes and Personal Interest Workshops to discover upcoming training and events.
“I love where I am now, empowering my clients and
students to find the healing magic in their own two hands.” – Amanda