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Before I met Roland Torikian, I was curious – but also apprehensive – about traditional Maya medicine. What is it? Who is it for? What relevance does it still have in our modern world today?
Maya medicine, I learned, is a holistic system of natural medicine that dates back in Mayan culture for over two thousands years. It works to heal our life-force energy by addressing emotional and energetic challenges first, before allowing the body to truly heal.
I met Roland and immediately found him to be very nice, calm and thoughtful.
He told me he had to burp a few times to release energy before beginning our session. I definitely had to hold in a few giggles!
I started by holding an egg in my left hand while Roland felt my pulse at my radial arteries (close to my wrists) in a diagnosis known as “pulsing”. He explained to me that Mayan medicine is focused on the five elements – earth (strength), water (fluidity), fire (heat), wind (breath) and space (emptiness) – and that we would work with these elements to treat whatever the egg would later reveal.
Roland noticed how my left arm (which holds the male energy) was very tight and tense, whereas my right arm (the female energy) was looser and more free. This made a lot of sense to me, since the male energy dominates our linear, rational thinking, and the female energy is connected to our more emotional qualities – feelings, compassion, love, etc.
After about 15 minutes, Roland “cleansed” my body with the egg (to further harness any remaining energy) before cracking the egg into a clear glass of water. I watched him, curiously, as he read and diagnosed my egg for what felt like forever.
He asked me to observe the cloudy, murky bits floating around the egg yolk. He explained these clouds meant I had levels of negativity or unprocessed emotions trapped in my system. I nodded my head, and Roland went on to bring attention to the two air bubbles floating at the top of the egg. “These two air bubbles”, Roland explained, “should ideally be joined as one bubble and form a mountain-like peak”. I learned that because my bubbles were fragmented and my egg was quite murky, my physical health was okay, but I had some emotional “bruising” we had to explore further.
At this point, Roland walked me through a series of questions, exploring my health regime, diet and family history. I eventually opened up and shared with him how I was living with depression and anxiety, something that I had only recently started becoming more aware of and actively treating with anti-depressants and therapy.
Roland nodded with empathy and understanding.
Up until that point, the egg and pulsing had pretty much told Roland my entire story already – the latent female energy (my tendency to suppress my feelings, especially the negative ones), the clouds and murkiness indicative of emotional “bruising” (my depression and anxiety) and the separation of the air bubbles (the fragmentation and unease I feel with myself and my health) – were all already there, almost painting a true reflection of every dark and hidden corner within me.
Once he finished the diagnosis, Roland started the healing process by using cleansing and bodywork techniques. He focused mostly on my upper abdominal where I was holding apparently the most tension (which I didn’t even know was possible!).
“Do you often get stomach pains or cramps?” Roland asked. I nodded. I had always thought they were related to my moon cycle or indigestion, but Roland explained it was actually tension and emotional pain that built up over time.
The session ended with a very relaxing (and much needed!) neck and shoulder massage, to help ease more of the tension and anxiety trapped in my body.
Before I left, Roland encouraged me to adopt a meditation and mindfulness practice. “Just like diet and exercise, the mind is equally important for optimal health,” he said. I then asked Roland what I could expect from my next session, and he told me, “Each session is going to be different. Every person is different, even if it’s the same you each time”.
As I left Kingly Court with a profound sense of awareness, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person the egg will paint of me next time.
Roland Torikian offers Maya Medicine treatments and works at triyoga Camden and Soho.
