A CNT appointment begins with a conversation with your practitioner addressing any health concerns, an overview of health history, and answering any questions you may have before beginning the massage. You will be instructed to wear loose, comfortable clothes, and refrain from eating 30 min before or after your session. When the hands-on portion begins, you will be asked to lie on your back, legs supported with a pillow or a bolster, and expose your belly from the ribcage to the hipbones. It is not necessary to remove any clothing. Your practitioner may offer a sheet or towel to drape and/or keep you warm. Your practitioner will evaluate your navel through observation, feel your belly to detect temperature, tensions and congestion, and begin the massage.
As you start to feel relaxed and comfortable on the table, the massage will begin on the belly, as the skilled practitioner begins gently, assessing areas of imbalances, guiding you with breathing techniques that accompany the abdomen, organs and emotions that may arise as you release, detox and transform any stuck qi (energy) in the belly. The goal is to address any imbalanced, unprocessed emotions, realign the functions of the body, encourage circulation throughout the belly, which can improve digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, lymphatic, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, musculoskeletal, and meridian systems of the body.
What to expect after your session
Many patients feel a relaxed, balanced and some even report feeling lighter and taller. Often the sense of revitalization and feeling refreshed with a mental clarity to go about the day. Others often feel tired, and choose to rest and sleep for hours after the session, waking up later or the next day feeling a delay in the sense of revitalization. Typically patients report a significant movement of the bowels later on or a few days after. Occasionally some patients report emotional releases after the session. If you have any questions or concerns about your experience, please don't hesitate to contact your practitioner.