I was listening to some reporting on the radio about Linsday Clancey and how this is bringing forward the conversation about maternal mental health. My friend Rachel used the word revenant which is generally defined as someone who returns (to life). That she "returned" to expose an invisible but systemic flaw so that we might root out the problem. Lindsay Clancey’s crisis was rooted in challenges specific to female biology.

I know we could say "people with a uterus" but frankly, that language feels pretty lifeless. It is a "pieces and parts" descriptor that assumes that removing the uterus has no consequence to the rest of the body. I am a person who also has breasts that turned blood to milk to feed my babies…

There are many images, archetypes and metaphors for birth. Many of which are the symbols of an initiation or a rite of passage. Archetypes are expressions of universal human experiences, like "maiden, mother and crone." They are a simple image or word that is shorthand for an experience that is in many ways beyond words. Like drawing a picture of feelings.

Do you trust your body? Do you know how to "listen to your body?" Have you ever felt betrayed by your body? If you are pregnant - or trying to get pregnant - or recovering from pregnancy - where is there a disconnect from your mind and your body? Do you need help making that connection?

I know of a Feminine, earth-based spiritual practice that is accessible in our daily lives, moment by moment. It does not require special equipment or tools or setting.

This medicine is anti-capitalist, deeply Feminine, ecological and community-oriented. It is the deepest level of self care you can practice.

Your menstrual cycle is your medicine. You are the medicine!

There is a somatic practice that I have learned called Holding the Bones. This is an intimate practice where I hold your pelvis while attending to the difficult emotions that have been stored there. Holding the Bones is a subtle, gentle birth trauma repair practice.

There are many benefits to practicing yoga in general. And these benefits are even more specific to practicing prenatal yoga. Some of the benefits are quantifiable through research studies. And since yoga is an ancient science, there are probably many more benefits to our lives that the yogis noted than our modern medicine can quantify.

I present to you a set of 5 birth mantras, each accompanied by a description of how to use it or some more information about its meaning, and a 2-3 minute audio birth affirmation. The mantra is short and simple. You can say it over and over and over. The affirmation takes you deeper into the possibilities behind the mantra.