Reclaiming Birth

Birth with power, agency & instinct

Giving birth and stepping into motherhood is a journey into the visceral unknown territory of the body, that takes us beyond the thinking mind and into our primal, animal nature. 

How can we prepare for the unknown?

What does it look like to connect with our primal selves?

How can we come to meet fear and pain?

What do safety and surrender mean to you?

Join us for an in-depth childbirth preparation journey of holistic birth education supported by voice and embodiment practices

Together we will focus on deepening our capacity for self reflection, finding resource from within and claiming the power of our inner knowing and authority.

Course Schedule

Day One: Saturday 28th September, 10 - 3pm  

The Village Prenatal

We will begin our journey together with a Village Prenatal. Devised by elder midwife Sister Morningstar the Village Prenatal is a chance to come together, to share, connect and celebrate pregnancy and conscious conception 

The day will include, song, prenatal yoga, earth connection, journaling and a birth story medicine circle.

Day Two: Sunday 29th September, 10 - 5pm

Radical Birth Education supported by Embodiment Practices

 To understand and prepare for birth in the 21st century we must first delve into and learn about the history of women; or HERstory. Together we will explore how birth moved from the home and into the hospital and the origins of industrial prenatal care. What are the implications of this when we consider childbirth as a rites of passage? How can we craft authentic prenatal care?

We will then dive into the wisdom of the birthing body, looking at the hormonal matrix and the holistic stages of birth and immediate postpartum. What does a physiological undisturbed birth look like? And how can you make choices to truly support it?

Feeling safe in our bodies and our environment is an important aspect that supports the normal physiological process of birth to unfold naturally. Throughout the embodiment sessions, we will explore:

- How to begin establishing the body as a place of safety

- How to offer the body cues of safety in your birthing environment

- What happens physiologically in the body during both states of safety and fear

- How to recognise states of dysregulation and return to safety

- Internal and external resources that could support the process of birth,

alleviate stress, create nourishment, joy, comfort and support.

Emily will share embodiment tools such as orienting, grounding and resourcing taken from Somatic Experiencing, as well as regulating and grounding pregnancy yoga practices, supportive intuitive birth positions and trauma sensitive ways to connect positively with your body and prepare for birth.

Day Three: Sunday 13th October, 10 - 4pm

Primal Voice Exploration 

Giving birth and stepping into motherhood is a journey into the visceral unknown territory of the body, that takes us beyond the thinking mind and into our primal, animal nature.  The voice can be a powerful ally in connecting to and working with this non-cognitive part of being human.

In this session we will use fun and insightful exercises and games to explore our non-verbal selves and to practice following our bodies’  impulses using the breath and the voice.

Day Four: Saturday 26th October, 10 - 5pm

Radical Birth Education supported by Embodiment Practices

Let’s journey into the questions of safety, risk, responsibility and what they mean in the context of birth. We will look at the difference between variations of normal and emergencies, as well as cover the ‘what ifs’ and how to navigate them. We will discuss what sort of care is offered by the maternity services throughout the birth process and what it looks like to choose wild pregnancy and freebirth. 


Continued practice of Embodiment Tools.

Day Five: Sunday 27th October, 10 - 1pm

Radical Birth Education

In this session we will focus on how to work with fear and pain. We will explore the concepts of safety and surrender through self reflective exercises.

Day Six: Saturday 9th November, 10 - 5pm

Radical Birth Education supported by Embodiment Practices

This session will be a deep dive into all things postpartum. We will discuss how to honour and tend to this immense threshold, focusing on the principles of the first forty days as well as touch on newborn care from a physiologic perspective.


Continued practice of Embodiment Tools.

Day Seven: Sunday 10th November, 10 - 5pm

Integration 

Closing Celebration

Meet your teachers

  • Esme Shea

    Esme is a mother and Birthkeeper, passionate about reclaiming the bliss and power of birthing our babies undisturbed.

    Esme grew up in a family where birth was deeply honoured and the intuitive wisdom of women celebrated. The gift of undisturbed birth was passed down her lineage, through the red thread of her mother line. Esme and her siblings were all born outside of the medical paradigm and at the age of nine she witnessed the beautiful home birth of her younger brother.

    Esme trained as a doula and went on to study with The Free Birth Society in their Radical Birth Keeper School. She supports women to remember the truth about birth and connect to the innate wisdom of their bodies.

  • Emily Katsuno

    Emily is a trauma informed yoga therapist and has worked with pregnant women since 2015. She is a mother to three children and each pregnancy and birth have opened potent transformative doorways for her to grow. Emily has used the portal of birth to navigate fear and touch in on surrender.

    During this course, Emily will be sharing embodiment tools taken from somatic experiencing therapy and trauma sensitive yoga practices. These body based yoga and somatic tools can support nervous system regulation and can help find and maintain safety in the body. These practical tools are often a missing piece from birth education and can be supportive in assisting the the hormonal matrix of birth.

  • Bella Lilley

    Bella is a singer and voice teacher, and is passionate about re-connecting women with their wild and primal nature, their indigenous roots and the land. Bella has 3 daughters and each birth was very different but always a powerful gateway. She sees herself first and foremost as a mother and nurturer and brings the same qualities of care, compassion and holding into her work with the voice. Bella has spent a lot of time in West Africa where family, community, song and dance are all woven together as a natural part of living and this is a strong thread in her facilitation style.

    Bella has trained in ethnomusicology, Soul Midwifery and Vocal Improvisation, and will use some of the principles of Voice Movement Therapy on this course.

Further Details

  • ✺

    Reclaiming Birth is open to pregnant mamas and women on their conception journeys.

    Birth partners will be invited to join for certain parts of the course.

    We will provide a delicious lunch to share for the opening and closing ceremonies. For the rest of the course please bring your own lunch.

    Drinks and snacks will be provided for the entire course.

  • ✺

    This course will be held in a beautiful yurt space set in the rolling hills of Devon:

    The Soma Shala

    The venue is ten minutes outside of Ashburton.

    Full travel instruction and course schedule will be sent out before we begin.

  • ✺

    We are offering a sliding scale of fees for this course:

    Bursary Price: £525

    Standard Price: £625

    Pay It Forward Price: £725

    Use the link below to book or get in touch to enquire about bursary places and payment plans.

  • What Women Are Saying..

    “My experience of this course helped to shape the pregnancy and birth experience that I so deeply desired. The interweaving of voice work, embodiment and education, in a beautiful and inspiring setting, with an intimate group of women, was truly incredible. I am so grateful to have been able to meet such wonderful women and learn skills that will empower me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t recommend it any more to any one who desires to become pregnant, already is, or would like to inform themselves around the powerful portal of birth. “

  • What Women Are Saying..

    “This course was the pre-natal care I needed for my pregnancy journey. The circle of women, led by wise women mothers, provided me with a sense of the village that I longed for during this transformative time and I walked away feeling held, nourished and witnessed.

    The partner sessions in particular were incredibly valuable, they gave us the opprtunity to explore charged emotional choices with those educated in childbirth, we left feeling closer and more connected. We are now more aware of the landscape of the pregnancy and birth world and have clarity on what we are hoping for.

    My own confidence to naviagate the many choices around pregnancy, birth and post-partum has grown because of attending these sessions. I feel a new reverence and respect for the power of my body and being to carry and birth a baby into this world, mirrored back at me by the women who held and attended this group. I am so grateful I gave myself this gift.”

  • What Women Are Saying..

    “I recently attended this course whilst I was pregnant with my first child. Esme, Emily and Bella created a safe space for sharing and building relationships as a group of people at different points on their journey to parenthood. The information, tools and resources we learnt on the course helped me make informed decisions and to trust my instincts throughout the birth of my child. The setting alone was such a joy to spend time in. I would recommend attending this course for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding around pregnancy and birth and looking to find a supportive group to share the experience with.”

  • What Women Are Saying..

    “I found the course to be held with wonderful sensitivity and adaptability by Bella, Esme and Emily. They were able to respond well to the changing needs of the women and move easily in and out of serious exploration to playful and curious relating.

    What I witnessed was a space that felt safe enough for the women to touch into their fears and dreams and to express them through movement, voice and conversation. At a time when there can be an experience of isolation and powerlessness, I saw these women form invaluable relationships and touch into their power as mothers and as friends.I truly believe that experiences like this can be the difference between a birth that gives and one that takes from a womans sense of belonging and empowerment.

    I have completed faith in this revolutionary and integral work, and that these three women are totally capable of faciliting it.”