Closing of the bones ceremony
The traditional Mexican postpartum ceremony is a practice that was passed on to me from my teachers, Rachelle Garcia Seliga, the creator of Innate Traditions Postpartum Care, and Naoli Vinaver the creator of the Art of Birth. This ceremony is a deeply nurturing and healing experience for women and Mothers.
It is a tradition that has been used cross culturally all over the world for many generations. Rachelle and her husband Jose Juan Garcia Alfaro were passed on this knowledge from Juan’s Mother and their family, and Naoli being a traditional Mexican midwife herself was passed on this knowledge from her ancestors in Mexico.
Through my work I pay reverence, honour and respect to where this knowledge has come from and I uphold the tradition with my heart and devotion, so the medicine is passed on with integrity and love.
Traditionally the Closing of the Bones ritual is just one part of a larger ceremony that traditional Mexican midwives would offer postpartum Mothers three times over their first 40 days after birth. This takes a lot of energy, time and devotion to provide this kind of service three times for a new-born Mother.
The entire postpartum ceremony traditionally takes about 4-5hrs and includes massage, heat/steam/temazcal/sauna/home made sweat lodge, then a sweating phase for detoxification, and then finishing the ceremony with the Closing of the Bones with the Rebozo. So there are always elements of movement, transformation, warmth, sweating, detoxification, cleansing, purifying, heat, grounding and containment.
The Closing of the Bones element physically and energetically helps to “seal” or “close” a Mother’s body, which can open up in so many ways through pregnancy and birth. Once the baby is born the Mother’s body and spirit are very open and through the process of closing there can be a sense of coming home to the body, feeling the energetic tendrils of self coming back into their new place as a re-born Mother.
Through this ceremony Mothers are witnessed and honoured through their Rite of Passage into Motherhood. They feel they can release the stagnant, cold, congested energy and any emotions that are not serving her moving forward. The ceremony provides a safe and nurturing space and Mothers leave this ceremony feeling appreciated for all that they have been through and all that they will continue to do.
This ceremony is also beneficial for women and Mothers who have experienced pregnancy loss, abortion or signifying a pivotal transition in a woman’s life such as grief of losing a parent.
What to expect in the session:
This ceremony consists of a warm oil full body massage including the abdomen, womb, breasts, sacrum and hips, which encourages blood and lymph flow through the abdomen and pelvis, assists in digestion, encourages the return of the uterus and bladder to their optimal position and deeply moisturises the skin.
We then move onto Craniosacral therapy, which is a deeply relaxing modality that allows the nervous system and fascia to unwind.
Then comes the heat component of the ceremony where I construct a home-made steam tent designed to replicate the traditional temazcal which encourages heat, sweating, the release of emotional, physical and energetic tension or stagnation in the body. This is followed by the sweating stage which is where the Mother is covered in sheets and blankets to encourage sweating and detoxification.
We then move on to using the Rebozo for the Closing of the Bones, where the woman is hugged by the Rebozo fabric- beginning at the top of the head and working slowly down to the toes. The feeling of the fabric hugging gently over the body invites the woman to let go, release any emotion or tension that no longer serves her as she feels held, safe and nurtured. It is a grounding feeling that feels like a coming home to the body. After the Rebozo wrapping and meditation, there is time for us to have a snack, tea and an integration chat after the ceremony.
4hr session.
$400
Resources:
Here is a link from my teacher, Rachelle Garcia Selega, explaining the history of this ancient practice and how it can be used for supporting women:
https://innate-traditions-courses.mykajabi.com/blog/Closing-of-the-bones-rebozo
• Here is a link with a video from Naoli Vinaver, a tradional Mexican midwife, doing the Mexican postpartum ceremony: https://www.naolivinaver.com/mexican-postpartum.html