Birth Story Magic

• CLASS DESCRIPTION
• DETAILS
• FACILITATOR(S)

This is a FREE Community event held in person at Natural Resources. If you'd like to make a donation to the facilitators in honor of this offering feel free to donate here. 

This circle is for anyone that has given birth and who feels like joining, irrespective of how long ago you gave birth, how many times, and how your feelings are regarding this experience.

This 90 minute workshop will include:

   - 15 min gathering/intro/settling
   - 60 min birth story telling and listening within a safe, intimate group
   - 15 outro, formalizing connections and goodbyes
 

Come share your recent birth story or come listen as you prepare to give birth
- Facilitated by Sandra Lloyd and Sue Baelen, LM CPM

Please Note:

-Many people also need support processing their birth story with a professional one-on-one (this could be a coach, therapist, midwife, or doula, depending on their training). The intention for this workshop is that each participant comes away with a transformed piece or aspect to their story. This workshop may or may not offer you ALL of the time and space you need to come to peace with your birth story. Birth is one of the most significant experiences of life -- your story will likely continue to ripen and evolve with time as will you.
-Babies in Arms welcome as needed.
-Birthers of all identities are welcome no matter how long ago you gave birth, your gender or sexuality, or any other aspect of your identity.
-Facilitators are professionals who may have their own private practice. They may use their discretion to determine whether an additional fee is needed when their expertise is solicited outside of class.

• Welcome to Birth Story Magic! I welcome your unique experience of labor and birth and all that you have felt through and processed already, as well as whatever is currently arising or stirring for you around this significant and pivotal life moment. I am honored to be offering you a facilitated and guided group experience for exploring and processing your labor and birth experience in support of your ongoing journey in parenthood and personhood. Thank you for your yes to this important and hard work. Below I have included some information for how to prepare for this workshop. Please reach out if you have any questions.

  Before the day of the workshop: Please set aside one hour (where you can have solitude/childcare) to write out your labor and birth experience. This does not need to be polished or edited. Please do this even if you have already written out your story, unless you have done so in the last two weeks. I deeply encourage you to write everything that wants to come up and out of you without worry for chronological order or organization. Just let every single thing that you consider to be a part of your story to be written down. Be as thorough and specific as possible, especially with the moments that feel particularly painful as well as any moments that were celebratory, joyful, or particularly beautiful for you. Please send to me by email by Friday EOD before the workshop (ginnyzeppa@gmail.com) whatever pieces of this birth story you feel called to so that I can have a sense of what you are holding and needing support around.

  On the day of the workshop: Please have stable wifi as well as privacy and/or headphones (both for confidentiality of other participants as well as your own ability to fully be with your sharing and expressing. Please plan to keep your video on to allow for the most safe and connected group experience. Please be prepared to do some journaling, guided visualization, and embodied processing within a safe, intimate group. This workshop is designed to be experiential and includes movement and active participation, and opportunities to emotionally release, so please wear comfortable clothing and have some space to move your body a bit. Please also note that this is not exactly a Birth Story Sharing Circle. We will not be going around and listening to each person's story at length, though we will definitely get a sense of each person's experience, story, and journey.

  After the workshop: Even with all that will be explored and processed, many people also need support processing their birth story with a professional one-on-one (this could be a coach, therapist, midwife, or doula, depending on their training). The intention for this workshop is that each participant comes away with a transformed piece or aspect to their story. This workshop may or may not offer you ALL of the time and space you need to come to peace with your birth story. Birth is one of the most significant experiences of life -- your story will likely continue to ripen and evolve with time as will you. The workshop is designed to continue working and moving your relationship to your labor and birth well beyond our time together.

   

  I am so looking forward to being with you for this special and sacred experience. I am wishing you so much love, connection, and support until then.

• Sue Baelen, LM, CPM I am blessed to believe that I am fulfilling my life's destiny and I love what I do. I am so happy to be part of the Bay Area Homebirth Collective - a group of amazing women who work hard to build a sense of community for local homebirthing families. I trained through apprenticeship, mostly in San Francisco, thanks to the wonderful midwife Leah Redwood. I follow that tradition and sometimes have an apprentice of my own. Sue also serves on the board of Natural Resources.
  

  Sandra Lloyd, is a Certified Hypnotherapist through the Foundation of the Sacred Stream in Berkeley, CA, Sandra has received expert training in Depth Hypnosis, Shamanism, Buddhist Psychology, Energy Medicine and Hypnotherapy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology.