about
MEet MAze, founder of Cocooning
Ritualist. Healer. Sound Artist. Threshold Doula. (Pronouns: They/them)
I am in awe of our capacity to heal and integrate, especially with the care and support of others.
I believe that community ritual is a powerful remedy to the struggles of these challenging times. As we navigate life changes with intention and presence we can feel even more integrated in our being. I feel it is especially important to bring intentional spaces to the US, where the dominant culture is devoid of proper initiations, rites of passage, and ceremony.
As an INNATE trained Postpartum Care provider and postpartum doula I began expanding my offerings outside of the world of birth work to reach people going through a variety of major life passages. I now consider myself a Threshold Doula. Anyone that feels called to receive therapeutic support is welcome.
I have learned from personal experience the true potency of honoring our internal cycles and rhythms.
From navigating my own major life passages while held in loving support, to serving myriad clients walking their own path of healing I can attest to the power of community care. My personal healing journey has brought me to a place of greater empowerment, knowledge, and trust. I feel dedicated to giving back through these special offerings.
Ancestral & Land Acknowledgment
My ancestors reign from Portugal, Mexico, France, and Ukraine. I come from both Catholic and Ashkenazi Jewish backgrounds.
I grew up in Ventura, CA on Chumash Territory. I currently reside in West Sonoma County on Pomo, Coast Miwok, Wappo, and Graton Rancheria territory where my ritual and healing work is held.
When I am not holding rituals I enjoy working on my solo music project, dancing, sharing food with loved ones and immersing myself in nature. I feel endless gratitude for all of the greater forces in my life that have brought me to this path of service, healing, and sovereignty
Lineage Work and Community Are Important to Me
I give thanks to my my teacher Rachelle Garcia of Innate Traditions (Innatetraditions.com) who learned Closing the Bones or la Cerrada, post-birth integration ceremonies through closely spending time with her mother-in-law Clara Alfaro Peña who was a rural midwife in Pachuca, Mexico. Rachelle has taught Closing the Bones to her students, including myself, within the context of the holistic Innate Postpartum training. Clara Alfaro Peña comes from the lineages of both the traditional medicine people of Guanajuato and Hidalgo, Mexico. I also honor my own indigenous northern Mexican roots from my maternal lineage in practicing Cocooning, my variation of Closing the Bones.
SAFE SPACE FOR EVERYONE
I am wholeheartedly committed to providing a safe space for all clients.
This includes race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, relationship style, socio-economic background, age, religion, and ability.
Thank you for trusting me. It is an honor to witness your process.
Feel called to work together and in financial need?
Sliding scale options available for all services-don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact Maze here.
Client Testimonials
“Maze has a way of grounding you especially during cocooning ritual (closing the bones). Maze guides the journey from the beginning with a calm space. I felt safe to release old thoughts in able to bring more expansion into my body. Following, things seemed to slow down so I could experience many little life moments. It is a wonderful rebirthing experience.”
-Maha Dave Mahabali, Somatic Bodyworker
“It's been about 4 months since the rebirthing experience I had with Maze Knight. Thinking that it would be but a pleasant and calming experience, I find myself surprised that the profound positive impact from that day continues in my life. Like a deep psychic muscle memory, I find myself returning, time and again, to a moment when the outside universe dissolved as did the bindings that constricted my body and the sounds of the circulatory system that filled my ears (a wry smile emerges as I continue to puzzle on how Maze mastered that). In that dissolving, I was pure energy adrift and alone in a vast black void --and it was perfect! We are all, at core, alone as we follow our human experience, and so often that concept-the very essence of what it is to be human-fills us with fear labeled "loneliness." Rather than succumb to this existential terror, I now have a very intimate, very real, very influential alternative reference in which my energetic consciousness is perfect by itself. The power of the experience is potent and durable, and I recommend it with all my heart.”
-Allan Rosenthal
“Maze led me through the Cocooning ritual when I finished my 4th trimester. It was right before I returned to work and was a beautiful and meaningful way to welcome myself back into the world, now emerged a mom. Maze has a calming yet confident presence that guides you through the process and soothes you through the ritual. She is a natural healer.” -Jenny Horowitz
“I had my Closing the Bones ritual with Maze in the fall of 2021. The last few years have been laced with loss, transition, and grief. This ritual assisted me in landing softly in these places. It assisted me in gently closing some emotional doors that were ready to be closed. I found the ritual to be deeply comforting. I could have been cocooned for hours. I am excited for the next one!”
-Briget Boyle
“I was incredibly grateful I got the chance to do my cerrada with Maze after I gave birth to my second child. I felt like I trusted her from our initial convo where I shared my intentions. She's such a beautiful person with lots of knowledge and warmth. I particularly enjoyed the sound bath during the ceremony, she's a very talented musician. Highly recommend her!”
-Dulce Torres-Petty
"Cocooning with Maze has been a mentally, emotionally, and spiritually transformative experience. In recent years, I have struggled to feel safe within my body and outside spaces, and find grounding within my own being due to past traumas that would resurface and take hold of me. These recurring destabilizing moments occurred more frequently and interfered with my ability to feel connected with myself and others. Maze was able to customize my ritual in a way that acknowledged and honored my past trauma's impact on my body, mind, and spirit and empowered me to release those holds. By the end, with Maze's intentional facilitation, I felt light, free, and capable of living life beyond my traumas. I am integrating and returning to those moments within this ritual as part of my everyday practice and continued healing. Thank you, Maze!”
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Certifications + Education
ISTA SSSEX Level 1&2 Training (www.ista.life)
Certified INNATE Postpartum Care Provider with Rachelle Garcia (www.innatetraditions.com)
Certified Postpartum Doula with Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, Or (www.birthingway.edu)
Cranio Sacral Therapy training Subtle Hands on Skills with Carol Gray (www.carolgray.com)
Co-Counseling Allies: People-to-People peer counseling training
Miscarriage and Abortion E-Course for Care Providers with Samantha Zipporah (www.samanthazipporah.com)
Seahorses and Unicorns: Trans Birth for Birthworkers with Trystan Angel Reese (www.trystanreese.com)
Reiki I and II Certificate with Megan Quinn (newaeonhealingarts.com)
BA in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Sustainable Community Development from UC Santa Barbara
Feel called to work together and in financial need? Sliding scale options available for all services-don’t hesitate to reach out.
Contact Maze here.
It is my sincere joy to validate your experience,
hold space,
and be a humble witness to your process.
