First off, what do I mean by life transition doula? Not to be mistaken with end-of-life doula, I consider myself a life transition doula because I love supporting people as they go through big life changes. Life moments that change the course or direction of our path deserve recognition, honoring, and care. Read more to find out about my journey in discovering how I arrived to this place.

After I started offering Closing the Bones rituals to people going through a variety of life experiences including but not limited to post-birth, I began wondering if Closing the Bones was the most appropriate name to use. How could I translate a therapeutic ritual that has originally used in a very specific context to a reach wider spectrum of clients? Is it okay for me to practice this? What are my responsibilities as a ritual keeper and doula with both white-skinned privilege and indigenous blood in my veins? With permission from my teacher, I am now using the term Cocooning. Read more here.

Abortions and pregnancy losses can be a mixture of difficult choices, hard realities, and overwhelming feelings, all along with the hormones and experiences of a body that has become pregnant. Perhaps there is relief and even clarity, or grief. Every situation is so unique, and has so many layers. Due to the great amount of stigma and shame around these topics many can feel isolated, lonely, and helpless in their experience. This doesn’t have to be you.

Weighted blankets have increased in popularity over the past few years. Because of the COVID pandemic and the increased isolation people feel, weighted blankets can provide comfort when many have little access to close human contact and physical touch. Read more about how to incorporate a weighted blanket into your toolbox of self-care.

Like many, I have complicated family lines…

In my ancestry exist some significant contradictions. I am mostly European and part Mexican.

My grandmother also used to wrap her female relatives in blankets!

Read more to discover some of my family’s history.

Since I first studied and received a Closing the Bones Ceremony during my Innate Postpartum training with Rachelle Garcia of Innate Traditions (www.innatetraditions.com) in 2017, something awakened in me. I had never heard of this ritual prior to my training yet it made so much sense. I felt a resonance and familiarity with these traditional postpartum practices, and something felt right and true within me to practice this ritual that is used across the globe. Becoming exposed to Closing the Bones has encouraged me to delve deeper into my own ancestry as well-read more further.

Once  we sit on our cushion to meditate for the evening? After we have lit the candles and smudged ourselves before we sit in a circle to pray? As we bless the food we are to eat? 

Or is the process leading up part of the ritual itself as well? 

I like to believe so. I like to believe that every moment matters. The mundane, the sacred, and the in-between... 

'Closing the Bones' after birth is most commonly known to be a Mexican postpartum tradition. However, similar pelvic sealing ceremonies exist in Morocco, Russia, other Latin American countries and more. This blog post illustrates the cultural and physiological significance of why this practice is so widespread and fundamental to the healing of postpartum bodies.

Body compression is commonly used to soothe newborn babies, people with ADHD or sensory processing disorders, and in a variety of other scenarios. Combined with a weighted blanket, Closing the Bones rituals provide a form of deep pressure stimulation. This blog discusses how the body’s nervous system benefits from deep pressure therapy.

After pregnancy, a birthing persons’ body opens in immense ways. One can feel "cracked open" after a physical or sexual violation, heartbreak, traumatic event or even an expansive experience like a powerful psychedelic journey. Cocooning allows you to re-gather the parts of yourself that may have become disassociated or expanded, bringing you back to your center.

The birthing body opens up in immense ways. For physiological reasons Closing the Bones and similar types of manual therapy are considered a necessary aspect of healing the post-pregnancy body in many traditions. The intention behind Closing the Bones is not simply to create energetic closure, (although it can accomplish that as well) but on a physical level it helps bring the pelvis, uterus, and sacrum back into alignment. Read more to find out why this is so important.