Journey into Ancestral Birth Wisdom
Our Teacher:
Mayra Martinez de Garay
Degree in Physics, UNAM, Mexico
PhD Theoretical Chemistry, UNILAC, Italy
Certified Midwife from Veracruz, Mexico
We are honored to host Mayra Martinez in Chicago, from Veracruz Mexico, sharing her traditional Mexican midwifery work and knowledge. Mayra’s experiences are rooted in traditional midwifery practices like rebozo, “sobadas” (traditional massage) and medicinal herbs. Mayra has worked and learned with traditional midwives and doulas around the globe, such as Alison Bastien, Whapio, “The Farm” midwives with Ina May Gaskin and Naoli Vinaver in Brazil. She has facilitated and organized gatherings and workshops with traditional midwives in the state of Veracruz, Mexico and hosts a radio program called “Viaje al parir” (Journey into birth). With her extensive knowledge of physics and chemistry and her passion for creating community, she has become a bridge between the ancient wisdom of the past and the future of conscious and respected birth.
This weekend will be more than just a class. I am collaborating with Shelli Mullins and we hope to offer a profound experience of learning and sisterhood. Birthwork can at times be divisive and culturally isolating, this weekend will transcend those issues and cultivate a sense of inclusivity and universal sisterhood. We hope to weave a web of birth workers as diverse as each woman’s needs. We will be sharing wisdom, practical skills, meals, council, songs, stories and more. We will use scientific evidence that supports a better understanding of the mysteries of life, as it is, to bring life into this world, “dar a luz”
Topics will blend science and ancestral wisdom applied to the support of women during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
Our Journey into birth will look like this:
Friday: PREGNANCY
-Vibrational massage: A journey within to reconnect with our own voices
-Sexuality as vital energy
Sexuality in the spiritual journey of birth
Healing wounds of the past
-Use of rebozo in the Mexican tradition
Resolving asynclitism
Occiput Posterior, OP
Massage, Liberation of energy
Alternative use of “faja” (bind)
-The science and ancestral wisdom for the care of women during pregnancy
Energy from a classic point of view vs quantic point of view
Vibrational frequency
-Medicinal herbs. Prevention of vaginal and urinary infections
-Cleaning and nourishing of the uterus with vaginal steams
A journey within into the heart of our uterus
Reconnecting with our uterus. Nourishing our energy center
Saturday: BIRTH
-Liberating energy during labor
Vibrations (legs and lips)
Jaw massage
-Use of rebozo in the Mexican tradition
Supporting concentration and focus during labor
Helping to get consistent contractions
Helping the mother to navigate the pain of labor
Opening of the hips
Massage. Liberating energy
Use of rebozo during water birth
-Aromatherapy with medicinal herbs
Relaxation, feeling safe
Helping mother to focus
-Preparation of chocolate for labor
Chocolate as sacred ritual
Stimulant, giving natural energy to the mother during labor
Combining chocolate with culinary herbs
-Yolixpa, the traditional drink of the indigenous midwives of Mexico
Hugging the spirit
Healing wounds
Cure for the heart
The secret recipe
-The science and ancestral wisdom for the care of women during birth
The exchange of information through energy
The interaction between particles
-The Placenta as an intelligent organ
Its birth: how to share this moment from a place of love and respect; how to facilitate its birth
Rituals to honor the placenta
Sunday: POSTPARTUM
-The relationship mother-baby. The encounter with her own shadow and the expression of her soul in the body and health of her baby
-Use of natural oils to use in the “sobada” (traditional womb massage)
-Use of medicinal herbs
Aromatic herbs to help the mother relax and elevate her spirit
Anti-inflammatory herbs
Scar tissue healing herbs in case of episiotomy
Chapped nipples
Mastitis
-The postpartum bath
The care of the mother in the Mexican tradition with a hot aromatic herbal bath to aid with her physical, emotional and spiritual healing
-Explanation of postpartum bath:
Anointment of oils
Preparation of the body of mother postpartum
-Traditional Mexican “sobada” (traditional womb massage)
Heating of the muscles to receive the bath
Moving intestines
-Medicinal herbal bath
A cathartic ritual
Detoxing. Relaxing. Anti-inflammatory
-Physical and energetic closing using the rebozo
A ritual that works with emotions
Closing of the bones after pregnancy and birth
-The postpartum tea
A liquid ritual for the mother
Rest for the mother
Her hydration
-Story telling, in the frame of narrative practices to support women during prenatal and postpartum visits
The encounter with herself
Highlighting her strengths and skills
Re-authoring her birth
This 3 days intensive workshop will be held at Coté Garceau’s house in Warrenville. Once you register, address will be shared
October 18-20. 10 am to 5 pm
The cost of the weekend workshop is $350. Because space is limited, please make a $50 payment to reserve your seat via Paypal, Zelle to cotegarceau@gmail.com, or via check. This amount will be deducted from your total payment which is due by the first day of class. Please contact Cote Garceau to save your spot. Or you can buy full ticket here.
Each day we ask that you join us in a potluck by bringing a dish to share, this way we will have more time in circle and avoid interruptions.