Awakened Mama Retreat - Fall :: Registration

Hello pregnant mamas! 

We are excited to announce that the Awakened Mama Retreat will occur seasonally four times a year! Join us for our Fall day retreat Friday, October 11, 2014.

:: Click here to register ::

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Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Awakened Mama Retreat

Reason #1: Self Care
In our busy world, we seldom take time to quiet the mind and connect with the true self within - our inner knowing beyond the thinking mind. Self care is a literal need in the human culture, and when we retreat, we remove distractions from our lives to focus on this need. When you are feeling emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically well, your entire mechanism is functioning at its most optimal level because you are taken care of as a whole person. You feel confident about your ability to birth your baby, and to be a mother, whether this is your first, second, or fifth baby.  

Reason #2: Unity with Nature
This retreat will invite you to realize your true connection to nature and all of life. As a birth-giver, you are a powerful part of this connection. At the retreat, you can experience quiet solitude with the farm animals, enjoy a walking trail with other mamas, or sit by the flowing stream to listen to the water cleanse your spirit. This natural connection heals and comforts. You will feel a sense of oneness and peace. 



Reason #3: Female Companionship

No one understands pregnancy and birth better than other women! And of course, you are never alone in this universal event of birth. The retreat will invite you to celebrate the power and softness of womanhood and birth as we know it. You will be able to connect and develop deep relationships with other pregnant mamas, get to know your inner goddess, and let the support of other women rise up, as you also learn to support with your true inner wisdom. 



Reason #4: Release Fear + Anxiety about Birth

Birth can be scary, no doubt. And it is okay to be scared! Whether you are a first-time mama leaning into the unknown, or a second-time mama who already knows the intensity of birth, it is the work we do to look at, understand, and release our thoughts and false stories of self-doubt, fear, and limitation. The retreat will include a women's circle where we will create a sacred space for you to feel safe in the exploration of your fears and concerns, and also for you to feel empowered to own your truest desires for your birth without discounting them. 


Reason #5: Expanding Spiritual Awareness + Intuition
Women are naturally intuitive and can understand one another without saying a word. When women gather, something magical occurs - an inner knowing and compassion - a deep sense of empathy and oneness that unfolds and brings comfort to all. The retreat will create an awareness and remembrance of our intuitive self as we allow it to guide us in a trusting way. As the retreat closes, you will know that you have made a connection, created a new path, and a lasting memory of a special time.  

Say yes to yourself. 

Renew.  Rebalance.  Retreat. 

Awakened Mama Retreat Registration

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Pregnant Mamas: We Honor You

                             
                   We honor you.

We open our hearts to you and to your experiences, desires, and needs. We choose to step into a space of understanding and full acceptance with you.

                                 

We support you.

                     We feel you.

                     We see you.

                  We celebrate you.


 ALL of you is valid, beautiful, and whole.

The stories behind our joy, pain, growth, and experiences may be different but on the inside, deep within, we are the same.

                                                      XOXO,

Brittany + Amy

Come bask in the beauty with us and feel the inspiration vibrating from within and all around you.

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Nature's Compass for Pregnancy + Birth

Amy supporting Brittany at the natural

home birth of Abyl in March 2012.

My first experience as a birth doula occurred before I even knew what a doula was. I supported a soul sister friend in the natural home birth of her first child in March 2012, and I learned so much through her process of self-education and conscious decision making. Before this, birth was something other people did – it had no significant place in my life, and I had generally accepted the perception of birth that was portrayed on television and movies: quick, aggressive, and dramatic. The moment my friend’s baby was born, a chord was struck inside me. That very moment her baby arrived was NOT what I had expected. It was gentle, quiet, still. No hands prodding, no machines beeping – no one but mama, papa, midwife, and me, filled with joy, love, compassion, and curiosity in their own home. I remember thinking, “This is the way it is supposed to be.”  This pure, innocent life was welcomed so gently and respectfully into this world for the first time. That moment illuminated how all life deserves to be treated, inside the womb, and earthside.   

Amy supporting a birth at HCMC February 2013.

After two years of practicing as a birth doula, working with numerous families in their unique birth journeys, I have been awakened to the opportunities for women to create an optimal, gentle, wondrous, even spiritual birth experience with ease and love. I’ve learned that birth transcends our perception of it, and this beautiful, pure moment can happen in any environment – home, hospital, birth center, the prairie, etc. Regardless of what people’s belief systems are, birth is inherently a deeply spiritual experience that invites humans to open to their truest selves – it calls to the spirit – and this is why birth is so powerful. Birth invites Rebirth. As human beings, we have the significant opportunity to open up to this powerful experience!  

New family!

In my work with new mothers during their pregnancies, I see them learning so much through researching and talking with other moms. They do a great job of educating themselves and feeling mentally empowered in their choices. However, I see many couples focus so much on informing themselves and learning about the birth that they forget they are also birthing themselves into parents. They have forgotten that this is a piece of their own personal life journey, to celebrate, to be, to visualize and feel the profound changes occurring for them. This gestational period, this work, deserves special attention and awareness for parents to maintain balance and connection. Oftentimes I hear moms in their late pregnancy say they feel guilty for not being “in tune” with their pregnancy the first two trimesters. In Western culture, birth is generally perceived as an isolated event, and that more is better - more amenities, more technology, more material items, more information. This type of weight often distracts us from the true simplicity of birth. We can easily get bogged down and mentally overloaded. It is a balancing act, no doubt. But birth already has so much to offer. Birth is innately holistic: it is perfectly whole in its natural state - circular - no clear beginning, no clear end. It is not separate from the rest of life. A woman's entire journey up until the point of conception impacts her succeeding journey of pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Her emotional state, and the choices she makes ripple out into her relationships, bring awareness to her community, and vibrate out into the rest of the universe.

Snail moving slowly.

We can learn a lot from Nature. The nine months of pregnancy are not merely a coincidence – it is Nature’s perfectly designed timeline for mother and partner to build awareness and embody this transition into a new “season” of parenthood. When Nature lets go of one season to transition into the next, it does not move hastily or carelessly. 

Minnehaha Falls, MN

For example, every time Earth releases Winter and gives birth to Spring, an ebb and flow happens: it warms up a bit, then it gets cold, it warms up a lot, then it snows, then it warms up again. Earth is working hard to rebirth itself. It is breaking itself down to build itself back up with new life. Everything in nature wobbles as it relearns how to embody the next phase of its evolutionary path. This shedding and emerging is a transformative cycle that repeats itself numerous times, over and over. Earth sheds or lets go of the things that no longer serve it to create space for new things that do serve its vitality. This is the process of growth for all living things – this occurs within the plants, the trees, the animals, the cosmos. This occurs in pregnancy. This occurs in birth. And it is hard work! It is wobbly, it is full-sensory, it is unpredictable, it is flexible, it is perfectly imperfect, and it is beautifully alive in all of its uncertainty. 

Pregnancy is a sacred time in a woman’s life when her physical and emotional self make continuous transitions to bring forth new life. We didn't create our bodies, nor are we able to control the body's functions. An intelligence greater than the human mind is at work. It is the same intelligence that sustains all of nature. We cannot get any closer to that intelligence than by being aware of our own inner energy field – by feeling the aliveness, the animating presence within the body. All of this can seem so big that it can feel overwhelming. Some women might say, "I am already taking on so much, how can I possibly make time for myself?" The upside is, presence asks us to do nothing. To nurture the spirit, we are invited to be less concerned with doing and having, and to focus more on being. Sweet mamas, become one with your self and with the totality. Spend time with nature. 

Get your hands in the dirt, lie in the grass, make a snow angel. Stop. Look. Listen to all the sounds around you. Bring your attention to a stone, a tree, or an animal – not to think about it, but simply to perceive it, to hold it in your awareness. Retreat with your friends and invite nature into the things you already love doing. Remember that the air you breathe is nature, as is the breathing process itself. Spend a weekend with other pregnant mamas honoring the work you do together. Get to know your body with yoga, or simply by touching your body with care. Schedule time to relax and unplug from urban life. Tune in to the unseen parts of your journey. Remind yourself that the spirit is not just a mystical idea, but a powerful tool for birth, which is why it is so intensely called upon in those moments you are working with your baby (pure life).

Eckhart Tolle writes:

Prairie Oaks Institute | Belle Plaine, MN

Watch an animal, a flower, a tree, and see how it rests in Being. It is itself. It has enormous dignity, innocence, and holiness. However, for you to see that, you need to go beyond the mental habit of naming and labeling. The moment you look beyond mental labels, you feel that ineffable dimension of nature that cannot be understood by thought or perceived through the senses. It is a harmony, a sacredness that permeates not only the whole of nature but is also within you.

The Alps, Switzerland

Dearest mamas, birth will catapult you into this realm of holiness and sacredness, and it is so powerfully scary and beautiful. You are like a volcano, preparing to open and release Earth’s energy from your entire Being. Each mama is offered the challenge of existing with the power of a volcano while walking in an urban Western world that favors the thinking mind. However, a woman cannot think her way through birth; she must feel it all with her eyes closed. Only when she is still inside does she have access to the realm of stillness that rocks, plants, and animals inhabit. Only when her noisy mind subsides can she connect with nature at a deep level and go beyond the sense of separation created by excessive thinking. There is an added dimension of knowing, of awareness, in the stillness that is beyond thought. Nature can bring you to that stillness. That is its gift to you. When you perceive and join with nature in the field of stillness, that field becomes permeated with your awareness. That is your gift to nature. Through you nature becomes aware of itself. 

Sweet mama, nature has been waiting for you, as it were, for millions of years. 

Let it be your compass. 

Let it guide you there.

Twin Lake near North Shore, MN

The Awakened Mama Retreat is the perfect opportunity to connect with nature and tune into your inner compass.  Please join us for a beautiful, intentional weekend with other pregnant mamas!  Click Here to Register. 

To find out more about Amy's doula services visit http://www.colorfulwarriordoula.com/

All photos are from Amy's personal library and posted with permission.

A Special Gift for you!

Hello Deserving Mamas,

We have a special gift for you, a guided meditation. So, find a quiet space to get cozy-comfortable, settle in and press play.

Love & Light,

Brittany

If you desire to register for this beautiful Awakened Mama Retreat please click here.

Early Bird Special ends April 22nd. There is still time to receive $40 off!

Join the facebook event and click here!

Join the Awakened Mama Retreat Facebook Event!

Attending the retreat or wanting to? Interested in connecting with other pregnant mamas attending? Want an easy way to ask Amy & Brittany questions? Please Click Here to join the facebook event!

 

 

 

Awakened Mama Retreat :: EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hello Awesome Pregnant Mamas!

Please watch the video below to hear our excitement and special announcement. We look forward to spending a beautiful Spring weekend with all of you. :)

Joyfully yours,

Amy + Brittany

            
Early Bird Special Extended until Tuesday, April 22nd! 

Save $40 by clicking here to register!

Brianna Lane music @ Awakened Mama Retreat!

The beautiful singer/songwriter/guitarist/birth doula Brianna Lane will be performing a house concert at the Awakened Mama Retreat May 17!  You don't want to miss this.

To register for the retreat visit http://awakeningroots.blogspot.com/2014/03/awakened-mama-retreat-info.html

The Intention + Creation of Sacred Pregnancy

When I became pregnant with my first baby, I felt a powerful shift begin to happen - not just within my physical body, but also within my heart. I desired to experience my pregnancy with intention, present moment awareness, and trust for my body, baby, and birth. I desired a sacred pregnancy in hopes that it would flow into creating a sacred birth experience. 

Already a yoga instructor and massage therapist, I was familiar with the connection between mind, body, and self awareness. I was imperfect and practicing the art of listening to my heart and inner desires, and then choosing to communicate them honestly with family and close friends. Numerous struggles arose because I had to break through the barriers of my own conditioned belief systems in order to recognize and work through insecurities. Pregnancy was a big step forward for me in the process of open and honest communication. I chose to openly share my faith and trust for my entire pregnancy and birth process without allowing other's fears become my own. You bet this was going to be my first lesson in mothering.

When announcing my pregnancy, I also announced that my husband and I chose to have a home birth. Our announcement was met in a variety of ways: short questions, awkward silence, fear, and support. I was very open about our choice and loved answering questions and engaging in discussion. During each interaction, I reminded myself that each person's experiences have shaped the lens through which they see the world. Knowing this helped me to stay in my truth and to communicate honestly without taking their responses or reactions personally. This allowed for beautiful dialogue and understandings to take place, and for there to be space for my family and close friends to process our choice. Most importantly, my honest communication reflected confidence, openness, and a meaningful process. I was communicating that this was sacred for me - that my body was an extension of nature - and as much as I trust the process of a seed being planted, growing, and blooming, I trust the process of pregnancy and birth. To me they are all synonymous.

Moving forward into my pregnancy, I expanded my yoga practice, and I wanted to learn more about the pregnant woman's body. I had a desire to take space for myself and to be engulfed by a community of women and learning. That's when I discovered Blooma. I enrolled in their prenatal yoga teacher training in October 2011 and loved every moment of my experience there. I dove into myself in every yoga class, experienced the power of being surrounded by other pregnant mamas, and felt the bliss of truly feeling supported without judgment. My confidence in myself, my choices, and my communication was emanating out of me in response to all of the inspiration and abundance. I was actively recognizing my needs and desires and manifesting them!



As I openly shared my inspiration about pregnancy and birth with those around me, naturally, some of my closest friends became inspired to contribute to my journey. My dear friend, Sandie Fish, held a three part circle ceremony:
I. Welcoming a new mother
II. Welcoming for baby
III. Welcoming a new father. 
With the greatest of intention and communication, we created a circle with the wiser and older women in my life whom could share their journeys as women and mothers. We created quilt squares and tied the quilt together to wrap the baby in our wisdom and love, they brought me beads to assemble a necklace to surround me in their energy, power, and wisdom during labor and mothering, and they showered me with intentional gifts for my birthing alter. Every time we gathered I experienced a shedding and releasing of old thoughts, beliefs, and stories that were no longer serving me. The circle ceremony allowed all of us space to let go of our egos and to become present with our deeper selves. We felt connected, alive, and valuable in our life journey, struggles and all. I felt (and still feel) from these women and ceremonies an incredible amount support, love, and laughter that will forever stay with me. I was indeed experiencing a sacred pregnancy. Like a flower gently rooted into the earth, I was feeling vulnerable yet strong in my process of growth.

My spirit sister Amy and good friend Steph were inspired not just by pregnancy but by life itself. They planned and created a Celebration of Life gathering for our close group of friends to be intentional in their support for my process. Everyone brought a blessing, poem, song lyrics, or their own writing to share what life means to them. We lit candles and gathered around the table. So much giggling, love, and intentional conversation was happening. Celebrating with delicious, wholesome food along with beautiful energy of acceptance and understanding. It made my heart sing.
We created artful affirmation signs for me to hang on my wall for the labor and birth. Words like flow, breathe, power, trust, exist, now, rest, and focus were created. It was a peaceful, calm time in the evening as everyone allowed for an opening for creativity to flow. Through art, we cultivated our intentions and love.

The affirmations were a powerful addition to the energy of our home as we began to make active preparations in creating the sacred birth that I knew in my heart was possible. These affirmations still exist within my home to remind me in my mothering (and in life) to flow like water, to breathe, exist, and to trust the process of struggle and inner work.

At the end of pregnancy when the baby showers began to take place (I had four of them), it was very apparent that my desires were being heard. The women throwing these baby showers made them bright, fun, and filled with life. My gifts were hand made, bought with intention, or things that I truly needed (cloth diapers). Like the Minnesota River after the snow has melted, I was bursting at the banks and over flowing with abundance and gratitude. Feeling the deepest connection I had ever felt with those closest to me, and to myself, I was ready whenever the BABY was to move into the next phase of sacredness and connection. I was ready to give birth.

After the birth of my daughter Abyl, I spent time reflecting on the power that exists within us, not just as women, but as human beings. Abyl was part of this entire process and was taking my lead the entire time. By inviting beautiful energy, support, and trust into my experience, I also shared it with her in the womb. The sacred pregnancy I set the intention for, sought out, and actively manifested (with the help of my loved ones) flowed beautifully into experiencing a sacred birth. My amazing friend Amy, supportive husband Adam, and attentive midwife Rachel all supported me gracefully while I experienced a labor full of struggle, opening, shedding, letting go, peace, and in the end, pure joy and love. (Birth story of Abyl to come in another post.)

Now pregnant with my second baby I am choosing again to set the intention + creation of a sacred pregnancy and birth. This pregnancy is different than my first, and my needs and desires have shifted. I desire a weekend away in a space filled with pregnant mamas, nature, support, whole food, creation, intention, fun, and laughter. When I went on a search to find such a thing near by, I came up empty handed. My friend Amy (who was my doula, and has since been on many journeys with pregnant families in the Twin Cities as their doula) and I decided to combine our skill sets in order to offer an Awakened Mama Retreat. If you are a pregnant mama due after May 2014, we would love for you to join us. All pregnant mamas - whether you plan to birth at a hospital or at home - whether you are a yogini or have no yoga experience at all - wherever you are in your journey. We welcome all walks of life! The point is, this is your journey. Make it beautiful! And if you're thinking "I can't afford a retreat," there are plenty of creative ways to come up with the funds (e.g., when friends + family ask how they can help, advise them they can donate to your retreat!). :)

-Brittany xoxo

Click Here for registration details on the Awakened Mama Retreat.

Click Here to RSVP on the Facebook Event for the Awakened Mama Retreat!

Go to Gentle Hands Midwifery LLC
Go to Colorful Warrior Doula

Awakened Mama Retreat :: Registration

Click Here for registration details.

Space is limited - Register soon!  

  Registration Deadline Extended 

to May 9th!  

A Special Retreat for Pregnant Mamas

Pregnancy is a sacred time in a woman's life when her physical and emotional self make continuous transitions to bring forth new life. This journey deserves special attention and awareness to maintain balance and connection. We invite you to a retreat for your soul that will provide you the opportunity to turn inward and focus on the sacredness of your self, baby, and life transition. This is an opportunity to find your inner birth goddess. :)

Please join us for a weekend of prenatal yoga, nature walks, wholesome food, guided meditations, circle ceremony, Live Music (by amazing artist/doula, Brianna Lane), and the support and community of other pregnant mamas. Come nurture yourself and allow the space for reflection, fun, movement, and connection.

Retreat also includes housing for 2 nights, 5 wholesome meals (menu can accommodate dietary requests), and a gift bag to take home with you.

We would love for you to join us at our Awakened Mama Retreat where you can honor your pregnancy + birth journey with intention and presence.

-Amy + Brittany

xoxo

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Our new logo :: created by Benjamin Fondse (Amy's Dutch huzzzband)

Attention Pregnant Mamas - Save the Date!

We have a special gift brewing for you!  We invite you into the sacredness of your birth journey with an Awakened Mama Retreat where you will connect with nature, yourself, your baby, and other beautiful mamas.  Spring is right around the corner, which is the perfect time to align with nature’s rebirth and emergence!  Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. 

About Us

Amy (left), Brittany (right)

Brittany and I were friends who hung out occasionally in high school.  It wasn’t until we reunited in 2006 that our spiritual connection took off.  This reunion struck an evolutionary chord inside both of us.  I had just started recovering from my first heartbreak (oh how intense our mid-twenties can be), and Brittany returned from three years of independence in Denver.  We were both going through some major transitions in our lives, and we found surrender with each other.  That day we reunited, we shared our experiences--where we had been, what we have learned--and that we had no idea where we were going.  Just this simple process of communicating from the heart + listening opened up many new layers for us.

Brittany and I are convinced that experience is the most fruitful tool for learning.  Our very own lives provide evolutionary tools, resources, and pleasure if we simply awaken to learning.  There are lessons entangled in each experience, and when we can take a step back and look without judgment, those lessons gently reveal themselves.  Each struggle (big or small) is an opportunity to do a little bit of work to unravel our own growth, exploration, adventure, discovery, connection, and internal freedom.  We can do this through finding new language to make sense of our experience, language that serves us.  This is why communication and curiosity are so important.  We have recognized that life is not happening to us—it is happening for us.  We face a returning choice: to default to a learned victim mentality or to embrace our divine power as infinite creatures of the universe.  This is our constant cycle of birth-death-rebirth, just like the seasons. 

Brittany and I have realized that we are more powerful than we think we are, and our very own experiences can teach us how to grow into our full potential, our true nature.  Like Eckhart Tolle says, we must remember that we are human (mind) Beings (eternal presence, spirit).  The mind is needed to communicate and function in our human-made world, and the spirit is needed for self-actualization, total fulfillment, wholeness.  In our modern day world, we’ve simply created a habit of existing in the thinking mind, and we must learn how to spend more time with Being. 

The definition of a mystic is “a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect.”

Brittany and I consider ourselves mystics, seekers.  We choose to go inside our selves, quiet our minds, and wait for the answers to which we seek.  We have experienced a tremendous amount of growth and transformation since we have gathered the language and the tools to connect and access our spirit connection when needed.  Brittany and I have become soul sisters who experience each other and the world in an intimate way.  We have cultivated a community that supports growth, living in harmony with nature and all living things, and honoring the Being in all of us.  We have learned that seeking answers internally is essential for change in our lives.  

And so we are honored to share our path + this profound intimacy with you. 

-Amy xoxo