The Closing of the Bones ceremony is an ancient postpartum healing practice which was created to nurture the new mother and to honour her in her entirety. It is a practice that brings awareness and respect to the end of her pregnancy, the completion of birth and one that helps to calibrate and initiate her into motherhood.
Most traditional, indigenous cultures are taught that as communities we have the responsibility to care for new mamas and through this, bring healing to their families and communities. Rituals like these have somehow been forgotten in the western world and new mothers often look to their 6 week doctors appointments or first outings as a milestone to unveil their Mama status and as a sign that life is now “back to normal.”
” Postpartum is a state in which all Mamas reside. There is no going back, only through and forward.”
- Unwinding the birth story
- Reflections and releasing
- Herbal foot bath
- Moxibustion to warm the belly and womb space
- Belly massage
- Wraping the body
- Unwrapping and grounding
The Closing of the Bones ceremony
Physically, this practice guides her bones back into place, helps her pelvic organs shift, her uterus to shrink back down and to stimulate blood flow. Women who are honoured in this way, experience a sense of calm and grounding, re-establishing her sense of self. The innate understanding of a new mother’s vulnerability is an essential part of her transformation from maidenhood to motherhood, and can help her recover from pregnancy, birth and any trauma she might have experienced.
After the haze of the 4th trimester, the Closing of the Bones Ceremony gives mothers a pause in time, to gather their experiences, thoughts, emotions and spirit, to close an often difficult chapter and begin a new one.
The Closing of the Bones Ceremony is designed for mothers from 6 weeks postpartum (or when their menstruation has stopped) and beyond.
Postpartum is a state in which all Mamas reside. There is no going back, only through and forward.