In postpartum care and trauma healing, ancient wisdom is meeting modern neuroscience to create powerful, holistic approaches. Somatic rituals like closing the bones are gaining recognition for their profound impact on both physical and emotional well-being.Ā
At the heart of these rituals lie two seemingly simple yet deeply effective techniques: rocking and wrapping. In this article I look at the science behind these practices, exploring how they tap into our primal comfort mechanisms to regulate the nervous system, promote healing, and offer a symbolic journey of rebirth after trauma.Ā
Whether you’re a new mother, a trauma survivor, or a holistic or healthcare professional, understanding the transformative power of these rituals can open new pathways to healing and self-discovery.
What happens during a closing the bones ritual?
The ritual includes rocking the entire body with scarves (I use Mexican shawls called Rebozos), following by an abdominal massage sequence, and finally a process of tightening the rebozos around the body in sequence from the head to the toes.
For a longer explanation, read my article What is closing the bones. And, because a pictures speaks a thousand words, watch the short video below to get a taster of what it looks and feels like:
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How closing the bones supports healing and nervous system re-regulation
Rocking and wrapping
Rocking and wrapping, two key elements of the closing the bones and postnatal recovery massage ritual, play a crucial role in calming the nervous system and healing from stress/trauma. These seemingly simple actions tap into deep, primal comfort mechanisms that can profoundly impact both our nervous system and emotional state.
The soothing power of rocking
Rocking is a universal comfort measure, instinctively used by mothers to soothe infants. This rhythmic motion has several benefits for trauma recovery:
Nervous system regulation: The gentle, repetitive movement of rocking helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, our body’s “rest and digest” mode. This counteracts the hyperarousal often associated with trauma.
Grounding and presence: Rocking encourages a focus on bodily sensations, helping individuals connect with the present moment rather than being caught in traumatic memories.
Emotional release: The soothing motion can create a sense of safety, allowing suppressed emotions to surface and be processed gently.
Vestibular stimulation: Rocking stimulates the vestibular system, which is linked to our sense of balance and spatial orientation. This can help individuals feel more centered and embodied.
The comforting effect of wrapping
Wrapping, another key component of these rituals, offers its own set of benefits for trauma recovery:
Deep pressure therapy: The firm, encompassing pressure of wrapping, activates the body’s deep pressure receptors. This stimulation can reduce anxiety and increase feelings of security.
Boundary reinforcement: For those who have experienced boundary violations, wrapping can provide a tangible sense of where the body ends and the outside world begins, reinforcing a sense of self.
Containment: The physical containment offered by wrapping can symbolically represent emotional containment, helping individuals feel safe enough to process difficult emotions.
Proprioceptive input: Wrapping provides strong proprioceptive input, which can help individuals feel more present in their bodies ā particularly beneficial for those who dissociate as a trauma response.
Neurodivergence and Sensory Regulation
For neurodivergent individuals with autism or ADHD, rocking and wrapping can be particularly beneficial:
Sensory regulation: These actions provide predictable, controllable sensory input, which can be calming for those who struggle with sensory processing.
Self-stimulatory behaviour: Rocking, in particular, mimics self-stimulatory behaviours often used by neurodivergent individuals for self-regulation.
Anxiety reduction: The deep pressure from wrapping can significantly reduce anxiety, a common co-occurring condition in neurodivergence.
Symbolic Rebirth and Integration
Beyond their physiological benefits, rocking and wrapping carry powerful symbolic meaning:
Womb-like experience: these processes can recreate a womb-like environment, symbolically offering a chance for rebirth or a fresh start after trauma.
Ritual transformation: The process of being wrapped and then unwrapped can represent a journey through trauma and emerging anew.
In conclusion, the rocking and wrapping elements of closing the bones and postnatal recovery massage offer a unique blend of physiological regulation and symbolic transformation. By tapping into these primal comfort mechanisms, these rituals provide a gentle yet powerful approach to trauma healing, honouring the body’s innate wisdom and capacity for recovery.
Conclusion
The practices of rocking and wrapping, central to rituals like closing the bones, offer a potent blend of physiological and psychological benefits. By harnessing the body’s innate healing mechanisms, these techniques provide a gentle yet effective approach to trauma recovery and nervous system regulation. Their universal appeal lies in their ability to create a sense of safety, groundedness, and renewal ā essential elements for healing after birth or traumatic experiences.
The adaptability of these practices makes them valuable tools for a wide range of individuals, including people who are neurodivergent. Rituals like these remind us of the profound connection between body and mind in the healing process.
For professionals in the field of women’s health and trauma recovery, incorporating these techniques into your practice can offer clients a unique and deeply nurturing path to healing.Ā
In embracing these ancient yet innovative practices, we open doors to holistic healing that honours the body’s wisdom and the power of gentle, intentional care. As we rock and wrap away the pain, we create space for a profound sense of coming home to ourselves.
Learn to offer the ritual
If you are a holistic professional who supports women through birth, other life transitions or healing and you would like to be able to offer this ritual, I have 3 in person trainings near Cambridge this summer. I also offer an online course version of the ritual which makes it possible to learn this ritual anywhere in the world.
For centuries, birthing women around the world have been supported through labour using traditional techniques that modern obstetrics is only beginning to rediscover. Among these, the rebozoāa traditional Mexican shawlāis one of the most versatile and effective tools for supporting physiological birth. As rates of medical interventions continue to rise globally, these ancient practices are more needed than ever because of their effectiveness in addressing common challenges during labour.
In this article, I explore the history, techniques, and growing research evidence behind the use of rebozo techniques during birth. As both a scientist and birth worker with over 15 years of experience, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable effects these simple techniques can have, often transforming challenging labours and helping women avoid unnecessary interventions.
The rebozo’s effectiveness isn’t mystical; it’s based on sound biomechanical principles that facilitate optimal fetal positioning and maternal comfort. This article is both a personal journey and an evidence-based exploration of how a humble woven cloth can revolutionise birth support in modern settings
History & background
I feel it is important to start with a bit of history and background (and feel free to skip this and go straight to the analysis of the published rebozo research in the second part of this article if you prefer)
What is a rebozo
A rebozo is a handwoven shawl from Mexico, traditionally used as an item of clothing, for massage and support during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postpartum, as well as to carry babies.
What are rebozo techniques
Rebozo techniques are a mix of rocking, jiggling, and wrapping techniques, where the rebozo scarf is placed on specific areas around the body.
The techniques have 3 main aims:
To provide relaxation and comfort.
To support the baby to be in an optimal position for birth
To support moving out of a situation where labour is not progressing (caused by something in the womanās body or the baby).
How are they used?
Rebozos have been used to support childbirth for hundreds of years, likely dating back to pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The exact historical origins are unclear, but it became a versatile tool in the hands of midwives (parteras) in traditional Mexican cultures. Midwives used it for various purposes, such as aiding in fetal positioning, relieving labor discomfort, and offering emotional and physical support during birth.
There are tens of different rebozo techniques in existence. I personally know over 40 techniques, including several original techniques that were created by Mexican Midwife Naoli Vinaver.
Rebozo techniques have become known in the birth professional community because Mexican midwives started sharing them with an international audience.
Rebozo techniques have gained international recognition in recent decades as part of a broader revival of traditional and non-invasive childbirth techniques, because they have been shared with international audiences by Mexican midwives such as Naoli Vinaver and Angelina Martinez.
Midwives and doulas worldwide now incorporate rebozo techniques within their birth support, because they provide gentle yet incredibly effective alternatives to obstetric interventions, something that is more needed than ever before in the face of ever rising rates of induction of labour, and cesareans.
My story
I came to rebozo training out of frustration. During my first year as a doula, back in 2013, I witnessed many first time mothers have long labours lasting 30+ hours. At some point the woman would start to push, after a couple of hours of no baby, a midwife would do a vaginal exam and find the woman to be 6cm dilated with a āback to backā baby. Most of the time another exam later would reveal no further dilation. The midwife would then insist that the mother stops pushing, for fear of causing trauma to the cervix. The mother couldnāt stop pushing, by this time she was usually very tired and vulnerable, and the ālack of progressā aspect was very difficult to cope with. So an epidural was āofferedā. She ended up in bed on her back. The baby could not rotate, and this was always followed by a trip to the theatre, with the baby being born by either forceps or a cesarean.
I became increasingly frustrated by this for two reasons; I felt frustrated on behalf of the mothers, because I knew that the intervention offered would only make things worse (how on earth is a baby taking a while to rotate in an optimal position for birth is supposed to be helped by making a woman lie on her back in bed?). And I also felt frustrated for myself, because this meant that I supported long, challenging births, that did not end up the way the mother wanted it, and also without me being able to support them when they needed me the most (my local hospital applied a strict one partner only rule in theatre-this is something I tried but failed to change, which never had anything to do with safety but with control-but this would be another blog post entirely).
I knew that there had to be another way, one that supported physiology and allowed women to remain in their power. Thatās how I discovered rebozo techniques.
I started training in 2013, and trained with the following people:
Osteopath Teddy Brookes (he taught me what the techniques do to various joints and organs)
Francoise Freedman (One to one Rebozo techniques workshop & Birthlight workshop)
Jennifer Walker and Gail Tully (Spinning babies workshops, 2016 & 2017)
Doula Gena Kirby (Rebozo online course, 2017)
Midwife Molly OāBrien (Biomechanics for birth workshop 2019)
Midwife Naoli Vinaver (Rebozo techniques online from 2020 and 3 days in-person workshop 2022).
The women Iāve supported through pregnancy birth and the postpartum with rebozo techniques.
The professionals who have attended my rebozo workshops and rebozo for an easier birth online course (I started teaching these techniques in person in 2016 and online in 2018).
I also read the following books on rebozo techniques:
Le Rebozo: Bien lāutiliser au quotidien et dans sa vie professionnelle by Virginie Mandin
The rebozo technique unfolded by Mirjam de Keijzer , Thea Van Tuyl and Naoli Vinaver
The Easy Guide to Rebozo for Pregnancy and Birth: 3 simple techniques to increase your comfort by Nicola Nelson
Rebozo me mummy and Rebozo Basic book, by Gena Kirby.
āāThe rebozo is an extension of our hands, driven by our warmth, focus & intentionā Naoli Vinaver
Witnessing Miracles
As soon as I started using rebozo techniques, I saw miracles happen. During pregnancy, the techniques often helped rotate a baby from OA to OP in a few minutes. But it was during birth that the effect was the most amazing. Where before the typical OP scenario I described above would unfold, this time, using the shaking the apples technique, combined with belly rocking during a few contractions would change things completely. I have more examples than I can count, but the three births below are the ones that stick to mind.
First time mother
After 24h of labour, the dreaded āstuck at 6cmā situation happened. The mother refused to transfer from the birth centre to the delivery unit for an epidural, but the midwife pushed hard for diamorphine to prevent the involuntary pushing (note: the issue here is with the belief within mainstream maternity care that this early pushing is harmful-this isnāt true, nor based on evidence Learn more about this in the book Birthing your baby-the second stage of labour, by Nadine Edwards). The mother was exhausted and agreed to the diamorphine. I explained that after receiving the drug she would probably fall asleep, and asked if she would be happy to try some rebozo (shaking the apples and belly sifting) whilst we waited for the midwife to prepare the drug. She agreed. Within 2 or 3 contractions I knew something had shifted because her contractions felt completely different, more powerful and productive. The midwife came back and explained that she needed to examine her again before administering the drug. She had gone from 6cm to fully dilated in less than 30 minutes. She never got the diamorphine and started to push and birthed her baby shortly after. To say that I was elated was an understatement.
Birth Centre VBAC
This mother had had the typical back to back labour scenario during her first labour, ending in a cesarean. SHe expressed that she was very worried about this happening again. When I joined them in labour at the birth centre, she was on her hands and knees, having the typical OP pattern of one long-contraction followed by one short contraction, and back pain during and between contractions. Knowing that letting her know that her baby might be OP would not feel good, I asked if I could try some rebozo techniques to ease her back pain. Within 3 contractions each of shaking the apples and belly sifting, her contractions were even and she no longer had back pain. She birthed her baby in the pool a few hours later.
In this home birth VBAC, after 4 long days of labour, the mother found herself with the āstuck at 6cmā scenario again (with no progress over a period of several hours), this time with an asynclitic baby as well. Having experienced this very scenario before and asked specifically what to do to Gail Tully at a Spinning Babies workshop, I knew exactly what to do. I helped the mother get into an inversion position, and shook the apples during 3 contractions. The mother said she felt the baby turn during the process, and when she came back up, her back was no longer hurting. She started to push soon afterwards, and had her baby in the pool in her lounge a couple of hours later. When the baby was born I was so exhausted and elated I cried and laughed at the same time.
The evidence behind rebozo techniques
Even though it is a traditional practice, there is nothing āwooā about the way rebozo techniques work. They simply work on the principles of biomechanics. When something is stuck, gently jiggling it will help it come unstuck. Jiggling helps move things when they are stuck as well as provide relaxation because it is impossible to stay tense when being jiggled.
Why there was so little research
Before I share this I feel it is important to address the elephant in the room: in our modern world, unless something is published about in a peer reviewed journal, people often believe that it is not āevidence basedā. From this misguided viewpoint, people often assume that it is a proof that the untested techniques are ineffective. However, lack of evidence isnāt equal to lack of effectiveness, it just means that it hasnāt been studied!
There are three main reasons why rebozo techniques havenāt been extensively studied (until recently-read more below) :
1) We have an unconscious, biased, colonialist mindset which is very prevalent in modern science and medicine. This mindset assumes that what hasnāt come from modern science is both uneducated and ineffective. If the rebozo techniques were applied with a fancy piece of technology instead of with handwoven scarves, peopleās reactions to it would be very different.
2) There is no financial gain in using rebozo techniques. Nobody is going to make big bucks from them and they cannot be patented.
3) There are tens of different techniques and each one would need to be studied individually. Dr Sara Wickham explains this well in her article, The evidence for rebozos.
āThe rebozo evolved as a tool rather than being invented to solve a specific, measurable problem. But the difficulty in evaluating rebozo effectiveness isnāt a reflection of the inappropriateness of tools such as rebozos. It reflects the uneasy relationship that exists between the very rigid thinking and evaluation means of western medicine and the more fluid knowledge that exists within and around other healing modalities, such as traditional midwifery.ā
Dr Sara Wickham
Rebozo techniques used in the research
In the research papers listed below, the 3 techniques most common techniques used are rocking the hips (lying down), shaking the apples, and bump rocking.
Hip Rocking (this can be done standing up or lying down)
This consists in gently rocking the hips of a pregnant woman with a rebozo. This can be used for comfort, to help labour start or to adjust fetal malposition by adding a tug in the direction desired.
This provides movement between the lower thoracic spine and the lumbar spine, and helps with the compression forces caused by postural changes during pregnancy. It provides a passive articulation, completely removes the pressure, especially in the thoraco-lumbar joint. This can have a positive impact on breathing too as it also releases the diaphragm. Using a faster movement makes it more of a fluid technique/viscera (which can direct movement into the uterus and its ligaments). Movement in the body causes pressure changes resulting in fluid pumping in and out of tissues and at cellular level, increased fluid movement leads to more healthy body tissues. Fascial tightness or looseness can govern the ability of fluid to move in and out.
Bump rocking
The mother is on her hands and knees, kneeling over a sofa or birth ball or chair, and the rebozo is wrapped around the bump and lifted gently, then rocked. As well as providing relaxation and comfort, this technique can help restore balance to the uterus and therefore the positioning of the baby during pregnancy or labour.
This loosens all the fascial tension: abdominal fascia and muscles, viscera (organ) ligaments, lumbar muscles and fascia. The vibration provides more movement into the uterus and uterine ligaments and helps to take the tension off it.
Shaking the apples
The woman is on her hands and knees (or standing up), kneeling over a sofa or birth ball or chair, and the rebozo is wrapped around her buttocks, applied tightly to the hip bones, and a jiggle is applied. This technique helps relax the pelvis ligaments and muscles (including the pelvic floor) and provide pain relief during contractions.
This provides a fluid vibration technique and helps with pelvic ligaments and to vibrate the viscera. The jostling can help resettle things and can encourage the baby to move.
Review of the research
Until recently there was almost no published evidence behind the effectiveness of rebozo techniques to support labour and birth.
The last time I wrote about this, there were literally 3 papers: one story of a midwifeās experience in using rebozo within the NHS, one that looked at how rebozo techniques could help turned OP babies (but this was a descriptive paper rather than an experimental one) , and one about the satisfaction of women receiving a rebozo intervention during labour.
However this has changed, with 11 new papers being published since 2022, and it is time for this evidence to be reviewed, so it can be shared, so we can help break the misguided belief that rebozo techniques are just not effective.
Below you will find a summary of all the published scientific papers (I have only included the papers in English) I have found about rebozo techniques, in chronological order, with a link to each of the papers, should you be a geek like me and want to read them.
Techniques : sifting, shaking the apples, and head massage.
Summary: The article explains what a rebozo is, how the author was introduced to rebozo techniques, and how she has incorporated them into her midwifery practice in the UK. The author shares her journey from being hesitant to use these techniques in hospital settings to eventually teaching them in active birth workshops. There is an emphasis on the fact that these techniques should be used appropriately and that any intervention is still an intervention.
Techniques: hip rocking lying down, shaking the apples, and belly sifting.
Summary and outcomes :The paper explains the background for the techniques and how to carry them out. The article outlines practical considerations for implementing rebozo techniques in a hospital setting. The paper includes a case study of a woman in labour with an OP baby for whom using the belly sifting techniques lead to a more comfortable and effective labour.
Techniques: Sifting and jiggling (both hips and belly, either standing up/ lying down or on hands and knees)
Summary and outcomes: Techniques were mostly used with suspected malposition. In more than half of the cases, the midwife answered that a change in the labour was observed after rebozo use. Most women reported positive bodily sensations, pain relief, and described the techniques as user-friendly and non-invasive. The techniques were well-received as a supportive measure during labour.
Study type: Multicenter randomised controlled trial
Location: Danemark
Number of women: 372 (women with a singleton breech presentation at 35-36 weeks pregnancy)
Techniques: Sifting and jiggling (both hips and belly, either standing up/ lying down or on hands and knees), combined with Spinning babies type positioning (open-knee
chest, breech tilt, and crawling on all fours).
Summary and outcomes: Techniques were mostly used with suspected malposition. Most women reported positive bodily sensations, pain relief, and described the techniques as user-friendly and non-invasive. The techniques were well-received as a supportive measure during labour.
This is the only published randomized controlled trial to date examining the effect of rebozo techniques as an adjunct to ECV. Contrary to expectations, the addition of rebozo techniques before ECV did not improve, but rather reduced, the likelihood of achieving a cephalic presentation at birth (51% vs 62%). The intervention was found to be safe, with no adverse events reported.
Note : the paper states that despite initial consent to refrain from performing rebozo, 32 women from the control group reported to have performed rebozo exercises at home or had consultations with a private provider outside the hospitals.
Techniques: Unspecified, but assumed to be the trio above, combined with light touch massage
Summary and outcomes: Before intervention, most women reported moderate (53.3%) or severe (20%) pain. Afterward, the majority experienced only mild pain (60%) or no pain (26.7%), with just 13.3% reporting moderate pain and none reporting severe pain. Every participant experienced pain reduction.
Techniques: Belly sifting, shaking the apples and double hip squeeze with rebozo
Summary and outcomes: Statistically significant reduction of both pain (a 20% reduction on average) and anxiety (average of 17%) in the rebozo group. The majority of the rebozo group reported a positive experience with labour, compared to the control group.
Summary and outcomes: The rebozo group had, on average, a shorter first stage of labour than the control group (measured by the number of women having a labour under 6h versus over 6h).
Techniques: not specified but assumed to be sifting and jiggling based on references, using either combined rebozo and hypnobirthing, or just hypnobirthing as a control group.
Summary and outcomes: The rebozo and hypnobirthing was associated with a shorter second stage of labour, and no difference in Agpar score.
Techniques: Shaking the apples or Zilgrei method (a breathing technique)
Summary and outcomes: Both the rebozo and Zilgrei interventions reduced the length of the first stage of labour, and the rebozo group had on average a shorter first stage of labour than in the Zilgrei group.
Techniques: Hip rocking lying down and shaking the apples with rebozo compared with oxytocin massage (light touch spine massage)
Summary and outcomes: Significant difference between the massage and rebozo group, with the rebozo group having a shorter average second stage of labour (58 min) than the massage group (67 min) .
Techniques: Rebozo techniques (not specified in the paper, but assumed to be the same as in the other papers) versus relaxing massage.
Summary and outcomes: Women in the rebozo group had lower pain levels during birth and greater birth satisfaction, as well as a shorter duration of labour.
Number of women: 1500 in prospective cohort (before the techniques were used) and 779 in retrospective cohort (after the techniques were used regularly)- 2279 in total
Techniques: Rebozo combined with Spinning babies techniques
Summary and outcomes: Reduction of persistence of OP position during labour. About 35% of babies in both groups started labour with an OP position. In the control group about 36% of those babies remained OP until birth. In the study group, only about 28% remained OP, a statistically significant reduction of 8%.
Summary of the research
Studies have been conducted in the USA, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Italy, and Denmark.
Sample sizes are small (range from 14 to 2,279 women)
Techniques: Most studies used rebozo sifting (rocking/jiggling the pelvis or belly), sometimes combined with maternal postures or combined or compared to other pain-relief methods.
Outcomes:
Consistent findings of reduced perceived labour pain and improved birth satisfaction.
Some evidence of shorter labour and improved fetal positioning.
High acceptability and positive feedback from women using the technique.
No significant adverse outcomes reported.
Strength of the research:
Growing international interest with studies from diverse healthcare settings
Consistent positive findings for pain reduction and maternal satisfaction across multiple studies
Some larger sample sizes in more recent studies (notably the Italian study with 2,279 women)
Evolution from purely observational to experimental and randomized controlled designs
Limitations of the research:
Small sample size in most studies
Inconsistent methodology: Techniques vary significantly between studies, making direct comparison difficult
Many studies combine rebozo with other techniques (Massage, positionsā¦) making isolating effects difficult
Limited blinding: Due to the nature of the intervention, proper blinding is challenging, increasing risk of bias
The current body of research evidence indicates that rebozo techniques are an effective, safe, and well-accepted non-pharmacological intervention for reducing labour pain, improving the birth experience, and potentially facilitating labour progress. The integration of rebozo techniques into modern maternity care is supported by both quantitative and qualitative evidence. Bigger and more rigorous studies would help to strengthen the evidence base and guide standardised practice.
Conclusion
As you can see, through both my personal account and emerging research, rebozo techniques offer a transformative approach to supporting physiological birth in an era of increasing medicalisation. The growing body of evidence, spanning multiple countries and methodologies, consistently shows benefits for pain reduction, maternal satisfaction, labour duration, and potentially fetal positioning.
What makes rebozo techniques particularly valuable is their simplicity, accessibility, and safety. Unlike many medical interventions, they work with the body’s natural physiological processes rather than overriding them. They empower both birthing women, their partners and supporters with practical tools that can be applied in virtually any birth setting, from hospitals to home births.
Ideally, there would need to be larger, more standardised studies. But we must also be careful not to fall into the trap of dismissing traditional wisdom simply because rebozo techniques havenāt been subjected to large double blind clinical trials. The absence of these does not indicate a lack of effectiveness : it reflects historical biases about which knowledge systems are deemed worthy of scientific attention. (And I also want to point out that a published review of UK maternity care guidelines showed that only 9 to 12% of them are based on this kind of evidenceā¦.)
As birth professionals and maternity care systems continue to seek balance between technology and physiological support, rebozo techniques are a powerful symbol of integration, honouring traditional wisdom while meeting contemporary standards for evidence-based care. Through this integration, my hope is that we may move closer to a model of birth that places the needs and experiences of birthing women at the centre.
If you want to learn more
I offer an online course called Rebozo for an easier birth, which contains written explanations of 25 rebozo techniques, with video tutorials and an explanation of what each techniques does to the body by an osteopath.
I offer one to one mentoring sessions. These sessions are ideal if you are a birth professional and want to extend your confidence and knowledge about how/when to use the techniques. I also offer a 3 months mentoring package for perinatal and holistic professionals. I create a space where your inner wisdom can emerge and be recognised. Through deep listening, embodied practices, and ritual, we’ll walk together on this path of discovery.
If youād like me to come and teach these techniques to you, I am happy to offer training up to 2h from Cambridge, UK. I am especially keen to train more NHS midwives (I have already delivered several workshops within the NHS). Sharing these tools with healthcare providers creates powerful ripple effects, enhancing care for birthing families throughout the system. This allows us to re-integrate traditional wisdom into standard practice, benefiting both providers and the families they serve. Contact me to explore training opportunities for your team or unit.
In this episode, I interview Kate Codrington and we discuss the changes of consciousness during menopause.
Kate is a mentor, author, speaker, and artist with 30+ years as a therapist. Her book Second Spring: The Self-Care Guide to Menopause was named among NYT’s top seven menopause books. She mentors those in perimenopause individually and in groups, guides nature-based Yoga Nidra, hosts “Life – An Inside Job” podcast, and creates textile art.
We explore the natural inward journey that often conflicts with society’s expectations, Kate’s seasonal framework for understanding our life changes, and practical wisdom for navigating this transformative time.
Kate shares profound insights about the transformative journey of perimenopause and menopause. She explores how these transitions fundamentally shift women’s consciousness, creating a natural turning inward that often conflicts with societal expectations. She discusses the psychological and emotional aspects of this life stage, emphasising the importance of self-awareness, connection with the earth, and building supportive communities. Kate also offers practical guidance for navigating this transition, including how to approach HRT decisions and embrace both the challenges and wisdom that emerge during this time.
Episode Highlights
The Consciousness Shift: Kate explains how perimenopause creates a natural inward focus, making external demands increasingly exhausting and disconnecting.
Cultural Context: Discussion of how patriarchal narratives conflict with women’s natural needs during this transition.
Seasonal Framework: Kate introduces her seasonal map for understanding different life stages, including the concept of a “second spring” post-menopause.
Practical Support: Insights on how women can honour their changing needs while balancing multiple responsibilities.
HRT Considerations: Balanced perspective on hormone therapy as one possible tool, with recommendations for mindful implementation and tracking.
Post-Menopause Purpose: Exploration of how this life stage often brings stronger connection to earth, community service, and clarified values.
Quotes from the episode
“Perimenopause is characterised by a shift towards an internal focus, with the outside world becoming unappealing and exhausting. There’s a deep need for space, connection with the earth, and intimacy with oneself.”
“The post-menopausal stage often brings a stronger connection to the earth and a desire to serve the community. It’s like entering a second spring with renewed purpose and clarity.”
The spring equinox marks that perfect moment of balance when day and night stand equal, inviting us to pause and reflect on balance, and opposing forces in our lives. This weekend, I’ll be leading an equinox ceremony for my local community, centred around the wisdom of plants native to our land ā this time, the humble dandelion.
Why Local Plants?
I’ve chosen to work with local plants for our ceremony because they carry the specific medicine and wisdom needed for those living on this land. There’s a beautiful reciprocity in honouring the plants that grow naturally in our immediate environment ā they’ve adapted to our specific soil, climate, and conditions, just as we have. Working with local plants connects us to the wisdom of the land in a way that imported or exotic plants/herbs simply cannot.
The plants growing around us are offering their gifts freely. By acknowledging and working with them, we deepen our relationship with the land we inhabit and strengthen our sense of belonging to place.
Dandelion: The Perfect Equinox Teacher
Dandelion embodies the balance of equinox energy perfectly. With its surprisingly deep roots reaching into the earth and its golden flower mirroring the sun above, it demonstrates the harmony between below and above, darkness and light.
During winter, dandelions store their energy in their roots, sending their life force deep into the earth. As spring arrives, this energy begins to flow upward, creating the perfect balance between grounding and outwards expansion.
Dandelion’s Healing Properties
This common weed is anything but ordinary. Dandelions offer remarkable healing properties:
Roots: Rich in inulin, dandelion roots support liver function, aid digestion, and help clear toxins from the body ā perfect for spring cleansing after winter’s heaviness.
Leaves: High in vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, calcium, and iron, the leaves act as a gentle diuretic (in my native France, they are called pissenlit, which literally translates as “pee in the bed”, because its diuretic properties) helping to reduce water retention while replenishing potassium.
Flowers: Contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that support immune function and skin health.
Dandelion reminds us that what appears ordinary often holds extraordinary gifts ā we need only the wisdom to recognise them.
Dandelion Meditation
As part of our ceremony, I’ll be guiding a special meditation that invites participants to embody dandelion energy, feeling the balance between the grounding force of roots and the radiant expression of the golden bloom. This practice helps us recognize how we can draw upon winter’s stored wisdom while simultaneously opening to spring’s expansive potential. All you need to do is set about 5 min to sit or lie quietly and listen to it. You may want to have a notebook ready if any wisdom rises as you listen to the meditation.
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Dandelion Tea Ceremony
During my community’s sharing circle, as well as the meditation, I will share dandelion tea. A tea made from all parts of this remarkable plant ā dried and roasted root, fresh leaves, and flowers ā symbolising the integration of our whole selves at this balanced time of the year.
Spring Equinox Dandelion Tea
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon roasted of dandelion root (earthy, slightly bitter). You can make your own, or buy this online or in heath food shops.
1 handful of fresh dandelion leaves (green, slightly tangy)
1 handful of dandelion flowers (sweet, delicate)
Honey or lemon to taste
4 cups water
Instructions:
Gather dandelion parts from pesticide-free areas
To roast roots: Clean thoroughly, chop, and dry in a low oven (120 degrees C) until dark and fragrant
Bring water to boil in a pot
Add roasted dandelion root, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes
Remove from heat and add leaves and flowers
Cover and steep for 5-10 minutes
Strain and serve with honey or lemon if desired
This tea supports gentle spring detoxification while nourishing the body with minerals and vitamins ā the perfect balance of cleansing and nourishing energies that mirror the equinox itself.
Honouring Life’s Thresholds
As someone who guides women through life’s major transitions, I find particular resonance in these seasonal threshold moments. The equinox teaches us that balance isn’t static ā it’s a dynamic dance between opposing forces, a momentary alignment that reminds us of our place in the cycles of nature.
By connecting with dandelion wisdom at this equinox, we learn to honour both our depths and our radiant outward expression, our roots and our blooms, our past wisdom and future potential.
May this equinox bring you perfect balance between all aspects of your being.
If you’d like to join future seasonal ceremonies, please reach out. I offer both community circles and individual mentoring for those navigating life’s significant thresholds.
In this insightful conversation, midwife and lactation consultant Alison Shaloe shares her 30-year journey supporting women through pregnancy and birth. She discusses her work at the Sacred Fertility and Birth Sanctuary and offers a refreshing perspective on how childbirth can be approached as a transcendent, empowering experience rather than a medical event.
Key Highlights:
A Spiritual Awakening: Alison reveals her personal challenges with cesarean births and breastfeeding that led to specialising in tongue-tie support, and how Reiki opened her to spiritual dimensions of birth, including the ability to hear messages from babies.
Breaking Through Dogma: Alison discusses the challenges of speaking about spiritual aspects of birth in a society dominated by scientific dogma and fear, sharing how her book evolved from clinical focus to include channeled information from spirit babies.
Altered States of Consciousness: The conversation explores how women naturally enter altered states during labourāa necessary surrender that’s rarely taught in midwifery education but is essential to the birth process.
Patriarchal Systems in Birth: Alison highlights how current birth practices often reflect patriarchal attitudes that interrupt women’s natural birthing processes, from computerised systems to unnecessary interventions that disempower women.
Honouring Women Through Ritual: The importance of ceremonies like “mother blessing” and “closing the bones” is discussed as essential cultural practices that honour women’s journey into motherhood and support significant life transitions.
Creating Sacred Birth Spaces: Alison shares her vision for birth environments that honour the spiritual and emotional connection between mother and baby, emphasizing the need for privacy, respect, and gentle first moments after birth.
If I show you a frame drum and tell you it can help with procrastination, does it make you roll your eyes? Does it trigger thoughts like, āWhatās this hippy nonsense?ā And yet, you might be surprised to learn that drumming has a solid scientific foundation. Years of research show how rhythmic drumming can influence your consciousness and nervous system, helping you shift out of procrastination and into flow.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks, decisions, or actions, even when you know it could lead to negative consequences. It often involves choosing short-term comfort or avoidance over the effort, discipline, or focus needed to complete a taskādespite the long-term benefits of getting it done.
Why do we procrastinate?
Procrastination isnāt just about poor time managementāitās a self-regulation challenge. We procrastinate to avoid uncomfortable feelings such as:
Fear of failure, judgment, or being seen
Perfectionism
Difficulty managing emotions
At its core, procrastination stems from a dysregulated nervous system. When we’re overwhelmed or afraid, our brains seek comfort and safety, making it harder to focus or take action.
How drumming can help
This is where the drum becomes an unlikely yet powerful ally. Through a process called auditory entrainment, drumming can shift your state of consciousness and soothe your nervous system.
Shamanic drumming, which typically maintains a rhythm of around 4 beats per second, is especially effective. This rhythm slows your brain waves, moving you into a relaxed, semi-meditative state. In this state:
Your nervous system calms down.
Fear and constriction ease, allowing for more open and creative thinking.
You can look at problems differently, with a ārelaxedā brain that makes moving forward feel easier and less overwhelming.
How to use drumming to overcome procrastination
If you have a drum:
Set a timer and drum intuitively for just five minutes. This is usually enough to release mental tension and get you unstuck.
If you don’t have a drum:
You can achieve the same thing by drumming on a book, on a table or on your body. Percussion causes the brain changes, so it does not matter what you use.
Listen to drumming
There are plenty of free shamanic drumming tracks available on platforms like YouTube and Spotify. You can do this with drumming in the background whilst you do something else, and you do not even need headphones.
For a more targeted approach:
Check out Brain Stim Audio by ADHD drummer Jeff Strong. He has developed specific focus tracks designed to overcome procrastination using the same principles of auditory entrainment. You can try Brain Stim Audio free for two weeks without providing payment details, and Jeff also shares some rhythm samples on YouTube. From personal experience, I can vouch for their effectiveness!
Want to dive deeper?
If youād like to explore this further, I recently hosted a low cost workshop (Ā£25) called Beat Procrastination with the Drum which is available as a recording.
In this 90-minute session, youāll learn:
The science behind procrastination and how it affects the brain and body.
Practical ways to use drumming to move from stuck to flow.
Guided drum exercises to help you shift your mindset.
No drum is neededāI provide live drumming during the session, along with tips and resources you can use afterward.
Join me and discover how the power of rhythm can help you soothe your nervous system and overcome procrastination.
In early January, I felt a familiar disconnect: while my body craved hibernation, the world buzzed with “new year, new you” messaging. This jarring contrast led me to reflect on our relationship with rest, productivity, and natural cycles – both as a scientist and as someone learning to honour my body’s wisdom, and also to offer a workshop using the drum to manage this.
The Biology behind winter rest
First let me make something clear: making resolutions in early January makes no sense on an energetic and biological level. Weāre in midwinter. It is still dark and cold. We are meant to rest at this time.Ā
Itās a fact, biologically. I did my PhD and 2 postdocs on chronobiology. Evidence shows that when nights are longer we have less energy. In fact as a species we used to work a lot harder during the time of the year when nights were short, but the advent of mass schooling (and people needing the kids back to help during the harvest) led to what we have now: holidays at a time (summer) when we need the least rest.
What Celtic Wisdom Teaches Us About Seasons
It is also a fact in nature. Just look around, nature is still mostly hibernating, even though tiny signs of Spring can already be visible. I celebrate the festivals of the celtic wheel of the year, and it would make much more sense to wait to plan goals/do resolutions etc starting from Imbolc (end of January/early February), when the energy of Spring is starting to rise.
Despite taking a really long break over Christmas, the first week when we were supposed to be back at work, I noticed that I was still very sluggish. Getting back to work after holidays is something Iāve learnt that I need to do progressively, and I did, but this was next level. I just wanted to hibernate. I did very little work that week, I just couldnāt get going.
I noticed something really interesting happening. Whilst Iāve always known in my head that winter is for rest, I still struggled with some level of guilt about not being productive that week. This I expect is due to my upbringing, and belonging to a culture that sees ābeing productiveā all the time as a sign of worth, and resting as a sign of laziness.
Nature likes balance. What comes up must go down. The cycle of growth and decay is very clearly evidence in nature. Trees donāt bear flowers or fruits all year round. But still, it is hard when the āproductivityā belief has been so ingrained in us since childhood. This also makes it hard to know when we truly need to rest or we are simply experiencing a disconnect, a resistance between our inner state and what we think we ought to be ādoingā.
That first week of January, my body simply would not let me work. So I leaned into that, and lo and behold, the following week my energy was back to a much more functional level. And projects started to pull me forward once more: this week I received the mock up of both the French translation of my first book (Why postnatal recovery matters), and of my new book about women and drumming, on the same day!
When Productivity Becomes Unsustainable: My ADHD Medication Journey
In my case, it is probably not surprising that I needed some extra rest. In July 2024 I started taking ADHD stimulant medication (Elvanse/Lisdexamfetamine). Whilst part of me loved the hyper productive experience the medication gave me (and it sure was fantastic in helping me finish my book in time), by September, I started noticing that I was working at a level that wasnāt natural or sustainable. I was working at a constant level. There were no ādown daysāĀ , something that used to be normal for me. I not only finished the book about drumming, and did all the edits and corrections, but I also finished correcting the French translation of my first book, and also did all the work to launch my first group program.
In September I experienced constant bleeding, which led me to stop taking HRT after 18 months (when I look back, this was probably also related to overworking). By November I was also experiencing severe gut symptoms. When I meditated with my gut, the answer came loud and clear: you need to slow down. I did not really want to but the symptoms were severe enough for me not to be able to ignore them. It was as if my gut was literally screaming at me.Ā
After researching the subject and finding evidence that there is a link between the meds I was taking and the symptoms I was experiencing, I decided to stop taking the ADHD meds, and did so at the end of November.Ā I also took healing herbs and saw a homeopath, but listening to my bodyās cry for rest really felt key. I was prescribed typical Western medicine, drugs that I knew would not heal, but just put a temporary lid on my symptoms, and also stop me from listening to my bodyās needs.
So I slowed right down, winding my work from early December onwards, and stopping completely by mid December, and really not properly resuming a sense of readiness to work until mid January. When I look back, having spent 5 months working at an abnormally high pace, itās not surprising that I would need a much longer break than normal to recover.
Learning to Listen: The Different Faces of Rest
Now that Iām meds free, I’m back to having my normal ebb and flow, with the ups days and the down days. Iām working at trusting the wisdom of that. I know that, in typical ADHD fashion, when I get up on days I often accomplish several days of work in a few hours. And I need to trust and lean into the down days (I call them āfuck-itā days-and usually give up on trying to work and do something nourishing instead).
However, I also experience procrastination that is not down to having an energetic down day. Itās more that there is something blocking me underneath. A sense of stagnancy, of stuckness.Ā
I feel itās really important to be able to distinguish between the two: is this really my body trying to tell me to rest, or am I running away from something uncomfortable? The two feel completely different. The key is to lean into the embodied experience.
Finding Flow Through Rhythm: How Drumming Breaks Stagnation
When I am procrastinating, the one thing that seems to help me faster than any other tools Iāve tried is my drum. Whenever Iām experiencing resistance or feeling stuck, I put a timer on for 5 min and play my drum. Itās amazing how quickly it shifts me from stuck more into movement and ideas. I also often listen to some drumming tracks designed to modify my consciousness/state of mind whilst working/getting started.
Conclusion
As we navigate the pressure to maintain constant productivity, perhaps the greatest wisdom lies in trusting our natural rhythms. Whether it’s honouring winter’s call for rest or using tools like drumming to move through genuine blocks, the key is learning to distinguish between our body’s true needs and conditioned resistance. This journey has taught me that productivity isn’t about maintaining constant output, but about flowing with our natural cycles.
I am aware that many of us are experiencing similar issues to the ones I describe above at this moment in time and feeling difficulties in getting going. I’d love to hear what your experience has been.
If you’ve been following my blog since 2017, you’ll know I love doing these year-end reviews – they’re like a public reflective diary, helping me process and share my journey. For about five years now, I’ve also chosen a word for the upcoming year, using an intuitive process that helps me connect with what support I need and how I want to feel. (I’ll share a guided drum journey below so you can find yours too!)
My word for 2024 was “Guidance” – and boy did the universe deliver! They say be careful what you wish for, and this year brought guidance in ways I never expected, consuming most of my energy and focus throughout the entire year.
Building a support system: My access to work journey
One of the biggest changes this year came through successfully applying for an Access to Work grant. Since ADHD is classified as a disability in the UK, I was eligible – but this journey wasn’t one I could navigate alone. For someone with ADHD, where admin and paperwork are my nemesis, the process felt particularly challenging, especially since government systems seem designed to be hardest for those they’re meant to help.
I was fortunate to have amazing support: my neurodivergent coach Kanan helped draft the initial application and body-doubled with me for the submission. Then came the team at This is Me agency. They were instrumental in helping me map out my support worker needs, advocating during DWP calls (which significantly reduced my anxiety), and tackling the mountain of paperwork – including gathering 24 different quotes from potential support workers!
The grant approval was both exciting and overwhelming. I received funding for 14 hours of weekly support worker time, ADHD coaching sessions, and equipment like noise-cancelling headphones and a Remarkable tablet. But then came the challenge: how to recruit and manage all these people? Classic ADHD paralysis hit me hard, and it took weeks to actually implement the support. Looking back, I wish I’d reached out to the agency about feeling overwhelmed and prioritised finding the right VA first to help coordinate everything/everyone else.Ā
Building my support team
My first hire was a professional declutterer, who visits weekly. Working with her has been revelatory – finally helping me understand why I could never tackle the chaos alone (and helping me kick out both the shame and the delusion around not being able do it alone). She doesn’t just help organise; she measures spaces and tells exactly what storage solutions to use to prevent clutter from returning. A year on, my desk no longer holds its infamous “pile of doom,” and for the first time in years, I’m not frantically clearing space before my family visits for the holidays. The fact that we’re only halfway through the process after a year shows just how much support I needed.
Finding Rosslyn, my VA who specialises in supporting people with ADHD, was another game-changer. Instead of overwhelming me with procedure documents and systems, she worked with me gradually to build processes that actually work for my brain. She’s helped identify other crucial support needs, like a website manager and bookkeeper, making my business more streamlined and automated. I was lucky to have had my grant renewed for the coming year too (albeit at a lower rate), which means that I’ll be able to complete the many projects I started.
Professional evolution: learning, growing, teaching
The Business Side
Working with conscious marketing mentors has been a key part of my journey since 2021. I’ve found that being held in a container of like-minded, heart-based entrepreneurs helps keep me accountable. After three enriching years with George Kao, I sought someone who better matched my needs: Europe-based (for more compatible time zones – I’m a morning person), a woman balancing motherhood with business, and offering affordable mentoring with the same conscious/authentic values. Through George’s community, I found Caroline Leon, whose smaller group size and understanding of work-life balance was exactly what I needed.
Under Caroline’s guidance, I created my first proper business plan in over 11 years of self-employment. While I set some overly ambitious financial goals without accounting for the time needed for Access to Work implementation and personal development, I see this not as a failure but as valuable learning.
Looking at what I did accomplish this year:
Teaching: 6 in-person courses spanning intuitive drumming, closing the bones, postnatal recovery massage, and rebozo techniques for NHS midwives
Community work: I led 13 drum circles and co-facilitated 8 wheel of the year ceremonies
One-to-one support: I did 16 closing the bones massages/healing sessions and about as many mentoring sessions.
Online courses: I welcomed 142 new students to my courses and ran 3 online masterclassesĀ
Workshop: I ran a new online one about overcoming impostor syndrome.
Plant medicine: I ran an evening of connection with the spirit of Mugwort
Content creation: I wrote and published 32 blog posts, sent 20 newsletters, shared over 180 social media posts, and recorded 6 podcast interview
Major milestones
The highlight of my year was completing my book about drumming as a tool for women’s empowerment – twice the size of my first book, Why Postnatal Recovery Matters. True to my ADHD style, I wrote most of it in an intense six-week sprint before the publisher’s deadline! The book will be published by Womancraft in September 2025, with US distribution through Red Wheel.
This year saw me stepping into new and bigger spaces, delivering drumming demonstrations at two midwifery conferences and speaking about women’s life transitions at the convention of women drummers. I taught my first intuitive drumming course, incorporating rites of passage work around menarche and motherhood – a profound and powerful experience.
Beautiful “failures” and their gifts
My attempt to launch a group program for creating calm and overcoming overwhelm didn’t attract participants despite thorough preparation: market research interviews, content creation, and technical setup. Yet instead of disappointment, I felt relief. This “failure” revealed that I was meant to offer something deeper – focusing on helping sensitive, holistic, heart-centered women reclaim their power in more profound ways.
Personal growth and healing: a journey to wholeness
Finding deep support
After supporting my child through mental health challenges and experiencing my own struggles, I knew I needed something different from traditional support systems. The NHS counselling I received in Autumn 2023 provided zero relief, leading me to seek alternatives that aligned with my holistic understanding of healing.
My experience with the NHS’s approach to mental health – both for my child and myself – highlighted a fundamental flaw in modern healthcare. As Josh Schrei beautifully puts it in his podcast The Emerald, “if a plant was sick we wouldn’t say it has ‘wilting syndrome’, we would ask if it’s getting enough food, water, sunshine.”
Another quote that really exemplifies the narrow, mechanistic view of the modern mental health approach, which ignores our need for community, belonging, and connection, is this one (from an article about Western talking therapists who were sent to support people in Rwanda after the genocide).Ā Ā
āTheir practice did not involve being outside in the sun where you begin to feel better. There was no music or drumming to get your blood flowing again. There was no sense that everyone had taken the day off so that the entire community could come together to try to lift you up and bring you back to joy. Instead, they would take people one at a time into these dingy little rooms and have them sit around for an hour or so and talk about bad things that had happened to them. We had to ask them to leaveāĀ
I found my answer in a therapist who bridges psychotherapy and shamanic practice. His two-hour sessions (so much more effective than the standard 50-minute format) provided more healing in a few weeks than months of conventional therapy. By May, I was experiencing a level of peace and spaciousness I hadn’t felt in years – a feeling that continues to deepen.
The medication journey
This year brought interesting experiments with different forms of support. As I wrote my book, I discovered the power of “microdosing drumming” – just 5 minutes daily – which created similar positive thought pattern changes to my previous experiences with microdosing mushrooms. This practice, along with pre-recorded therapeutic drum tracks, became crucial tools in my wellbeing toolkit.
The HRT chapter
Ā My journey with HRT, which began in 2023 to soothe my nervous system, took an unexpected turn. I started experiencing concerning side effects that echoed my previous experiences with hormonal contraception in the past. After being fast-tracked to the cancer clinic due to constant bleeding, I made the conscious choice to stop.
Whilst HRT supported my nervous system back towards balance at a time of desperation, feels like it somehow paused my menopause process. However, now that Iāve stopped, I feel like I wasnāt my true self during the 18 months I took it. It feels a bit like an epidural during labour: yes you no longer feel the pain, but you can also no longer feel the power.
Stopping HRT led to increased energy and a stronger connection to my power. As Jane Hardwicke Collings explains, oestrogen is the “hormone of accommodation” – it can make us more pleasant and accommodating but might also dampen our true power. Without it, I’ve rediscovered my authentic voice and strength.
The ADHD medication experience
My experience with ADHD medication was equally enlightening. While the medicine I was prescribed, Elvanse, helped tremendously with focus and motivation, particularly in finishing my book, I could sense that I wasnāt being entirely myself, and something told me that the increased productivity wasn’t sustainable long-term. When serious digestive issues arose, and I meditated on it, my body’s message was clear: “slow down.”
Listening to this wisdom, I chose to stop the medication after 5 months, and embrace a slower pace, particularly during the winter months when nature itself calls for rest. This decision feels deeply aligned with my body’s needs and the natural rhythms of nature.
Embracing winter’s wisdom and looking forward
Winter solstice reflectionsĀ
Last week, co-creating our winter solstice ceremony with friends brought a profound realisation: for the first time, I’m not just enduring the dark season but discovering its beauty. I can appreciate the starkness of winter while quietly celebrating that the light will soon return. Our ceremony will honour both the necessary stillness of darkness and the promise of returning light – a perfect metaphor for my own journey this year.
The power of slowing down
My decision to work quietly through December and take an extended break (December 19th to January 6th) feels aligned with winter’s energy. This slower pace, matching the season when nature herself rests, brings a deep sense of rightness. It’s a conscious choice to honour natural rhythms rather than pushing against them.
Plants and animals donāt fight the winter; they donāt pretend itās not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but thatās where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible. Katherine May, from the book Wintering
Vision for 2025
Stepping into power
Ā Having recorded a drum journey for reviewing 2024 and connecting with 2025’s energy (which I’m sharing with you below), I feel a clear shift emerging. 2025 calls me to fully step into my power as a menopausal woman and mentor. This power has been rising steadily since stopping HRT, and it feels like perfect timing with my new book about drumming and women’s wisdom being published next year.
I feel called to support other women in accessing their own power and wisdom, contributing to raising humanity’s consciousness. We can no longer thrive while disconnected from nature, community, and what makes our hearts sing. There’s an urgent need to create new frameworks beyond our current constraints.
My 2024 word was Guidance, and it served its purpose beautifully, bringing me exactly the support and direction I needed. For 2025, my word is Power. It’s about embracing my authentic strength and using it to support others to do the same and create positive change in the world.
Closing invitation
As we stand at this threshold between years, I invite you to join me in this reflective practice. Below you’ll find the recorded drum journey to help you review 2024 and connect with the energy of 2025. Now isn’t the time for rational goal-setting, but rather for dreaming and listening to your inner wisdom. Whether you’re seeking to reflect on the past year, find a word for the coming year or simply wanting to connect more deeply with your own truth, the drum is here to guide you.
Remember, this turning of the year is not about forcing change or setting rigid resolutions. It’s about listening deeply, honouring your journey, and allowing your authentic power to emerge naturally – just as nature knows exactly when to rest and when to bloom.
We are approaching the winter solstice, a time of rest, pause, and reflection
In Celtic traditions, the Winter Solstice (around December 21st) holds deep significance as it marks the longest night of the year and the rebirth of the sun. It represents a turning point in the natural cycle, where the darkest days give way to the return of light. This is a time of reflection, renewal, and hope as the sun begins its gradual ascent again, heralding the return of longer days.
The Winter Solstice is celebrated with rituals that honour the darkness and the return of the sun, often involving pauses to reflect on the darkness, spirals of light, and the lighting of fires.
It is a sacred time and a reminder of the cyclical nature of life.
“I stand at the threshold of the longest night, In the stillness where darkness and light entwine, Where time pauses, and the world holds its breathāI call upon the sacred power of this moment.
I honor the deep darkness, Not as an absence, but as a wombāA sacred space where all life is conceived, Where dreams take root in the fertile soil of silence.
I welcome the return of the light, The promise of rebirth and renewal. As the sun begins its journey back toward us, I open my heart to the warmth and the wonder of new beginnings.
In this pause, I listen to the whispers of my soul, To the quiet stirrings of the dreams and desires within, Nurturing the seeds of creation that long to be born. I tend them with care, with faith, and with love.”
Winter solsticeĀ is a period of both quiet reflection and joyful anticipation, as nature begins its slow transformation towards the awakening of spring. The turning of the wheel of the year from the longest night to the gradual return of light holds special meaning.
At this time,Ā I am offering you a guided drum journey to reflect on 2024, and connect with the energy of what 2025 might have in store for you.
I love this process because it is energetic and heart centred, and more intuitive and joyful than trying to do it with only rationality and goals in mind.
Through the pulse of the drum, we reconnect with ancestral wisdom celebrating the sacred pause of winter, the time between times, before the light returns again . This festival reminds us of the eternal cycle ā life getting ready to emerge from winter’s sleep, embodying nature’s regenerative power, and cycles of death and rebirth.
Join this drum journey to reflect on the past and tune into the future.Ā Just set aside 15 min where you can relax sitting or lying down, and enjoy the soothing beats of my Stag drum which was made in ceremony in Glastonbury. If you take this journey I would love to hear what you think. Just comment below.
In this insightful conversation, business coach Caroline Leon shares her journey and philosophy of ethical business practices. She discusses how she helps coaches, healers, and teachers build sustainable businesses without resorting to manipulative marketing tactics. With years of experience transitioning from corporate work to conscious business coaching, Caroline offers a refreshing perspective on how business can be both profitable and aligned with personal values.
Key Highlights:
The Dark Side of Marketing:Ā Caroline exposes common manipulative marketing tactics like artificial scarcity, pressure tactics, and countdown timers. She emphasises how these techniques often exploit people’s vulnerabilities and create distrust, particularly in the coaching industry.
The Power of Authentic Connection:Ā Instead of focusing on perfect websites and polished marketing, Caroline advocates for genuine connection through conversations, gift sessions, and valuable content sharing. She highlights how sustainable business growth comes from building real relationships rather than following formulaic approaches.
Putting People Before Profit:Ā A cornerstone of conscious business is prioritising both the client’s and the business owner’s wellbeing. Caroline discusses how this approach leads to sustainable growth and helps entrepreneurs avoid burnout while maintaining integrity.
The Importance of Generosity and Transparency: Caroline shares how being genuinely generous with knowledge and transparent about selling can build trust. She emphasises the value of giving real content and being clear about when you’re selling versus when you’re sharing information.
Sustainable Growth Takes Time: Through a client success story, Caroline illustrates how authentic business growth often takes years, not weeks. She shares how one spiritual coach grew from earning Ā£16,000 to six figures over several years by consistently applying ethical business principles.
Finding Your Authentic Path: Caroline emphasises the importance of choosing marketing methods that feel authentic to the individual, rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. She encourages entrepreneurs to select platforms and strategies that align with their personal preferences and values.
