Ecstatic Birth Body Series
Ecstatic Birth Training Sessions: The Body Series Curriculum
This revolutionary midwife-turned-sexual-educator discusses the ecstatic journeys of birth and sex, the inherent connections between the altered states of consciousness of labor and birth, and sexual arousal and orgasm. She provides exercises that women can practice to make these trance states more accessible. Sheri Winston (CNM, RN, BSN, LMT) is a nationally known sex teacher, author, and former midwife. Her 2009 book,Women’s Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure, recently won the 2010 AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) Book of the Year award. For more information, please visit:intimateartscenter.com.
The pleasure revolutionary known as Mama Gena, discusses a woman’s infinite potential for accessing pleasure and deep wisdom through her body and introduces ways to connect with this potential. She also share strategies on how to make something that might seem unpleasurable, pleasurable, an invaluable tool given our current birthing culture. Regena Thomashauer (Mama Gena) is a revolution: an icon, teacher, author, mother and one of a handful of pioneers on the planet researching the nature of pleasure and dedicating her life to the discipline of pleasure and fun. Regena uses her more than fifteen years of research and her knowledge of female pleasure to open doors for women today by giving them a context in which to maximize their power, passion, enthusiasm and creativity. For more information, please visit mamagenas.com
The founder of TantricBirth explores the significance of oxytocin in the birthing process and share different strategies to increase the level of (oxytocin inducing) connection and intimacy in the birthing room, both between the individuals present at birth and between a woman and her body. The process of birthing a baby grants you access to the depths of yourself and the power your life force brings to this earth. Harvesting the experience for these gifts requires support. Nekole Shapiro synthesizes a lifetime of experience as a body worker and Tantric practitioner, her birthing experiences as a mother and doula, and her profound love of science into TantricBirth, a holistic approach to the birthing experience. For more information, please visit embodiedbirth.com.
Session 4: Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova
The director, producer, and workshop facilitator of Birth as We Know It, discusses conscious procreation, the importance of learning how to create the new generation consciously, and the different ways to approach conscious conception, pregnancy, and birth. A Russian-born visionary who after 25 years of intense soul-searching is now sharing her insights on the mechanisms and tools for creating our own reality. Elena had her first formal training in Russia at the College of Arts in theater. Since 1982 working closely with the waterbirth pioneer Igor Charkovsky, she moved on to organizing birth camps at the Black Sea and delivering babies amidst wild dolphins. Together, they launched a program of natural delivery and birth trauma release for adults as well as for babies. For more information, please visit birthintobeing.com.
Founder of the of feminine movement revolution S factor, Sheila Kelley, discusses the deep wisdom that resides in our bodies and how to access it through movement. Sheila Kelley is a passionate voice for the advancement of women in the world. She is an esteemed actress, author, filmmaker and dancer. She is founder of feminine movement revolution S factor, which is empowering women to inhabit and enjoy their bodies and their sensuality through dance. S Factor is the original and most popular pole dancing and striptease workout designed to nurture a woman’s natural S shape, promoting health, confidence and empowerment for all ages and body types. For more information, visit sfactor.com.
Saida discusses how a woman can strengthen her connection with her most intimate relationship — the relationship with herself. She will also teach about conscious energy cultivation and flow during birth and introduce the Jade Egg techniques for pre-pregnancy and post-partum pelvic floor conditioning. Saida Désilets, Ph.D., is the founder of The Désilets Method and author of The Emergence of the Sensual Woman. She is sought worldwide for her expertise in the field of conscious sexual energy cultivation and brings an innovative approach to the ancient wisdom of Taoist energy cultivation practices in a fun, simple, and practical method. Her newest online course, Enhancing Sexual Vitality, provides women with in-depth, easy to understand information that creates measurable results, such as greater pelvic health, more pleasure, more emotional awareness, and more succulence. She embodies her teachings and loves to celebrate the radiant beauty in all women. For more information, please visit thedesiletsmethod.com.
Aviva Romm MD, lays the foundation for nurturing the body- before, during, and after pregnancy. Before becoming a medical doctor, Aviva Romm practiced as a homebirth midwife and herbalist for over 20 years, becoming one of the first certified professional midwives in the US and writing her now classic books The Natural Pregnancy Book and Naturally Healthy Babies and Children. Aviva’s goal is to serve as a bridge between the alternative and conventional medical communities, fostering the growth of a truly integrative, trans-disciplinary health care model. For more information, visit avivaromm.com.
Akal Kaur, Khalsa Way Pregnancy Yoga teacher trainer and registered nurse will be discussing the nature of kundalini energy, the role it plays in childbirth, and ways to integrate this understanding for a pleasurable birth experience. Akal Kaur is a Kundalini Yoga instructor and teaches Khalsa Way Pregnancy Yoga teacher trainings with Gurmukh around the world. Akal is also a Registered Nurse at Cedar’s Sinai on the Postnatal Unit and teaches Childbirth Education. She lives in Los Angeles, CA and began practicing Kundalini Yoga in 2002. She became certified to teach Kundalini Yoga and Khalsa Way Pregnancy Yoga in 2005. She teaches Mommy and Me Yoga, Pregnancy Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. She brings humor, warmth and compassion to all her classes.
Family practitioner and writer, Sarah Buckley will be talking about “Ecstatic Birth: Nature’s Hormonal Blueprint for Labor”, based on scientific evidence for the superb design of our female bodies in labor and birth. Sarah Buckley is a GP/family physician, mother of four home born children, and currently a full-time writer on pregnancy, birth and parenting. Sarah’s work critiques current practices in pregnancy, birth and parenting from the widest possible perspectives, including scientific, evolutionary, psychological and personal. Sarah encourages us all to be well informed, to listen to our hearts and instincts, and to take our rightful place as the real experts in our bodies, our babies, and our families. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.For more information, visitsarahbuckley.com.
The “Mother of Midwifery,” opens the floor to participants questions about Ecstatic Birth. Ina May Gaskin is a visionary and pioneer in the field of natural childbirth and a powerful advocate for a woman’s right to give birth without excessive and unnecessary medical intervention. Her books Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth inspire women to reduce the fear of childbirth by regaining confidence in their bodies and assuring them that their bodies still work! Ina May also developed the Gaskin Maneuver, the first obstetrical maneuver to be named after a midwife. The Gaskin Maneuver embodies the essence of midwifery by using simple body movements to facilitate a difficult birth. Ina May transformed her observation of increasing maternal mortality in the U.S. into The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, a national effort to honor those women who have died of pregnancy-related causes during the past twenty years and to draw public attention to the unchanging maternal death rate in this country. As a speaker and educator, Ina May continues to delight listeners by infusing her sharp command of birth research and statistics with the wry humor that punctuates her writing. For more information, please visit Inamay.com