Whether preparing for birth and motherhood, immersed in the post-natal years, or dealing with anxiety and trauma, there is much to be gained by being intimately connected with the intelligence of our sublime female bodies so that they work for us and not against us.

In our busy lives we are often so disconnected from our bodies that they simply become vehicles for transporting our heads full of thoughts, concepts and ideas from one place to another!

We become oblivious to their subtle and often not-so-subtle signals and fail to fully harness their magic.

Our rational thinking minds may serve us well in many parts of our lives, but it is the instinctual realm of our bodies where I believe our true power resides.

Instincts are often highly accurate in assessing what’s going on in our lives, defining our true boundaries and how we can best respond in situations.

And our bodies and emotions often tell stories of their own, quite different to those that our minds hold.

When we listen closely to them, we can unravel repeating patterns, tensions and traumas in a gentle way.

But more often than not, we override our body’s messages with our logical reasoning, old grooves of behaviour and the need to conform socially.

We are at heart mammals with intricate nervous systems that are pleasure-seeking and threat-averse.

When all of our stories, beliefs and emotions which cause contraction in our bodies can be broken down into sensations that can be transformed, life becomes a lot more manageable.

The fear of birth or motherhood, the pain perceived in birth or anxiety related to a past traumatic experience can all be read in the body as changeable sensations.

And in doing so, the sting can be taken right out of them to open up new experiences for us and highlight our true capacity.

Then add to that those ways of cultivating more pleasure and feelings of expansion in our bodies.

The possibilities are truly endless!

I’ve had the privilege of witnessing many dedicated and courageous women access their deep primal wisdom and transform through birth or through resolving trauma.

It is nothing short of magic to hear a woman start pregnancy anxiously with a whimper and emerge triumphant from birth with a roar!

Or to facilitate sustained feelings of aliveness and resilience in someone who has struggled with the legacy of trauma.

Through my personal journey with post-natal anxiety and other health issues, learning to be present to sensation in my body without judgement or attaching to the stories of my mind has been a powerful way to move through feelings of being stuck.

It’s taken me to learn a new way of being – to slow down enough and hear my body speak, to focus on pleasure and what’s working, and to follow one of many choices that then present themselves.

I know too that every small act of self-nurturing and honouring my body’s instinctual messages and cycles takes me a step closer to longer lasting feelings of vibrant aliveness.