Spring expansion!

That spring energy of expansion seems to be happening on every level… We’ve had 21 mums at the post natal yoga, lots of happy She Birthers and the launch of She Parents!
We had our last Mothers Circle of 2010. The ‘She Wolves’ came together at the Shala last Monday. I was so deeply touched by how honest and supportive women are in their true nature. I was also reminded of a Buddhist saying…May all people learn to love, the same way a mother loves her child.
Here’s what one mum emailed to me afterwards:
I had a feeling it was going to be deep but I had no idea that I was going to pin down in one sharing what I had been feeling for months and hadn’t been able to articulate….
The November Chai Gathering was awesome and marks the launch of ‘She Parents’ – new site and courses coming soon. Check out the fantastically informative and free videos on boosting your childs immune system and toilet training. It feels great to be giving back to our community.
We have raised over $200 for Life Optionsand speaking to Denise Love last night, who has financed all the work personally with Gary her husband I was blown away! They have created women’s health centres, doula trainings for both local and ex pat women as well as just built a birth centre outside the capital of Cambodia and many more contributions…She told me that the money we made will make a huge difference for the women and families. We will hear more about Life Options at the December and February Chai Gatherings.
Did you all stay up late to watch the Aria’slast week? Australian music has come such a long way but I’ve got to say that some parts were quite funny and perhaps not intentionally. Watching the beautiful and elegant new mum Nat Bassingthwaighte was one of the best things about it.
Here’s what the lovely Natalie said about She Births:
After She Births I felt like I could achieve anything. We felt so empowered but most of all so connected to each other and ready to take on whatever lay ahead. I felt personally that I could achieve anything but most of all we knew that birth would be a special time for the both of us.
The hard thing for me was when I was told I needed to have a caesarean. I was incredibly disappointed but I also felt She Births gave me the tools to accept the way my baby had decided to enter the world.
The techniques Nadine taught us to deal with labour helped me to see that. It truly was an incredible experience.
Sunday 14 November
On TV: ABC 1 Check out the inspiring story of the Noffs Familyat 10.20pm
The story of Ted Noffs, a maverick Methodist minister, whose groundbreaking work with the young and destitute in 1960s Australia lives on through his son and grandsons.
Here’s what Matt said about She Births:
You sit awkwardly in a room filled with expectant parents. On the TV, big tits and stretched vaginas. No, it isn’t porn – it’s reality and it’s happening to you. The hospital smell. 101 pamphlets. Your partner crying over nothing. You’re not alone. I hear it time and time again – the single most difficult issue men face when it comes to labour is feeling like the spare-dick.
The most sensitive new age guy can feel like isolated and it leads many guys to shut off from the experience and leave it to the hospitals – a system which unintentionally but frequently alienates fathers. The ultra sounds were fun and I couldn’t wait for our daughter to arrive but I couldn’t help feel a little tense heading towards the labour.
Nadine reminds us guys that they need not be afraid. That we should trust our instincts and enjoy the ride. And that we’re here to protect our partners and our children. It’s not that our dad’s and their dad’s had it wrong – we’re only just discovering or re-discovering what a man’s natural role is during his partner’s labour.
You do have an imperative part to play – and Nadine prepares you for being a strong and loving birth partner. She-Births helps men realise their innate power when they’re feeling powerless. I’m not exaggerating when I say that within the space of these two-days, your perspective of giving birth (and possibly your life) will change forever and for the better. Mine did.
Matt Noffs?Street University Co-Founder
SMH – Top 100 Most Influential People of 2009
Australian Magazine Top 100 Next Leaders