Once upon a time, women enjoyed postpartum body-work wherever they lived in the world. The knowledge was passed orally from one generation to another. Then the practice started disappearing in many parts and only now are we re-learning it, from our sisters in South America. Traditionally, Closing the Bones is repeated 5-6 times during the forty sacred days following birth. In some places, women are treated to a full body massage every day for a month after their baby is born, as well as given special nourishing foods, binding and wrapping, and all-round cherishing, as much as baby.

Women open themselves up ‘energetically’ during pregnancy and birth, after which they need to come back to themselves.

What’s involved?

Our Closing the Bones ceremony combines body binding with a postnatal recovery massage, rebozo “sifting”, a delightfully relaxing foot bath, and a chance to offload any negative feelings around the pregnancy, birth or parenthood using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or “tapping”.

The postnatal recovery massage was designed to realign and balance the mother, as well as help her return to her centre, both physically and energetically. It was developed over eighteen months by Sophie Messager and Teddy Brookes over many sessions.

Sophie, among many other things, is a birth doula and healer and has been offering and teaching Closing the Bones for over 8 years, together with Teddy who is a highly regarded osteopath from Cambridge. Sophie practised with lovely Ecuadorian Rocia Alarcon, herself trained in midwifery, shamanism and with a PhD in Ethnobotany.

Closing the Bones and the postnatal recovery massage benefit women’s mental and emotional wellbeing as well as their physical.

Thank you to Sophie for making it one of her missions that as many women as possible should benefit from this practice.

This is what we’d like to offer you.

Our intention is to create a sacred space for you, where we can honour and acknowledge your experience of birth; showing tenderness and gratitude to your body; bringing it back to itself; closing its energy channels and letting go of any emotional ties that no longer serve you.

We’ll start with a foot bath and chat, whilst tapping through your meridian points using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), allowing emotions to arise and then release.

Following this we’ll do ‘sifting’, both standing up and lying down, using the rebozo scarf.  This includes hip rocking and binding, as our hips are the seat of unresolved emotions.

Then the abdominal massage with oil, where you are encouraged to feed back to us, letting us know if you’d like more or less of anything and are always in control. The intention with this massage, which is above your pubic bone and around your tummy, including your hips and lower back, is to warm and relax your muscles; stimulate & release your hormones; get fluids moving & cleansing; boost your immune system; tone your muscles & tissues and reduce anxiety & depression, moving your body from being in a sympathetic state (fight or flight) to a parasympathetic one (your body’s restore & recovery setting).  

Then 'Closing The Bones' itself, where you will be bound and cocooned with six rebozo scarves, then covered with a warming blanket, and left to rest and relax, as your body releases any held tensions.

At the end of the ceremony, we will gently invite you to draw your attention back into the current moment, and will offer you a cup of warming homemade vegan chai and some nourishing energy balls.

FAQs

Who’s involved?

The ceremony is performed by Sarah Boyd and her fellow doula Georgie Ruthven. We have both been doulas for many years, are both well practiced in using the rebozo and are really excited to be offering this wonderful opportunity to mums.

Do I have to get undressed?

No, you stay fully clothed throughout. However, you will need to take your socks and shoes off for the foot bath, and during the abdominal massage we will ask you to expose your tummy, so it is best if you come wearing a skirt or trousers rather than a dress or dungarees.

Where does it happen?

The ceremony takes place in a beautiful studio room in the heart of Cheltenham, with free parking directly outside.

How long does it take?

The ceremony usually takes around three hours to complete, leaving you rested, refreshed and revitalised.

How much is it?

The ceremony costs £300.00.

Can I bring my baby?

If you are breastfeeding, or cannot easily leave your baby at home whilst you are with Georgie and Sarah, then you are welcome to bring your baby. However, please remember that this ceremony is for YOU, to make YOU feel special and nurtured, and so you don’t want to have to be thinking about your baby’s needs whilst you are trying to switch off. It can therefore be helpful if you can bring someone else - your partner, friend, mum, sister, doula - to look after your baby whilst the ceremony is taking place. We are happy to stop at any time if your baby needs feeding, and then we can continue when the baby is happy to be handed back to the other carer.

When are the sessions?

We don’t have any set dates for performing the Ceremony, so if you are interested in booking one, please get in touch and we can find a mutually convenient time and date. Please email me on: sarah@birthbabybalance.co.uk

Testimonials

“After quite a traumatic birth, the last thing I wanted to do was relive the whole thing. But in speaking to Georgie she helped me to see that it might actually be very beneficial. So I booked a session with Georgie and Sarah to do a Bone Closing Ceremony. I didn’t really know what to expect and in all honesty I think I probably didn’t expect much out of it. In the build up I felt quite nervous, mainly about the idea of having to talk through my birth story. I really had nothing to worry about!! Immediately on arrival Georgie and Sarah made me feel so at ease and I have to say they’re total miracle workers! The EFT part of the ceremony has been so helpful that I finally feel at peace with everything that happened at the birth. The rest of the bone closing ceremony was definitely the most relaxed and nurtured I’ve felt since I became a mother. I left feeling like a weight had been lifted. Since then I’ve recommended it to so many friends. I think every mother should do it if they have the chance. Thank you Georgie and Sarah for working wonders on and taking such great care of me.” Anna, Gloucestershire, December 2020

“My Closing of the Bones ceremony with Georgie and Sarah was the most wonderful experience. They were both incredibly warm and welcoming, and throughout the day were attentive and just lovely! I had experienced quite a difficult labour with one of my children and Georgie and Sarah created a safe environment for me to go through this experience and let go of some of the emotion that hadn’t yet been released. The closing of bones itself was amazingly relaxing and Georgie and Sarah had made such an effort to make sure I was comfortable. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the wonder of birthing than with these two passionate and compassionate women who carried out this ceremony so brilliantly and thoughtfully.” Lara, Oxfordshire, May 2021

“My Closing the Bones Ceremony with Georgie and Sarah was a wonderful way to process the birth of my son and reflect upon it with kindness to myself. Both Georgie and Sarah made me feel enveloped with warmth and nurture and were able to offer so many wise words about the pregnancy, birth and motherhood. I left feeling calm, nourished and at peace.” Katy, Gloucestershire, May 2022

“Thank you both so much for creating a space for me, I’ve longed for months to share, to revisit, tell my story. I knew the right time would come and I’m so thankful it was with you both. Walking into your home, felt like being taken back into the womb myself. I felt so safe, respected and held. Every part of the ceremony was soothing. I truly felt taken care of, as a woman, a mother and friend. There were parts of my story that I wasn’t sure I could tell, but in doing so I shared the pain, it broke into pieces and scattered, so that I wasn’t carrying it alone anymore. I truly found it so nurturing, nourishing and it was like being looked after by wise, caring elders of my tribe! I’ve been using my Aromatherapy blend, it’s so comforting to carry around with me, like a little bottle of love and reassurance, protection.” Holly, Oxfordshire, June 2022