Gathering the Bones

Closing the Bones is an ancient practice of honouring and supporting a woman’s body during times of transition. Traditionally offered in the postpartum period, this ceremony is also deeply beneficial at other thresholds in a woman’s life; miscarriage, menopause, and other important liminal moments of threshold and integration.

During the session, the body is gently rocked, held and wrapped with rebozos (woven shawls), creating a sense of containment and support after experiences that open or scattered your energy. This ritual offers a space to pause, to be witnessed, and to integrate what has been lived.

How I Hold This Work

Gathering the Bones is my interpretation and integration of this beautiful ceremony  into my practice as an Insight Herbalist. I weave together meeting with the plants, with the rocking and wrapping of closing the bones. This can be a longer stand alone ritualised ceremony, for after birth, pregnancy loss or to mark other significant thresholds. Or some people choose to have more regular shorter wrappings integrated in to an Insight Herbalism session. Some have described that by feeling held and contained by the rebozo scarfs that it is then easier to drop into and dialogue what is happening in the body and with a plant meeting.

A Session May Include:

  • An opening consultation to explore your needs and intentions

  • We will share a cup or rose tea, or other plant, with meditation and breath work to help you drop into your body

  • Space for you to share you birth story, or other threshold you are traversing in your life

  • Gentle listening touch bodywork to support, release and ground, followed by rocking with the rebozo scarfs

  • Rebozo wrapping to “close” and gather the body energetically and physically

  • Space for rest, integration, and reflection

  • We will then share another plant tea with space for you reflect anything your experience

  • I will give you small package of ceremonial gifts for you to take home with you to mark the end of your ceremony and integrate your experience in your own space.

Duration & Exchange

A full Ceremonial Ritual lasts approximately 3hrs, allowing plenty of time for the ceremony to unfold at your pace - (£150-£200) I offer these on a sliding scale to make them more accessible and also offer gift vouchers, which make a meaningful postpartum gift.

A shorter Integration Bone Wrapping last 90 minutes as part of an Insight Herbalism session - (£75) or book 3 over a 3 month period for £180 (20%)

This offering is available in person from Ruskin Apothecary in Nailsworth, or from your home within a 20 minute drive of Stroud. I can also travel to Bristol but will add fuel costs (and low emission zone charge if appropriate)