On international women's day each year I get to celebrate my birthday and each year I offer a donation or gift based ceremony based on a mythological archetype.

The last spring myth cacao ceremony held was based on the story of Persephone, who goes into the underworld to marry Hades for 6th wintery months of the year. In this particular ceremony I offered a women identifying circle, where we crowned intentions and discussed how rather than being kidnapped and forced underground perhaps she was lured not against her will but because of her desire to explore her sexuality. We sang, chanted and set intentions together whilst being together in all the joy and sorrow, love and grief that arose. Cradled by Pachamama throughout.

The winter period (both seasonally and during my cycle) are such special periods for to go in, to honor the body, to give sacraments to the soul and discover and empower what it means to be the full expression of ourselves.

I invite you into my cosy home at The Birds Nest in Utrecht to take a dive into your own personal journey, to share and bare witness to others whilst supported by one of the sweetest nectars of the earth.

What will this year's myth archetype be?

(Limited spaces availiable)

Does yoga already support you in your life and embodiment but your wanting to get to the next level and led class doesn’t give you the hands on adjustment your looking for? Or perhaps your new to yoga and want to start a new relationship to understanding your body, emotions and mind? Do you want to deepen your practice and gain tools for generating manageable daily routine? Perhaps you have sustained an injury and need some recovery support, or just need plain old more flexibility or strength.

Whatever your background is, whatever your level of experience, I offer supportive and reassuring one to one sessions to help you get more out of your Asana practice, to understand more about your body and mind and to understand better the internal energies and prana (life force) that brings vitality to our being.

Having been practicing yoga for over a decade with an almost daily Mysore-style Ashtanga practice for the last 3 my approach to yoga is that it enables and supports our internal and external systems, and does not take us away from our responsibilities and duties. Having completed a 200hr Ashtanga teacher training with an emphasis on Pranayama (breathwork) and Ayaveda, I love to enable those I work with, a holistic perspective into how to build an ethical and committed practice that suites each individuals needs.

In this two day course you will learn how to prepare, felt and use your own womb wrap. Womb wraps are amazing supports in bringing heat and warmth through compact oil presses to your womb and sexual organs to enhance blood flow, sensation and groundedness. Many women suffer from difficult menstruation and there are many techniques to aid tranquility and peace in these areas.

As part of the 1st day we will begin with an opening ritual to give thanks to our materials and selves in showing up. We will set intentions and share a little about ourselves and expectations. This will be held in an authentic relating style with possible circling.

After this we will dive into working with the sheep's fleece and learn all the craft techniques used in basic felting and prepare, lay out and start felting the wraps. If you have a special cloth, fabric or textile you want to incorporate into the wrap we can look at how we can felt it in.

A simple yet elegant lunch will be offered before returning to the felting process. This hand work of being with sisters allows for a meditative quality that often brings up more personal and touching stories to share as we work. The afternoon is dedicated to the design and finishing the felting ready for day two.

Day two will begin with a welcoming circle and yoni chant, some small reflections and feedback from the first day. What worked well and what didn't - the experience of the working with the wool and natural lanolin. A small introduction to the womb wheel / red tent work will be given, after which we will look at the wraps and see if any final sewing needs to be completed.

Once this is done to you be introduced to the method of wrapping and different oils one can use. You will receive the warm oil, the belly canvas, your wrap and binding which we will put on together in circle. You will then be invited to lie down and experience the benefits of the wrap alongside a yoga nidra and be brought back into circle with candle light. Awakening from your nidra and wrap is a slow beautiful process with warm water and natural soap to cleanse the area after. There will be plenty of time to fully unwind and leave feeling nurtured and refreshed.

A ten day spring cleanse for repairing the body, quietening the mind and observing and releasing emotions.

Cleansing the body after a stodgy winter is the best way to replenish, get nourished and revitalized for all the summer abundance.

I run the ten day Green Cleanse twice a year, to flush out residue build up in the bowels, to allow the digestive system to rest and boost up the immune system and to allow the body to repair itself. A side benefit of cleansing is that it also gives us space and time to observe ourselves, our energies and emotions and quality of mind.

Part of the cleanse also introduces you to reflective journaling techniques to support personal growth, and a container to share and be supported by others. It's a wonderful way to get creative with cooking and sharing recipes as well as realising how much extra energy and less sleep you actually need when your digestive system is eased.

Part of the cleansing does include undergoing some degree of ketosis (different body types vary) and so there are some mild causes of irritation such as coffee withdrawal headaches (green tea is encouraged however!) and sugar withdrawal symptoms. One massive factor in completing a green cleanse aside from the physical benefits is the development of will power and self understanding.

Having guided groups through the green cleanse for the last two years and am now into my 5th year of twice yearly personal cleansing (I now cleanse for 14/16days each time) can happily say that this process once learned will benefit you for the rest of your life!

The beauty of a cleanse is that you can set intentions and use it as a powerful initiation and transformation tool in your personal development and spiritual practice. Recommended not to miss out on.

NEXT CLEANSE STARTING 9TH OCTOBER 2022

Every one of us is a social being, part of the social organism. We must realign our truths and get back to what is essential in order to contribute to society and the environment in significant sustainable ways. We need to learn to take 'pause' from the relentless activity or pressures, to hold space for our inner terrains to speak to us, to be self-heard. Otherwise we are only continuing to contribute to building upon systems that leave us tired, burnt out and lost. The social organism is a work of art, which each individual contributes to. Therefore we need new, empowered artistic tools that can enable us to create lives that not only benefits our own health and well being but which inspire our communities, sculpts our environments and enhances ecology – we need to learn to quieten up -

Ignite empowerment – Connect to purpose – Create massive artistic action - (learn sacred pause and container methods)

Do you recognise any of these…

· DO you feel your work or study is not enough?

· ARE you looking to bring purpose back into your life?

· DO you have a feeling that you are never truly fulfilled?

· ARE you someone who starts something but never finishes?

· CAN you never find the time to start or do the things you really want?

· DOES change need to happen but you know what or where to start?

· DO you feel overstretched but cannot find the time or the space for yourself?

· ARE you wanting to be more creative, have an artistic project you want to realize?

· Do you feel you want to enable society or your community more?

If your interested in befitting from this intensive course (tailored to your time schedule and needs. You can complete it in 3 months or in 3 years depending on your availability) click on the button below to book a curiosity call.

Discover interpersonal awareness, deep self alignment whilst being in connections with self and other. Learn new tools on how to communicate effectively your true authentic being in embodied presence.

Find new meaningful ways of communicating in heartfelt ceremony that focus on the art of being human, both as an individual for yourself or in a couple dynamic. This could be discovering new commitments, boundaries and vows. We first start with the relationship with ourselves and having a space to mark these transition periods can bring a sense of aliveness and being present in the world.

Undergo and learn the simple tools for the use of powerful ritual in your life. Be it for setting intentions for real personal growth, in commitment and intimacy with another through the sound of the drum and the beat of your heart and get inside into how meditation, music and plants can support and enhance transitional initiation.

Nicole co-founded Be Touched alongside dear friend and colleague Wies. A community in service of coming together to share in showing up in our whole selves to find humility and dignity in intimacy.

www.BeTouchedCommunity.com

These are some of the most profound and deep rituals any woman, person or people can make. Grief, mourning and surrender are fundamental forces working towards the grounding and readjustment after miscarriage and abortion and are welcomed into the space with adornment for the spaces left in a woman’s body, where confusion, a sense of powerlessness or emptiness can be felt. Many womxn are left carrying the heartfelt knowledge of what it truly means to lose a child either my spontaneous or regular abortion. In fact many of these women also already have children which can create little time to acknowledge or feel into what this process means deeply for them.

These personalised rituals gives a space for those struggling with the effects of miscarriage and abortion to give time to their stories and needs. Ritual can help to help to understand and process what has happened. It can help mark this important period of a persons life, through authentic connection to all the voices and parts of each individual. During life’s fast pace, having been through a miscarriage or abortion can lead to overwhelm and anxiety. Taking time for ritual in this way, slows everything down, to look at what is priority, to let go of the negative situations that do not serve and to bring forth a reverence for what is.

These powerful rituals use womb wrapping and heating, yoga nidra’s, body cleansing and a personalized walk and releasing using the 5 elements to bring forth the spirit and the inner children of the parents and their lineages together into the space. Individuals invited to bring items representing these 5 elements that are then taken home and can be set up to use again and again. Those wishing to have the fetus or parts of the womb present are warmly welcomed.