Tree Babies - The class that nurtures your wellbeing

Photo Credits to Derya Vicars Photography, specialising in newborn, cakes smashes, pregnancy, family portraits and lifestyle photography.

What a week!! First week out of lock down and classes have finally been able to open up again here on The Wirral, which is just wonderful for parents and babies, If I’m honest as a class facilitator it has been a really emotional week, emotions have been very high in The Mama Wellness studio and being witness to these connections and emotions shows me just how important classes and groups are and the positive impact that they have on families. Mums are just so happy to be at a class and be able to communicate with other parents, watching babies look at other babies for the first time has just been incredible. As a species we are just not supposed to be isolated from others, we are such social beings and in order to thrive both grown ups and children need that interaction with others, without it we can become quite withdrawn and disconnected from our people and affecting our mental health, grown ups as well as children and infants. However one thing that has come from spending so much time away from the world as we once knew it, is that nature is our biggest healer, as the weather is warming people are spending more and more time outdoors and realising the positive impact this has on our mental health.

So at Mama Wellness we have added a class that is designed for our mums and babes outdoors in the woods, this class is called Tree Babies, an over lockdown I trained as a Tree Babies Guide with the wonderful Gayle Berry from Blossom and Berry, who I have done many of my parent and baby wellbeing accreditations with over the years. Nature to me has always been my way of escapism, connecting with myself and the natural beauty that surrounds me, an I feel the difference it makes to me as I walk about, my body completely slows down and my parasympathetic nervous system goes into rest and digest and I feel alive, invigorated, content and generally uplifted, whilst feeling lighter of my woes and worry’s, nature is so important to my wellbeing and I love the forest and being surrounded by tree’s and beautiful scenery with the sounds of nature as a soundscape.

Now imagine being a Mum who gets the same experience being outdoors, imagine being that Mum wearing your baby in a sling or carrier! The positive effects of having your baby close and being outdoors amongst nature is truly magnificent for both maternal mental health and infant mental health, whilst also having a huge impact of baby development both physically and emotionally.

So why Tree Babies? Tree Babies is carefully curated with your wellbeing in mind, these classes are all about connection with your baby whilst looking after your own wellbeing. Each Tree Babies group is guided into the forest or woodland where we spend 90 minutes of just being completely submersed in the moment. It is like our very own Mama Wellness Mother and Baby nature retreat! During this time our parents will be guided by myself through some grounding techniques, mindfulness exercises and breath work and a personal guided meditation, followed by some time for self exploration, forest bathing - which is essentially a silent and slow nature walk, in which you really tune in to your senses and observe everything that is around you. After our forest bathing experience, you are then given some time to quietly reflect on your time in the woods and take some time for sit spotting and journaling. Each Mama Wellness Tree Babies attendee is given their very own Tree Babies journal to fill in and reflect on over the course.

After the quiet moments reflecting our mums and babies are ready for some social time and creativity. This part of the class we use elements of nature to create art, now this could be as simple as creating a mandala that we have foraged for. For this particular class, I asked the Mums to bring something important too them to go in the centre of our mandala. These beautiful treasures ranged from rose quartz crystals, shells and unique pieces of jewelry that had sentimental attachment and giving the mums the opportunity to talk about why they chose that particular gem brought up lots of emotions for all. This class really does give you the opportunity to be open and express your feelings and emotions if you choose too, the sacred art of holding space for women has been part of life for thousands of years and we honour the space and your voice in our Tree Babies sessions.

Tree Babies currently runs on a Thursday morning, but as the weather warms up I’m considering some early evening sessions and certainly more sessions in the summer time, when the in studio timetable will be reduced. Over the Summer there will also be some Mama and Baby Retreats which will incorporate Tree Babies, Baby Massage, Yoga and Self Love Rituals, More details of this will follow, to keep up to date with all happenings at Mama Wellness and our other classes available, be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter.

Kindness

How are you all doing?

We find ourselves once again in lockdown and isolated from our loved ones. I don’t know about you, but I feel that this is the worst lockdown yet. I’m looking out my window right now, it’s grey, wet and bleak and it is mid January and it all just feels too much right now. I know I am not alone in this way of thinking and everyone I speak to is trying so hard to see and feel the brighter days that are coming.

Spring is not too far away from us, we have the hope of the vaccination program that is rolling out and life slowly starting to return to some kind of ‘normal’ an I say normal lightly, life will never quite be the same again, this pandemic has changed us all and left a huge hole in our lives, we are forever altered because of Covid-19 and the impact isolation has had.

But one thing positive and somewhat beautiful that has come from this time, is the kindness of strangers, how communities have come together virtually and a sense that everybody is looking out for everyone else. Whether it is local businesses offering delivery services, free food, free classes and free support.

Or that person that you follow on Instagram that posts positive and inspiring memes that help you through the day! My Instagram feed is full of wonderful inspiring women from around the world all empowering and supporting their followers and generally bringing light into the world an for that I am truly grateful.

Right now there are so many incredible people looking after and supporting team humanity, strangers all over the world performing random acts of kindness for other people. Kindness really does go a long way and it raises the vibration of the planet, kindness breeds more kindness! It costs nothing to share, love, support and empower.

Fill your social media feeds with light, share and support your wins and the wins of others. Pay compliments to your followers and be a cheerleader to your friends and acquittances. Share a book or send a picture, share your light! Be the light! Phone an old friend and check in on your neighbours.

Beautiful people, know that on your darkest day, when you feel alone and isolated, someone somewhere has your back and is routing for you.

Much Love and Kindness

Claire x

Feeling overwhelmed with isolation

Hey lovely Mama’s,

How are you all doing? So 2020 is nearly done and with regards Covid, not much has changed really, between us all, we have been in total lockdown, been in tier 2, tier 3 and tier 4 an truthfully right now, we don’t know what the future holds for us. But what I do know is that you are all doing incredible jobs of bringing your little people up into this unknown territory and giving them so much love and trying to make life feel as ‘normal’ as possible for them. It is ok to feel scared and worried and overwhelmed with sadness, almost grieving for a life we use to live. Socialising! Hugging! Kissing! Sharing! Dancing even! So many things have been taken away from us and we are left just trying to cope and learn new ways to be and share masked moments with people we love.

In our lifetime this is probably the hardest thing we have ever had to navigate and I don’t know if you’re like me, sometimes I’ve grasped it and feel like am coping ok, then other times I have such an overwhelming emotional breakdown and cry feeling so lost and sad. What I have learnt from this, is that although it doesn’t cure the situation, I feel better for the release of emotion, trying to be strong all the time and basically keeping my shit together isn’t great and I’m just kidding myself! It is ok not to be ok about this, but know that things will get better and we will at some point go back to some kind of normality in our lives.

Know that if you are struggling and need a shoulder, I am here to chat. Know that Mama Wellness is a safe place and I am hopeful that we will be able to run some if not all of our classes in the case of lockdown3 or tier 4 or 5.

In the meantime some great coping strategies I have found to help anxiety and panic

Walks in Nature - Wrap your baby close and take a walk, smell, feel and hear the sounds of nature, it really helps

Meditation - Appreciate it is not always easy with a baby, but again if you get a moment just to listen to something, I use the Calm app and Tamara Levitt is my ultimate panic SOS go too.

Breathing - Concentrate of your breathing breath in for 4, hold for 4 and release for 8 and repeat for a few rounds. This helps with grounding and focusing on you and your breath, not the panic, not the pandemic, just you centering yourself.

Music - Listen to soothing music, you can do this with baby close by or sleeping. Again this helps to shift the focus of what’s going on in the world. Focus on the music and sway, movement is good for you and good for baby.

Journaling - Take some time to write, doodle or draw how you feel, it doesn’t need to be a huge essay, just jot down some words or scribble, it doesn’t even need to be on beautiful paper, the back of an envelope is just as effective

Cuddle and Massage your baby - By being close to your children or loved ones, we release the feel good hormones, this helps keep us lifted and prevents the fight or flight cortisol hormone coming through, which is what sends us into panic. So cuddle your babies, children and pets as often as you can getting a little sniff of those little heads.

We will be ok and we will get through this and your babies and little people will be ok.

Sending lots of love to you all.

Claire xx

The transition

Back in January 2020 I remember seeing the news about COVID-19 in China, chatting about it nonchalantly in my venues filled with 20 mums and babies ready to do Moo Music in such close proximity of each other without a care in the world other than sing, dance, have fun with other family’s doing the same. Little did we know what was coming. On Monday the 16th of March, I ran my last in person classes with the actual fear of dread of what was to come. None of us knew or were really prepared for it but as the saying goes, the show must go on! An in reality the bills still need to be paid! I spent two day worrying not only for the future of my business, but also what if I or the people I love get Corona virus? Everything seemed so scary and I just didn’t feel ready for it, but I had to be productive and had to move quick. On the 18th of March I got the keys for the studio and on 19th I had ran my first virtual session. Happy Days.. Smooth transition, totally caught up in the excitement, I was still able to reach my families and generate an income.

So almost four months on, roughly counting I have ran 80+ different themed live Moo Music sessions from my studio airing to my VIP facebook community. For all the singing and dancing fun, I need to talk about the reality of this, I am very blessed to have such a dedicated following and so many members of my VIP community have been with my for the duration and I’m deeply humbled by their love and dedication. An honestly it has been a total blessing for me to have routine in my life and feel like I have a purpose and continue my work to entertain and support families, but the vibe is so very different.

In a class environment, I honestly feed off your energy and enthusiasm and it is just one big awesome party, I love it so much and getting to know and see my Mums and little ones grow and develop in confidence is just so special and rewarding. What being online has taught me, is that I miss our interaction, all I see now is a reflection of me, singing, dancing and being silly and comments from your interaction, which don’t get me wrong, I love it, however it isn’t sharing a space with you all. I’m not sure if it is the result lock down, personal issues in my life or seeing myself online everyday or a amalgamation of everything but I developed some kind of anxiety problem, whilst doing my thing in front of the camera, big smiles, lots of expression and love an then I get a sensation that takes over me, it hits me in different ways, depending on the day. Some days its just a little voice in my head that eats away mid song other days it is a physical feeling that I can’t move a part of my body or I feel like i’m not breathing. I’m working through coping mechanisms but it has become a real thing. I remember a couple of weeks ago I left my drinks bottle on the other side of the room, the whole session I was just wanting my drink and getting more and more anxious that I couldn’t get it. Another time, I couldn’t work the screen and see the chat function and it set me off with tingles. Only one time and that was the first time it happened, I had to cut the live because I thought I was having a stroke or had corona virus and did not know what was happening to me, worried and alone in my studio, yet behind a camera with 50+ people watching. The world of online classes and performing to myself, I have never felt so open and exposed to a world that can see me but I can’t see them. I have a new found respect for people in television!

I do however feel so secure in the knowledge that within my VIP group and the Moo community as a whole, there are some beautiful diamonds that I know have got my back an they keep me going. The positive’s of online classes are that I know from messages, videos, Instagram and Facebook posts, the children are absolutely benefiting and it has become such a norm for them to do Moo everyday in the comfort of there own front room with their own toys and comforts around them. Mum’s have been able to sit and do Moo with the kiddies in their pj’s, an I love that so much. The virtual world has been a steep learning curve and it works for so many of my families, so many parents want to keep it going even after when we get back to actual classes. Life has become a different playing field right now for everyone, the pace of life is much slower even if things are starting to get up and running again. This time we have had has given us time to reflect on our values, our family and friends and our health and well being.

An slowly we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, this new extra cautious would in emerging with masks and hand sanitiser at the ready, but the future of baby classes is still unknown. I plan to run online for a little longer to support my families that need it, but there will come a time, that I will need to stop the five live performances a week for my own well being, but will keep an online presence for the families that need it.

With regards classes starting back in the new world we live in, this is still unknown. What I do know is that classes will be very different from what my Moo Music families have known. It is unlikely that I will be able to run in any of the previous venues that I ran classes in, but I am very thankful that I do have The Mama Wellness studio. Sadly I wont be able to run pay as you go classes anymore as this is not allowed under the new guidelines. So classes will move onto a termly booking system sometime hopefully in Autumn, but this is not yet confirmed. Covid-19 guidelines will be put in place to track families, temperatures will be taken and our beloved set up may feel a little different from what we all know and love. It will be a learning curve and I will do the best I can to make classes a safe environment at the Mama Wellness studio for both you and your little ones. But for now please bare with me as I we learn to juggle this new found land between us.

Thank you for patience, your support and your understanding and I will keep you all up to date as things progress.

Much Love Claire xx

The Journey..

Hello beautiful You,

Yes, I’m talking to you, the beautiful women, the busy women, the women that hasn’t had time to wash her hair this week, the women that is tired because she was up all night worrying about this pandemic and the knock on effect it is having not only on the world, but on her life and her work, her family and her kids! The women that has comfort ate for the last four months, the women that is struggling to get up and keep a smile on her face day in day out! The women who is carrying what seems like the weight of the world, because she is being brave to not show that she is feeling broken. The women that just needs to be hugged by her best friend and her Mum.

Do you know her?

She is beautiful and so strong, for within her the Goddess lives and has done for lifetimes, you may not always feel her, but know that she is always there giving you the strength to carry on with your work. Yes my love, you have work to do, this world right now needs you to grow and connect with your spiritual passenger that runs through your veins. If you can’t feel her just yet, she is there, take your shoes and socks off and go stand on the bare grass, close your eyes and breath her in. Feel her move up your body from the Earth, let her strengthen you, let her support you, let her give the the energy and focus you need. Keep breathing her till you know you are full of her energetic white light. Then open your mind and feel the vessel of energy tingle through you. You are strong and you are ready an you now need to share that energy, that pure goodness, that white light. It is your duty as a divine feminine to share the nectar to create a better world for you, the people you love and the greater good of humanity and the planet.

But how? I hear you ask..

Dearest divine feminine know that by being a good person, you are sharing your light, you are awakening, you are on your journey. You may not be able to correct all the wrongs that you may have felt over this lifetime you are human, but it is never too late to heal yourself and do good to help the people, the children and the world we live in. Small incremental steps lead us on our journey, you may not know the destination just yet, but you will in time. The Goddess will let you know when you are ready.

But here are some small steps to help you on your way.

1) Give Thanks to everyone and everything

2) Radiate a positive mindset

3) Meditate or take up yoga or do both

4) Eat healthy

5) Sleep well

6) Smile often

7) Practice just one good deed a day, I bet you always do more!

8) Journal your thoughts

10) Give love

11) Believe in yourself

12) Take time in nature everyday and appreciate the elements

The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve. Your aim is to live in the present and it should feel right for right now, The future is unknown, don’t worry about that, for Later will take care of itself, your journey will unfold as it is supposed too, just continue to be the beautiful you with your white light and positive vibe and watch her grow.

29/06/2020