POSTNATAL SEVADAR TRAINING

A U G U S T 3 1 S T 2 P M T O 8 P M

THIS TRAINING IS FULLY BOOKED. SEND ME A MESSAGE SO I CAN PUT YOU ON A LIST TO INFORM ABOUT SEVADAR TRAINING IN THE FUTURE.

"There is a saying.... "Whatever goodness a person has it is learned in the lap of the mother." That is how important the institution of a woman as a mother is in our society." Yogi Bhajan 

In this afternoon training workshop, Jai Ram Kaur and Frances Parke Howell, supported by Gill Howarth, will share teachings, understandings and practices that will allow you to care for women in the first 40 days following the birth of a child. It is open to health professionals, including doulas, midwives and doctors, mothers, aunties, sisters, friends and all women with an interest in helping a new mother in this most tender and special time of her own and her baby’s life.

In Kundalini Yoga, we recognise the mother as the first teacher for the child. Her lap is the cradle of civilisation and her arms and heart hold the world. She needs help in this time - practical, emotional and spiritual. Her body is recovering from pregnancy and birth, her hormones are powerful and can be overwhelming, she may well be very emotional and her whole identity is shifting in a seismic way. For the baby, it is also a tender and crucial time. Humanology teachings of Kundalini Yoga say that in the first 40 days the baby learns belonging. The imprint on the nervous system of the child is deep and lasting, so the aspiration is to make this time as cozy and relaxed as possible. For this, the mother needs help, support and care.

If a woman is fortunate, she has family around who are willing and available to help. Or she has a strong network of friends. However, this is often not the case. People are busy with their own lives. Hiring a postnatal doula is a great option, but there will likely still be significant gaps.

That’s where a sevadar comes in. Sevadar means one who serves selflessly, taking no payment and expecting no reward. In this case normally a woman, she does whatever is needed in the house and for the woman to support her, to lift the quality of her experience.

In Kundali Yoga teachings we recognise that for the Sevadar, there is also the potential for a great blessing of a different kind. The practice of working in service of another, especially in serving something that you love and consider worth making a personal sacrifice for, is called karma yoga - service as a path of love and joy. So while a sevadar is in the true sense not paid (though each case is different), there is a different kind of inner reward inherent in giving such service.

Posnatal sevadar support therefore serves where support is a greatly needed investment. And it is a societal and cultural issue that we can only address together. In Australia, it is estimated that 1 in 7 women experience some form of postnatal depression and/or anxiety. There are various factors involved in this situation, just one of them being negative experiences during birth. However if we were to just address the most obvious fact that new mothers who experience adequate support, love and care feel better, this number would be radically altered.

The purpose of this training is to raise awareness, introduce a way of thinking and being, give information to support this attitude and provide practical skills and know how.

It will cover themes such as:

• teachings on the attitude and blessing of selfless service

• the energetics and spiritual dimension of this time for mother, father and baby from the perspective of Kundalini Yoga humanology

• what a sevadar does - the scope of help

• what a sevadar is not eg not there in a clinical capacity; not an expert or advice-giver

• setting up a clear agreement with the mother

• the physiology of the woman and baby in this postnatal time

• hormones and emotions in the 40 days - mood disorders - how to help - limits of helping - where to turn if it is beyond the scope of the sevadar

• nourishing the mother - Ayurvedic recipes (we will cook and eat together)

• massage for new mothers

Cost: for participants of Path of Service - Kundalini Yoga women’s course - FREE. All others: $40.

(This is a pilot training - a short version of the 2 to 3 day international postnatal sevadar trainings given by Postnatal Support Network to introduce this network and the practice of postnatal sevadar to people in Perth. It is partly funded by donations and so the cost is extremely low. It is also the practical community aspect of the 4 Paths of a Woman Kundalini Yoga journey being undertaken by a group of women. This is Path 3 - Path of Service.)

Venue: at a private home in Winthrop - address provided on booking

Bring: notebook and pen. Comfortable clothing. There is no physical yoga involved, but we may do a short meditation as part of the afternoon and will be sitting on the floor for massage.

Dinner is included - we will cook and eat together as part of the learning.

READY TO BOOK?

POSTNATAL SEVADAR TRAINING TEAM ~ Jai Ram Kaur and Frances Parkhowell, supported by Gill Howarth.