A FIVE-WEEK COURSE + COMMUNITY FOR MOTHERS IN ALL PHASES
Thursdays from 5:30–7:00 p.m. Pacific beginning February 22, 2024
Led by Chrisandra Fox Walker + Meredith Klein
We have found that as our babies and children grow, the phases of motherhood change, and so we too must grow and evolve. However, the day-to-day demands of raising children can be so physically, emotionally and psychically consuming that we can easily lose track of our own growth, our own phase. Even after our children have left home, we may still feel disconnected from who we truly are. No matter what phase we are in, we may lose touch with the things that truly nourish and replenish us – things that are necessary to sustain the journey of motherhood.
Like the phases of the moon, we experience waxing and waning over and over – we grow a pregnancy, then we give birth, we spend a lot of time feeding our babies, watching them sleep and witnessing them double their growth in the first year. We may nudge them as they learn to crawl and take their first steps, then we spend hours chasing after them as they discover locomotion. We “hurry up and wait” for each milestone for so many years beyond.
What about our own milestones and growth? Who tracks that for us?
Ayurveda teaches the principles of how to live during each stage of life. When we adjust our food, sleep, sex, energy and attention according to the stage of life we are in, we can harmonize our physical and energetic bodies with the wisdom of Nature for balance, vitality and longevity.
Motherhood is a rite of passage, a stage in a woman’s life that can span many years, and our needs change, just like our children’s needs do. We change like the seasons, or the phases of the moon.
However, many of us enter motherhood with the nagging thought that we’ll “get back” to where we were before we had a baby (or two or three).
What would it feel like to completely embrace where you are in motherhood? To sustain yourself according to where you are now, not where you were before?
There is no “going back”.
Instead, imagine finding power and purpose in where you are and where you are going.
You belong in MotherPhase if you:
Feel burnt out, depleted and overwhelmed
Have “lost” a sense of your identity and want to identify and honor where you are now
Love being a mother, but don’t love the loneliness or sense of isolation you may feel
Struggle with the phase of motherhood you are in, but really want to try to be more present with your kids and/or your partner (hint: it’s all about getting more present with yourself!)
Are new to the concept of self-care, need a reboot in your self-care or have come to hate the term “self-care” because who has time for that when you are a mother?
Are very supported day-to-day but feel a little wobbly about your role and capacity as a mother
Find yourself perpetually in a state of comparison and conformity with other mothers and want to develop your own intuition
Seek to create your own archetype and reinvent yourself in motherhood
Want to choose foods that truly nourish your body, including herbal recipes for your mind, heart and vitality
Are called to take time each week to savor being in a group of supportive women who are here to thrive
Desire to shorten the distance between where you are and where you want to be
This course is for anyone who identifies as a mother. We welcome mothers in all phases, from newly postpartum to those with adult children to grandmothers (and great-grandmothers!) We believe we never stop evolving in the journey of motherhood.
Logistics + Flow
In each weekly session, we will sit together and take space to orient ourselves to our own unique phase of motherhood. We will observe phases of the moon, stars and seasons. We will discover our personal archetypes of who we are in our motherhood journey. We will share in practices to tone our nervous systems. We will touch in with Ayurvedic self-care and learn how to optimally nourish ourselves. We will journal, meditate, and move our bodies a little and s-t-r-e-t-c-h our capacity a lot for the important work of motherhood. We will turn our attention away from the constant flow of needs that surround us and return it toward our deep-seated needs, whatever they may be. We will listen deeply to one another, and be witnessed.
Each week, you will be gifted with self-care practices, recipes and other tools that help you embody the theme of that week’s circle, as well as an opportunity to experience the delicious offerings of our herbal apothecary.
You will learn how to listen – and respond – to your needs with greater precision and compassion.
Prepare to be delighted by what you may discover. Some of it may feel luxurious, some of it may feel challenging, some of it may feel like a coming home to yourself and some of it may feel like a reinvention or upgrade of yourself.
All sessions will take place live on Zoom. We will meet each Thursday from 5:30–7 p.m. Pacific PST, beginning February 22 and ending March 21.
All sessions will be recorded, although we strongly encourage you to attend live and to arrange support for childcare so that you can carve out space for yourself to immerse into our time together without interruptions. At the same time, we recognize that life happens, and invite you to come as you are, even if that means a child or two in tow. You are encouraged to take whatever measures are needed for your greatest comfort during our time together, so feel free to eat dinner, join from bed or do anything else that allows you to feel supremely supported.
You may also elect to join a private WhatsApp group for course participants to stay connected in the time between our live sessions. Because all content will be provided in recorded format for those who cannot attend live, no refunds will be offered after enrollment.
INVESTMENT
$375 Supporter
$295 Sustainer
$225 Supported
To support access and economic justice, we are utilizing the Green Bottle Sliding Scale Model conceptualized by Alexis J. Cunningfolk. To place yourself in the appropriate pricing tier, please consult the graphic here. By choosing the appropriate price level according to your personal finances, we are able to make this course more accessible to all and sustain our livelihood.
If paying in installments makes your participation possible, please contact us to arrange a payment plan using the contact button at the very bottom of this page.
ABOUT US
Chrisandra and Meredith first collaborated together in 2008 to host the Heart of Renewal retreats, a series of transformative daylong and weekend events set in the natural beauty of Sonoma County, CA. In the time since then, we have navigated many phases in our personal and professional lives, and each have seen our work and orientation to the world radically transformed by motherhood. MotherPhase was conceived of and born out of our shared experiences and the recognition of what is most needed (and lacking) for the mothers we call friends as well as those we support professionally.
CHRISANDRA FOX WALKER
Chrisandra Fox Walker is a yogini, Ayurvedic Health Counselor, community herbalist, astrologer, gardener, joy witch and mother who is dedicated to helping women step into a place of clarity and courage and shape their lives in alignment with deeper purpose. She weaves time-honored practices of yoga, Ayurvedic and Western herbal medicine, astrology and intuition with modern life to rewire and renew the brain, body, and heart.
Chrisandra is passionate about supporting women in the journey of motherhood and guides families to be awake and aware in raising children who might love, care for and be nourished by their connection to Nature. She is the founder of The Motherward Podcast (to be released Spring, 2024!), and helps women navigate the pain, the pleasure and the powerful possibilities in motherhood.
She is often digging in dirt, making medicine, reading birth charts and brewing up chai at her Chai Lady pop-ups. She lives in Marin County, California with her three bright-eyed young boys and boxer pup.
MEREDITH KLEIN
Meredith Klein is an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, therapeutic chef, mindfulness instructor and mother based in Santa Monica, CA. She specializes in supporting women and families at all stages of the perinatal journey. The unifying theme across Meredith’s work is nourishment, and her offerings are primarily informed by the study of Ayurveda, yoga, Zen Buddhism and Council work in the tradition of the Ojai Foundation. Meredith is is known for inspiring others to approach health and healing in a gentle and joyful way. She is the author of the cookbook Kitchen Ritual, and her writing and recipes have been featured in numerous other books and publications. Meredith’s work has been featured at Snap Inc., Google, USC, and UCLA, although her most important work right now is at home with her 2 year-old son, Ludo.