Initiation into Traditional Midwifery for Birth Guardians

 
 

Initiation into Traditional Midwifery

This training is a profound initiation into ancient Partería, Traditional Medicine, and Birth Ceremony. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn directly from a lineage holder and guardian of ancestral wisdom.

Soma-Shakti School of Women’s Ancient Wisdom have the immense pleasure and honor of welcoming Daniela Salinas Riquelme Traditional Partera and Chilean Medicine Woman by organising our second Residential Retreat “En la Luz de la Parteria” in Australia.


A 5-day training course dedicated to the dimension of the Feminine in the Archetypal experience of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Postpartum. 5 incredible days during which we immerse ourselves in the ancient knowledge related to motherhood coming from Ancient and traditional midwifery from Latin America.

“I want to be where the women are. I want to be where women want to be. I want to see them powerful, to see them emerge from their birth experiences and make changes in their lives” Daniela Salinas Riquelme – Founder of Ancestral Knowledge, Parteria and Motherhood.

This initiatory journey is aimed at Midwives, Birthkeepers, Doulas, Nurses, Health Workers, Birth Guardians, open to any Woman who feels the call to learn the art of ancient midwifery. It is a space to share, complete and expand knowledge. For health professionals it is an excellent tool to complement knowledge from a traditional and intercultural approach.

This Intensive Course is theoretical and practical and the objectives are to transmit and pass down an initiation into ancestral knowledge on the topic of birth, and acquire skills and tools to accompany women in the process of pregnancy, birth and postpartum from the point of view of the ancestral Parteria.

The Course involves theoretical and practical lessons plus the last ceremonial day concluding with the Temazcal Ritual, the Sweat Lodge. Every day we share Cleaning Rituals, Chants to the Moon, Medicine Wheel and Ceremonial Spaces depending on the theme and the moment. This is a deeply transformational, sacred space.

Day 1: Natural Gynecology

  • Physical examination of the uterus

  • Pulse pregnancy detection

  • Uterine sobada (womb massage)

  • Massage techniques to stimulate fertility

  • Traditional treatments for menstrual dysfunctions:

    • Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)

    • Amenorrhea (absence of periods)

    • Menorrhagia (heavy periods)

    • Hypomenorrhea (scanty periods)

    • Endometriosis

    • Infertility

  • Preparation of traditional first aid and herbal kits:

    • Female Herbal Medicine

    • Childbirth Kit with ancestral remedies

  • Natural treatments for:

    • Fertility enhancement

    • Blood pressure regulation

    • Vaginal and urinary tract infections

    • Uterine tonics, emmenagogues, anti-hemorrhagics

    • Placenta expulsion, postpartum baths, umbilical cord care, and more

Day 2: Prenatal Care

  • Creating the Prenatal Village

  • Traditional prenatal interview and birth moon calculations

  • Monitoring blood pressure in pregnancy

  • Belly mapping using Leopold maneuvers

  • Fetal assessments:

    • Position and presentation

    • Fetal heart beat, cord heartbeat, placental beat

    • Amniotic fluid levels

    • Baby’s weight estimation through traditional methods

  • Sobada techniques during pregnancy

  • Community Prenatal Village – an open session for women to receive care

Day 3: Birth

  • Holistic understanding of the stages of birth

  • Use of Rebozo and Andean blanket techniques:

    • Manteada and Fajada (shaking and binding)

    • Body releases, tractions, stretches, backpressure

  • Traditional maneuvers for:

    • Asynclitism

    • Arrest of dilation

    • Prevention of dystocia

  • Traditional support for vertical birth:

    • Squatting and pulling

    • Labor exercises and positions

    • Breathing, movement, and voice practices

  • Use of birthing tools: ball, birthing chair, and birthing pool

Day 4: Postpartum and Placenta Wisdom

  • Sacred practices around birth completion:

    • Late cutting of the cord

    • Neonatal adaptation rituals

    • Lotus Birth and Partial Lotus traditions

    • Birth with amniotic sac intact ("born in the caul") rituals

    • Burning the cord ceremony

  • Postpartum care rituals:

    • Steaming, postpartum baths, poultices, massages

    • Mexican Closing of the Bones Ceremony

    • Waltaska Andina (Andean postpartum closing ritual)

  • Placenta Cosmovision:

    • Placental reading and spirituality

    • Mother tinctures, placental art, making drums, spiritual offerings

Day 5: Sacred Placenta Medicine

  • Preparation of medicines and sacred crafts:

    • Placenta encapsulation

    • Making creams, ointments, and oils

    • Creating a Placental Garden

    • Dreamcatchers and teething amulets from the umbilical cord

    • Spiritual songs and placenta offerings

Day 6: Birth in Temazcal and Sacred Temazcal Ceremony

  • Understanding birth in Temazcal (Sweat Lodge):

    • Characteristics of a Birth Temazcal

    • Traditional herbal medicine used in Temazcal:

      Infusions, Ramadas (plant bundles), Healing Bags, Poultices

  • Rebozo techniques within the Temazcal

  • Sacred Fire lighting

  • Full Sweat Lodge Ceremony

  • Closing with Circle of Moon Songs and Birth Songs


DANIELA SALINAS RIQUELME
“I love my job, I love being a mother, I love my daughters with all my heart. I accompany births, I am on the side of women. I love birth and my work, always grateful to the women and midwives from whom I received this knowledge and medicine.”

Mother of three daughters, with personal experience of home birth after caesarean. Daniela is a Traditional Midwife with the Alianza Latinoamericana de Parteras (ALAPAR). She is a birth and postpartum doula specializing in water birth and placenta medicine, and the creator of Placenta Medicine teachings across Chile and Latin America.

Daniela shares her wisdom internationally, teaching Placenta Medicine in different regions of Chile and around the world. She has trained in Spiritual Midwifery alongside traditional Mexican midwives and carries a deeply rooted ancestral approach to birth and postpartum care.

Her offerings include uterine massage, welcome rituals for newborn souls, and the sacred Closing of the Bones ceremony using the rebozo. Daniela also leads Temazcales (traditional sweat lodges) for women and pregnant mothers, prayer ceremonies, energy cleansings, women's circles, Moon Song Circles, and Medicine Wheel teachings.

*Training will be translated from Spanish to English

WHAT TO BRING?
Notebook, pen, Apron, shawl, hair band, long skirt, mask. Altar offerings (flowers and candles), Talismans, oracles, musical instruments (rattles, drums), massage oil, calendar (with moons). More details will be sent upon registration.



En la luz de la Parteria - Traditional Midwifery Retreat En la luz de la Parteria - Traditional Midwifery Retreat En la luz de la Parteria - Traditional Midwifery Retreat En la luz de la Parteria - Traditional Midwifery Retreat
En la luz de la Parteria - Traditional Midwifery Retreat
from A$1,500.00

We offer payment plans for this retreat so please reach out to organise this with us.
We have very limited spaces available for this incredible offer.

We offer shared accomodation in bungalows that sleep two, if you would like private accomodation please reach out to us and we can see if this is possible, if not you are welcome to find your own accomodation near the retreat.

Camping on site may be possible so please reach out if that is your preferred method of accomodation.

To secure your spot immediately please day the non refundable deposit of $1500 we will then connect with you to organise the rest of your payment and you can decide if you would like accomodation or not.