Why Gena Kirby’s Rebozo Workshop
was nothing like I thought it would be.
Now mind you, it was everything I expected it to be. Positions and hands on practice and even the laughter and tears she promised. Yes, tears, because she is just that good. But it was unbelievably so much MORE.
What Is a Rebozo?
The rebozo is a traditional Mexican shawl that is long enough to wrap around a woman’s body (about 6 feet, up to 9 feet in some cultures). The rebozo is a multifunction tool for labor, used to assist the mother into various positions and for relaxation. If you do not own a rebozo, you can substitute a large scarf, sheet, or piece of fabric, but in her workshop, Gena explains with fervor why it is so much more than just a piece of fabric.
How Is It Used In Labor?
There are many functions for a rebozo from mental relaxation to physical massage and musculoskeletal relaxation to assistance with the second stage (pushing). The rebozo acts like an extension of the labor partner’s arms but also can build a connection, a bond, a sacred space.
What’s the Big Deal?
Gena Kirby is the big deal. Entertaining and funny, a fantastic storyteller, and passionate about birth. Her wit, her experiences, her tales both personal and as told to her by other birth workers, set the stage for an amazing day of personal growth. Her commitment to families, to laboring couples, working together in labor and birth is simply phenomenal.
Gena does really focus on the doula encouraging the partner to support the mother. Oxytocin and endorphins are vital to labor progress and natural pain relief and partners can build that better even than a doula at times. I always tell my clients they are the expert on her, I am knowledgeable about birth. For my single clients, the techniques Gena shares still work wonderfully in creating a safe, secure environment; to helping a mother feel powerful and grounded. Gena shares wonderful universal truths for all humans with clarity and even humor.
You would never think you’d hear one of the premier rebozo trainers say something along the lines of “Screw the robozo!” But she did. And I cried. “It’s the connection that matters. It’s not about you or the technique or anything. It’s about getting them together.” It’s all about relationship. Connection. And that is all there is.
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