Postpartum Sealing

what is it exactly ...

Postpartum Sealing has many names, Cerradas, Mother Roasting, and Bone Closing are among the most popular. Postpartum sealing rituals have been practiced by many cultures all around the world as a part of traditional postpartum care. Each region and family carry their own sealing ceremonies in their own unique way. This workshop is the result of ancestral memory and my own desires to remember and reclaim the practices of my grandmothers. I have woven together the oral traditions passed down by elders, my traditional teachers and the modern teachings that I have studied in midwifery practices. Nonetheless, my greatest teachers are the babies, the birth givers and the Great Mystery. It is with over a decade of serving mothers and babies that I have been gifted insights on how to carry on with these old and sacred practices. 


A postpartum sealing honors the the cycles of the birth giver and the baby. It is a special time to pause and honor the many thresholds of a new mother . For this reason it is regarded as a ceremony. Cerradas are done to honor the ending of one cycle and the beginning of another. While childbirth and postpartum is one of the most revered cycles, cerradas can be done for a myriad of ending of cycles and beginning of new chapters. In my work as a partera (midwife) , I have been called upon to support with cerradas after loss, hysterectomies, menopause, ending of abusive relationships and sexual assault. This workshop will center postpartum cerradas.

What will you learn?

  • History & Cultural Context
  • Traditional Mexican Medicine concepts and philosophy.
  • Plant medicine introduction
  • Postpartum Pelvic Steaming 
  • The energetic body
  • Pacing and Body Reading
  • Postpartum Herbal Bath
  • Introduction to Postpartum Body Work
  • Rebozo Body Work
  • Abdominal Work
  • Postpartum Binding 
  • Postpartum Sealing one-one-one hands on practice.

What is included

This 4 day immersion will be held in a beautiful Rosarito 9 bedroom home only a short walk from the beach. The home has private and shared rooms for each participant. Home cooked meals will be provided during your stay . Each evening we will have a guest Maestra come knowledge share around the fire.

  • Four days of hands-learning

  • Room, board and meals

  • 4 Guest Maestras

Who is this workshop for ?

This workshop is specifically for birth professionals or bodyworkers who are actively serving postpartum families.

I am calling in a diverse group of professionals who are deeply committed to birth givers and to the continued cultural preservation of this work. The workshop and retreat is a living, breathing circle of knowledge sharing . Everyone in our circle will have something to contribute. I will be carefully screening each applicant with this knowledge sharing circle in mind. I encourage you to be open and authentic in your application process. I have no doubt that our circle will be just as it needs to be. I'm looking forward to welcoming you there.

How do I register?

There is an application process before you can enroll to attend. Due to the intimate nature of the workshop and the very limited enrollments (limited to 13 participants), I will be screening everyone.

  • Submit your application

  • You will receive an invitation to enroll within a week if selected

  • You will have 1 week to put down a deposit and enroll

What is the cost ?

Once you have been inviting to enroll you will have these following payment options

  • Deposit $300

    Your $300 deposit is fully refundable up to 30 days prior to the workshop. You will need to pay your balance by the first day of the workshop.

  • Early Bird $25%

    I am offering a limit of 3 early bird discounted at $1200.00 to the first three participants who pay in full.

  • Full Price $1600.00

    Pay the full amount of $1600 or you can sign up for the payment plan of 6 payments at $266.70. Full balance must be paid in full by the day of the first day of workshop.

Pricing options

The cost of this workshop & retreat includes your room & board and meals. Payment plans are available and must be paid in full by September 14th. There are only 3 early bird tickets available and expire March 14th..

Workshop Countdown

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Get on the waitlist!

Postpartum Sealing Workshop Testimonials

What former participants have to share...

Super Powerful & Healing

Byanca Franco

Super powerful experience full of Love and healing . Not only did I learn skills to better help future clients , but was able to get understanding on my own postpartum healing that I never received 5years ago .

Excellent Teaching

Angela Leon

The workshop is a thoroughly experiential and sensuous training! For me, the markers of a good learning experience include telling (through theory), showing (through demos), feeling (through practice), and processing (through sharing, crying, laughing). Tema included all of these components with gracious expertise. The workshop is wonderful for both community members who are looking to support birthing people in their life as well as birth workers who have been immersed in the calling for many years.

Simple yet Mindblowing

Hanna Malm

It was a workshop where we were made to feel we were just as important as our clients and wee needed to first treat ourselves and take care of ourselves as much as our clients. Which intellectually I know but this workshop made it such a real practice. I can only take as good care of my clients as I take of myself, simple and mind blowing ant the same time.

Inspiring & Truly Magical

Anayeli Cruz Cazares

Inspiring and truly magical. I would say that its a safe space to learn and to practice and not feel judged. The practices I learned were very valuable and the content of the workshop and flow was smooth.

Grounding & Transformative

Farra Miron

Grounding and transformative. A truly healing space to explore and learn in.

Amazing, healing and beautiful!

Sherry Jones

Amazing, healing, beautiful and opportunity to connect with yourself and gain hands-on tools to use in your birth work practice immediately. A wonderful experience all around.

I like Tema's Teaching Style

Wendy Acosta

I like the way that tema teaches. Something that really drew me in was her teaching style. Her class has a flow to it and she makes that happen through her respect for the work along with the things that arise throughout the class such as questions, thoughts and experiences that are shared by her students. She has many teaching tools she uses such as storytelling, touch and song that allows you to pick up the material with your whole body. I loved each moment and I had the opportunity to learn from her.

Everything I wanted and more!

Celeste Guerra

Everything I was looking for and then more. A beautifully supported learning environment that discussed what healing is, what it may look like, and why it is needed.

Exceeded Expectations

Ariana Martinez

I have been trying to describe how life changing the workshop was for me to friends and it’s hard to put into words. So far, I have been saying that yes, it was full of hands on learning and information but even more it was an invitation into first honoring the medicine in our own lives. Our workshop honestly exceeded my expectations! I really enjoyed that the whole day was filled with learning and intention. But at the same time, we free flowed with the energy of the day.

Follow my Heart

Berenice Dimas

am definitely integrating all that I learned in my current practice as a doula, herbalist, and bodyworker. Many people in my community are benefiting from the knowledge Tema shared. What the journey also offered me was an opportunity to reflect on my own path. Since then, I've decided to follow my heart and apply for a midwifery program. I am so grateful for all that Tema offered us at the retreat. It has literally shifted the course of my life so that it is aligned with my heart.

Workshop Facilitator

Maestra

Partera

Tema Mercado

Tema Mercado is a Xicana Licensed Midwife in California and Partera Profesional Certificada in Mexico , mother to six children and a grandmother. She believes that birth work can change the world and has dedicated the last 11 years to birth and reproductive justice on the U.S Mexico Border serving families on both sides of the border. Tema was born and raised in San Jose, California and spent her adolescence in Mexicali, Baja California. Her midwifery practice and overall work in the community stems from a social justice and heart perspective. Tema is a traditional singer and story teller, these two gifts led her to share her voice as a speaker and facilitator. She believes that knowledge sharing is essential for the preservation of cultural healing arts. To find out more about Tema and her work, you can visit her website http://www.lamatrizbirth.com/ and her IG page @matrizmidwife.

Guest Maestras

Solidarity requires community

It's a honor for me to be able to invite my community.  I welcome the local birth workers who have supported me along the way with their teachings, presence and unique medicine way. This retreat could not be complete without the presence of these guest maestras who will join us each evening to supplement our workshop with their knowledge and medicine.  I know that you will fall in love with their teachings the way that I have over the years. Please read below and get to know them .

Community Cook

Graciela Guadalupe

Over the past 12+ years Graciela has been re-membering her sacred relationship to life, body and the food ways that nourish her deeply. This journey of cultivating intimacy with nourishment has not only shown her how profoundly it impacts/informs her wellness and sense of Self, it has also revealed to her how deeply disconnected many of us have become from our bodies, our land, our water and our ancestral cultures of care.

Guest Maestra

Ximena A. Rojas

Ximena is a local Mexican partera providing care in Baja California Norte. She is an esteemed midwife and midwife trainer in Mexico. She is most known for us humanitarian work with Justicia en Salud , a reproductive health justice clinic in Tijuana providing free services to refugees and migrants . She will join us for an evening of knowledge sharing .
Learn more about Ximena's Work

Guest Maestra

Meztli Torres

Metztli Lopez Torres was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. She got her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Anthropology in 2006 and her Master’s Degree 2010. Since 2004 Metztli has been working professionally in topics related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum with an emphasis in Traditional Mexican Medicine, Traditional Midwifery of Mexico, and Feminism. In 2013 she founded Luna Mamá Healing Services, her current business with the intention of returning to traditional and indigenous ways related to childbirth, motherhood, and care of the female body in her beloved Xalapa. In the summer of 2014 she moved to the USA with her family. She is the mother of 3 children and lives in Kumeyaay territory. Currently she is serving families in San Diego and virtually around the world as sobadora, birth keeper, traditional Mexican postpartum care provider, lactation educator, and educator.
Visit her Website

Guest Maestra

Aman Ixim: Paulina Jimenez

Paulina is a local birthworker and cacao wisdom holder. Paulina has dedicated over a decades to learning as much as she can with cacao much longer than it became popularized. Paulina will join us during the evening to share her understanding of cacao as it relates to birth and postpartum work. Click on the button below to view a beautiful video of her and her art.
Oro Liquido de la Selva

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

  • Do you offer any scholarships?

    Yes, I do. For this workshop however I am only making one scholarship opportunity available and it will be by invite only. Priority is always given to former "Unveiling the Journey" mentorship cohort members .

  • Will this workshop be in English?

    Yes, all instruction by me will be given in English. OUr guest maestras might choose to share in Spanish and I will make a translator available if the group need ones.

  • When will you have another Postpartum Sealing Retreat & Workshop?

    I hope to offer one every year. However, if there are many applicants demonstrating a large enough interest I will consider offering one more this summer . I will make those dates available only to applicants on the waitlist.

  • Can I take my child/s with me?

    Babes in arms are welcome!

  • Can I attend and stay somewhere else?

    Yes. You may choose to rent your own hotel, Airbnb or stay with relatives nearby. However the pricing will not be reduced.

  • Is this a BIPOC only event

    No. It is open to all birth and bodywork professionals.

  • I will be newly postpartum, can I still attend.

    I do not recommend attending this workshop while you are in your 4th trimester. While it may seem that this would be a perfect place to be held, it can move and bring up so much for all of us. Each application will be reviewed and evaluated one a one on one basis.

  • What do I need to know about crossing the U.S. Mexico Border

    If you are flying into Mexico, you will need a Passport! I will provide you with written details, links , maps and on all you need to know prior to the workshop. I will schedule 3 seperate caravan and carpool groups departing from San Diego so that participants can travel accompanied to and from the workshops.

  • My question is not listed here...

    If you still have questions please email me directly at [email protected].