When I think about the most transformative moments of my life—moments that rearranged me, softened me, cracked me open—it was never in sterile rooms under fluorescent lights.
It was in water.
In the quiet of trees.
In the hands of my elders.
It was in places where I remembered not just who I was, but who I belonged to.
As a therapist and healer grounded in decolonial praxis, I often return to this knowing, especially when walking with clients through the perinatal period. Pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early parenting are not just biological processes—they are sacred rites of passage.
And yet, in many Western medical systems, this time is stripped of its spiritual and ancestral depth.
Many of the birthing people I work with come to therapy not just tired, but disoriented. Not just anxious but disconnected. They’re told to “cope”and “bounce back” when what they need is remembrance.
And that remembrance often lives in two places: in nature and ancestral wisdom.
Nature Holds Us When the World Does Not
I’ve seen what happens when someone steps into nature after weeks of sleep deprivation and postpartum chaos.
Their breath slows.
Their shoulders soften.
Their nervous system, often stuck in survival mode, finds a rhythm again.
This is not a coincidence. It’s biology, yes—but it’s also legacy.
Science gives us names for it:
- Psycho-Evolutionary Theory- which explains why nature calms our physiology.
- Attention Restoration Theory- which shows how green and blue spaces restore cognitive balance.
- Attachment Theory- which confirms that time in nature strengthens bonding with baby.
- Psychospiritual Theory- which reminds us that we are not alone—there is something greater holding us.
However, Indigenous teachings have always recognized this: that we are not separate from nature; we are nature. Healing occurs when we reconnect with this relationship.
I often ask clients:
What if healing during this time wasn’t about “getting back to normal”?
What if it was about returning to a deeper rhythm—one that honors the land, your body, and your ancestors?
Wisdom That Isn’t in Textbooks
In many cultures, birth is not a medical event—it is a communal one. Elders gather. Songs are sung. Food is prepared. Babies are welcomed not just with hospital bands, but with a spiritual ceremony.
These ancestral practices are not outdated; they are essential.
They teach us relational accountability—the idea that healing is not only for us, but for our lineage and our descendants.
They remind us that the perinatal period is not about performance—it is about presence.
Western psychology often centers self-actualization, but in Indigenous frameworks, identity is collective. You are shaped by the land you’re on, the people who raised you, and the stories that live in your bones.
This awareness can be a balm in the postpartum fog, when the world asks you to parent in isolation but your spirit longs for village.
A Different Kind of Perinatal Care
At YAI Wellness, we don’t offer cookie-cutter mental health support. We offer space to root.
- To root into your body.
- To root into your story
- To root into a way of healing that honors your lineage, not erases it.
Whether you’re preparing to give birth, navigating loss, adjusting to postpartum life, or simply trying to feel like yourself again, we are here to remind you:
You are already held.
By the land.
By your ancestors.
By the sacred wisdom that lives within you.
This is not about returning to nature as an escape—it’s about returning as a homecoming.
To the earth.
To the lineage.
To yourself.
