A “Closing of the Bones ” or “Cerrada” is a traditional postpartum ritual, primarily practiced in Latin America, where a woman receives a massage and body wrapping to help her pelvis and body recover after giving birth, often seen as a way to physically and emotionally “close” the body after the birthing process; it involves using a special cloth called a rebozo to gently manipulate and bind the hips and abdomen, promoting healing and emotional release.

This ceremony provides a place of support and care for the new mother. It acknowledges the labor the woman’s body has gone through in growing and birthing a baby and promotes healing to help the mother ‘come back’ into herself energetically and physically from the birth experience. This ceremony typically takes place after the “Cuarenta” or 40 days postpartum where the mother is cared for with special soups, time to rest, and bond with their new baby. 

Closing of Bones is a practice that can be transformational for any postpartum mother –whether you are 3 days or 30 years postpartum–who is looking to find more peace within.  We have found it to be a profoundly powerful tool.  Our hope is that more women through community can learn about and participate in a Closing of the Bones ritual after birthing.

It is said that during pregnancy the aura of a woman undertakes an extreme opening to accommodate the life and soul of the baby to be birthed through her. Birth itself is considered to be the moment of greatest expansion of the vibrational field in all its planes (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).

The postpartum ritual, traditionally performed during the postpartum period, honors this expansion, and gently offers closure to the new mother as she returns to her own center and integrates her personal transformation to motherhood. In addition to honoring women during the sacred postpartum “fourth trimester”, the ritual can also assist with closure after an abortion, miscarriage or loss, to mark the end of breastfeeding, to celebrate menarche or any other significant rite of passage as it helps to close the old in order to give way to a new cycle.

We offer the full version of this ritual/ceremony, which generally takes about 4.5-5 hours to complete and involves four different aspects, each designed to warm, nurture, nourish and ground new mothers while honoring and offering closure after birth (or significant rite of passage).

The four elements are as follows: 

• A ceremonial “slap bath” using fresh herbs and steam designed to emulate the traditional ‘temazcal’ healing Sauna for purification of the body. A sacral steam or “Peri-Steam” to assist in the healing process of the uterus and vaginal tissues after birth utilizing special herbs and steam while seated on a specially designed box. This helps reduce the possibility of infection, reduces long term vaginal discharge and tendency towards postpartum hemorrhage.  
• A “Sobada” or gentle nourishing full body massage using warm herb infused oil (Made with specific postpartum herbs) which includes repositioning and balancing of the uterus.
• A tightening and closing of the body using rebozos* at each section of the body ending with a period of rest under heavy blankets to encourage the body to sweat and release toxins for a deeply grounding effect.

How to prepare for your ceremony:
Come well hydrated and rested with your entire day completely free so you can fully let go and allow yourself to be taken care of.
Things to bring:

• A Warm cozy Robe
• Warm socks
• A swimsuit if you feel the need for modesty during the Temazcal bath/sauna treatment
• A bouquet of flowers as an offering for your alter
• Warm coats hats gloves for your trip home

If you have a baby or other children with you, it is important to have someone else present to care for them so you are able to fully relax and be present in the ceremony. Once the ceremony is complete you may bring in your baby to nurse or connect while you receive nourishing soup and tea afterwards to balance the nervous and digestive system.

The rebozo is a very long, handwoven scarf created by women for women and is native to Mexico & Central America. The beautiful traditions of using the rebozo are handed down from mother to daughter and midwife to midwife and they have many uses including carrying a baby, relaxing and repositioning mothers in childbirth, carrying groceries, and ceremonies for important passages of women’s lives.