Medicine Circle & Coaching
Whether you are interested in coaching for your cycle, or for any other challenge in life, I use the process of the Menstral Medicine Circle (MMC) to guide you to your own inner wisdom (in person, phone or Skype/ Zoom).
The MMC is a precious opportunity for a woman to connect with her menstrual cycle, held and guided by an MMC facilitator. The MMC was created by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo-Wurlizter, founders of the Red School, as a tool for accessing the wisdom of the female body.
I would describe menstruality as an embodied spirtuality for women. The single most important aspect of the MMC for me is that the wisdom comes from the woman's own intelligent body; her own insights. We do not need to look externally for guidance. This is radical considering all the teachers and gurus out there telling us how to think or behave!
In these interviews with my good friend and colleague Kate Codrington (www.katecodrington.co.uk), we talk about the Medicine Circle and menopausal women (nearest video) and pregnant women. How does it work? What benefits are there? Who comes to receive this and why?
My task as a facilitator (or I prefer guide) is to create space in your busy life for you to stop and pay attention to what your cycle is communicating. I will guide you through each of your inner seasons (see here for a video explaining these) in turn. The MMC is not therapy and I am not a therapist or counsellor. Instead, I enable you through an imaginal process to receive the wisdom and medicine through deep attention to your inner experience.
Why invest in an MMC?
*Are you struggling with your periods or PMT/ PMS?
*Are you trying to reconnect with your cycle after years on the pill?
*Are you trying to conceive and want to reconnect positively with your body?
*Are you blocked creatively?
*Do you want to change the relationship with your body?
*Do you want to navigate your changing emotions?
(I could keep going with these questions for a long time! You can also use the MMC when you are peri-menopausal or post-menopausal, but since I'm not at that stage of my life I can suggest wonderful MMC guides who are.
What exactly happens in an MMC?
We meet for an hour. We start with you setting an intention for the session: perhaps there is something you have been struggling with or there is a desire for guidance. I then talk you through each of the inner seasons - the Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and back to the Winter of your cycle. We listen for what is coming up. At the end of the process we discuss practical steps to work on.
Every time I have participated in an MMC - for myself or another woman - I am astounded by what emerges. Whether a woman sees herself as imaginative, intuitive, in touch with her cycle, OR NOT, so much arises when female insight is given the time and space it deserves.
We can sit or stand. I make you comfortable so that you can close your eyes and take your awareness inwards. You can write notes at the end. It is important to have some time afterwards at your home, in the park, wherever you can let the experience sink in and ground yourself before going back to your busy life!
How many times do we meet?
Depending on the reason why you would like to experience the Medicine Circle, I might advise to meet for one session or for a number. It is useful to have been charting your cycle beforehand, but I can guide you on how to do this prior to our meeting if you are new to it. Often a standalone session will reveal insight that can be turned into practical steps to find a new relationship with your cycle.
What are your credentials for being an MMC guide?
I completed the Women's Quest Leadership Apprenticeship with Alexandra and Sjanie in 2017. I am a MMC facilitator, having completed the residential component and certification process. I am insured with Balens as a Menstural Educator and specifically for facilitating MMCs. I receive supervision from the Red School.
I have hosted a monthly Red Tent for 6 years and am deeply in touch with my own cycle.
What is the investment?
A standalone Medicine Circle session with follow-up recommendations costs £89. I will guide you through the circle for one hour, and then email you with the recommendations to follow that were suggested by the medicine/ insight that arose in the session.
I provide bespoke packages and concessionary rates so please get in touch for a free clarity call on how I can support you: hello@tessayoga.co.uk.
"My Medicine Circle with Tessa was a potent, highly charged and extrememly illuminating experience. Tessa holds space for healing with grace, tenderness and respect.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who would like deeper insight and clarity into their cycle and how it effects their day to day lives." (Jodie)
"The Medicine Circle that Tessa held for me was an amazing opportunity to connect with my cycle on a much deeper level than I have ever been able to do on my own. It allowed me to have a totally different awareness of myself, my past and feelings throughout my inner seasons, some of which was totally new for me.
It has made a huge difference on how to deal with my inner seasons and to support myself throughout my cycle. Tessa's loving presence, support and gentle guidance was essential to give me confidence to explore my inner cycles. I would recommend it to anyone who wants clarity." (Andreia Hamer)
For fertility
"Life really took off after my session with you, I was swept away! It was such an incredibly exquisite and profound experience, many thanks for holding sacred space for me like you did.
Among the revelations, I was also able to cleanse my womb space through our sesh to create a pure environment for my second baby to grow. I didn't have another bleed after our session, would you believe it?! My son was poised, ready, as we spoke.
I felt his soul arrive at 9 weeks gestation - a pure energy, and what a delight he is out of the womb. Born on the full moon of 13th November, 2019.
Thank you." (Zoe Gimring, New Zealand)
Medicine Circle during pregnancy:
"I found the session so insightful. I felt really at ease and this helped me to connect to my thoughts and express them more easily.
I really felt that I connected to my different seasons and could really visualise and feel the difference between them. It help me to connect to my feelings and emotions towards my PCOS diagnosis - I hadn't realised I was carrying such heavy emotions towards specific seasons.
This has been very useful as it has allowed me to work on unlocking this and to continue to face and work through areas of my cycle that I struggle more with: trying to make the murky more clear.
Being in my final weeks of pregnancy (my first and unplanned), it was really insightful how much linked to my current emotions, and I wasn't aware of how thankful I am actaully feeling for being pregnant until I had the session.
After the session I was overcome with
emotion - but not in a bad way - it was nice to get out some of the emotions that have been building up, which I have been keeping in.
Interestingly that night I had a lot of very vivid dreams and although some of the dreams were heavy with emotion, they really helped me to understand my current emotional position.
I would definitely recommend the session as it was truly insightful and allowed mem to come aware of my emotional connection with my own cycle, my emotions towards my PCOS, my pregnancy and the upcoming birth of my child.
As well as this it allowed me to look into my emotions towards my periods and cycle AFTER birth. I will definitely be continuting to work on seeing specific seasons more clearly.
Thank you!" (Joey S)
Medicine Circle during pregnancy:
"Having never given much thought to my menstrual cycle nor how it affects my life and emotions, I approached the session as a 'blank slate'. Being in the later stages of pregnancy (35th week) seemed both an odd time to think about my cycle (felt ages ago) and a great time, as Tessa took me through all the ways in which the four seasons of the cycle can also be applied to the different stages of pregnancy.
A range of different emotions arose for me; from introspection and some of the challenges I am facing in the later stages of preganncy, to the desire and willingness to bring back the positivity and enthusiasn of earlier stages; from some of the concerns over what the postnatal period will bring, to the determination in trusting myself and my instincts.
I also experienced deep joy for the upcoming birth and visualised the baby as a present I am longing to unwrap, as well as deep gratitude for the support of my partner throughout the pregnancy." (Elisa)
Medicine Circle during pregnancy:
"I was surprised that despite being 38 weeks pregnant, I was able to experience the link between the stages of pregnancy, the menstrual cycle and the [inner] seasons. I felt guided and supported by Tessa; this enabled me to open up and explore my feelings more than I thought possible.
The sessions was particularly useful in helping me to identify my feelings and needs at this stage in my pregnancy. I left the session feeling empowered and very ready for birth.
I really did learn a lot. It has inspired me to find out more!" (Lisa B)
07766 707119
