Rebirth Movement

So what exactly is the ego and how can we recognize it within ourselves?

The ego, when in balance, serves an important purpose.
But left unmanaged, can create a lot of inner turmoil.

The ego is the “I” self -- the mental construct of identity.
If we are not taught about the ego, we believe this identity is “us”. As a result, most of us are slaves to our ego and actually believe that our ego identity is our true identity.

We grow up unaware of how it controls us, makes decisions for us and creates narratives of our lives to project an image or persona of who we think we are.

The more awareness we bring to ourselves
(our thoughts, actions, reactions, emotions, relationships & social conditioning),
the more we can start to recognize when your ego is calling the shots and how it impacts you.

The work begins by practicing self observation. 》Where does your focus go (positive or negative)?
》What narrative are you telling yourself?
》When do you get defensive and why?
》In what areas of your life are you most desperate to feel belonging?
》What parts of yourself do you feel shame for and why?
The ego is going to resist this level of awareness and self observation. This process likely won't be comfortable, but it is an important step to beginning to differentiate between the authentic (higher) self and ego self.

Through practicing awareness and observation we can begin to control the ego and say,
"I see you, but I'm okay.
I don't need to respond from this place of fear/hurt/shame.
I don't need to keep writing this same narrative that is not serving me." When we observe the ego it looses its power.
And the more we practice recognizing the ego the easier it will be to regain power.
Ego work and practicing this self awareness transfers into conscious awareness where we shed layer after layer of your unauthentic self and experience your own
r e b i r t h. 🌙 1:1 counselling and group work is coming soon to Kitchener-Waterloo, so stay tuned lovelies!

Fellow Birth Workers! There's an awesome workshop coming to GUELPH this Thursday (April 18) you don't want to miss!
Jessie of KITH+common community consulting will be sharing so much wisdom about inclusivity and how birth professionals can offer better support to clients and their families.

The workshop is also facilitated by social worker Ash Mar Lap, owner of Mind Online.

It's a great workshop for us (birth workers) to learn a bit more about how to better be there for our LGBTQ+/ non-binary clients.
I will be there and I hope I can see some of you too!

This article was hard for me to read so I feel as though I should mention that as a disclaimer before encouraging others to read it.

The last thing I want to do is perpetuate fear around birth and labour but the issue of consent is REAL and medical professionals are misusing their power and authority.

"What can I do about this?" you ask:
- know your rights
- prioritize developing a birth support team that validates you, makes you feel safe, and is willing to provide client-centred care
- interview you doulas/midwives/obstetricians and choose a team wisely
- visit hospitals/birth centres and know their policies, practices and birth statistics (For example, some hospitals have very high cesarean rates. If you are wanting to birth with minimal unnessary intervention, that is likely not a good fit for you)

"Childbirth is one of life's few big events where unpredictability is almost guaranteed. There is, however, a fine line between necessary medical interventions to ensure the safety of both woman and her baby, and decisions made that violate a woman's rights, and her body."

'It felt like a violation of my rights': the issue of consent during childbirth There is a fine line between necessary medical interventions to ensure the safety of both woman and her baby, and decisions made that violate a woman’s rights.

🌱 March 21st is

‘She is perfect’: Mom discovers baby has Down syndrome after dramatic water birth "I knew that something was different. As soon as I looked down, I saw it. I saw it in my baby’s face. I thought to myself... my baby has Down syndrome."