Reclaiming your Birth Story
A 2-hour somatic healing workshop to process your experience of giving birth
Up to 45% of those giving birth have experienced birth trauma. And so many have never actually had the opportunity to process and heal the painful and disempowering experience.
In those early postpartum days, it’s too much to process as we heal from the birth and care for our tiny, dependent baby.
The days, months, and even years go by, and our experiences may have been minimised or dismissed. We may have felt we couldn’t share. Or believed it is just normal for birth to feel that hard.
And we tell ourselves we should be grateful, especially when our child is healthy.
Yet the body often holds what the mind has tried to move past. If thinking about the birth still feels painful or upsetting or you avoid thinking about it altogether, you’re not alone. If you sense in your body that the experience of your birth is still lingering inside, I invite you to join us to find the space and sense of completion you long for.
This is not a typical workshop
This is not a yoga class, movement class, or open sharing circle.
This is a facilitated somatic process designed to help you work with aspects of your birth experience that may still feel charged, distant, or unresolved.
The focus is not on casual sharing or learning information, but on guided processing and integration through the body.
You will be supported and guided step-by-step through the entire process to begin processing and reclaiming your experience, whether your birth was months or many years ago.
You remain in control of your level of participation at all times.
There is no pressure to share.
How this work is different
Many people try to process their birth experience by thinking about it or talking it through.
But experiences like this are not only held in thoughts. They can show up as physical tension, emotional reactions, or a sense of disconnection.
This workshop works at the level of the body and nervous system, allowing for shifts that are not accessible through talking alone.
Rather than focusing on the story itself, the work supports you in changing how the experience is held in your body, so it no longer carries the same weight or charge. This work will support you in reclaiming your experience as one that feels more life-affirming and empowering
What we’ll be doing
The 2 hour workshop weaves together somatic exploration, reflection, and optional sharing.
You will be supported through:
Body-based awareness and grounding
Gentle, intentional movement to access and shift held experience
Structured reflection and writing
Optional, supported sharing
Integration and closing
Each part is clearly guided with a steady pace and ongoing support.
What this work can support
Participants often come in feeling disconnected from, unsettled by, or unsure how to process their experience giving birth.
This workshop may support you in:
Less reactivity or emotional charge when thinking about your birth
A greater sense of settling or completion
Feeling more connected to your body
A shift in how you relate to the experience
Some experiences that have felt difficult to access, avoid, or carry may begin to feel more integrated over time.
Who this space is for
This workshop is for you if:
You have given birth
Your birth experience still brings up emotion, discomfort, or unease
You avoid thinking about it, or feel stuck when you do
You find yourself minimizing it or telling yourself you should be over it
You want a body-based way to process, not just talk about it
You are months to years postpartum, including many years later
The workshop is not fit if:
You are in the early postpartum period
You are currently in acute distress or crisis, or actively experiencing postpartum anxiety or depression
You are looking for a purely educational prenatal or birth class
This workshop is specifically focused on processing one’s own birth experience. It is not designed for partners, support people, or those processing related but different experiences.
*If you are newly postpartum or needing more individualized support, one-on-one work may be more appropriate (if this is something you’re looking for, please do get in touch to find out about working together or finding appropriate resources)
** In order to ensure the safety of participants and their children, this is an adult-only space. Babies and children are not able to attend.
Workshop details
Date: May 2, 2026
Time: 3-5pm
Location: Bain Community Centre
Duration: 2 hours
Group size: Limited to 14 to maintain a supported space
Investment
Early bird: $65 (until April 19, enter EARLYBIRD at check out)
Regular: $85
*If this work resonates and the price is prohibitive, please reach out. I never want cost to be a barrier.
Before you register
This workshop is designed to be a guided and supported process, not an overwhelming or uncontained experience.
You will not be asked to relive your birth.
You will be supported in staying connected to yourself throughout.
You are always in control of your level of participation.
About the facilitator
This workshop is guided by Twyla Kowalenko, MSW PhD an experienced facilitator with a background in somatic, body-based work, perinatal mental health, and group facilitation. With over 25 years of facilitation experience, Twyla helps women reclaim safety, agency and embodied wellbeing. Twyla is the founder of Soma’ing and creator of Your Inner Compass, a prenatal preparation for motherhood. Twyla teaches at York University and in the community.
Anything else you want to know about me or about the workshop? Or know if it’ll be a safe space for what you need?