#BEYOUROWN MEETS REBECCA WILSON

Rebecca Wilson is a womb yoga, embodied free movement facilitator, embodied feminine flow yoga & women’s wellness coach. Specialising in yoga for women, she has trained with Uma Dinsmore Tuli the Author and creator of Yoni Shakti Womb Yoga which is a practice designed to support women throughout their life cycles. 

Rebecca’s offerings are drawn from various schools of teachings such as traditional Chinese medicine, bio-medicine, Qi Gong, 5 element theory, embodied yoga, embodied and somatic movement. Rebecca believes in fully embodying her work by using these methods and the addition of other practices to live a balanced life deeply rooted in self-care. 

Rebecca holds events, workshop, and retreats across Europe and her passion is to lovingly hold a space for participants to express themselves fully and creatively. By allowing them to feel comfortable and safe when dipping their toes in vulnerability, Rebecca encourages self-expression on through various styles of yoga, movement, tantra and breath work providing a space for each individual to explore and awaken deep energies throughout the physical, emotional and spiritual body. One of her most important values is the essence of healing. We talk to Rebecca about why she encourages each of us to take our own journey through her offerings and how she is creating a space for us to tune into our own intuition and inner guidance.

Hey Rebecca, can you introduce yourself to us?

Thank you so much for your warm welcome it’s so lovely to be here. I am Rebecca I facilitate feminine flow yoga & embodied movement, meditation, womb connection and womb healing. I hold classes, events, workshops, and retreats across the U.K. & Europe.

My main ethos is to provide space for women to explore themselves at a deeper more intuitive level, I believe we all hold the wisdom we need within our own bodies and I hold space with the intention for women to unlock the wisdom that lives in their womb space through embodied movement practices.

My work invites women deep within the connection to their menstrual cycle, seasons of life, hormonal balancing and the deep womb wisdom that lives in the sacred source space of every woman. Empowering women to tune into their bodies and out of their minds, cultivating a deep knowing, sensuality and physical expression of the truth of who they are.

Can you take us through your journey as to how you arrived at where you are now?

My journey of yoga started around 11 years ago, I had previously danced from being 3 years old, so I had an understanding of movement, breath, spatial awareness and using the body as a vehicle of expression. At the age of 19 my mum became poorly and suddenly whilst in hospital passed away, this was the point that I can only describe as an awakening, a real turning point in my life.

I began to really see the world in a different way, I truly believe that our pain is our biggest teacher and this experience taught me so much. I developed an unhealthy relationship with food, exercise, and my body. With little to no self-love or self-worth, I had hit a place of destruction.

This destruction actually began a fascinating journey of learning about nutrition, health & wellness and biomedicine, alongside these studies my yoga practice changed dramatically. I had been attending yoga classes for mostly physical benefits, to begin with, with the knowledge there was more but never really peeling back those layers. At this time in my life I began to look inwards and my experience of yoga lead me to a spiritual path, to a deep sense of being supported by something greater than myself, if I could simply surrender into the flow of life, which as we know is easier said than done as at this point in my grieving process I had huge control issues. This why yoga is a practice because we are all human, we are not perfect.

For me having this space, this practice, something to dedicate my energy towards I began to relearn just how precious my health and body is, this brought me to healing my relationship with food and my body. Now I love my body and all its yumminess, I look back and can’t believe that was once the person I was.

If we fast forward a few years, I had decided to come off the implant artificial hormonal contraceptive pill, as I had been learning so much about the endocrine system and women’s hormones, it felt right for me to cleanse my body of something I have been filling it with for over 10 years. This started a long journey of cleansing my body of the effects left after shutting off my own natural rhythm for over a decade and pumping it with artificial hormones. 

I was suffering from mood swings, PMS, insomnia, bloating, weight gain, acne, greasy skin & hair and generally lacked any zest for life, definitely no libido! there were moments of complete isolation and not wanting to even be alive.

This pain filled time brought again another awakening and a huge realisation to the fact that I had been fighting the natural rhythm of my own body, completely dishonoring the seasons that live within me and ultimately the wisdom that lives within these natural states of flow we experience as women who are menstruating every month. 

Totally cut off from the wisdom that lives within the source space in the womb of every woman’s body. After taking this journey of self-healing I felt a deep call to share this work with women. To offer a space for women to meet and share knowledge, insights, and practices that support their own internal rhythm. Supporting them to come back into true wholeness, balance, and alignment with their feminine core energy.

As an embodied feminine flow yoga & women’s wellness coach, what were the first few steps to getting started?

My own personal journey over the last 11+ years has really paved the way for me to create this work, a knowing and understanding of having actually experienced what it feels like to be so disconnected from my body and the awakening to how beautiful it feels to be in connection to myself, body and womb wisdom. How life begins to flow, becoming more present in life & relationships, feeling connected and sensual within my own sovereign energy and when connecting with my partner.

I first took a 200-hour yoga teacher training course in Bali, which was amazing, words seem to limit to express this time of my life. It was on this trip that I experienced embodied movement within the form of yoga and intuitive movement practices. I also began a practice of consciously connected breathwork whilst at my training, this practice has been an integral part of my own growth, it was during a breathwork session in Bali that I experienced my first of many womb awakenings.

I have also studied with teachers within womb yoga, pelvic health, women’s anatomy, menstrual awareness and sacred feminine arts, with many years of self-study, self-practice and fully embodying my work.

Each training and exploration has been a remembrance for me, an understanding that we all hold this primal wisdom within us and when given the space, time and opportunity we are all able to access our own wisdom within. This is why I hold such a high intention to offer a space within my work for women to explore themselves, to know their bodies, how they move, what feels good, what doesn’t and to move with the sensation lead body wisdom they have.

We would love to know more about the Yoni Shakti Immersion Course which was created for women to re-connect to the river of creative and sexual energy within. Could you tell us more?

This course has been created out of my own personal practices and understanding of the feminine energy. I felt like I had birthed this project out into the world the day I shared it, it was most definitely something that had been growing for a while and I just completely trusted when the time was right it would arrive, and it did.

This is a weekend immersion course for women to connect back to themselves, to the river of creative energy & potential they carry within their womb, this is the same energy as their sensual and sexual energy, also known as life force energy, kundalini or chi. The feminine creative energy needs equal amounts of play and rest. The play allows the creativity to rise. The rest allows space for it to settle and land within the body to be birthed into the world, whether that is a new life or a creative project or just a re-birthing of herself.

Yoni Shakti Cultivating Creativity weekend immersion offers an opportunity for women to dive deep into the exploration of their creative fire, life force Shakti energy and the internal world in a safe and lovingly held environment.

Why do you feel the feminine creative energy needs equal amounts of play and rest?

The feminine energy is cyclic in nature, meaning in its natural state it flows through various phases, the seasons of our menstrual cycle reflects this. Women experience 4 changes throughout their cycle each month both hormonal and energetic. When a woman truly honors the natural state of her feminine energy as it peaks and lowers she comes into her true power.

Within the pre-menstrual (Autumn) and menstrual (Winter) phases of her cycle a woman’s body needs different foods, practices, activity than she does during pre-ovulation (Spring) ovulation (Summer). By learning how to nourish during the inward energy, YIN weeks of her cycle and bloom during her outward energy YANG weeks of her cycle a woman can work in harmony with her natural rhythm which in turn supports her productivity, receptivity, intuition, hormones, libido, sexual energy, juiciness and zest for life.

Who are the team behind you?

I have an amazing partner who supports my growth and work, holding me accountable for myself and my creative potential just as I do with him. I also have amazing support from family and friends which nourishes me, along with teachers who I tune into at times for wisdom and alternative understandings than my own.

Having trained with Uma Dinsmore Tuli and introducing a variety of classes including Yoga Nidra Honouring Shakti & Connecting To Source And Womb Yoga, where could you see your self within the next 3-5 years in terms of new teachings and new offerings?

My feeling is that I will be travelling sharing my teachings within the next 3 to 5 years within workshops, retreats and teacher training programme, with the potential to live abroad as a base, I always feel a deep call to Bali. However I am totally open to it being whatever it is meant to be, I trust in the unfolding of divine timing.

How are you planning to expand your services?

I am currently working on some online courses that will be available very soon, to reach an audience outside of my current location, as this is something that I have been asked about so I heard the call and answered it. These courses will be within womb healing and menstrual awareness. From here I am planning a retreat in Ibiza for 2019 offering an embodied week of practices from the sacred arts of the feminine, along with womb work, embodied movement & yoga plus lots of yummy practices drawn from various schools of teaching such as tantra, Taoist practices, 5 element theory, Qi Gong.

Can you tell us what areas you have struggled in professionally?

There has been a lot of learning for me within the more theoretical aspect of my work, as I have been resting in a space of the deep feminine energies for some time, creating, exploring and feeling into the work I bring into my offerings, the more practical parts of running your own business took some time for me to uptake. I love handwriting all my work as I feel it comes from a deeper place within and also writing is a somatic practice, however, I do see the benefits of typing now too.

This has given me an opportunity to see where I can grow and I worked on balancing my internal masculine and feminine energies to come into more balance of creating and manifesting into reality.

Have you ever had a mentor? If so how has this benefitted you to grow?

Up to this very point I haven’t yet had a mentor, however, I am open to the possibility.

What outlets do use to market your services?

I have a landing space for women to find all my offerings on my website, I also use social media with Instagram and Facebook, I love interacting with women online and sharing through social media. There is an amazing space to create beautiful connections through these online platforms.

Which methods are you using to build your own network?

Facebook, Instagram and my website

What do you believe are the common misconceptions of the woman’s wellness industry are?

Within my work, I hear from many women that they just don’t have time to nourish and look after themselves, that they feel selfish in doing so. My belief is that we cant pour from an empty cup, that we need to support ourselves and fill our own vessels up first before giving out to others. In doing so we are able to actually give in a much more fulfilling and beneficial way, from a place of fullness, which feels completely different to the receiver than from a place of emptiness, which can have a heavy energy with it.

There is as I see it a huge cultural imprint upon women that we need to be doing things for others in order to be seen, heard, met, loved or accepted as we are. I see so many women take on the caretaker role with no real knowledge that they are enough just as they are, they don’t need to eternally serve and nurture everyone in order to be accepted. This was a pattern that took me many times seeing to even begin to unravel, I still now catch myself in this space and have to pull myself back, its a practice not perfect, but having the awareness is the biggest step.

These imprints can be passed on ancestrally for many generations, down through the womb space of our maternal lineage. I am seeing more and more women wake up to this and begin to give themselves the love, devotion and care they need in order to flourish.

What would you like to see changed in within the woman’s wellness industry?

The idea of what beauty is, what it should look like. I meet many women who are constantly striving, which is masculine energy to be somewhere they are not, for example, postpartum mums desperate to get their body back when in fact they now have a new normal as their body has been through the most magical transformation and experience.

Or young women desperate to look like a celebrity or someone famous rather than looking inward at their own beauty. Again I see this as a huge imprint from media, TV, magazines. My feeling is that slowly things are starting to shift, I love seeing body positive images and campaigns.

What is the best piece of advice you have received to date?

To be myself, as the world needs me like that! That is also my advice to others too.

What is the number 1 critical lesson you have learned in your career so far?

Authenticity is essential, this is a life lesson. Walk the path you share, my work is an extension of the energy within me so for me it goes hand in hand.

How do you create an evenly balanced work and personal life?

Work – play- work – rest! I work in tune with my menstrual cycle, I honour my body whilst I am bleeding I take 3 days of hibernation, with as little activity as possible. From this practice, I am full of energy throughout the rest of my cycle.

I also enjoy time in nature every day and a little creative play like dancing, moving my body, to create a flow state of energy within my body, this helps my creative energy to be in a constant dance.

The highlight of your career so far?  What gives you ultimate career satisfaction?

Seeing the transformation within the women I work with, each and every time. Seeing them work through their own processes, limiting beliefs, lack of self love and all from a place of empowerment, as I support them, they are the ones who have to step up and do the work for themselves, this takes a level of self responsibly, the outcomes are incredible and so empowering for them. 

Which other leading entrepreneurs and leading female pioneers do you also admire and why?

I am currently loving the work of Layla Martin, go check her out if you don’t know. Also, some teachers of mine are Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, Alexandra Pope, Mama Gena and Gay Hendricks

How would you say you are intending to use your voice to educate others in the woman’s wellness sector?

My philosophy is to lead by example, for me that simply looks like continuing to walk my path as it unfolds, honoring my cyclic nature, share my message as often as I can and do so with love and a deep gratitude for the opportunity to be sharing this wisdom that rises.

What is a good article or book you have read recently?

I go through waves of reading and waves of tuning into the wisdom within. Some great books for me are ‘Yoni Shakti’ by Uma Dinsmore Tuli, ‘The Pill Is It For You’ by Alexandra Pope and finally ‘Pussy A Reclamation’ by Mama Gena

What does your Podcast playlist look like?

I am more of a YouTube listener, I like to listen to the weekly astrology people report by Kaypacha. He is super fun, his laugh makes me laugh, I love people like that. Other than that I spend my time creating, moving, resting.

How do you measure your terms of success?

Am I happy? Am I serving my purpose? Am I excited about life? Am I fulfilling my potential at this moment? I ask myself these questions, if I get a no to any of them, I ask myself what can I do in order to bring that into a yes, then I do that very thing.

What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?

Be who you are in every moment, stay true to you, be authentic & lead with love. 

Lastly, what is next for you throughout 2018?

I have some exciting new events, workshops, and retreats coming up over the rest of 2018 and one includes a 6 session Womb Connection course starting June 25th, which is held alternate Monday evenings In Manchester. Yoni Shakti – Womb Celebration a women’s wellness afternoon on Sunday 1st, July in Manchester. Also, a 6 session online Womb Connection healing course that I am only taking six clients on for this at the moment as I feel this supports their journey. Then a Women’s Wellness Weekend Retreat held on Friday 28th September to Monday 1st of October at the Peak district. Lastly Yoni Shakti -Cultivating Creativity, a weekend immersion taking place on Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th of October in Manchester.

www.beyourown.org