Closing of the Bones Ceremony- what is it and what makes it sacred?

You may be like I was, and have no clue what a closing of the bones ceremony is. I know when I first heard the name I was instantly drawn in, despite not knowing what it was. After studying this ceremony, and learning from my teachers, it’s something that I not only recommend for all my clients, but I encourage clients who think it’s “to late” to arrange for this special ceremony for themselves.

So what is it?

Closing of the bones is a ceremony that has been used all over the world, to help mothers complete the rite of passage of motherhood. This ceremony offers physical, spiritual, and emotional healing after birth, and can be beneficial no matter how long it has been since birth.

The ceremony can present itself in a variety of ways, depending on culture and desires of the mother. Usually, it consists of massage with warm oils, and wrapping the body with rebozos, a type of mexican scarf. While this ceremony can be done with any number of rebozos, the traditional application uses 7 rebozos starting from the head to the feet. The rebozos are pulled tight around the mother, allowing her to feel held and supported. I have seen additions such as a soak in an herbal bath and a yoni steam before the wrapping of the body in rebozos. In Mexican cultures, this ceremony is done 40 days after the birth of a child; however, it can be done years or even decades after birth.

The physical benefits of this ceremony are that it helps guide the muscles and the bones in the body, back into alignment. It can help shrink the uterus after birth, and increase blood flow helping to heal the mother.

The process of lying wrapped in the rebozos, facilitates a spiritual and emotional release for the mother. It gives her time to reflect on the pregnancy and the birth, and allow her to release any traumas that may have happened during this time. It is said that trauma is stored in the hips, and creates a blockage to the root chakra, creating an imbalance and sense of feeling ungrounded. According to Mayan cultures, this ceremony helps bring the mother back into her body, as it is believed the mother’s spirit is pulled into the ether to retrieve her baby’s spirit. It is said that the ceremony helps guide her spirit home, back into her body, so that she may fully begin this new era of motherhood.

This beautiful ceremony is not only for newly postpartum mothers- it can be done for individuals experiencing deep grief, trauma, or women who have undergone miscarriages or hysterectomies.

This ceremony comes in so many different shapes, forms, and cultural significance. It is truly beautiful, and I am grateful that these traditions have been passed on and shared across the world.