veradubrovina.com, London (2025)

26/09/2025

The last few weeks have been such a journey: from the corridor of eclipses and the fallouts through different communities, to holding space at our equinox circle, welcoming friends into my home for gathering, and sharing on IVF, pregnancy and birth at the birthkeepers group.

What stood out to me is how easily discord and the inability to really listen can lead to separation and entrenchment. When we second-guess ourselves or feel the need to censor our words, connection disappears. But in circles where we can speak freely, without filtering or fear, even the most controversial subjects can be explored with openness and respect.

That is where the magic happens: in spaces where all opinions matter, where we choose to meet each other with deep love and open receptivity. True listening is not finishing each other’s sentences or assuming we know what someone else is going to say. It is mindfulness in practice, a beginner’s mind that does not drag the poison of past hurts into the present moment.

Women’s gatherings often have the reputation of being toxic, full of comparison or subtle competition. Sometimes, in the misplaced desire to protect ourselves, we bring in a kind of masculine energy - to dominate, to push, to prove. But real feminine power does not need to dominate. It is not subservient either. It serves, it nurtures, it creates space without fear.

I was reminded of this so strongly this week. Sitting in a circles of women that were not toxic or overwhelming, but nurturing and alive. Even where opinions diverged, there was respect. Even where views were different, there was love. Discord can so quickly escalate into aggression, but it doesn’t have to.

In the past, I might have walked away when things felt too difficult. Now, I feel the importance of staying when it matters, of listening before cutting ties, of removing toxicity when it is truly necessary and giving space for words to be spoken.

Unity in diversity, not uniformity. This has never felt more relevant. We don’t need to be the same to belong together. We just need to keep choosing love.

We can heal the world, one step at a time💕

22/09/2025

Yesterday we gathered in a beautiful women’s circle to honour the Autumn Equinox - a moment of balance, transition, and renewal. It felt especially precious after a very full August and September, when I walked alongside a few births, majority with second-time mothers.

These births were profoundly healing and inspiring, reminding me of the strength of women reclaiming their stories. They also left me tender and a little tired - the kind of tiredness that comes from giving deeply of yourself. The circle offered me a much-needed reset, a reminder that birthwork and life are always about cycles of holding and releasing.

This equinox has an added layer: it closed the corridor of eclipses, ending with a partial solar eclipse and ending in this perfect balance of day and night. A potent symbol of completion and new beginnings, of the necessity of both shadow and light.

Usually, this season finds me drumming and processing allotment harvest of tomatoes and pumpkins, gathering harvest in the most literal way. This year, instead of kitchens full of steam, I sat in circle, reflecting on what balance means right now.

Balance that isn’t about symmetry or control, it’s about movement. Like the seasons, like the births I witness, it is a constant turning.

So my offering for this equinox is simple:
🌿 Honour what you have “harvested”
🌿 Acknowledge what you are ready to release
🌿 Plant a seed of intention for the season ahead as we turn into the darkness

The energy is still with us today, a perfect moment to light a candle, pause and reflect.

May this turning of the wheel bring you steadiness where you need it, and change when you are ready for it.

We can heal the world, one step at a time. 💕

21/09/2025

On this International Day of Peace 2025, I cannot help but think of the women and children whose lives are shattered in every act of war.

I have witnessed the struggle of mothers birthing in overstretched, underfunded maternity services and with physical pain in my heart we see images of conflict zones, where these struggles are magnified a thousandfold. To bring life into the world amidst violence and neglect is a burden no woman should carry.

We may hold different political views, but there can be no disagreement that the killing of innocents is unacceptable. Without protecting women and children, peace is an illusion.

Today is marked as a day of non-violence and ceasefire yet violence is not only about weapons. It is also about the quiet neglect of care, the silencing of women’s choices, the breaking down of systems meant to support life.

Peace begins with each of us. In our breath, in our capacity to pause, to choose compassion over fear. This is how resilience is born. If we want peace in the world, we must practice it daily, in ourselves, in our families, in our communities.

But we all need to act now by choosing peace to protect the sanctity of life.

We can heal the world, one step at a time. 💕

22/08/2025

Michel Odent has peacefully passed away on 19 August, surrounded by his loved ones. My heart is filled with sweet sadness - he was 95, yet still so full of life, curiosity, and aspirations. My deepest condolences go to Liliana, his children, and grandchildren.

His work changed the course of my life - from the birth of my second baby at home, to the path I have walked ever since, supporting women who wish to explore different options for birth.

A prolific writer, from “Birth Reborn” in 1984 to “Can Humanity Survive Socialisation of Birth?” in 2023 and almost 20 books in between, he explored and questioned every aspect of birth.

He reminded us, again and again, that birth is a normal, physiological event, not a medical procedure.

With relentless energy, he researched, investigated, and created the Primal Health Research Database, a unique collection of studies exploring how experiences from conception through the first year of life shape our long-term health and capacity to love.

He also popularised water birth, giving women across the world another way to reclaim comfort, safety, and dignity in labour.

He will be remembered forever - not just as a pioneer, but as someone who gave countless women the confidence to trust their bodies and bring birth back home.

The question now remains: can we continue his legacy and save birth?💗💗💗

17/08/2025

The details for the events and classes for September is here, 🔖save the post for the future.

Group Yoga online classes:
🪷 Yoga for Postpartum recovery, Monday, 11.00-12.00
🪷Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth, Monday, 17.15-18.30
🪷Therapeutic Yoga, Monday, 19.30-20.45
🪷 Weekly meditations on Mondays and Thursdays at 21.00

Monthly events and workshops (registrations in bio):

🍀The Art of Pranayama, Sunday, 7 Sep, 9-10
🍀 Restorative Sunday Yoga, Sunday, 14 Sep, 20-21
🍀 Full Moon Women’s Circle, Thursday, 18 Sep, 20-22 (book now in bio)
🍀 Equinox Women’s Circle (in Russian, .uk ) , Sunday, 21 Sep, 20-22
🍀 Unlocked Series - The benefits of baby massage, TBC
🍀 IAIM Baby massage course - next course starts in mid Nov (register interest)
🍀 Yoga for Pregnancy with Mindfulness Teacher Training starts in Oct 25

🌸 Services offered (in SW and central London):
♡ Yoga and Mizan-based Therapy Programmes (female centric)
♡ Birth and Postpartum Doula Programmes – Fully booked bar ONE space in Nov and early Dec, or births in 2026
♡ Breastfeeding Support – clinic or home visits
♡ Closing Ceremonies (across women’s lifecycle)
♡ Signature Antenatal Preparation with Hypnosis and Mindfulness Course
♡ Birth and Postpartum preferences planning sessions

To book all of the above, please DM me.

We can heal the world, one step at a time.💕

#доулавлондоне #доулалондон #осознаннаябеременность
#осознанныероды #подготовкакродам #русскаядоулавлондоне

23/07/2025

Well no surprise that I will find a place with fairies, dragons, unicorns and other magical creatures in this enchanted Himalayan gardens.

So glad we stopped to explore, truly magnificent. Very calm and tranquil atmosphere - ripe for a mindful walk in search of all the fairy folks.

There is always space for magic in your life, no matter how old you are!💗💗💗🧚✨🦄🧙

17/07/2025

In the quiet moments of a postpartum closing ceremony, we gather the most delicate of teachers - dry flowers and herbs.

Each woman chooses blooms that work with her, not just for their colour or shape, but for how they feel - the scent that stirs something deep, the texture that awakens a memory, the instinctive pull of one petal over another. The body knows. ✨✨✨

We begin not with design, but with sensation - smelling, holding, exploring how the body responds. Then, slowly and without judgment, the hand begins to draw. No analysing, no “getting it right.” Just movement, reflection, and feeling. The mandala may be huge or tiny, circular or wild, symmetrical or scattered. Each one tells a story.

🌀 A story of birth.
🌀 A story of life.
🌀 A story of joy and pain.

Over the years, I’ve seen every mandala take on a life of its own - no two ever the same. Each one unique to the mother, the moment, the transition.

We speak our intentions softly as we build. We let the creative part of us take over - the one that often gets silenced in the rush of mothering. And when the mandala is complete, we gather the flowers into the steamer. Their petals transform into a healing bath - water infused with love, power, release.

The mandala disappears. And in that impermanence, we are reminded: nothing lasts, everything changes, and there is beauty in letting go.

This ritual has become one of the most profound parts of the closing ceremony. Recently, I’ve held four ceremonies, all as it happened for second-time mothers - each one seeking closure not just from birth, but from the whole journey of becoming and becoming again.

🌟It is powerful.
🌟It is sacred.
🌟It is yours.

We can heal the world, one birth at a time💕

14/07/2025

Fourteen years ago, I sat in a room with Michel Odent and Liliana Lammers for the first time. I was just beginning this path. What they shared felt wildly provocative:

👉Home birth as the safest option
👉No need for birth prep classes, just privacy, trust, and connection
👉Birth as a mammalian act, not a medical event
👉The importance of silence, warmth, and darkness
👉The fetal ejection reflex
👉First-time mothers can have short, smooth labours if left undisturbed
👉No men at birth
👉Doing less allows being to emerge
👉Instinct must be felt in the body - not taught

At the time, it sounded radical although I’d already experienced an undisturbed birth with my second baby and supported some beautiful births through my yoga work. I knew birth could work.

What I didn’t yet know was how to support without projecting. How to hold space without attachment to outcomes. How to honour physiology while respecting each woman’s path.

Then I started attending births regularly.
I’ve seen birth in its full power - fast, wild, intuitive - when left alone. I’ve also witnessed long, intervention-heavy births where the system worked against physiology. These last two years, with soaring inductions and caesareans, have been especially hard. Fear is high. Trust is low. Intervention feels inevitable.

Now, over 170 births later, I’m back in that room with Michel and Liliana and this time, it doesn’t sound radical. It sounds like truth.

Because I’ve seen it.
Felt it.
Lived it.

This work isn’t about teaching women how to birth. It’s about protecting what they already know. Birth prep starts in the body. It grows in the bond with the baby.

This is why I keep circling back.
Why I teach.
Why I fiercely protect the physiology of birth.

Because birth works.
Because women know.
Because they were right all along.

12/07/2025

This week has been all about the circles of women. 💫💫💫

We opened with our Full Moon ritual on Thursday, honouring the quiet strength of the Buck Moon - its invitation to grow, to rise, to root deeply into who we are becoming.

Then came the most heartwarming gathering in the park - pregnant women, new mamas, and babies on blankets under the trees, sharing stories, summer sunshine as part of .uk project for Russian-speaking women living in London.

And now, I find myself this weekend sitting in circle with Michel Odent and Liliana Lammers for the Paramana Doula gathering. A space where birth is spoken of without judgment. Where questions are held gently, and wisdom flows without needing to prove anything. Just super exciting - I first came to their course in 2011 and now 14 years later the wisdom finally is starting to make sense😂.

There’s something truly sacred in the simplicity of women coming together like this. Not performing, not competing, not fixing but witnessing. Listening. Softening. There’s power when a circle isn’t shaped by hierarchy or drama, but by presence and shared purpose.

This is what we’re reclaiming - spaces where women truly gather. And they work. They always have.

We are indeed healing the world, one circle at a time 💕

09/07/2025

I love doing postpartum closing ritual with my birth clients, it has that finality in finishing our work together, a beautiful way of remembering, releasing, and returning to self.

Let’s get this right first. This is not a massage. Not a treatment. Not even a ritual in the traditional sense. It’s a threshold. A moment to honour the woman who gave birth, not just to her baby, but to herself as a mother.

We begin by creating a simple flower mandala with petals and herbs laid in a sacred circle through which the birth story is weaved through. And it doesn’t need to be a circle!!! As our hands move, conversation begins. Not about nappies or night feeds, but about her story. Her birth. Her power. Her grief. Her joy.

A gentle rebozo massage to open the body followed by herbal bath, warming the body, softening the edges of what’s been held inside, releasing what’s is not serving. Lavender, rose, calendula, lady’s mantle, yarrow, chamomile, melissa - chosen with intention to support physical and energetic release.

Then, slow, grounding massage. The hips. The belly. The places that held life. Through touch, we listen. Through rocking, we remember.

Finally, we wrap. One cloth at a time, rebozos tie her head, shoulders, chest, womb, thighs, feet. Seven locks. Each knot a prayer. Each pause a return. “Closing the Bones” is a reweaving. A gathering of the pieces. A sacred closing of the story so she can walk forward whole.

As she rests in stillness, cocooned in the rebozos, we invite sound to deepen the integration: soft drumming, singing bowls, or a gentle postpartum lullaby. These sounds help her drop deeper into rest, often followed by a guided nidra or drumming journey soothing the nervous system, weaving body and spirit back together.

We share a drink, we cross the threshold, ritual continues.💗

It’s never too late to be held. Whether six weeks or six years postpartum, the body remembers what it means to be witnessed with love.

We can heal the world, one step at a time💕

08/07/2025

We have birthed it again! 🎉🎉🎉

This weekend “my partner in crime” and I completed our second Postpartum Yoga Teacher Training, and it feels like our baby has come into the world once more - tender, powerful, and full of meaning.

Without blowing our own trumpet, we love teaching this course because this isn’t just another training. It’s a deeply thought-through offering for:
👉Established yoga teachers
👉Pregnancy yoga teachers ready to continue into postpartum
👉And doulas - because we are doulas and we built this for you.

What makes it different?
✨A strong emphasis on mindfulness and emotional wellbeing
✨ In-depth focus on pelvic health and C-section recovery
✨Tools for creating meaningful Mother and Baby Yoga classes
✨Guidance on holding women’s circles and facilitating healing conversations
✨A deep dive into the current state of postpartum care and birth trauma awareness

The postpartum space is still so undervalued - yet it’s a time when women need to be seen, supported, and reminded they’re not alone. We believe in creating spaces where mothers can use yoga not to “get back,” but to come back - gently, with breath, movement, mindfulness and connection.

To our recent graduates: You were incredible. We loved sharing the circle with you. You are so caring, committed, and wise. We are so proud of you and excited to see you take this work into the world. ✨

We usually run this course once a year in spring. Keep an eye out if you’re called to join the next cohort - we’d love to have you in our circle.

Remember, we can heal the world, one step at a time. 💕

07/07/2025

Birth and tennis, my two passions, seem so different, yet so much alike.

The two weeks of Wimbledon is when I’m pretty much lost to humanity - immersed in the world of adventure around the ball.

As per usual, this year again I am completely absorbed in the game while still being on call for the remaining July birth. These worlds couldn’t be more diverse: the quiet, primal unfolding of birth and the electric drama of the Wimbledon Championship.

One is raw, intuitive, timeless, witnessed in hushed reverence.
The other - precise, strategic, relentless, cheered by enormous crowds.
Yet both captivate me, and both are about meeting the edge of what feels possible.

Both are about holding your nerve, riding waves of intensity, trusting your training (or your body), and finding strength in the most unexpected places.

Preparation is everything.
Hours, weeks, years of building trust - in the body, in the mind, in the process, in the self. Undoing cultural beliefs.

In tennis, I watch players meet themselves - moment by moment.
In birth, I witness women do the same.

When it begins… you can’t control it.
You can only surrender to the rhythm, breathe through the pressure, and stay present in the moment.

In tennis, the final point.
In birth, the final push.
Both bring a wave of emotion, relief, triumph, that unmistakable glory and relief of “I did it.”

No, we don’t compete in birth.
But we overcome.
And witnessing that - whether on Centre Court or in the sacredness of a room where a new life begins - moves me deeply.

Both nourish me.
Because both remind me of what it means to be human.

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