Meet Andrea

Andrea Penagos is a bilingual, certified Hatha yoga, Khalsa Way® prenatal yoga & Yoga Tune Up® instructor based in Los Angeles, CA. By integrating anatomy & biomechanics into her playful, heart-opening classes, Andrea encourages students to safely and deeply experience their physical, emotional & energetic bodies. In her prenatal classes, Andrea fuses yoga, dance, meditation, journaling and art-making to deepen the connection between mother and baby while also offering tools to enhance the sacred experience of pregnancy & birth. When she’s not teaching, Andrea studies acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Yo San University, plays in her garden and organizes with fierce women all throughout LA.

Visit Andrea's Website and her Facebook Page.

Meet MariaTeresa

Maria Teresa is an Indigenous Student Midwife,Doula, Certified Lactation Educator & Counselor, Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, Wellness Coach and Reiki Practitioner (level 2) serving the Los Angeles and nearby communities.She is the visionary of Womyn’s Medicine and has served over 200 families.
Maria, a Women’s studies major, initiated her journey as a birth worker when she began to co-create with the indigenous birth worker collective ‘Ticicalli Yahualli’. Ticicalli Yahualli promotes indigenous birthing rites, provides community doula support & intergenerational healing. Since then she has received several trainings in evidence based & traditional healing modalities to support the childbearing year. Some of her teachers include renowned Doula trainer & Childbirth educator Ana Paula Markel, of Bini Birth and Traditional Midwife Naoli Vinaver. In 2012, she completed UC San Diego’s certificate program in Breastfeeding. Maria has been Apprenticing with Certified Professional Midwives providing support during preconception, well person care, prenatal, out of hospital births as well as postpartum. She is currently working on completing her midwifery program with the National College of Midwifery.
As an indigenous healing arts practitioner she is passionate about teaching culturally relevant self care practices, childbirth education, holistic healing, non-violent communication & reflective practice. She views healing as a process between the mind-body, environment and the transgenerational experience. Her vision is to support her community in making informed choices to contribute to their wellness and healthy growth of the incoming generations.

When Maria is not at birth, you can find her spending time with family, in ceremony, studying at a local coffee shop, or dancing.




For more information about my services please follow me on:

IG: Womyns_Medicine

Facebook: Womyns Medicine

Twitter: @Womyns_Medicine

Meet Aubrey

Aubrey Simons-Araya is a second generation birthworker, artist, self-identified queer womyn, and owner of Luna Sangre Moontime Products.  Since attending her first birth at the age of ten, Aubrey has provided support for pregnant wombyn and mothers ever since.  Aubrey's path has led her to working with single mothers and queer/genderqueer families.  She has facilitated natural Moontime workshops for wombyn of all ages, and was recently awarded a scholarship from Birth Arts International, where she is in the process of becoming a certified Childbirth Educator. Aubrey believes that birth is the most beautiful, natural, fluid, and difficult transformational process, that should always be honored.

Meet Panquetzani

Panquetzani in 2007, when her journey to conscious childbirth began.

  

Breastfeeding and baby-wearing are two of Panquetzani's passions.

Panquetzani is a doula, student midwife, musician, writer, mother, and owner of Laguneros Internet Cafe.  She is certified in neonatal resuscitation, and advocates for natural parenting and mothering from a Native perspective.  She is currently writing Channel to Tlalticpac: Indigenous Feminine Writings, a book scheduled for release in June 2012. She believes women have the human right to choose how they birth- despite socio-economic, or political status.  Panquetzani encourages families to advocate for themselves, and encourages them to make conscious decisions in the childbearing year.  To learn more about Panquetzani, visit Indigenous Mother.

Panquetzani assisting a birth in 2009.

Ticicalli Yahualli Manifesto

TICICALLI'S MANIFESTO

Ticicalli, translated from the Nahuatl language of Mexico, means 'the healer's/midwife's house'.
We are a collective of Indigenous student midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, mothers and healers who study, educate, and support every aspect of women's reproductive health, which is directly related to the overall condition of our lives. Paying respect to our ancestors, community, and children, we will rebuild the foundation of complete well-being and ownership of our destiny as native women.

To date, we are focused on our education, along with the education of our community.  In practice, we hold circles, fundraisers and workshops to help inform our community about: reproductive justice; natural parenting; holistic childbearing; holistic approaches to female healing and gynecology; natural birth control; healthy partnership; and other issues affecting Indigenous women in our community.  Our direct services include: consultations; full-spectrum doula services; woman-centered healing; birth art and belly painting; and more.  

Our work is dedicated to our families, ancestors, and our future generations.