Thea van Tuijl

The first time I saw a Rebozo and learned what you can do with it was during a Midwifery Today Conference in Paris 2001. There I met Naoli Vinaver, Mexican midwife. She gave a workshop about how to use the Rebozo. Immediately I fell in love with the relaxing massages and all the possibilities that a Rebozo offers. Na die eerste keer ontmoette ik Naoli geregeld tijdens de jaarlijkse Midwifery Today conferenties en leerde meer en meer van haar over de Rebozo en over Rebozomassage. During these conferences I also followed workshops given by Mexican traditional midwife Angelina Martinez Miranda. She has a load of experience, especially with the Rebozo.

When I started with a few other women the Doula training in Utrecht in 2006, I started to teach about the Rebozo. At first during the doula training and later on during workshops.
Together with Mirjam de Keijzer, who as a doula had experience with Rebozomassage with her pregnant and birthing clients, I started the adventure of spreading the news about the Rebozo in the Netherlands and abroad. Together with Mirjam I did workshops in western European countries, but also in Russia, Japan and Turkye.

As a childbirth educator of the course Samen Bevallen I was for years part of the preparation for birth for pregnant women and their partners. The Rebozo was a good tool to use during the prenatal course. The partner can learn how to do these simple movements and so he can support his wife during Pregnancy and birth and help her to relax in so many positions.

It feels good to share the knowledge about the Rebozo to everyone who needs relaxation or who want to use the Rebozo in their practice (midwifery, yoga, massage, therapy etc.). It is a super easy and very comfortable way to help people to relax.

Check also: www.theavantuyl.nl

Mirjam de Keijzer

The first time I came in contact with the Rebozo was during a day of the doula training in 2006. Thea van Tuijl was my teacher and she taught me the basic principles of the Rebozo and a few different positions in which I could bring relaxation to pregnant women and women in labour. I immediately started applying this to my doula clients. They were usually immediately enthusiastic and felt relaxed and supported by the Rebozo. However, there were also women for whom these positions were not comfortable. Then I noticed that I was able to make adjustments very easily so that the desired result was achieved.

From that moment I was in love with the Rebozo!

Now that I was able to find other positions with so little experience, the possibilities had to be unlimited. A simple and effective method that many people could learn and apply! This insight was the starting point for Thea and me to work together and to make the Rebozo more known in the Netherlands and Europe.

In addition to my work as a doula and doulatrainer, I work as a prenatal teacher Samen Bevallen, preparing couples for the birth of their baby. During this pregnancy course I also introduce the Rebozo because I noticed that, especially for the partners, the Rebozo is a practically applicable tool that they often have “quickly mastered”.

Then I also went to Midwifery Today conferences to meet, among others, Naoli Vinaver and Angelina Martinez Miranda, Mexican midwives who asked renewed attention fort he Rebozo. I am grateful to have learned more from them about this age-old Mexican tradition. Thanks to the direct contact and the cooperation with Naoli Vinaver, we were able to start this journey with the Rebozo. It turned out to be a journey around the world.

Through all the traveling for the Rebozo workshops and the various collaborations that arise from it, I have experienced that the Rebozo massage is not just for pregnant women. However, it can also be used for supportive and healing purposes, for example for the elderly and for people who are traumatized.

In this way my insights and my love for the Rebozo continue to grow.

Also check: www.geboortepraktijk.nl