Preparing Mind, Heart + Body for Birth is a spacious, in-person workshop with Ali Heppell and Josie Hipwell, created as an opportunity to step away from the noise for a day and turn your attention inward.
October 3, 2026 | 12pm-7pm @ Restoring Wellness, Reservoir
An afternoon to listen inward, gather what feels grounding and prepare for birth from the inside out.
There is so much information available when you are preparing for birth.
What to pack.
What to expect.
What choices you might need to make.
What your body will do.
What everyone else thinks you should do.
And information matters, definitely!
But preparing for birth can also be about something deeper.
about the workshop |
This a reflective workshop just for the mother or birthing person, with gentle movement, breathwork, nervous system support, values exploration and emotional preparation. As doulas we understand the significance of the transition from maiden to mother, from person to parent, from what was… to what is now. Making our way through this experience is a beautiful opportunity to connect with who we are, what matters to us and to get closer to ourselves and our bavies.
We created this workshop as an opportunity to listen to your mind, hear and body. To tune in rather than to gather more things outside of yourself. While no doubt over the course of the day you will connect with new information and knowledge. The essence of the day is to create spaciousness for you to connect with your own inner knowledge and wisdom, to deepen your understanding what helps you feel safe, to explore the things you are carrying into birth. Physically, emotionally and instinctively; and making space for the kind of experience you hope to create.
Preparing Mind, Heart + Body for Birth is a spacious, in-person workshop with Ali Heppell and Josie Hipwell, created as an opportunity to step away from the noise for a day and turn your attention inward.
Not to prepare for every possible scenario.
Not to become an expert in birth, or anything really.
But to gather knowledge, practices and ways of understanding yourself that you can take with you into the experience.
What do we mean by mind, body and heart?
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There is enormous power in understanding the physiology and wisdom birth.
Knowledge can help us recognise our options, ask better questions and move through things with greater clarity.
But preparing the mind isn't about trying to predict every possible version of birth or to control it.
It is also about noticing the stories, expectations and fears we may already be carrying.
Throughout the day there will be space to explore birth with curiosity rather than simply collecting another list of things you are supposed to know.
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Birth asks something of us emotionally too.
There can be anticipation, excitement, uncertainty, vulnerability, fear, joy and everything in between.
Rather than pushing those things aside, we want to make room for them.
To consider what matters to you, your values. What you hope to protect, your hopes.
What you want to feel. How you want to feel.
Who and what helps you feel held.
And what you might want to carry with you as you move through this enormous threshold into parenthood.
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Birth is something the body does and that it has the innate capacity to to do.
And while none of us can completely control how birth unfolds, we can spend time becoming more familiar with the body we will be birthing within.
Preparing the body isn't only about positions or techniques.
It can also mean noticing sensation. Breath. Tension. Movement. Comfort. Instinct.
The places where we hold on, and the things that help us let go. Because birth LOVES THAT.
This is an opportunity to bring some of that awareness into your preparation before labour begins.
When we think about birth, we think about ALL OF YOU. This workshop is designed to offer an opportunity to create communication and integration between these three perspectives.
Birth involves the body, of course. But it also involves our nervous system, our emotions, our relationships, our beliefs, our histories, our instincts and the environments we find ourselves within. Sometimes preparation becomes very focused on what might happen around us during birth.
This workshop brings some of the attention back to what is happening within us.
What helps me soften?
What helps me feel safe?
What happens in my body when I feel uncertain?
What allows me to trust myself?
What do I want to remember when labour becomes intense?
What feels genuinely supportive to me?
There may not be one perfect answer to any of these questions.
The day is a place and space to begin listening.
Here’s all the detailed info about the day with us.
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This workshop is a reflective, embodied and gently practical space for the birthing person to prepare for birth from the inside out.
Across the workshop, we move through three core areas of preparation: body, mind and heart.
Body: You will explore how your body may be preparing for birth and how you can support yourself through movement, breath, rest, nourishment and body awareness. We will explore simple embodied practices to support comfort, grounding and connection, including gentle movement, breath, relaxation and nervous system regulation.
This is less about “getting your body ready” as if it is not already wise, and more about listening to what your body may be asking for in these final weeks or months of pregnancy.
Mind: Birth can bring many thoughts to the surface. Some may feel clear and steady. Others may feel tangled, fearful, uncertain or shaped by things you have heard, witnessed or absorbed.
In this part of the workshop, we create space to notice what is living in your mind around birth. We will gently explore expectations, fears, hopes, decision-making patterns and the stories you may be carrying about birth, pain, control, surrender, support and safety.
This is not about forcing positivity. It is about awareness, honesty and creating more space within yourself.
Heart: Birth is not only physical. It is emotional, relational and deeply personal. This part of the workshop invites you to connect with your values, instincts and inner knowing. We will explore what matters most to you, how you want to feel, what helps you feel held, and what kind of emotional support may help you move through birth with more steadiness.
You will be invited to begin identifying your personal anchors for birth. Including words, practices, people, sensations, images or intentions that help you return to yourself.
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This workshop is for the mother or birthing person.
It is for those who are:
Pregnant and wanting a reflective, embodied and holistic space to prepare for birth
Wanting to connect more deeply with their body and baby
Looking for practices to support the body and nervous system before labour
Wanting to explore what safety, support and steadiness may look like for them
Curious about the emotional and inner preparation for birth
Seeking something personal and supportive, rather than a full birth education class
Wanting a space that is not focused on partners or support people, but on their own experience of birth
You do not need to arrive feeling calm, prepared or clear. This is a space to come as you are, slow down, listen inward and gather what feels supportive as birth approaches.
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The session runs from 12pm-7pm
Our workshops take place at Balam Balam Place in Brunswick Victoria OR Restoring Wellness in Reservoir.
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Your booking includes:
An in-person workshop for the birthing person
Gentle movement, breath and relaxation practices
Guided reflection around body, mind and heart preparation
Exploration of safety, support, values and emotional preparation
Space to notice fears, expectations, hopes and birth stories
Simple practices and prompts to continue at home
Time to connect with your body, baby and inner resources as birth approaches
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Radiant Birth offers both full and concession pricing.
$260
$195 with a valid concession
Come for the day
We will spend the afternoon together at Restoring Wellness in Reservoir, creating space to explore birth through the mind, heart and body.
What you definitely do not need:
You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what kind of birth you want.
You don't need to have everything figured out.
You can simply arrive as you are.
Preparing,
curious,
and willing to listen inward.
Workshop Details
Preparing Mind, Heart + Body for Birth with Ali Heppell + Josie Hipwell
Saturday 3 October 2026 | 12pm–7pm
Restoring Wellness
716A Gilbert Road
Reservoir, Victoria
Full ticket · $260 | Concession · $195
Join us for an afternoon of preparing for birth from the inside out.
Your facilitators, Ali and Josie
Ali is a postpartum doula, motherhood coach, matrescence educator and guide, certified motherhood studies practitioner with Sophie Brock, and women’s circle facilitator (Kate Reed and Rachel Rose). She is also a mother of two boys and lives amongst the trees in Kallista, in the Dandenong Ranges of Melbourne.
With specialist knowledge in motherhood studies and matrescence, alongside additional training in applied somatics (Collective Being), Ali is deeply passionate about supporting mothers with emotional, social, physical and spiritual care through the early years of motherhood.
Her work honours the whole person, recognising that motherhood reshapes identity, relationships, the body and the inner world.
Josie is a full spectrum doula, birth educator and the owner of Radiant Birth. She is a mother of two boys living in Naarm/Melbourne.
Alongside her doula training, Josie has undertaken further study in Birth Mapping with Catherine Bell, birth debriefing with Bernadette Lack and Lael Stone, Spinning Babies, internal pelvic release work with Fiona Hallinan, pregnancy and postpartum physiology and exercise, and infant feeding and sleep.
Josie is deeply interested in the meeting place between the physical, emotional and instinctive experience of birth. Her joy is helping people understand not only how birth works, but what helps them feel safe, grounded and connected to themselves as they move through it.
Join our upcoming workshop
Join our upcoming workshop
Time + Day: October 3, 12pm-7pm
Location: Restoring Wellness, 716A Gilbert Rd, Reservoir VIC 3073
Oh my, I am so very glad that you have landed here.
This offering is a reflective workshop for the birthing person, offering space to slow down, connect inward and prepare physically, emotionally and intuitively for birth.
Together, we will explore the body, mind and heart of birth preparation through learning about our body’s innate capacity and wisdom, gentle movement, breathwork, nervous system support, guided reflection and values exploration.
It is an invitation to notice what you may need as birth approaches, what helps you feel safe and supported, and what practices or anchors you might carry with you into labour and birth.
This is not a full antenatal education course or a partner-focused birth class. It is a spacious and supportive workshop just for you, the person giving birth, to listen inward, gather what feels grounding and prepare for birth from the inside out.
Explore the physiology and wisdom of birth and the bodies that birth
Explore what your body, mind and heart may need as birth approaches, with space for gentle movement, breathwork, nervous system support and guided reflection.
Connect with your birth values, instincts and inner anchors, including what helps you feel safe, grounded, supported and steady.
Gently notice the thoughts, beliefs, fears, hopes and expectations you may be carrying into birth, without needing to force positivity or have everything figured out.
Practice simple embodied tools to support comfort, relaxation, grounding and connection with your body and baby.
Walk away with reflective prompts, practical practices and a clearer sense of what may support you physically, emotionally and intuitively as you prepare for birth.
A copy of the Radiant Birth Book I
This workshop is ideal for the birthing person wanting a reflective, embodied and holistic space to prepare for birth from the inside out.
Your ticket is for the birthing person only. This workshop is not designed for partners or support people.