Honest conversations: Eliane Polek and participants enjoying tea and chats after their Forest Walkshop
South Dublin mamas re-discover their roots in the forest
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May is MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH month.
Creating safe spaces for mothers to honestly share their often untold experiences of motherhood, maternal wellbeing founder Eliane Polek recently delivered a two-part creative wellbeing series for Women’s Collective Ireland Tallaght.
Women’s Collective Ireland’s Tallaght branch ran ‘Rooted + Rising’ as a pilot mini-series in line with its direct work with women in the community to empower them to have a voice on the issues that matter most to them, having recently moved back into their cozy and nurturing space at Rossfield Avenue, Jobstown.
Eliane Polek, founder of The Sane Mama, delivered ‘Rooted + Rising’ across two sessions in May.
The first featured an indoor hour of breathwork, grounding, and an introduction to Matrescence (the profound identity shift women experience when they become mothers) and gave participants space to slow down and make sense of what they were living through.
The second brought the group into the forest for Eliane’s signature ‘Forest Walkshop’, combining gentle movement, meditation, and creative reflection while bathing in between the trees.
After the walk the mamas gathered for tea and scones, continuing open and honest conversations about maternal mental health, the loss of self, maternal anger, the mental load, and many more topics so rarely discussed out in the open.
“Matrescence is something every mother lives through, yet many have never even heard the word before,” said Eliane.
“When we realise that we’re not broken, not failing,… but actually going through a massive life-changing transformation in motherhood that affects every part of our lives for years to come, something shifts. When we find the words, and create safe spaces for mothers to have these honest conversations, we can see their shame and guilt being released. That’s the first step to healing. And that’s what these workshops are about.”
Eliane is a trained Mama Rising Facilitator, working with the framework developed by Australian Matrescence Coach Amy Taylor-Kabbaz.
The ‘Rooted & Rising’ mini-series is the latest in her growing programme of nature-based Walkshops and community events in South Dublin.
She will next be hosting a Summer Solstice Ceremony on June 21st – details at thesanemama.ie – with her full eight-week ‘Rooted & Rising’ programme launching in September.
More information is available at The Sane Mama and Womens Collective.
