52: Ecstatic Birth - Interview with Sheila Kamara Hay

Have you heard or thought that embracing ecstatic birth through body connection and pleasure is too good to be true? What if that's a myth? In this episode, Shayla Kamara Hay shares her journey of trauma healing and pregnancy that ended up in the discovery of a beautiful truth: a woman's body is capable of pleasure, ecstasy, and even transcendence during childbirth.    Sheila is a MA, VITA certified trauma informed, somatic female sexuality and empowerment coach and the founder of Ecstatic Birth. She specializes in an integrative approach to sexuality and pleasure to support her clients in releasing blocks, feeling more, and opening to their fullest sexual expression- whether single, partnered, mothering or going through menopause. Sheila’s work is centered around the conviction that the free flow of sexual energy is paramount to our vitality and wellness at every stage and age. A recognized visionary in childbirth education, Sheila has brought sexuality and pleasure to the forefront of birth preparation and support. She lives in Sands Point with her husband, 3 kids, dog and cats where she enjoys being immersed in the beauty of nature and having easy access to all NYC has to offer.    Despite having experienced a traumatic birth when her first child was born, Sheila was able to uncover a powerful pathway to positive birth experiences. What she found was something far more extraordinary than she expected, childbirth can be a powerful, pleasurable, and expansive experience. Now she shares her knowledge with other people who are seeking to change their narrative of what childbirth is.   In her Ecstatic Birth practice over the past 15 years, Sheila has empowered women, families and health care practitioners around the globe to elevate the experience of childbirth from pain to pleasure through body-based education and training programs, certifying Ecstatic Birth Practitioners™ in over 26+ countries. Sheila is a sought after speaker, advocate, teacher and writer, featured at Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts, Orgasmic Birth’s Pain to Power program, Midwifery Today, the En*theos Academy, the Birth Institute, Huffington Post, and numerous other conferences, podcasts and publications. Sheila received her BA from Yale and an MA from Columbia University.    Tune in to listen to this conversation, but mind you, what you'll hear could change your idea of childbirth forever.    In this episode: The transformative power of ecstatic birth through developing a deep body connection and embracing pleasure. The importance of sexual healing and releasing trauma during childbirth preparation. Overcoming negative birth experiences to find closure, and even empowerment in future experiences. Positive birth experiences contribute to a broader systemic transformation.     Let’s connect! Come join me and like-minded women in my FREE women-only, sex-positive community – Pleasure Rebels Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/plsrebels Follow and reach out on IG: https://www.instagram.com/erikaalsborn    Links and Resources Read the blog:  Want to have an orgasmic birth https://www.erikaalsborn.com/blog/want-to-have-an-orgasmic-birth Free Masterclass https://ecstatic-birth.com/essential-keys-live/ Sheila's website: http://ecstatic-birth.com/ Sheila's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecstaticbirth/     Related Episodes 27: A quickie on motherhood and being sexual!     You can also listen to this episode and access the information, resources, and links mentioned in this episode here: https://www.erikaalsborn.com/podcast/52