Two truths can exist at once. Ask any mother, especially our postpartum mothers, who may be grappling with grieving their old life and yet at the same time are experiencing some of their most sacred moments of joy while tending to their baby. Motherhood has a way of introducing us to conflicting emotions with real startling intensity. Exhaustion and aliveness. Fear and love. Rage and softness. Postpartum can be one of the first times that we are forced to confront the reality that life is not always either/or. It can be both/and. In time, this realization can become an initiation into a deeper kind of freedom—the freedom that comes when we no longer need to reject parts of ourselves in order to feel whole. 

But before it feels liberating, it often feels unsettling. You see, our minds seek certainty. Our nervous systems seek coherence and predictability. And when seemingly contradictory emotions arise together, the body can interpret them as unsafe, confusing, or even frustrating. This may leave us worried that something is wrong with us. We may quickly then move into our go-to survival strategies in order to reduce discomfort, often putting our own internal “cries” to the side as we mother. Unintentionally, we may begin to disallow the tender, complex parts of ourselves that are actually ready to be loved and integrated during postpartum and motherhood.

Our nervous system’s coping strategies are not failures though. They are actually attempting to protect us all while tending to our babies or our children. We are also living in a time where modern western society often views duality as harmful so we quickly force ourselves to reject the “bad” feelings. We may then unconsciously collapse into: “I should just be grateful,” numbness, hyper-functioning, trying to control, or spiritually bypass. Yet perhaps postpartum is not failing us when it brings contradictory emotions to the surface. Perhaps it is inviting us to really look at parts of ourselves, emotions, that we may have not allowed ourselves to feel in a while or ever. And when we allow ourselves to be present with what intense feelings are arising, this is where we begin to expand our capacity to heal. We learn that we can hold complex emotions without drowning. This capacity then allows us to remain more present, grounded, and at peace—not because life's paradoxes disappear, but because we learn how to move with them.

When we know that Life here on Earth is a constant dance of duality: light/shadow, creation/destruction, love/loss, beauty/grief - we can anchor this deep spiritual truth into how we honor this season in our lives. And often before we fully integrate this powerful soul wisdom of duality, we are invited to bring safety, nourishment, and warmth back into our bodies. We want to cue our nervous system that: “It's okay. We are safe. We can rest. We can slow down. We can feel it all - the highs and the lows - and it won’t destroy us. In fact, it will heal us.”

Many ancestral postpartum traditions carried a wisdom that modern nervous system science is now helping to explain and that is healing is often found:

● in the power of warm oils

● nourishing soups

● restorative baths

● loving touch

● herbal remedies

● sacred ceremony

● heartfelt connection

● deep breaths

● bare feet on the earth

● sunlight on the skin

● and tears that are finally given permission to flow.

All of these are powerful safety cues for our nervous system. A beckoning to our Soul that it is safe to return to our bodies.

And whether we have the opportunity to allow others to care for us or we lovingly prioritize moments of tender healing and nourishment, bringing our sacred care back into the body helps us remain connected to ourselves. It teaches us how to stay open without collapsing, how to allow paradox, and how to stay embodied inside of all the divine complex feelings. Perhaps one of the hidden gifts of postpartum is that it teaches us how to remain human in a world that constantly asks us to split ourselves apart. It teaches us that contradictory emotions do not mean something is wrong. They mean we are alive, ready for greater expansion of capacity as we learn how to hold the complexity of deep love here on earth.

Article compliments of

Her work has included Yoga Classes, Moon Circles, Sacred Movement Temple sessions, 1:1 mentorship, and online programs—each one an intentional, safe space for people to tap into their own restorative power. Most recently, she has been integrating Ayurvedic postpartum care into her practice, seeking to support families through the sacred window of birth, recovery, and new beginnings.

Rooted in the belief that living in harmony with the natural rhythms of life unlocks our capacity to create meaningful change, Angelica empowers her community to awaken to their unique gifts and purpose. She is a mother of two and lives her purpose daily as both a guide and a fellow traveler on the path of healing.