Mahina
+
Me
Retreat
Through indigenous ways of knowing, explore the divine connection between the moon and your menstrual cycle. Join a community of menstruators decolonizing their period. Designed by indigenous menstruators for indigenous menstruators.
Interested in joining us for the next retreat?
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The Mahina + Me Retreat was created in an effort to break the stigma of a menstruatorʻs menstrual cycles and decolonize our menstrual practices.
Menstruators are told that our cycle is gross, is something to hide, is shameful, taboo, offensive. We ourselves, indigenous menstruators, have seen and felt the damage this narrative causes. Therefore, we are committed to creating a safe space for all menstruators to explore the menstrual practices of their ancestors and to balance that with modern everyday practices.
In an effort to create an inclusive space, we chose to use the term "menstruator" instead of women or girls because not all people who menstruate identify as female. We acknowledge all people who have periods and wombs.
In-Person Format
For this second annual retreat, we are excited to return to in-person activities in accordance to COVID-19 guidelines. The retreat will be held at Keiki & Plow Farm on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. For our friends not on Oʻahu or unable to attend in-person, a post-event recorded library will be available for purchase.
TESTIMONIAL
"Itʻs suprisingly hard to explain. It caused a shift in the way I view my cycles, and more so my own power as a creator and a vessel of generational mana (power), feeling connected to other menstruators, speaking openly and proudly about it, gives me confidence to also share with others."
2021 Mahina + Me Participant
Speakers
Tanya
Smith-Johnson
Tanya Smith-Johnson is a mother of six, reproductive health educator, midwife, and healer. She is an advocate for the midwifery model of care, reproductive justice, menstrual health equity, and the improvement of reproductive health outcomes for Black, Native, and Indigenous people. Tanya is a Certified Professional Midwife and works as both the Policy Director and Community-Based Doula Program Director at Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii.
Alayna
Eagle Shield
Alayna Eagle Shield is Tip of the Horn Lakota, Lives on Knives and Dwellers of the Sacred Lake Dakota, and Arikara. Married to a prayerful partner, she is first and foremost Iná (mother) of three beautiful children, Tȟá Oníya Wakȟáŋ Wiŋ (Her Sacred Breath Woman), Waaruxti Nataree’ux Tawisa (Blue Thunder Returns) and Tȟa-čháŋgleška Lúta Hokšíla (His Red Hoop Boy). Alayna is a reactivated language warrior and health promotion worker. She is currently the Co-Executive Director for the Mni Wiconi Health Circle and one of a group of co-founders who are co-creating the Mní Wičhóni NakíčižI ŋ Wóuŋspe (Defenders of the Water School). She is also a Doctoral Student at the University of Washington.
Makana
Kāne Kuahiwinui
Makana Kāne Kuahiwinui is from Oʻahu with ties to Aoteraroa (New Zealand). In addition to teaching ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at Kamehameha Schools, she is a mea hula with Ka Pā Hula o Ka Lei Lehua. In her spare time, she offers with life coaching and financial advising. Makana has done extensive research on menstruation through a Hawaiian cultural lense where she argues for the dismantling of dangerous and derogatory terms and perspectives. She has been called upon to consult and help families create their own menstrual ceremonies in their homes as well as to lead women and girl circles.
Facilitators
Nina
Pullella
Nina Pullella is a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, Herbalist, and Plant-Based Chef living in Kahalu’u, O’ahu. Her passion is to bring people back to living in rhythm with nature through our food & healing systems. Nina is the owner and head chef of Living Ayurveda Hawaii and
Nina Cucina Oahu.
Témar
Marté
Témar Marté is the first certified Vaginal Steam Facilitator PFC, established in 2018. As a women of color living on the beautiful island of O'ahu, she has worked for different Holistic, Alternative, Naturopath and Functional Medicine Doctors, as well as Specialty Spas for Healing.Over the years she has served over 600 young ladies to women and 12 men in pelvic steaming.
Puaoeleili Kelsi Pinto
Puaoeleili Kelsi Pinto is born and raised in Kailua, O'ahu. Generationally, she is also from Waihee, Maui; Kona, Hawaii; and Boise, Idaho. Breathing life into ancestral stories is her passion in life, encouraging people to remember the ways the health of the land and the health of people are interconnected. She is trained in lomilomi (12 years), lāʻau lapaʻau
(7 years), and doterra Essential oils (3 years), with a focus on Oihana Hānau working in community and has completed a MA In Ike Hawaii. She is a homebirthing
mother of 2 keiki.
Panelists
Sharry
Kaylon
Faith, Excellence, and Quality: the standard that Sharry Kaylon, owner and founder of The Cookie Jar Spa & Boutique, lives by. Her passion for the beauty, health, and wellness industry began as a young woman in 2001. As woman that wears many hats – mortgage underwriter, financial planner, notary public, certified yoni steam facilitator and body contouring specialist – creating a family legacy is the driving force behind The Cookie Jar, and the reason Sharry believes in never settling for less.
Brandy-Lee
Yee
She was born and raised in Waimanalo, Oahu. She has worked in healthcare for over 15 years and has a passion for helping people with their health and well- being, especially Native Hawaiians. She recently moved back home to O'ahu residing with Ohana in Waimanalo. She currently works for Queen Medical Health System in the Kaimuki Clinic. Brandy has two wonderful boys and loves dancing hula, going to the beach, and traveling the world.
Alyssa
Chang
With the health industry's current market saturated with “quick fix” and “cookie cutter” approaches, Alyssa Chang aims to challenge these "norms" by taking a whole human approach to health. With over 9 years of experience studying neuroscience, Alyssa works with clients to improve the connection between their body and brain, so that they can better listen to, trust and befriend their bodies.
Facilitators
Anastasha
Maria
Anastasha Maria is a holistic counselor, practitioner, and facilitator that bridges cross-cultural and contemporary healing modalities for individual and community wellbeing. Working with people of all ages – from keiki to kupuna – Anastasha enjoys co-creating compassionate transformational experiences of the mind, body, and spirit. From storytelling, youth programming development, or personal one-to-one containers, she believes weaving a legacy of aloha is possible when we honor the divinity in humanity and within all our relations.
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Brynn Foster & Maile Kamisugi
Brynn Foster of Voyaging Foods and Maile Kamisugi of Ulu & Kalo Bakery were inspired to create The Canoe Collective. They collaborate with other like-minded companies to support healthy eco-cultural systems and individuals to build the Hawaiʻi we want to live in. They strive to contribute to greater local opportunities for Hawaiʻi’s kamaʻaina economy to build more regenerative enterprises which is ultimately needed for the short-term survivability and the long-term prosperity of Hawaiʻi.
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Victoria Roland & Laura Tokofuku-Aki
Project Koa Yoga's mission is to diversify the faces of yoga in Hawaiʻi while preserving the people, land, and culture that are Hawaiʻi. Victoria Roland and Laura Tokofuku-Aki teach trauma-informed, resilience-centered yoga and meditation that center BIPOC and QTIAmāhū+ teachers and spaces.
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