Birthing From Within Workshop @ The Farm Commune

I was privileged to visit The Farm Commune in Summertown, TN to attend an introductory Birthing From Within workshop. This trip was very fun for two reasons:
 1) I’m saw Ina May’s Farm! If you have ever read Spiritual Midwifery, or Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth you know what I’m talking about. The Farm is a midwifery/natural birth mecca and a well known hippie commune. It was so fun to see the commune in action (how many people can say that they’ve visited a hippie commune, huh?).

2) I’m starting the journey towards becoming a Birthing From Within (BFW) certified doula and mentor. Birthing From Within has an extraordinary perspective as it guides parents to inner preparation to parenthood. It helps mothers discover what it is they need to know to give birth as a MOTHER instead of as a paraprofessional. It is a multi-sensory approach to learning where birth art, journaling, and singing are the norm.

When I entered Tennessee and started the journey into the country I immediately fell in love with the land. Everything was green, the hills stretched far into the horizon, the people had a thick twangy accent, and the air smelled fresh. I felt at home immediately.

Pictures From The Farm Commune

Here are some pictures from the farm.

This is the welcome sign you see when you first get to The Farm. Notice the colorful swing set in the background. Peace.

This is a copy of the map we were given. Sorry, it’s a bit blurry.

The Farm is huge. It has over 1,000 acres of land and it’s just that – beautiful land. When you arrive you see open fields and lots of woods. Here and there you will find homes nestled in the woods or out in the open in a field.

There wasn’t a parade of hippies in tie-dyes, and I didn’t seen anybody living in a bus. The Farm seemed quite normal actually. The residents are super nice people who can grow vegetables amazingly well. Actually, they describe themselves as “a spiritual community based on the principles of nonviolence and respect for the earth”.

I won’t explain The Farm more than that… because if you’re actually reading this you probably already know what The Farm IS anyways (if you don’t, read Spiritual Midwiferyor Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and you’ll figure it out).

Unfortunately, I don’t have many land pictures from The Farm. I guess I was too busy at the workshop or wanting to sleep!

This photo above was taken on a lunch break. I was taking a quick walk while on the phone with my husband. I was trying to describe the scene to him… and this is what I said. The sky was filled with ominous clouds. The breeze was cool and refreshing.

I was walking down a paved road, away from the workshop – towards the main road. On both sides of the road were grass fields enclosed by woods. Across the street in front of me was a pasture with woods beyond that.

While talking to Matt it started to rain. Much to my good fortune there was a random shack thingy, which kept me and my phone dry.

My original plan was to go to The Farm with my husband and son and camp, however, Gabriel got sick and we decided that wouldn’t be a good idea – especially since it was planning to rain that weekend.

My lovely friend, Stephanie, generously offered some of her frozen breast milk so I could leave Gabriel and not worry about what he would eat. What a blessing that was!

Anyways, my point here is that this turned into a weekend getaway for myself. I quickly realized that I was going to get some gooooooood sleep this weekend – AFTER I got there.

Thursday night at 8:30 pm I left my house and started driving to Tennessee. By myself. At night. I stopped twice to try to sleep some – and don’t worry, I didn’t talk to any strangers. I mostly glared at them so they would fear me. Ha!

I arrived in Tennessee in the we hours of the morning. I stopped at the local Walmart and changed, brushed my teeth and washed my face. After that, I ventured West towards Summertown, TN. After a couple wrong turns I FINALLY found The Farm.

I arrived at 8:30 – just in time to scarf down my first vegan breakfast. I can’t even remember what I ate – I was so hungry, so tired… and just relieved to not be in the car. At 9 am we checked in and at 9:30 we started our workshop.

Pictures from the Farm: Here’s there community center room.