Natural Woman Magazine presents: Natural Mama 2015

“When a mother is pregnant, the kind of soul she can accept de- pends on her mental attitude. And then there is another beauty that within the realm of your belly, which is your pregnancy, you can totally transform the soul. The soul is pure and has nothing to do, but the subtle body carries the karma of the previous life. A mother can totally purify the subtle body of the new child.” ~ Yogi Bhajan, Women’s Camp 1976

“When a mother is pregnant, the kind of soul she can accept de- pends on her mental attitude. And then there is another beauty that within the realm of your belly, which is your pregnancy, you can totally transform the soul. The soul is pure and has nothing to do, but the subtle body carries the karma of the previous life. A mother can totally purify the subtle body of the new child.” ~ Yogi Bhajan, Women’s Camp 1976

Wordz from the Editor Putting together our annual Natural Mama issue is always a pleasure. Not just because I am a mother of 5 children, (expert mommy). I love Natural Mama because it is Natural Woman Magazine’s way of celebrating the power of motherhood. Being a mother is one of the most anticipated life event every little girl dreams of and it is also one of the most cherished moment in any mothers life. Regardless if you are a mother of several children or a god mother being a woman is beautiful.

I hope this Natural Mama issue gives you a better perspective in the realm of mothering.

This issue will also highlight the Midwest Mind Body & Beauty Expo that will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio Memorial Day Weekend at the Woodlawn Community Center.

Enjoy the issue and I will hope to see you on the next one.

Peace,

@AzizahNubia Wishing my Mother a Happy Mothers Day!!!

Natural Woman Magazine Contributors

Azizah Nubia Editor in Chief Tammarah Overton Chief of Beauty & Fashion Shanell Bowles Russell Beauty Director Dwight Hillman Chief of Marketing Nikita Anderson Photography Vernell Dillingham Photography Georgette Mccullar Fashion Director AZ Media Public Relations Glamorous Faces Hair/Make-up

Contributors

Trazana Staples Femi Raw Goddess Zephanie Garrett Aaron Russell

Table of Content Pregnancy & Natural Hair.....13 Orgasmic Birth.... 16 Tips for the Modern Mom...21 Natural Woman on the Scene: 28 Philadelphia Natural Hair Meet Up.....29 Cleveland Natural Hair Care Expo...... 31 Art in the Dark.....34 13 Signs of Astrology.... 37

Meet the Midwives that Delivered the Royal Baby

Sources: UK Daily

Meet the two midwives who delivered the royal baby and are said to have become “close” to the Duchess.

Arona Ahmed and her boss Jacqui Dunkley-Bent, Professor of Midwifery at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, together helped welcome the princess into the world yesterday and are pictured smiling outside the hospital after Kate’s short 154-minute labor.

Professor Dunkley-Bent, 51, is said to have built up a rapport with Kate as she also delivered Prince George in 2012.

The pair of midwives helped at the princess’s birth while the team of male surgeons, led by Mr Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Surgeon Gynaecologist to the Royal Household, looked on.

It is believed that Kate wanted the birth to be monitored by midwives so while the male doctors waited in a nearby room, it was the red-uniformed nurses who were at her side.

Foods that boost Immunity Zinc, is a essential nutrient to assist the immune system in functioning well adding more food to your child’s diet that provide zinc is a great way to avoid seasonal cold. Natural foods that provide zinc include: Pumpkin Seeds, Garlic, Sesame Seed, Wheat Germ, Squash Seed andChickpeas Raw Local Honey Honey has strong antibacterial properties on at least 60 known types of Bacteria, making it a popular choice for soothing sore throats, dressing wounds and treating bacterial ailments. Caution should of course be exercised if you are an allergen sufferer and any treatment ought to be undertaken under supervision of your healthcare provider. Nutritionally, honey contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulfur, iron and phosphate. Depending on the quality of the nectar and pollen, the vitamins contained in honey are B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3. [2] Olive Leaf Extract Olive leaf extract is the liquid extract from Olea europaea. It is a powerful antioxidant, and is commonly used to fight colds and flu, yeast infections, and viral infections. Olive leaf has been shown to reduce cholesterol.

Researchers have found that olive leaf lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow by relaxing the arteries.

Probiotics There are at least 500 known species of bacteria in the human intestinal tract. This ecosystem of microorganisms is where health begins. They maintain the lining of the bowel, keep out disease causing bacteria, and keep our immune system healthy. Every day life can disrupt our intestinal health. Stress, toxins, overload in sugars, illness, and antibiotics all disrupt gut bacteria. Probiotics claim to replace gut flora by introducing “good” bacteria back into the intestinal tract. The most commonly used probiotics are yeast, particularly Saccharomyces, and bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus (lactic acid bacteria) and Bifidobacterium.

These micro-organisms are found in large numbers in the normal healthy intestine.

Natural Hair &

Pregnancy

Pregnancy hormones typically lock us into the “anagen” or the growing phase and “catagen” or resting phase.

We all know that when you are pregnant your skin glows the best and your hair grows non stop. Most women when they are pregnant go without the relaxers, not because they want to, but because the relaxers do not work on pregnant hair in most cases. Have you ever wondered why that is? Well after doing a little Natural Woman research I learned from The Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care, (Davis-Sivasothy, Audrey (2011-04-11) (P. 35) there are three basic stages of hair growth: A growing phase (anagen), A resting phase (catagen) and A shedding stage (telogen).

The amount of time your particular hair follicles may spend in any given stage is determined largely by genetics. Hormones play a key role when it comes to hair growth and as those of you with growing baby bumps know—we are full of hormones. The increase in pregnancy hormones is designed to prepare our bodies to give birth.

It just so happens that pregnancy hormones typically lock us into the “anagen” or the growing phase and “catagen” or resting phase.

This means that hairs that were getting ready to shed (the “telogen” phase) don’t actually start shedding on schedule. So in addition to grow-

ing crazy amounts of hair (darn near everywhere…) we also don’t shed the typical amount of hair that we do when we are not pregnant.

This is largely the reason why most pregnant women experience a dramatic increase in hair growth and retention.

Tips for Natural Hair Maintenance during pregnancy: 1.Pay Attention to all the changes happening to your hair, and come up with a plan of action. This could be moisturizing more often than before, doing more co-washes than usual or whatever. Let your hair guide you as to what it needs, because this will be different for everyone.

2. Make a Plan of course any plan is useless until implemented. Try to be as disciplined as you can with all the extra care your hair needs during this time in your life. The truth is, you’ll probably feel exhausted and not up to it most of the time, but just do your best. Remember, prevention is better that cure. You don’t want to be that girl dealing with hormones and falling chunks of hair all at once.

3. Protective styling is best. This could be as easy a high bun, or chunky twists pinned to the side, or a fro hawk. Sure, you can unleash the fro and rock it every now, but try not to overdo that if your hair is showing signs of discontent.

4. Don’t be afraid of accessories. If they aren’t already, they will be your new best friends, especially on those days when you just can’t be bothered to do anything too time consuming, or when you are in a rush. A cute ribbon bow in your fro can elevate your style in a second, as well as distract the hair police from the real issue ;) Even a turban or a piece of jewelery re-purposed as a hair accessory for the day.

5. Enjoy the pregnancy. Dress up and have fun, it’s one of those times that just whizzes by so quickly. So make sure your hair is on point, as it’s one of those few things you can at least control while the rest of your body expands ;)

Orgasmic Birthing

By: Azizah Nubia

I know your thinking “Orgasmic Birthing? Nasty!” But before you go off thinking on the deep in I want to shed light on this new ancient way of giving birth.

We are conditioned and programed through our society to not enjoy giving birth. We hear all the “Oh girl it is painful” or “ It was the worst pain I ever experienced”. On television and movies we are constantly fed the reality of unless a woman is in the safe constraints of a hospital bed doped up on pain meds she is in trouble. Come on just think about it.

So when I came across the idea that women can actually experience pleasure while giving birth I immediately ran to my Beauty & Brains laboratory and began digging more info. Here is what I have found.

In 2009 a documentary titled the “Orgasmic Birth: The Best-Kept Secret,” directed by childbirth educator Debra Pascali-Bonaro. Created quite a stir in the Natural Birth Community. Could it really be true that women can experience orgasm during child birth? According to research done by several researchers and scientist find that midwives report witnessing orgasms in about 0.3 percent of births.

New research by psychologist Thierry Postel of Blainville-sur-Mer, France, is among the first to try to put hard numbers on how many women experience moments of ecstasy in birth. Postel contacted 956 French midwives, asking them to complete an online questionnaire about orgasmic birth. He got 109 complete responses for midwives, who, combined, had assisted 206,000 births in their careers.

Postel focused on midwives rather than doctors or nurses, because midwives witness many births firsthand and are reliable observers, he wrote. He also asked midwives to forward the surveys to recent mothers if they saw fit.

The results “established the fact that obstetrical pleasure exists,” Postel wrote. Midwives reported 668 cases in which mothers told midwives they’d felt orgasmic sensations in birth. In another 868 cases, midwives said they’d seen mothers demonstrate signs of pleasure during childbirth. Finally, nine mothers completed questionnaires confirming they’d experienced an orgasm during birth.

The Pain & Pleasure Connection It should not be that difficult for one to conceive the idea of orgasm during birth. It was pleasure that created the baby in the first place so experiencing pleasure during the birthing process makes common since. But what make a woman feel pleasure during birth?

“It’s stimulation of the birth canal, stimulation of the cervix, the vagina and the clitoris and uterine contractions,” Komisaruk told LiveScience. “A lot of women say during sexual orgasms uterine contractions feel pleasurable.” “There are so many factors that could make the difference between a pleasurable response and a terribly stressful, aversive experience that you can’t generalize it,” he said. “There’s no reason to try to generalize. Different people have different pain thresholds. Different people have different attitudes. If a woman has a fear of sexuality, if she starts having a pleasurable sensation she may feel this is completely inappropriate psychologically, and that itself could be an aversive effect.”

In 1988, Komisaruk and his co-researchers published a study in the Journal of Sex Research that found when women stimulated their vagina’s or clitorises, they became less sensitive to painful stimulation — but not to other tactile stimulation. In 1990, the researchers followed up with a study that found women in labor had reduced pain sensitivity during labor compared with before and after. (The women in the

Study used Lamaze breathing techniques rather than drugs to control pain.)[Blossoming Body: 8 Odd Changes That Occur During Pregnancy] So facts show that it is possible for women to experience different body sensations besides pain during childbirth. Now I am not saying every woman should strive to have an orgasmic birth, but I do want all women to be aware that pain is not the only way, our birth experiences can be powerful and life transforming and YES PAIN FREE. Be open to birth feel what your body can do, you may surprise yourself.

I know my last birth experience of birthing twin boys naturally changed my life forever. I had no pain and the birth experience was very powerful. It’s time we take our births into our own hands and begin to finally understand the power of being a woman. END

How to Find your Mom Balance: 7 Tips for Detoxing and Restoring Energy.

Whoever said being a mom was easy had to be a man, because being a mother is a full time job.

And read that clearly I said mother, now when you have to add a career, running a business, being a wife, community organizer, or whatever you do outside of mothering. You become more than a mother you morph yourself into being a Natural Woman.

I understand how busy our lives can be and finding time to do the little things like take bath under candle light or having a drink with the girls can be wishful thinking. But I am here to remind you that if you can dream it you can achieve it. Even if you are a mommy with a busy schedule you too can handle it all and then some.

Check out these 7 tips that may help you balance and even detox you life.

1. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously: We live in a world of Pinterest parties, facebook and instagram mom’s who volunteer in their child’s classroom every other day, and parents who think they have to do far too much in order to be good parents. Sure, it’s great to help out and it’s great to do big things to celebrate the birth of your child, but if it gets overwhelming for even one second, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. You don’t need to do it all to be a good mom. So relax.

2. Do You: You can’t take care of others until you take care of yourself. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not spending at least a couple of minutes out of your busy day spending time on you, instead of just on everyone else around you, then you’re doing it all wrong. The modern mom plays a key role in taking care of her family, but you can’t take care of your family 24/7. You’re going to lose it! Trust me. Get that pedicure, massage, or that yoga session in your family will thank you in the long run.

3. Plan for Success: When the modern mom leaves the house, she knows she’s gotta pack for the kid’s activities, work, and the inevitable “I’m hungry” comments in the car. When I know it’s going to be a long night, especially on filming nights, I plan ahead and bring my Mac, camera, toys and activities for the kids, tablets, and of course a healthy snack.

4. It is okay to day No: We all have that I am superwoman I can do everything mentality, but lets face it we cannot do everything. Sometimes you have to say no, you never want to overwork yourself or spread yourself to thin. Get comfortable taking a step back and saying no.

Natural Woman On the Scene Natural Woman has been busy on the scene checking out some of the hottest trends in the Natural Hair World.

From fashion, hair, accessories, news and events Natural Woman has got you covered. Check out some of the fun events we’ve put on the scene thus for.

Philly Natural Hair MeetUp Cleveland Natural Hair Care Expo Art in the Dark at Roxy’s Live with Sweet Sistah Splash

The Philly

Natural Hair Meet Up 2015

Natural Woman Magazine was on the scene at the 5th annual Philadelphia Natural Hair Meet Up 2015. Sponsored by The Vixen Natural Hair Salon and Miss Jessie's.

This naturalista event included a natural hair discussion panel, live natural hair demos,vendors, music, and a cocktail or two to help things get a bit more lively.

Vixens Hair Studio presented the 4th annual Philly Natural Hair Meetup at the Lounge Event Place in Philadelphia, PA. All Natural Hair Enthusiasts were invited out to participate in the discussion on “Natural being the New Norm�. The event also hosted a hot of bloggers like Naptural Nicole, Sierra of Natural Hair Junkies. The event also conducted product demos on live models, make up demos by makeup artist Tamaya M. The event also hosted several vendors that sold amazing goods, wears and fashions.

Cleveland Natural Hair Care Expo The Cleveland Natural Hair Care Expo was held on May 3, 2015 at the Galleria in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. This was the 5th annual expo that featured a boat load of natural hair care info & demonstrations, workshops, great shopping from expo vendors, entrepreneurs panel featuring Miss Jessie’s CEO Miko Branch and the Empire Natural Hair Fashion Show hosted by the home salon So Kinky, So Curly, So Straight

Natural Woman On the Scene

Find a Natural Hair Care Expo coming to a city near you visit today at www.naturalhaircareexpo.com Its a Evolution of a Natural Revolution!!

Art in the Dark

At Roxy’s Live sponsored by Sweet Sistah Splash

Sweet Sistah Splash hosted the first Art in the Dark event at Roxy’s Live in Cincinnati, Ohio. The evening featured some of the region’s hottest visual artists, soloists and vendors to give you a full bodied experience. Come network, mix & mingle while the DJ spins some of the top Hip Hop/R&B, NeoSoul and Dance-Hall between sets. The event also featured live cooking demo by Invite Personal Chef, Mini wine tasting w/ Kreations of Essence Herbal Elixirs , and a special Special Tribute to Jean Michel Basquiat. Live art creation w/ Alfonso Huckleberry & Nefeyer Creations & ParrishMonk Arts

Giving Birth to 13 Sign Astrology

By: Femi The Raw Goddess Hi my name is Femi aka The Raw Goddess of Raw Goddess Inc. Today we celebrate the Mothers. This article is about the Mothership of Astrology and the importance of being on 13 sign time. About 13 years ago at the beginning of 2001, my research lead me to the fact that there really are 13 Signs all the planets pass through. Not just 12. A few years before that I had already given up on following western dates in astrology. Western tropical zodiac goes by the seasons and not the actual stars. I’ve been studying astrology for over half of my life and I’m 33. 3 years in, at 17, I found sidereal eastern aka Vedic astrology and realized it was more accurate because it’s very definition means star based. Sidereal eastern astrology proved to be way more than west-

ern. My birthday is November 30th and I was now a Scorpio not a Sag. Being into mysticism at such a young age, it made sense of my psychic and divination abilities. So I was a liberated woman. No western star system controlling my main spiritual practices, I felt great! Everything was starting to make a lot more sense and things were getting deeper.

And then they got deeper. I found the 13th Sign.

And deeper. My birthday is the 1st day of the 13th Sign. Even deeper. This signs symbol is the 2 snakes with wings, the caduceus and is the antidote to the western patriarchal mind state. Wow! All that is spelled out in astrology? Yes! I’ve been on this journey for a long time and I can honestly say this non westernized time, nonlinear form of astrology/ astronomy/ spirituality has been my greatest gift in Life.

I’m not a mother yet but I have helped many people uncover their true astrological natal placements. The Universe gives birth to itself every second. Astrology is supposed to be a time/ space focused science. If you are in the wrong system, with the wrong origins, and the wrong thought process, you’re wasting your time because you do not have the factual energetics working for you. With western tropical seasonal astrology time you have generalizations. You do not have clarity. You have confusion. One reason why my sign was taken out was because the 13th Sign Serpentarius Ophiuchus is the gatekeeper in the center of our galaxy. The Milky Way. I’ll give more details into the diversity of these phenomena, but for now let’s just focus on the fact that it is positioned in the birth canal of the zodiac wheel right next to Scorpio. The sign of sex and death. Serpentarius Ophiuchus transforms Scorpio’s wisdom into exalted healing abilities and various forms of mystical talents. The western world is just starting to embrace these subjects after instigating a long hard battle to suppress it. Everything that has been locked away by the western mind is being released right now! People are waking up rapidly and we demand answers! I started writing my blog just over a year ago and I have been getting amazing responses to this ancient knowledge and information.

Again, I am not a mother, yet anyway. But I will say this is the main way I am keeping in line with the natural Goddess flow of Life. The one that isn’t always emphasized. The natural order. The natural flow to the stars, without systematic control. I’ve essentially merged Astrology and Astronomy back together. The planets in our solar system pass through 13 signs all day every day, even our moon. This has been happening for thousands of years! It’s nothing new. If you download a Google sky map Femi app, you can see for yourself. Western astrology is very inaccurate. I do The Raw Goddess, Raw God13 sign birth charts and readings, relationship synastry, transits, and dess Inc. soon I’ll have a 13 Sign Calendar and teach classes. Feel free to follow my blog rawgoddessinc.wordpress.com and join my Raw Goddess 13 Twitter: @RawGoddessInc Signs Astrology group on Facebook for more updates. Having a 13 sign Email: Rawgoddessinc@ birth chart done goes beyond your expectations. Most people born in gmail.com (All questions, the 70’s and 80’s have Virgo and or the 13th sign outer planets. This press, and business inquiries) means the generations inheriting the earth right now are here to clean it UP! Yay! So diet and exercise are super important to us. Also, all the Check out my profile & order Blood Moon Eclipses, solar and lunar have been in Virgo and Pisces, a reading on http://siderealist.

Not Aries and Libra. Pisces and Virgo are some of the most poignant com/femi.html Goddesses on the Wheel of Life. The Matrix Mother (Virgo) and Mamiwata (Pisces). These goddesses are essentially rising up out of the ocean to help us rebirth ourselves right now. They both are strong fertility goddesses upholding the Matriarchy in the sky. This is no coincidence and is a sure sign from the Goddess. I hope you All have a great time connecting with your Mothers today. The memories/mammories that envelop us all can be found in 13 sign Astrology.

MeetThe

Model

1. Name and what do you do?

My name is Nikita Nicole Anderson I am a teacher, head assistant of Glamorous Faces and a creative editor and Natural Woman Magazine.

2. Are you a first time mother and if no what number is this baby.

No this is not my first it is number 4 for me. I Have 2 daughters named Ge’Niah 10, Geonii 8, and I have a 9 month old son named Anderson 3. Boy or Girl Boy 4. Are you planning to go natural for your birth. Why or why not?

I am planning to use pain medication because its really going to hurt. But I will try to go natural for as long as I can.

Photography by: Glamorous Faces

5. What morals will you instill in your newborn.

I would like to teach my children nothing is possible without hard work and dedication.

Never give up stay focused on your goals no matter what path you take to get there Karma is real so treat all living creatures with respect and kindness. Love yourself because you can only depend on yourself and since I’m now raising boys I’d like to teach them to be providers and protectors as they grow into men.