About Jaquelin Levin-Zabare CD(DONA)
"I was inspired to become a Birth Doula after the beautiful and transformational experiences I had with the births of my two children at home with a midwife and the amazing support of my beloved husband.
I know that I had always imagined myself having a home birth . However, I didn't realize it was a possibility until I did some investigation. Whilst spending time and learning from some "sangomas" ( South African medicine people) in the rural region called Transkei in South Africa I became so inspired by the matriarch of the clan who was a woman in her late 20s, also a shaman, with three small children. When I inquired where she had birthed her children I was told that they had all been born the very hut I was sitting in as she squatted against the wall made of cow dung, straw and mud, supported by other women in the community. Since then, whenever I thought about birth I would think of her and she inspired me.
I believe in the instinctual and primal wisdom of the woman's body. I believe in the intelligence of life that knows exactly what it needs to do. I work in VitalDanza (Vital Development,) ,® (literally, "the dance of life") It is a unique system of human integration that uses music, movement, and emotion to re-establish an intimate connection with life. The system works by opening people's hearts and sense of joy, self esteem and self confidence. It's simple, direct, immediate and fun. This sense of joy and self confidence carries over into people's daily lives. Over time, people find that life becomes more joyful. People start reaching for what feeds them in life and begin to change those things that are less positive. My work focuses on trusting that wisdom, about connecting to our deep sensuality and experiencing life from inhabiting ourselves completely.
The birth of my daughter was a powerful and profound rite of passage for me. I always thought that I knew about love but with the birth of my daughter my heart opened up like never before. The birth was a beautiful experience. I feel that it was a shamanic experience for me in that it was so transformational. I learned about the strength I have within me and the power and wisdom of the female body. I feel like I entered into alignment with all the matriarchs of all the generations and just like my ancestors I had become a channel for life to enter through and part of the dance of life, ripe and blossomed.
I allowed myself to surrender even deeper with the birth of my son. I wanted to draw on the primal energy to give me strength. I felt completely comfortable with my body and loved that I flowed with the sensations of the birth. I was able to be strong and vulnerable at the same time and it felt raw and real and beautiful.
Both of my births were such incredibally positive and beautiful experiences that I decided I would like to support other women to have those positive experiences too. Pregnancy and Birth should be an opportunity for a woman to step into her own power. The wisdom lies in our bodies and we need to trust our bodies, to believe in birth and trust the intelligence of the life force. "
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jaquelin Levin-Zabare holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Wits) in which she majored in English, Psychology and Drama and Film. She is a DONA trained Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator and a certified and internationally acclaimed Biodanza® Didactic facilitator, She is a qualified Speech and Drama teacher (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art – LLAM) and a writer as well as a teacher of The Nia Technique. Jaquelin has been involved in several fields including NLP, photography, fine art, performing arts and healing arts- belly dance, drama, drumming, yoga, massage, reflexology, energy healing and has apprenticed medicine people in North America and Africa.
Jaquelin has explored and studied movement and healing in most continents. Her journey has taken her to South America, USA, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other parts of Africa. Her work focuses on the empowerment and blossoming of the human being through the integrative realization of our human potential
She supports pregnant women and attends births as a doula and teaches Vital Birthing Education classes in Los Angeles.
Jaquelin is also a certified massage therapist, reflexologist and reiki practitioner.
She conducts Vital Development classes in Los Angeles and throughout the USA to various groups including adults, senior citizens,teenagers, children, pre-natal mothers and couples, people with Alzheimers, people undergoing treatment for illnesses and people with Autism. She has been trained in South Africa and in the UK and Europe. Jaquelin has successfully introduced Biodanza® Vital Development – The AbunDance of Life into institutions and NGO’s such as Actors for Autism,The Children’s Collective, Sunrise Assisted Living, JITLI and MyLife.
DONA trained (by Ana Paula Markel) and certified CD(DONA)
ICEA trained and certified ICCE
HypnoBirthing trained (by Alisha Tamburri)
Mentored by Julie Freitas
Member of DASC , DONA & CAPPA
I know that I had always imagined myself having a home birth . However, I didn't realize it was a possibility until I did some investigation. Whilst spending time and learning from some "sangomas" ( South African medicine people) in the rural region called Transkei in South Africa I became so inspired by the matriarch of the clan who was a woman in her late 20s, also a shaman, with three small children. When I inquired where she had birthed her children I was told that they had all been born the very hut I was sitting in as she squatted against the wall made of cow dung, straw and mud, supported by other women in the community. Since then, whenever I thought about birth I would think of her and she inspired me.
I believe in the instinctual and primal wisdom of the woman's body. I believe in the intelligence of life that knows exactly what it needs to do. I work in VitalDanza (Vital Development,) ,® (literally, "the dance of life") It is a unique system of human integration that uses music, movement, and emotion to re-establish an intimate connection with life. The system works by opening people's hearts and sense of joy, self esteem and self confidence. It's simple, direct, immediate and fun. This sense of joy and self confidence carries over into people's daily lives. Over time, people find that life becomes more joyful. People start reaching for what feeds them in life and begin to change those things that are less positive. My work focuses on trusting that wisdom, about connecting to our deep sensuality and experiencing life from inhabiting ourselves completely.
The birth of my daughter was a powerful and profound rite of passage for me. I always thought that I knew about love but with the birth of my daughter my heart opened up like never before. The birth was a beautiful experience. I feel that it was a shamanic experience for me in that it was so transformational. I learned about the strength I have within me and the power and wisdom of the female body. I feel like I entered into alignment with all the matriarchs of all the generations and just like my ancestors I had become a channel for life to enter through and part of the dance of life, ripe and blossomed.
I allowed myself to surrender even deeper with the birth of my son. I wanted to draw on the primal energy to give me strength. I felt completely comfortable with my body and loved that I flowed with the sensations of the birth. I was able to be strong and vulnerable at the same time and it felt raw and real and beautiful.
Both of my births were such incredibally positive and beautiful experiences that I decided I would like to support other women to have those positive experiences too. Pregnancy and Birth should be an opportunity for a woman to step into her own power. The wisdom lies in our bodies and we need to trust our bodies, to believe in birth and trust the intelligence of the life force. "
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jaquelin Levin-Zabare holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Wits) in which she majored in English, Psychology and Drama and Film. She is a DONA trained Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator and a certified and internationally acclaimed Biodanza® Didactic facilitator, She is a qualified Speech and Drama teacher (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art – LLAM) and a writer as well as a teacher of The Nia Technique. Jaquelin has been involved in several fields including NLP, photography, fine art, performing arts and healing arts- belly dance, drama, drumming, yoga, massage, reflexology, energy healing and has apprenticed medicine people in North America and Africa.
Jaquelin has explored and studied movement and healing in most continents. Her journey has taken her to South America, USA, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other parts of Africa. Her work focuses on the empowerment and blossoming of the human being through the integrative realization of our human potential
She supports pregnant women and attends births as a doula and teaches Vital Birthing Education classes in Los Angeles.
Jaquelin is also a certified massage therapist, reflexologist and reiki practitioner.
She conducts Vital Development classes in Los Angeles and throughout the USA to various groups including adults, senior citizens,teenagers, children, pre-natal mothers and couples, people with Alzheimers, people undergoing treatment for illnesses and people with Autism. She has been trained in South Africa and in the UK and Europe. Jaquelin has successfully introduced Biodanza® Vital Development – The AbunDance of Life into institutions and NGO’s such as Actors for Autism,The Children’s Collective, Sunrise Assisted Living, JITLI and MyLife.
DONA trained (by Ana Paula Markel) and certified CD(DONA)
ICEA trained and certified ICCE
HypnoBirthing trained (by Alisha Tamburri)
Mentored by Julie Freitas
Member of DASC , DONA & CAPPA
