Mothers Sanctuary - A Day of Renewal for all Ojai Mothers *

Join us for Mothers Sanctuary: A Day of Renewal, Connection, and Community Support for all moms in all stages of life (incl. moms who have lost children/water babies)

Mothers are the heart of our families and communities, yet they often experience isolation, overwhelm, and a lack of recognition for the immense role they play. Mothers Sanctuary, is an opportunity for mothers and grandmothers to come together, be seen, supported, and celebrated in a space designed for connection and renewal.

This gathering is more than just an event—it is our village stepping in to support the women who give so much.

As mothers and grandmothers, this is a time to fill your cup in the midst of whatever life challenges you’re facing or to deepen into greater wholeness for yourself and family.

There are two ways to participate:

1. Scheduled Events (Pre-Registration Required)
For those who want to engage more deeply, we invite you to pre-register for our scheduled events, which include:

Morning Session 8:30 - 11:15:

• Opening Ceremony (9 AM) – A guided sacred pause with Maritza Luz Vega to slow down and arrive in the moment and set the tone for the rest of the day.
• Workshops & Activities (9:45 - 10:45 or 11:15 AM) – choose one of the eight Heart-centered, soulful experiences designed to nourish moms.
• Building Community Social (10:45 - 11:15 AM) – structured social time

Afternoon Session 11:30 - 1 pm - Community Circle for Living in Wholeness 

• Releasing & Resourcing moms & Moving into Embodied Wholeness (11:30 - 1 PM) – a guided solo experience within the container of community.

2. Open Sanctuary (Drop-In Welcome)
For those who simply want to come, relax, and connect, the park will be open for moms and grandmothers to:

Meet new friends and enjoy a supportive village atmosphere
Bring a picnic and unwind
Receive a massage - tbd

This event is about nurturing mothers, building community, and reminding women that they are not alone. Whether you choose to attend the scheduled events or just drop in for a few moments of peace, you are welcome here.

Location: Soule Park, Ojai. ($5 cash only entrance fee) 801 Boardman Rd, Ojai
Date: Sunday, October 5
Time: 9 AM - 1 PM
Childcare: opens at 8:30 am for moms who pre-register for workshops & childcare


Whether you register for the scheduled events or simply come hang out to meet other moms:

Bring: camping chair and/or tarp and blanket to sit on, snack/food, water, goodwill, and openness to magic of being together.

This is an alcohol, substance, & fragrance free zone. As much as we LOVE dogs, this is a dog free zone.

Mothers Sanctuary is a service to our community. Donations are welcome especially from the greater community who would like to support this cause/event. (See last questions on FAQ for details.)

Come back for updates. When you register, we'll be able to email updates to you.

For Workshop & Community Circle details, scroll down.

FAQ

Is this for me?
Yes! This sanctuary is for all moms, grandmothers, and those with mothering roles, including:

• Nuclear, divorced, single, adoptive, step, foster, surrogate moms

• Moms who’ve experienced loss (earthside, miscarriage, stillbirth)

• Moms who placed a child for adoption

• Moms caring for aging parents

• Grandmothers (including those raising grandchildren)

• Motherless moms, estranged moms, chosen moms

• Women yearning for children, on a preconception journey, people with a uterus

Is there a fee?
No ticket fee for scheduled events.  There is a $5 parking fee. This is a community service with offerings from local practitioners and artists, (and bodyworkers tbd). Donation boxes will be available. Gifts from the greater Ojai community (funding, food, etc.) are especially welcome to help make this event possible.

Can men come?
Yes!  We'll have wonderful men supporting this event. Fathers and men play an important role in family and community life. This sanctuary focuses on nurturing & empowering mothers so they are more resourced for their families, but I'll bet the men in their lives would benefit as well.

Why register?
So that you can reserve your spot to receive the incredible offering of the practitioner(s) you choose to attend. This allows them to give what they have to offer and you receive.  PLEASE NOTE:  There are eight workshops happening at the same time starting at 9:45 am.  Please choose only one of those options when you register.  
Register early!

Do I need to come on time?
The opening ceremony begins at 9:00 AM and sets the tone for the day. Arrive early, especially if checking in children.

When does childcare begin and end?

• Morning: 8:30–11:15 AM

• Afternoon: 11:00–1:15 PM (if volunteers are available)

Details:

• Parents remain responsible and must stay onsite to feed/change children.

• Ages: 7 months–5 years.

• Bring snacks, label toys and car seats.

• Register for a workshop + “childcare ticket” (childcare is especially for moms who otherwise couldn’t attend).

• Older children (10+) who enjoy helping with younger kids are welcome to volunteer (text Maritza 805-646-1577).

• Childcare capacity depends on volunteers. If afternoon volunteers aren’t filled, pickup is required at 11:15 AM.  

Child-friendly workshops:
Creating a Personal Mandala (River Sauvegeau)
Owning Your Unique Gifts as Mother (Miriam Joy Jones)
Yoga for Moms (Jamie Mellein) – babes in arms (or children in childcare who need their mom)
Tools for Self-Regulation (Maya Kotakay)
Songs of the Mother (Renee Mandala)

Can I come anytime?
Yes. Drop in to relax, meet friends, bring a picnic, or sign up onsite for a massage (9–1 PM, first come/first serve).  Note: To attend workshops, you must pre-register.

How do I sign up for bodywork?
We're hoping to offer bodywork.  Stay tuned.

Want to volunteer?
Yes, please! We need childcare and support team volunteers. Text Maritza: 805-646-1577.

Want to support the Mothers Sanctuary?
Our facilitators are offering their time and gifts in service. Your financial contributions make this gathering possible by covering expenses and helping us create a beautiful,nourishing space for moms. Donations can be sent via Venmo or by emailing Maritza@MaritzaLuzVega.com

This is not just an event—it’s a new paradigm of village community members  rising to support, empower, nourish, and inspire mothers. In today’s world, moms are asked to give endlessly while being stretched thin. When mothers (and fathers) are deeply resourced, families flourish. And when families flourish, our whole society thrives.

Our Village Model has Three Layers of Support:

1. Moms who need support — because being supported is a core human need, not a luxury.

2. Community members who offer their time or skills — as volunteers or by sharing their gifts.

3. The wider community — who can contribute financially or in other meaningful ways (like orchard fruit, a cooked meal, or other offerings).

Mothers Sanctuary is spearheaded by Maritza Luz Vega, M.Div. As a minister and spiritual counselor dedicated to strengthening families, she makes some of her services available regardless of financial ability. Mothers Sanctuary follows the same principle—moms are not charged to attend, because this is where they receive the support they so often give to others. The more our mothers are held and replenished, the more they can show up for one of the most vital roles on the planet: raising compassionate, secure, and capable human beings.

How to Give
While Maritza does not run a non-profit (she considers the Divine her true employer), there is a practical way your giving also benefits you. In 2025, the IRS “Annual Gift Tax Exclusion” allows anyone to gift up to $19,000 per person per year without tax implications. These gifts are not counted as income to the recipient, and they reduce your taxable estate. A true win/win!

Click on this text to Venmo her directly and type in "Gift for Mothers Sanctuary" or contact her directly at Maritza@MaritzaLuzVega.com

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support and making a difference for our mamas and community.



HERE ARE DETAILS OF THE OFFERINGS FROM OUR WONDERFUL VILLAGE
(Click on the facilitator's name for more info about them)

Maritza Luz Vega (Founder & Producer of this cause/event) - Resourcing Mothers - the Heart of Our Community Maritza is a Systemic & Holistic Family Systems Facilitator, Healer, Counselor, & Consultant in support of creating thriving families, communities, and planet. She integrates her passion for "Love" and "Regenerative Living" and supports individuals to break through generational patterns and lay foundations for Love & Wholeness to take center stage. She'll be weaving her magic to resource our mamas.

Offerings for the Morning Workshop Sessions from 9:45 - 10:45 or 11:15 (60 min unless indicated)

Jamie Mellein - Yoga for Moms. This workshop invites you to slow down, reconnect with your body, and restore your inner strength. You’ll be guided through gentle yet powerful movement, breath, and sound designed to leave you feeling peaceful, uplifted, and more at home in yourself. Whether you are preparing for birth, navigating the early postpartum season, or simply needing time to ground and replenish as a seasoned mom, grandmother, or caregiver, this class offers a sacred space to remember your innate power and wisdom as a mother. You’ll walk away nourished, strengthened, and deeply supported. Babes in arms are welcome.

Madeline Rose - Embodying Motherhood After Loss   In this circle, we will tend to the hearts of the mothers who have experienced the loss of their pregnancy, baby, or child. This will be a sacred space for these mothers to be held in a gentle exploration into the somatic and spiritual connection to their child. Together, we will reflect on the mother-baby dyad that is forever accessible through a mother’s body and that lives in her beyond the life of her child.


Maya Kotakay - Regulate & Restore: Simple Tools for Nervous System Resilience. This is an immersive workshop where you’ll learn simple techniques for down-regulating the nervous system. We’ll explore gentle ways to access the body’s innate pathways to regulation and connection. Children are welcome.

Miriam Joy Jones - Owning Your Gifts as Mother. Explore your own unique gifts as a mother. Not gifts found in spite of your wounds, but through them—shaped by the particular children entrusted to you, and the stories only you can carry.

* Explore the larger story of our journey as mothers
* Spend time in nature listening deeply for what that story reveals
* Share our discoveries in circle, honoring the many unique ways motherhood expresses itself through us

Here, we remember that motherhood is not one fixed role, but a living expression of love, unique to each of us.

All forms of mothering are welcome—whether you are parenting children you birthed, children you are caring for in other ways, or you are mothering as a grandmother. Children are also welcome, if including them feels supportive for you. Note: Miriam's workshop is a 90 minute session that ends at 11:15 am.


Renee Mandala - Songs of the Mother. This circle invites you to be nourished and supported through shared song. Mother Nature ~ our Source ~ calms and regulates our nervous systems. Group singing supports this natural process by activating the parasympathetic response, releasing oxytocin and endorphins, lowering cortisol, and fostering feelings of safety, connection, and belonging. Together in circle with all types of Mothers, we will center, slow, and be fed by our own and each other’s voices, with easy-to-learn songs that honor the Mother. There will be time for optional sharing. We’ll come away more nourished, centered, and ready to take our next steps as mothers, leaders, community members. Come as you are ~ no singing experience needed, children are welcome. Bring your own blanket or chair. Children are welcome.

River Sauvageau - Create Your Own Personal Mandala. Circles are the first geometry and symbolize how many things within a circle make them a whole. There is great meaning that can be revealed in simple acts.

As mothers, we experience this everyday as we raise our children. Our perspective is focused on the other, our child, and this exercise can provide the opportunity to focus on themselves. Explore your creativity and authentic expression.

This workshop is appropriate for children who are self-motivated and able to work in a group. You don't need to have any art skills, just a willingness to participate and to explore what wants to be expressed in the moment. Colors and shapes and even words can be used.

We will have an opening orientation, then take some time to create our mandalas on a piece of paper, and when we are done we will share with the group. (Please note that It is not obligatory to share at the end.) It is always enlightening and connective when we do this together. We can learn a lot about ourselves through witnessing each other, as well as from being witnessed.

Tara Blasco - Two layers of support and creating a network of support in the community. During this practical workshop we will explore the experience of having two layers of support in triads. We will do three turns and in each of them one person will have the opportunity to feel how it is to be in the middle and receive support from two centered and caring adults. This is an exercise that we use at the Castellino training and that Mary Jackson, midwife, developed working with her families in preparation for birth.

There is something unique that happens when we can rest into the experience of being deeply supported without needing to give anything in return.

We will also discuss how to create a network of support within your community and friends. When parents are well supported children can thrive and receive the benefits of growing into a field of connection, comfort and friendship.

UPDATE: Unfortunately Tara is sick & won't be able be with us on Sunday.

Teresa Jayne - Earth Energy Activation. You are invited to join in a sacred healing circle to activate your earth energy system. It is a natural energy system that all humans are born with but is rarely activated if you were born in modern society.

The Earth energy system (feminine) is meant to be the natural balance to the Light/Chakra/Meridian energy system (masculine) that was activated when we took our first breath. The sacred marriage of these two systems work together to form a fully human being. Learn more

It is an effortless way of allowing the grounding, soothing, nurturing, nourishing, healing energy of Mother Earth to support and hold us through our lives.

Come to the circle and activate this system so that you can have an infinite energetic resource that supports you as you support your children. Note: Teresa's workshop is 90 minutes ending at 11:15 am.

Afternoon Session - Community Circle for Living in Wholeness 11:30 - 1 pm 

It became clear this Mothers Sanctuary wanted a circle of some kind.  When I met with Seshen about offering movement, we both got super excited about collaborating to support you into living from and deepening into your Wholeness. This circle welcomes mothers of all ages and stages, offering a chance to lay down what no longer serves, call in what strengthens you, and open to the wisdom of your body and heart.

Maritza Luz Vega - Releasing & Resourcing to Step into Wholeness. The first half hour of this circle will invite you to let go of whatever you want to let go and resource with healthy ancestors and qualities so that the Wholeness within you can lead you through your life rather than the burdens we often carry.  

Seshen - Moving into Embodied Wholeness. We gather in a circle to reconnect—with ourselves, with each other, and with the deep wisdom of the heart. This community circle is an invitation to open to the power of receiving and to remember our innate wholeness. As the breath reflects the rhythm of receiving and offering life, we will explore how cultivating our capacity to receive can nourish us—and allow us to give from a fuller, more grounded place.

This session will be facilitated by Seshen, a somatic therapist, sound artist, and conscious movement facilitator. She will guide the group through a transformational passage of awareness, connection, and gentle movement, supported by music. No experience is needed—come as you are.

We're happy you'll be joining us.
Click on "Reserve My Spot" & choose tickets for opening ceremony, ONE morning workshop, &/or community circle.