Hello – a warm welcome!

Welcome to the Numinal! My name is Karen Vandaele. So glad you came to discover my website! For years I have been amazed by the connection between parents and their child. I consciously chose to immerse myself into activities that promote this connection: prenatal yoga, babywearing, nurturing baby massage & baby yoga, toddler yoga and the Dunstan Baby Language. I live in Dilbeek in Flemish-Brabant, located right next to Brussels.

Through my education and professional experience as a neonatal pediatric nurse and midwife, I realized how valuable this connection is. As a mom, my two sweethearts continue to inspire me!

Numi Natal

Numinatal is a connection between Numi and Natal. With my logo I want to represent the nurturing connection between parent and child.

• Numi contains the first two letters of the first name of my daughters. Thanks to them I am who I am today. They are forever in my heart!
• Natal represents the events that take place around birth. Natal is also clear and recognizable in the different languages ​​in which I can express myself (Dutch, English, Spanish, French). As a child, I lived abroad where I experienced another culture. That is why I would like to reach and connect parents from all corners of our multicultural society.

The reason I love my work

Since childhood, I wanted to work with young children and their parents. Thanks to my training as a midwife and pediatric nurse specialized in neonatology, I was able to fulfill this wish. For 18 years I was part of the team of the intensive neonatal care department of UZ Leuven where they pay special attention to little ones with family-oriented care.

Due to moving with our family, I made the difficult decision to quit my job. But the connection that arises during physical contact between parent and child continued to fascinate me! I followed the training as a babywearing consultant… a nice follow-up of the kangaroo care practiced at the neonatal ward. Later I worked at the private practice of a gynaecologist. During the numerous conversations with parents before and after the birth of their child, it became clear how important the connection between parents and their child is for all involved.

In 2020 I discovered the benefits of yoga. Looking for a way to integrate yoga into the care of children and their parents, I found a well-founded training in pre- and postnatal vinyasa yoga. The pelvic floor and diastasis recti were some of the subjects thoroughly addressed. The strength you build both mentally and physically during pregnancy yoga helps you to relax and deal with the challenges during pregnancy, childbirth and the period after.

But a baby also loves movement and contact! The circle of connection was completed by immersing myself in nurturing integrated baby massage and baby yoga. Toddler yoga offers an opportunity to re-connect as a parent with your toddler in a period that can be challenging. Toddlers are destined to move around and discover the world outside and also within...with the necessary determination.

I am a mother of two girls who I have both carried and massaged. Before the birth of our first sweetheart we already had a baby sling ready. Later we added soft structured carriers. I attended a baby massage session with our first child. That wasn't exactly a great success! And there was only one lesson. That is why I find a series of baby massage sessions so valuable. Later, when traveling in Asia, our daughter thoroughly enjoyed a daily massage of her feet. Once at home, massaging just became part of our lives. Contact and connection… beautiful building blocks for every human life!

But I'm not just mom. I like to combine this with traveling far, enjoying the extensive world cuisine, dancing and being creative. The drawings on my website were developed during some quality time with my kids.The cushions used during the sessions massage and yoga are also hand made in the lovely celadon colour of the website. What I also enjoy, is making the awards for each parent-baby pair graduating from the Nurturing Baby Massage course. My girls love joining in while I make these awards. Lots of  fun!

My training courses

Babywearing Consultant

The basic training as a babywearing consultant was in English with Ulrike Höwer of the German organization Die Trageschüle. Other organizations (Instituut voor Hechting, Liefdevol Dragen, Zorgdragen opleidinen) also offer valuable training, additional training and intervisions with fellow babywearing consultants.

• 2016    Foundation course   -   Babywearing Consultancy   -   Trägeschüle Dresden
• 2016    Advanced course   -   Babywearing Consultancy   -   Trägeschüle Dresden
• 2017    Basis course Soft Structured Carriers   -   Instituut voor hechting
• 2018    Certification course - Babywearing Consultancy   -   Trageschüle Dresden
• 2021    Carrying Prematurely born infants   -   Zorgdragen Opleidingen
• 2022    Babywearing with Soft Structured Carriers - early back carrying - Trageschüle België
• 2022    Dragen van kindjes met orthopedische hulpmiddelen - Liefdevol Dragen
• 2022    Knoopwijzen voor zwangeren FTZB - Instituut voor Hechting
• 2023    Babywearing with Soft Structured Carriers - in depth course - Dragen geeft plezier

I am also a member of Draagconsulenten Vlaanderen vzw (Belgian Association) and Vereniging van Draagdoekconsulenten (Dutch Association). As a member, I regularly attend refresher courses on various aspects of wearing. Some subjects: fathers babywearing - attachment and babywearing - materials baby carriers are made of (materials and weaving techniques) - ergonomics of the person babywearing - ...

Nurturing Baby Massage and Baby Yoga (BINBY)

Because of their holistic vision, I followed the training Integrated Nurturing Baby Massage and Baby Yoga (BINBY) with the British organization Birthlight. Birthlight also offers regular courses for CPD (continuing professional development).

• 2021    Birthlight Integrated Nurturing Baby Massage and Baby Yoga 1   -   Birthlight
• 2022    Birthlight ToddlerYoga - Birthlight
• 2022    Birthlight Integrated Nurturing Baby Massage and Baby Yoga 2  -  Birthlight

Pre- en postnatal yoga

The Dolphin Method, pre- and postnatal vinyasa yoga training by Jennifer More, is recognized by the Yoga Alliance. We regularly enjoy online intervision with Jennifer.

• 2021    Pre- and postnatal vinyasa yoga   -   The Dolphin Method                                           

 Birthlight Aquanatal yoga - pre- and postnatal aquatic yoga training by Kathryn Offer from the pioneering organisation in aquanatal yoga.

       °   2021    Aquanatal Pre- and postnatal yoga   -   Aqua Yoga for Women’s Health, Pre & Postnatal Aqua Yoga - birthlight

Dunstan Baby Language

• 2021    Dunstan Baby Language   -   Basic course   -   Dunstan Babytaal België
• 2022    Dunstan Baby Language -  Trainer course   -   Dunstan Babytaal Nederland 

The Dunstan Baby Language is really fascinating! This is all about recognizing universal sounds based on  reflexes that young babies make. The Australian Priscilla Dunstan discovered this and scientifically researched it. In the Netherlands it is used daily in postnatal care. In Belgium parents and professionals are gradually becoming familiar with the Dunstan Baby Language. Everyone involved in the care of young babies will benefit from this.

Numinatal and eco-logy

Numinatal is all about connecting with our children, but also with the world our children live in. Now and in their future. By using biologic and ecologic materials, I try to contribute to a better world for our kids to live in. Fair trade is a way of showing our children that we should respect others.

The baby massage oil (Pure Naturals) is organic, cold pressed and 100% pure grapeseed oil. Because It contains no fragrance, it does not interfere with the natural bonding between parent and child. Safe to use during pregnancy  and for our little loved ones after birth! The bottle used to store the oil in, is made of 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET) and can also be recycled.

The studio yogamats (Ecoyogi) made from PVC received the highest qualification from ökotest (ökotest Standard 100 certification). This yoga mat is free of harmful substances (such as Phtalates and AZO) and is approved for recycling. For hygienic reasons, I opted for this mat instead of the yoga mats made of natural rubber or the cork.

The yoga bolsters (Ecoyogi) are filled with purified natural buckwheat caps. They offer support in different positions during prenatal vinyasa yoga. The cover is made of GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton. The yoga blocks (Ecoyogi) also support our body during prenatal yoga. These are made of 100% natural cork. They are strong and soft at the same time.

Babywearing materials come in close contact with our bodies and that of our little ones. When selecting different carriers and slings, I look for companies who use organic materials and have fairtrade values. Some examples:

For Didymos, sustainability is very important. Raw materials are from controlled organic cultivation and GOTS certified. Therefore these are free from harmful substances for humans and environment. Fair production and fair trade for all those involved in the proces. The animals providing the wool are also protected against harmful activities. For Girasol, sustainability and fairtrade is also essential. Their slings and carriers are exclusively developed by coöperatives of dyers, weavers and tailors in Guatemala. The yarn used is dyed by hand! Kokadi carriers are all handmade in the European Union. The fabric used to make their lovely carriers is organic. Manduca, Marsupi and many other companies also use organic fabrics.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions..