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Today an increasing number of women are reverting to this time-tested method of wellness in a bid to form genuine connections.

Women nourish themselves by congregating to share experiences, stories, prayers and worries, which greatly contributes to their well-being, research says.

A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior suggests social connections are a pillar of lifestyle medicine.

“From psychological theories to recent research, there is significant evidence that social support and feeling connected can help people maintain a healthy body mass index, control blood sugars, improve cancer survival, decrease cardiovascular mortality, decrease depressive symptoms, mitigate post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and improve overall mental health,” it says.

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Community worker Sahiba Singh, 37, who is based in the Indian city of Bangalore, has been hosting women’s circles for two years.

“They provide a safe and gentle space for women of all ages and backgrounds to come together and reconnect with themselves and with others,” Singh says.

Dropping their heels and phones at the door to congregate in a space where they feel seen and heard is both freeing and empowering.

“I started soon after the pandemic as lots of women were undergoing emotional and/or physical trauma and domestic violence during their Covid confinement,” Singh says.

“The world had shut down and with limited communication with friends and relatives, many felt trapped, so I thought of holding healing sessions where women could unburden themselves by simply sharing their innermost thoughts, worries and tensions with other women.”

Singh’s one-hour “New Moon” and “Full Moon Circle” gatherings are held twice a month at a charge of US$15 per person per session.

“We journey along the divine feminine cycles of the moon, using the energy of the full moons that bring clarity, revelations and a new understanding, while the energy of the new/no-moon days release old patterns, and help one rest and rejuvenate.”

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The sessions – which Singh refers to as “rewilding” – are therapeutic and healing.

“The two areas that we work with are somatic practices [body-related] and sound therapy, as well as breathwork, meditation, story sharing and journaling,” she says.

Abha Bhutiya, 38, who took part in one of Singh’s sessions, says it was like a sisterhood retreat that “allowed us to speak our truth without judgment”.

“It was networking at its most essential – humans talking. By removing ourselves from our routines of office, work and home, we made connections that were deeper and more meaningful.”

The Bangalore-based teacher says the biggest takeaway from the workshop was that it taught her the importance of being vulnerable.

“Social conditioning teaches us to always have our guard up,” she says. “But revealing a bit of ourselves, and encouraging others to do the same, can also be deeply uplifting.”

The workshops typically have 10 to 12 women and themes vary from forgiveness to gratitude, self-love or acceptance.

The women start by talking about themselves and their issues and open up to each other. They reflect and share personal or relationship problems.

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The sessions are cathartic and aimed to help them “process their feelings while they get a renewed perspective on life”, Singh says.

Singh realised the importance of such a sorority during her own messy divorce five years ago after an abusive marriage.

“I could have ended up very bitter but I healed myself by choosing forgiveness and grew stronger. The women in my life were my rocks.”

Gagori Mitra, who has been running Aithein (Hindi for “rekindle the power within”), a healing retreat in Goa, India for 20 years, calls her one-week women’s retreats “healing journeys”. They include Buddhist yoga and sound therapy and work on both mind and body.

“When we sit in a women’s circle, we connect and support sisterhood through solidarity,” Mitra, 48, says. “It’s an inclusive space including all ages, religions and backgrounds. Three generations – mothers, daughters and grandmothers – have also been part of our circles.”

The first one-day “warm-up” session at Aithein involves each participant talking about herself and her problems, be they related to relationships, or financial and emotional.

These sessions can get intense, as participants might break down – even scream and shout – while talking about their experiences. The idea, Mitra says, is to flush out bottled-up feelings, which triggers healing.

The next session has the women scribbling down their areas of concern. The idea here is to let the process work on the participant’s subconscious to help them reflect and come up with solutions.

“It’s all about group energy,” Mitra says. “There’s great power in the circle, community and sharing which sets you off on a powerful journey of nourishment through self-awareness.”

She explains how she changed her own personality with the help of healing sessions, transforming herself from a “diffident, inarticulate person into someone who can now guide others”.

Another session at Aithein called “mirror work” involves one woman listening to a fellow participant talk about what bothers her and how she plans to correct it.

Mitra says that women are programmed to act, think and behave in certain ways due to deep social conditioning, which sees them stuck in certain repetitive behavioural patterns that cause stress and disharmony.

Her sessions aim at breaking those entrenched habits and patterns through sharing and reflection.

The cost for the seven-day workshop is about US$400, which includes accommodation and healing sessions.

To help further healing, Aithein participants are encouraged to stay in touch through WhatsApp groups, where they share personal stories and small triumphs on how the sessions helped them change their behaviour, improve relationships and be happier.

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