What’s “somatic” coaching?

The snow is coming down in Madison on this January day, and all of my reasons to leave the house have been canceled. I get excited about snowy days like this, as it still feels like a novelty as a west-coast native. Since moving here I’ve learned to give into the winter, to embrace the coziness and joy of watching the snow fall from the warmth of my home, and move at a slower pace.

I have been reflecting on one of the most common questions that I’ve been getting as I talk to people about my work: “What is somatic coaching?” It’s been really hard for me to come up with the right words to respond to this question, as so much of this is about the feelings and collection of sensations in my body.

So I’ll share a little about my process and what somatic coaching means to me in practice.

The first, and core step that I take before a call is making an intention to bring my whole self (mind, body, spirit) into a coaching session. I take a few minutes to settle, to breathe, to move in whatever way feels good, and to set an intention for the session. I check in with myself & and ask my body what it needs in this moment.

Then, when getting on a coaching call, the intention is there to partner in an integrated way to include both of our whole-selves. Whatever is there in the moment is welcome. My intention is to use my full self to listen in and pause before speaking.

We usually start the session with a body scan, meditation or movement practice. We also may integrate movement into personal development explorations. We could work with exploring physical sensations or emotions in the body. We may do exercises to help you regulate your nervous system. The conversation could also involve talking about the physiological and biological aspects of our brains that may be causing us to be stuck.

The key to all of this is that we work with the place that you are at, and what your comfort level is. If you’re at all like me, slowing down can bring up some painful and hard things. As someone who’s dealt with chronic pain and and other weird physical symptoms, I completely understand that stillness, meditation, and mindfulness practices can be super uncomfortable. I am right there with you. :)

If this at all sounds intriguing, I offer the first 45 minute exploratory call for free. This call will include a personalized exercise that we can even record if you’d like, so you can do it again on your own.   

I look forward to connecting!!

(Photo description: New ring light for the new year!!)