EMBODIED GROWTH
SOMATIC LIFE COACHING
“Balance in the body is the foundation for balance in life.”
– B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life
Welcome to my life coaching practice
I combine somatic coaching with mentoring,
and my practice is both attachment- and trauma-informed.
Psychological skills are rooted in the body.
This may sound strange, and you have the right to be skeptical. However, on some level we know it – it is reflected in our language. For example, having backbone suggests courage. By standing on our own two feet we become independent and self-reliant. By keeping someone at arm’s length we set a boundary. By elbowing our way we create space for ourselves. And the list goes on. We square our shoulders to prepare for adversity, hold our chin up for resiliency, or chew on a something to gain clarity. Different parts of our body, and different movements, support different psychological skills – we simply have forgotten.
So why not reconnect with your body and let it support you in life?
traditional life coaching
While traditional life coaching focuses on the mind, somatic life coaching expands to include the body. This integration of mind and body opens up for profound and enduring change, bringing life coaching to a whole new level of potential than when working with the mind alone.
somatic life coaching
My practice focuses on two areas:
Life Skills
If you are overall satisfied with your life, but struggle in a specific area, I can help you develop life skills.
For example, you may be good at setting boundaries at work, but less so with your family. We then work together identifying how you set boundaries at work, and then you learn to develop that skill in the context of your family. Your new capacity to set a boundary with your family then becomes a resource for you in life.
Life Path
If you have a more ‘general’ life dissatisfaction, I can help you orient to find your path and direction in life.
For example, you may feel that something is off in your life but you cannot really pinpoint what it is. We then investigate together where it is coming from and identify what your deeper desires are. You build skills and resources to unleash your potential and shift your life to more alignment, meaning, and purpose.
In both cases, I help you identify and develop the skills you need, by blending cognition with body awareness and movement, harnessing the support of your body.
Some examples of skills that can be developed this way:
ANCHORING IN YOUR BODY
Centering
Sensing inner power
Sensing boundaries
Regulating emotions
Managing energy
Grounding in reality
SHOWING UP IN THE WORLD
Positioning yourself
Manifesting inner power
Forward momentum
Sense of direction
Self-esteem / self-worth
RELATING
Reaching out for contact
Taking in support
Giving and receiving
Balancing self vs others
Setting and upholding boundaries
Navigating conflicts
Letting go
Throughout the entire coaching process, the integration of mind and body is central.
Ultimately, to pick up on our earlier examples, it is not just about cognitively learning that you can set a boundary with your family, it is about also sensing your ability to do so, in your body.
And it is not just thinking that your life has meaning and purpose, it is about also feeling it. This makes all the difference. It will catalyze the transformation you desire in your life.
The core of my practice comes from my extensive training in the pioneering Bodynamic psychology system. With its dual somatic and developmental approach, Bodynamic offers a unique, embodied, and resource-oriented framework for personal growth and development.
The Bodynamic framework has given me deep knowledge and thorough understanding of how behaviors and mindsets form in childhood, influenced by the environment we grow up in (family, friend groups, and culture), get rooted in our bodies, and later play out in adult life. It has also given me highly efficient methods and tools to facilitate lasting change. This enables me to help you identify what is really holding you back in life – even blindspots and unconscious limiting beliefs – and move beyond.
By integrating mind and body, somatic life coaching allows you to grow as a whole human being, therefore it can benefit both your personal and professional life.
I believe that as human beings we have the potential – and innate drive – to grow throughout life, though we may not be aware of it.
Whether you feel a pull to grow, or life is pushing you to grow, I can hold space for you to safely reconnect with your body – and evolve.