SOMATIC COACHING
What is somatic life coaching?
‘Soma’ means ‘body’. In somatic coaching, the body is key.
However, somatic life coaching is not just about becoming aware of our body, or taking care of our body. It is about developing new embodied skills and resources.
In a nutshell, if we are held back by a lack of self-confidence, a perceived powerlessness, or a fear of being rejected, somatic life coaching can help us shift our experience by building up a felt sense of self-confidence, power, or connectedness – so by changing how we feel in our body. As a result we overcome our challenges and move on.
This process is not about avoiding or by-passing unpleasant emotions or experiences, but about building life skills and resources that are our birthright as human beings, and that we may, for whatever reason, not have fully developed. It is about reconnecting with our innate developmental trajectory, wherever life has taken us off-course, and continue our growth.
An example: transforming powerlessness
To be more concrete, if for example you feel powerless, I can help you build the skill of connecting to your power and owning it. This is done by connecting, through body awareness and movements, with the area of your body where power can often most easily be experienced – the lower belly – and develop a felt sense of that power as well as your right to have it. Then you learn to remain in contact with that power, and your right to have it, when around other people. This inner power becomes a resource that you can access as needed, by tuning in with your body. As a result, your perceived blocks and challenges in life lessen by themselves.
Why somatic life coaching?
Most of us don’t pay attention to our body – unless it hurts.
Yet, we may wish to be better at expressing our needs. Or making choices. Or knowing what we really want. Or setting boundaries.
This all starts with our body. Setting boundaries starts with sensing our own physical and energetic boundaries. Expressing our needs starts also with first sensing them in our body.
However, most of us have forgotten the reality that our body is our foundation as human beings – our vehicle in this lifetime.
Just as a road trip depends both on our plan and vehicle, our life depends both on our mind and body.
Expanding from the mind to also include the body makes all the difference in coaching and in life. For example, it is the difference between thinking that we have self-worth, versus feeling it – a difference of consequence.
Most often, inner barriers – not outer barriers – hold us back in life. Our mind wants one thing, but for some reason, on some level, our body wants something else. Our mind and body are not aligned. Frequently, we are not aware of this dilemma. We struggle in life and don’t know why. We blame the outside world – or we blame ourselves. But without tuning in with our body, nothing will really change.
Somatic life coaching offers a safe space and gentle way to:
start tuning in with your body
investigate what are your inner barriers
identify what skills/resources you are missing
develop the skills/resources needed
lean into the support of your body
reclaim your inner authority
and thrive!
When somatic life coaching?
Somatic life coaching addresses all the areas of traditional life coaching – and more.
It is generally more successful than traditional coaching in:
addressing inner barriers, where mind and body are not aligned
developing pre-verbal resources, such as a deep sense of safety
changing strong behavioral patterns and beliefs which have become engrained in the body
The process of growth
Somatic life coaching offers a trailblazing pathway to personal growth and development.
Growth and development are most obvious in childhood. And we may believe that they end there. But we can continue to grow throughout life.
As adults, we grow by developing skills and resources when faced with challenges.
Common challenges
- Lack of purpose
- Lack of direction or focus
- Loneliness
- Powerlessness or victimhood
- Overwhelm
- Lack of emotional regulation
- Behavioral patterns such as being overly self-sacrificing, distrustful, or opinionated
- Experiences such as being invisible, not enough, or too much
Examples of skills/resources that can be developed
Relationship with self
- Identifying needs and desires
- Identifying emotions
- Managing emotions
- Managing stress
- Building self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth
- Being grounded in reality
Relationship with others
(personal and/or professional)
Opening for connection
Navigating intimate relationships
Making friends
Belonging in a community
Navigating conflicts
Navigating group dynamics
Setting boundaries
Letting go of relationships that no longer serve us
Reaching out and taking in support
Life direction
Uncovering deeper desires
Connecting with what is meaningful
Making decisions
Making plans
Positioning and asserting oneself
Gaining forward momentum
Balancing our desires with outside expectations
As we develop these skills, we grow.
Developing a felt sense of these skills in our body leads to embodied growth.
This can be achieved through somatic life coaching.
For example, by learning to sense how our calf muscles literally help us keep balance in standing – or stand on our own two feet – we can develop a felt sense of being independent and self-reliant. And by learning to sense how our arms literally help us hold someone away from us – keeping them at arm’s length – we can develop a felt sense of upholding a boundary. The psychological skills we develop this way become rooted in our body. This is embodied growth.
In this process, we also get more in touch with inner qualities that are our birthright.
Empowered by our new inner experiences, we move beyond our challenges and evolve.
As a result, we feel more satisfaction, alignment, and purpose.
This description may seem idealistic. However, the above process has been validated by decades of client work around the world. The Bodynamic models and tools, which are the basis of my coaching practice, offer an innovative yet structured, reliable, and proven framework for developing new embodied skills and resources at any age in adulthood. This framework can facilitate continued growth, development, maturation, and self-actualization throughout life. Far from being an act of selfishness, I would argue that engaging on this path of growth will ultimately contribute to increased harmony – not only in ourselves, but also in the world. And it is never too late get started.
Want to know more? Or ready to explore?