Somatic Coaching for Embodied Growth & Change

Somatic coaching informs and inspires much of my Integrative Performance Coaching (IPC) philosophy and practice. In my many decades of study, practice, and teaching, I have found somatics to provide some of the most powerful tools for promoting personal transformation and greater wellbeing.

Depending upon a client’s interests, experience, and frame of mind, our work in this area may include instruction and practice in any of the following somatic fields:

3/4 view of a middle-aged woman seated on a meditation cushion in her living room, as rays of light stream in through a window at her side
  1. Meditation and mindfulness—we cover the basics of meditation practice including posture, alignment, breathing, leg positions, mental attitude, and ways to begin and sustain an at-home practice. Mindfulness practices focus on tuning in with greater sensitivity and awareness to what is arising here and now in one’s body, emotions, mind, and environment.
  2. Moving meditation—we explore moving meditation disciplines such as qigong (Taoist yoga), tai chi chuan, bagua, flow yoga, and a wide variety of standing and walking meditations—all focused on improving a person’s ease, balance, flow, and control in motion. These include dynamic or flowing movement patterns, some performed hard and fast, others slow and soft. Many movements are geared to release tension and free up energy by gathering, circulating, and projecting Qi. The focus is always on following the breath and maintaining balance and alignment, while being fully present and centered.
    3. A man in a seated meditation position holds his hands in a Qigong position knows as Grasping the Moon
  3. Somatic meditation—the client fine-tunes their physical and emotional bodies through sound, progressive relaxation, sensory awareness, and meditations that focus on energy and neural pathways. These practices direct healing energy into vital organs, sensory systems, and energy channels to help one cultivate greater vitality and more finely attuned mental, emotional, and physiological states.
  4. Breathwork—working with the breath is a foundational practice in many meditation systems and we will explore breath-based meditations from Zen, yoga, and qigong. The focus is on maximizing vitality through sensitive, controlled whole-body breathing. A person’s breath rate and depth also guide the flow and rate of their movements—large and small, inside and out.
  5. Visualization, Imagery, and Visioning—these forms of meditation and contemplation promote life change by increasing motivation, goal-focus, purpose, and self-efficacy. Through visualization and guided imagery, we develop the mental capacity to sharpen and shape objects, images, scenes, mental and physiological states, and optimum performances. Visioning, on the other hand, is the capacity to see desired future states or conditions with clarity and insight.
    6. Close-up photo of a main's outstretched hands practicing a tai chi chuan movement called raising the water
  6. Bodywork—we use massage, self-massage, acupressure, shiatsu, and directed energy to increase and guide a person’s Qi in ways that elevate mood, alleviate pain, and release pleasurable neurochemicals. We also use bodywork techniques for nervous system and musculoskeletal relaxation to free up energy, activate the relaxation response, and reduce stress.

Creating a Somatic Practice that Works for Each Client

Together we’ll discover the somatic practices that work best for each person’s personality and temperament. This includes helping them integrate meditation and somatic practice into their daily life to support ongoing progress. Most of my clients who develop a regular somatic practice inevitably find it to be life-altering. Astounding changes take place in people’s lives when they become more centered, focused, attuned, and relaxed.

Ways I Coach and Teach Somatics

A woman in a yoga pose high above the seashore seems to be holding the sunlight in her outstrecthed hands

I deliver somatic coaching to interested clients one-on-one and in small groups of up to six. We often meet at parks, trails, forests, beaches, or athletic fields—when weather permits—as nature can be a great teacher in somatic learning. I also teach online using live video apps such as Zoom or Google Meet. Online somatic coaching works well for individuals or small groups of up to 4. All that’s required is a laptop or tablet and about 8’ x 8’ of open floor space.

Please feel free to text, email, or call me to set up a complimentary 30-minute somatic coaching session. I invite prospective clients to experience firsthand how it can help them grow into the best version of themself.