Somatic coaching is so much more than breath and posture and interaction. It’s concerned with who we are, how we come to be that way; it’s concerned with what experience has shaped us and, perhaps most importantly, it’s concerned with transformation.
Transformation is a bold claim, and as a seasoned Strozzi somatic coach, I make that claim. If we want to be free of all that shaped us early on, free of those familiar limiting ways of being in the world, free of automatic thoughts and beliefs, it’s not enough to think our way forward. We have to practice our way forward. Practice makes permanent we say (not perfect, for that’s simply a myth). And we are often oblivious to the fact that we are practicing something all the time. We may be practicing fear, indignation, retreat, criticism and lateness or we could be practicing courage, self-compassion, joy and creativity. Given the negativity bias which supports our basic survival as humans, we naturally tend to practice the former rather than the latter.
Skilled somatic coaches bring a particular type of observation to their interactions with clients. They notice mood and presence. They see a client’s external shape – by shape we mean where the body holds constriction, where it has easy access to energy, where it holds back protectively, where it is eager to interact. For example, does the chest and belly move with the breath? Does the ribcage expand all the way around or just in places? How about the feet – are they firmly connected to the ground, giving capacity for stillness and action? Let’s remember that all this shaping began early on – consider the child who experiences persistent rejection developing in to a different adult shape than the one who experiences a consistent loving presence.
Ben hired a somatic coach because he wanted to lead a team. He may be the most brilliant code writer, but he’s not skilled with his business colleagues. His focus is all on the head and intellect. His head actually leans forward into the world, dragging his neglected body behind as an afterthought. His eyes dart back and forth, his hand movements are sharp, his breath woefully shallow. To become a leader, transformation is called for. Let’s be clear, this will be no short coaching engagement. The body shifts cell by cell into its new future, not at the speed of ChatGPT (which can be immensely frustrating). A skilled somatic coach motivates his/her clients and keeps them accountable for their practices. For it takes 300 repetitions of an action simply to get it in to muscle memory, 3,000 repetitions for embodiment.
Embodiment is a much used word in the land of somatics. What does it actually mean? Think of it this way: a bird embodies flight, a lion embodies power, a jaguar embodies speed. An Olympic athlete embodies their particular sport, a Wimbledon champion embodies tennis – both founded on other embodied skills like fitness and resilience. We all embody something.
Let’s come back to Ben. He embodies intellect, mental acuity and dexterity. His goal is ease in social circumstances and leadership. A somatic coach will explore his motivation to engage in this intense self-development, finding his for-the-sake-of-what which will carry him through the sometimes tough times of being a beginner. A somatic coach will explore his current practices and recommend new ones, mostly with a physical element – Ben’s task is not to think more, or read more (although there may be some useful study), but to move his body more. This could entail walking in nature, going to the gym, taking up yoga or swimming, adopting a moving meditation, horse riding…the possibilities are many. At the same time, Ben will be invited to train his attention to the movement and sensations of the body – what’s it like to move more slowly, with consciousness? what impact does breathing more deeply have? can he feel his feet on the ground?
Having worked with countless clients over the decades, I have witnessed some who change a little and some who change a lot. And yes, there has been transformation too. It’s the road less travelled, not suitable for all, requiring dedication to leave behind the early shaping that would, left unchecked, have created a different life than the one they claim.
[My private practice has a vacancy at the moment, do reach out if you’re intrigued to learn more about somatic coaching with me].