The Somatic practice of Body Orientated Coaching Heart, belly, brain and beyond…

“The body says what words cannot.”

— Martha Graham

Have you ever made a decision that sounded perfectly reasonable, but left you feeling unsettled? A sort of niggling feeling in your belly, or a tightness in your chest, questioning your choice? That’s your body talking — and most of us don’t even realise it’s happening. We’ve become masters at overriding these signals — pushing them aside or getting frustrated with ourselves for what we see as a weakness: feeling uncertain. We stay in our comfort zone, sticking with logic over intuition, favouring supposed certainties over strange sensations. But imagine if you chose to listen — to connect to your body’s intelligence. What might be possible from there?

Let’s be honest — most of us have grown up believing our heads know best, and our bodies are just there to carry us around. So we lean on logic, map things out, gather evidence, and do our best to make solid, well-thought-out decisions. It feels safe — after all, that’s how most operate.

But at the heart of it, every thought, decision, and experience leaves an imprint — shaping the way we see the world around us, not just in our minds, but in our bodies too. Feeling stuck doesn’t just show up in the words we use. It can be seen in the way we stand, or the position of our shoulders, and maybe the tightness in our belly. A sense of disconnection might show up in the way you hold yourself — head down, avoiding eye contact, a heaviness pressing on your chest or shoulders. And anxiety might creep in through short, shallow breaths or that familiar tension in your chest and neck. These signals often start quietly, but when we ignore them, they tend to get louder — calling for our attention in ways we can’t keep brushing off. But if a friend of yours was feeling this way, you’d probably sit with them, listen, maybe offer a kind word or ask what was wrong. What if you did the same for yourself? What might be possible then?

And here’s the thing: your body doesn’t shift through thinking alone. In Somatic - body-oriented coaching, you invite your whole self into the conversation — gently, and with compassion. Through intentional movement, posture, or even a single breath, you begin to open new pathways of awareness. By creating space for dialogue between your head, heart, belly, and beyond, you start to access a deeper kind of intelligence — one that helps you make clearer, more grounded decisions.

Something shifts. New patterns emerge. And from there, wiser, more supportive choices become possible.

As with all good things this is a learning process — one that takes time and practice. Gradually, you become more attuned to what’s happening within you in the present moment — noticing tension, emotions, or impulses as they arise in everyday interactions. In those moments, you might begin to ask yourself: ‘What am I sensing, feeling?’, ‘What might I need right now?’ ‘Is this helping me move toward what matters, or pulling me away? This kind of awareness helps you catch things earlier — before irritation turns into snapping, or fear into freezing. You shift from reacting to responding. From defaulting to old patterns of behaviour to exploring new, more supportive ones.

Maybe you’re missing support — so you lean back in a chair and let yourself be held. A simple gesture, but one that brings a sense of calm, maybe even clarity. That feeling of being held — even by something as ordinary as a chair — can gently remind you what support feels like. And from there, it might become a little easier to let go of what you’ve been carrying.Or to realise… you don’t have to carry it alone

Or maybe it’s something else — a moment of loneliness or disconnect — and instead of brushing it away, you offer yourself a hug. You sit with the warmth of your own hands. You give yourself the kind of care you’d offer a friend. And in doing so, you discover that self-compassion isn’t weakness — it’s where courage begins. Something softens. And you might feel more able to reach out from this more grounded place.

Small gestures like these are part of a much bigger process. Your story — who you are, what’s shaped you, the strengths you’ve built, and the places where you still get stuck — lives not just in your head, but also in your body. When we include the whole of what your body is showing you, you tap into a fuller kind of intelligence. No longer just thinking your way forward — but feeling it, trying it and living it. And it’s from this place that learning sticks. Change lands. And what once felt stuck starts to shift.

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