I don’t know about you, but I have spent a lot of my life in ‘fight or flight!’ Realising this was the first step, but I still felt ‘stuck’ for many years. I could talk about my emotions for hours, but couldn’t seem to move past anxiety, overwhelm, burnout and exhaustion. Yoga, pilates, meditation, somatic breathwork, journalling, counselling, cold water therapy - I’ve tried so many things over the years but nothing has been as transformational as the approach adopted by the Institute of Applied Somatics. I loved it so much, I have completed their Nervous System Regulation Pratitioner training so that I can work with clients to share their techniques.
The approach uses safe, evidence based movements to release patterns of stress and tension in the body. It has a strong emphasis on the importance of fascia (the ‘web’ that connects us internally) and it’s connection to the nervous system. By giving space for the body to rest and release, ingrained and subconscious tension can be released, re-calibrating our nervous system and building resilience and balance.
The movements are life changing - I can attest to that myself!
In my sessions (1:1 and small-group), we gently explore how your nervous system shows up in your body.
We start with some simple movements to build awareness of different parts of the body such as the pelvis, neck, ribcage or shoulders, and then complete a series of exercises that are safe and involve slow and gentle movement. These exercises give the body the opportunity to release tension and encourage the fascia to reorganise and recalibrate, supporting healthy nervous system regulation. The exercises are passive; they do not require sweat, heavy lifting or raised heart rates! It is truly incredible how such a small movement can lead to such transformational internal shift.
We then take a somatic ‘dream journey.’ This is a beautiful, relaxing part of the session where your body gets to rest and integrate the exercises just completed.
After the dream journey, you have the opportunity to journal your experience and we discuss it together. Finally, you will set an action for the coming weeks, that enables you to continue to integrate the release in your body and the messages you have received from it.
To book a session, head to the ‘book now’ section of the website and select an individual or block of sessions. Once these have been purchased, we will then liaise to book your session in.
This work is designed to be done over a period of time; you would be unlikely to see impact after just one session. I offer the option to book a block of 6, or standalone sessions.
Image credit: Institute of Applied Somatics