So much of our wisdom is held within our bodies, but we don't always have the space or the confidence to hear this.
Body-Oriented Coaching is a gentle and supportive container that allows you to explore what feels present for you, in a holistic and compassionate way.
Alan Watts
What does body-oriented coaching look like?
The sessions are me holding space for you to explore whatever comes up or whatever you would like to bring, in a gentle and supportive way. You are the expert and I am there as your ‘co-thinker’ to guide us along a path of exploration.
Within the sessions there is the potential for me to offer an invitation to use gentle 'experiments' to invite wisdom of the body, as we recognise that the body and mind aren’t separate (and this is part of the somatic / body-oriented approach). However this is completely invitational. The space is yours and I’m coming along for the ride to offer gentle encouragement, curiosity and compassion.
It can be very powerful to explore topics from a holistic and embodied approach. Helping us to connect with topics and ourselves in an authentic and often new way that allows for playfulness and creativity.
What the coaching is NOT
Why do people do coaching?
People come to coaching sessions for all sort of different reasons. You might have a specific topic you want to explore in a more embodied way, within a supportive and non-judgemental space. You may simply feel you'd like to have space held for whatever wants to arise, for you to connect with the wisdom of your body and unpick current thinking patterns.
These sessions are your space, and I am your co-thinker to support you in exploring and discovering what will be most helpful and nourishing for you.
As with all my offerings, I aim to make these as accessible and meaningful as possible. Working one to one we can tailor the session to what works for you.
Are you feeling a sense of self-doubt or coming up against barriers in a certain area of life? Single sessions can be a brilliant space to really drill down into a particular area or question. This might be areas like maintaining boundaries, or trying something new, honouring your own needs, navigating conflict or wanting to access more self-belief in an area of your life.
Step into the Forest Glade, where we can meet and hold space to explore this together in a spacious and supportive way.
These sessions are an hour long, and will take place online via zoom. Before the session I will send out a short questionnaire to help us be really focused in our time together. If you have a few different ideas of what you want to discuss you can include these
You might wonder whether you can make any kind of real changes within one session but you might be surprised. When focusing on a single issue, single sessions can be incredibly powerful. Weaving in an aspect of embodiment can lead to lasting change and learning.
There is the option to add a 'follow-up' call for 30 mins a month after the single session.
These can be a great option if you're interested in trying out coaching before committing to a longer container.
In these longer containers we can follow the natural process of where the work takes us. I will gently and supportively hold space for the evolving process, nurturing the insights and shifts that arise, and exploring all of this together with a sense of curiosity and compassion.
This can look like:
a series of three one-hour online coaching sessions every two weeks across a six week period. Between sessions you will have access to support via Voxer.
OR
a series of six one-hour online coaching sessions every two weeks across a twelve week period. Between sessions you will have access to support via Voxer.
The reason for the alternate weeks of live call and Voxer support is because this gives time and space between the sessions for processing, embedding and potentially applying what we explore together. We can discuss whether you would like to create 'home practices' to work with between sessions.
The first session includes 'contracting', which is a discussion around details of how we will work together to make sure that I am supporting you as best as possible and that we are on the same page with all the details of the offering. As part of this we can discuss whether you want to have a home practice to engage with between sessions. We can also explore incorporating other aspects of my practice such as Forest Therapy and Mindfulness if these feel like they would be supportive you.
Below are the rates for each container:
The Glade (Single Session - 60 mins) - £35
Optional follow up call (30 mins) - £15
Holding
6 week container (3x 60 mins + Voxer) £120
12 week container (6 x 60 mins + Voxer) £240
We can work out payment plans if needed for the longer coaching containers.
If you want to book a slot for coaching or would like to have a chat to discuss whether this is the right option for you then please get in touch with me directly either by email - harriet@kindredsoil.co.uk or you can book a chat with me here.
" It’s hard to put into words just how special these sessions are. Harriet is a truly wonderful guide/co-thinker. The space she held for me helped me unravel the thoughts in my head, and the experiments she guided me through enabled me to find answers within that my other practices (meditation, journaling, etc) had not managed to uncover. Each session left me feeling grounded and excited about moving forward with new insights. "
Coaching Client
" Harriet has amazing listening skills and can guide you to find your own answers. Honestly working with Harriet has helped me grow as a person again. Thank you "
Coaching Client
" In a short time you taught me some really helpful tools! The practice in the second session felt like it really changed something in me and showed me i could be curious towards & have compassion for a part of myself that i was used to just fighting against. "
Coaching Client
" I felt completely supported by Harriet throughout my appointments. Harriet was able to follow my ramblings and when she summarise back to me, just to check she was following and was always spot on. Also making me think more about how I actually feel things and where in my body was quite interesting and I was shocked where somethings are coming from. It was quite a surreal experience. Had I not felt supported I don’t think I would have had such a good experience. "
Coaching Client
For me, part of connecting with nature has been recognising that I am part of nature. That my body is a 'soft animal' (to quote Mary Oliver) and that it holds much wisdom and needs to be listened to and understood much more than it has been previously.
For me, it was actually developing health issues that led me to explore these techniques, as my body was forcing me to listen. I have grown more understanding, more nuance and more compassion for my body. Recognising that my body is not just a vehicle for my mind, my body IS me.
I realised that I would never be frustrated with an animal if it was struggling - for example struggling to walk or experiencing fatigue. I would offer that animal compassion and understanding. I would try to work out how I could support them and make those difficult things a bit less heavy. My body is an animal, an animal that is doing it's best - dealing with illness, capitalism, ableism, ongoing pandemics, the stresses and strains of life... My body deserves this same attention and understanding that I offer to other animals.
As I started learning about somatics and body-oriented practices, it made more and more sense to me that this would be part of my personal practice and would become part of Kindred Soil. For me connecting with my body is part of Nature Connection. I am nature. We are nature!
I will open my books for a limited number of clients - please check out my 'Current Offerings' page to see availability. If you have any questions or would like to be on a waiting list for coaching, then please don't hesitate to get in touch with me - harriet@kindredsoil.co.uk
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You can also check out our pages about our different offerings of Forest Therapy, EcoNidra and Circles, or find out some of our news and insights on the Reflections page.
Based on research from Derby Univeristy, this self-paced workbook offers invitations for some accessible ways to connect with nature. Supporting you to weave your own nature connection practices into your life.
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