[{"content":"You might have seen another post here on the blog where I was talking about the importance of increasing your movement in day-to-day life, and how you don\u0026rsquo;t have to get started with traditional \u0026rsquo;exercise\u0026rsquo; if you\u0026rsquo;re not ready for that yet (if not, you can have a read here). But for those who are ready…!\n(Prefer the spoken version? Here me speak about this topic here.)\nI want to talk a little about my own strength training journey so far, and tell you about how Somatic Movement has helped me significantly with it.\nWe all know how important strength work is, right? There\u0026rsquo;s a wealth of research out there about the positive outcomes of increasing our strength (here\u0026rsquo;s an example, in case you needed convincing).\nBut like me, you might have a few things that get in your way of even getting started with work like this - my own journey has included chronic fatigue, chronic pain, finding the time, struggling to motivate myself, and most definitely not being a \u0026lsquo;gym goer\u0026rsquo;. As in, the idea of exercise for exercise\u0026rsquo;s sake made my heart absolutely sink!\nBut the more I read about strength training and its importance, the more determined I became.\nA big part of my growing motivation was my increasing age of course - being in my late 40s when I got started, and starting to experience what I needed to do and to better understand what I would need going forwards for a healthful aging process, I realised that I absolutely had to get some of this work into my life if I wanted to age as well as I possibly could.\nNot to mention that I\u0026rsquo;d promised myself a few years back that I\u0026rsquo;d be in the best physical shape of my life by the age of 50. I was running out of time!!\nI\u0026rsquo;m also a parent of 3 children (you can read more about our approach to parenting here - this is what I used to teach in another life!), and I want to be as able and available as I can to them, for as long as I can. So although the strength work is another thing that takes up my time, I see it as a hugely valuable investment in terms of what I can bring to our family.\nSo a couple of years ago I started having personal trainer sessions with a local trainer I found online*. I meant to have a handful of weekly sessions just to get me started. But I got SO much out of them, and enjoyed them so much, that I ended up just carrying on!\nIn my first year, I gradually built up what I was able to do, and from almost nothing I could then do things like holding a plank for 45 seconds, doing a dead hang for 30 seconds, doing 30 decently low squats without too much trouble, and lifting heavier weights. I\u0026rsquo;ve always been relatively strong in my legs (compared to my upper body), but when I could actually see my biceps in my upper arms, it was very gratifying!\nAnd of course I didn\u0026rsquo;t stop after that year - I just carried on, doing lots of work with my PT, doing some at home on my own, and even getting two of my kids going on it too! (We\u0026rsquo;re keen climbers, so building strength is a no-brainer for them really!)\nAnd I\u0026rsquo;m pretty proud of where I\u0026rsquo;m at now, to be honest - feeling stronger over time in my late 40s is extremely encouraging.\nBut more than that, I have noticed a big difference in my function - and that\u0026rsquo;s what\u0026rsquo;s it\u0026rsquo;s all about, isn\u0026rsquo;t it? For example, when we did a big garden clear out, I was able to lift all the heavy things, including paving slabs and large, full plant pots, without any trouble. (I mean, they were still heavy - but it didn\u0026rsquo;t cause me any problems to do it!) Or going climbing with my kids - my legs are so much stronger now and I can push through them to get to holds I couldn\u0026rsquo;t have reached before. Or when we climbed Yr Wyddfa, and I realised that I was coping really well, even when I ended up having to carry two backpacks to support one of my kids who needed a bit of a break.\nIt has taken time, but I really am seeing the benefits now - and I believe this is just the start.\nBut Somatic Movement - what\u0026rsquo;s that got to do with my strength training journey?\nWell, first of all, I believe I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have been able to even start strength training without Somatic Movement. Fatigue and pain meant more surviving than thriving, and something as full-on as strength training was WAY out of my league. Because Somatic Movement releases the muscle tension which can cause pain and uses excess energy, I was able to both reduce pain and increase energy. And because Somatic Movement uses gentle, developmental movements, which you access within your current capacity, I was able to build up very slowly and safely in terms of moving more.\nSo that\u0026rsquo;s feels big - enabling me to even get started!!\nOnce I did start the strength training, the ability to sense my own soma** that my Somatic Movement practice has brought me has made me feel I can access strength work much more safely and effectively than I otherwise would have. Because I can easily check in with what I\u0026rsquo;m feeling as I train, I am able to notice things like: which muscles are working (or not!), what position my body/the parts of my body are in (not always as easy as it sounds), how heavy I can go with the weights, understanding any left-right imbalances (and what to do about them), keeping my form safe and efficient, how to release and use muscles to bring me into alignment (rather than forcing myself to get there)…\nAll of these things help me to know my limits and keep myself safe, and to make the exercises as effective as they can be - meaning I can do more and get more out of my sessions.\nSo what are the important things I\u0026rsquo;ve found in terms of getting started with strength training?\nIt is recommended that you check with your family doctor before starting on any new exercise practice.\nIf you can find and afford some 1:1 sessions to get you going, I\u0026rsquo;d highly recommend that - so that you know you\u0026rsquo;re doing the exercises correctly, and for some tailored support.\nI personally haven\u0026rsquo;t managed to find a group class that suits my schedule as yet, but for motivation and feeling less alone in this work, I think they would be brilliant!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s ok to start small - in fact, it\u0026rsquo;s great to start small!\nJust start with something. The amount of information and offerings out there can be overwhelming, but just pick one and get going on it.\nIncorporate Somatic Movement both to keep you safe, and to maximise your strength training work.\nOur membership is the perfect way to get started with Somatic Movement - with an on-demand option, as well as the option for joining live classes (both online and in-person), you\u0026rsquo;ll find all you need to start moving better, sensing your soma better, and keeping yourself safe and efficient in your strength training work.\nI\u0026rsquo;m really excited about where my strength training will take me - and I couldn\u0026rsquo;t have done it (or indeed continue to do it) without my Somatic Movement practice! Start where you are, where you can, and see what these amazing approaches can do for you too! Much love as you explore, Emilie xx\n*Kelly Dacre, at The Power Plant in Woodley, Berkshire, UK. She\u0026rsquo;s brilliant. And she does online work too.\n**Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\n","id":5,"tag":"","title":"Strength training and Somatic Movement","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/strengthtraining-and-somatics/"},{"content":" Personal experiences - Somatic Movement and managing long COVID and mental health issues These \u0026lsquo;personal experiences\u0026rsquo; blog posts are designed to give the reader an insight into just a few of the many different kinds of people who practise Somatic Movement - as well as the sorts of issues the practice can help with. Search the \u0026lsquo;personal experiences\u0026rsquo; tag for more - I hope you enjoy them!\nAlthough many people come to Somatic Movement to help manage chronic pain issues, reducing or resolving pain is far from the only area Somatics can help us with.\nI\u0026rsquo;d like to introduce you to David. David is 60, and was introduced to Somatic Movement some months ago, by his wife Maria, a seasoned student of the approach.\nHere, David tells us a little about his experience with movement practices, and living in his unique soma (his living body as he experiences it), which has included long covid and mental health issues in recent years.\n\u0026ldquo;I have previously done karate, and moved to Tai Chi following Covid. I have therefore been at least aware of the importance (and challenge) of controlling my whole body; the importance of attaining balance; and the value of strengthening my core. I had also learned to isolate and move specific areas within my body. However I have also been aware of tension, tightness and stresses within my body which these [practices] have not always been able to rectify.\u0026rdquo;\nI think many of us will resonate with having existing movement practices, and noticing through these, or just in our day-to-day activities, that there is tension within the system of the body that we can\u0026rsquo;t seem to resolve. In Somatic Movement we think of this difficult-to-tackle tension in terms of habitually held contraction in the muscles. In other words, the brain has become so used to a certain level of contraction in the muscles, that it holds onto it below the level of our conscious awareness - as a habit - and has forgotten how to tell the muscles to stop contracting. We call this sensory-motor amnesia (SMA), and we use the practice of pandiculation to regain conscious awareness and control of the muscles, so that we can lower the resting level of contraction that they hold, thereby releasing the tension.\nDavid talks about starting out with Somatic Movement: \u0026ldquo;My wife Maria has sung its praises as being an impactless [as in, non-impact - as opposed to high- or low-impact exercise, for example] way to work on areas of the body, and thereby helping to reduce tension and stresses overall. I found it liberating, physically and emotionally uplifting and a perfect complement to the Tai Chi that I also enjoy. I found the concept and practice of pandiculation to work at once, and the way that Emilie focussed it on specific areas immediately made perfect sense.\u0026rdquo;\nPandiculation is a 3-step process, in which you contract muscles a bit more than they are already contracted, release the contraction slowly and with awareness, and then rest to integrate. The movements are done slowly so that you can become more aware of the sensation of contraction and release, so that you bring the action to your conscious awareness. Everything is done within each person\u0026rsquo;s individual comfort level, so movements can be as small and gentle as you need, until you\u0026rsquo;re ready for more. You can watch a video to find out more about pandiculation here, if you wish to.\n\u0026ldquo;Attending classes online is a perfect way to develop Somatic skills and knowledge. We go through exercises that focus on different areas of the body, and invariably leave me feeling more relaxed - but also more energised - than when I started. Practicing is simple: I can either revisit exercises done in class on my own, or I can pick from the (extensive) library of recordings and tutorials that Emilie has established and curates on line. It is always a pleasure working with Emilie. She is great fun - but really focussed - in the classes, and is also very active and quick to respond on the group WhatsApp account.\u0026rdquo;\nIt\u0026rsquo;s not for everyone, but yes, we have a private WhatsApp group which is available to all of our Somatic Movement members. Maybe once upon a time this would have been a Facebook group - but more and more I think people are looking for real connection, and whilst imperfect, our WhatsApp group brings a real sense of community and connection, which I think can be so often missing from this sort of work. Yes, there are those who just want to turn up to class, do the work, and then forget about it for the week - and we fully support and honour this if this is someone\u0026rsquo;s path. And… for those who wish to take things a bit deeper, to connect with other people doing the work, to share and to support - to find real community - this is something we\u0026rsquo;re proud to be able to bring to the work, here in Restore Movement.\nBack to David… He has noticed a number of benefits through his Somatic Movement practice. He explains that it relaxes specific areas of his body, helps him strengthen specific muscles, aids in his ability to control the movement of specific parts of his body, helps connect his mind and body, and relaxes his mind and mood.\nIn Somatic Movement, we use check-ins before and after our sessions, to notice any areas of tension or discomfort and then to bring to the conscious mind how things have changed after our practice. During the sessions, movements are selected to target specific areas of the soma, or particular patterns of tension that might show up for individuals. David has found the check-ins and the targeted movements help him to bring relief to different parts of his soma. He describes how sometimes this relief affects a broad area, such as his lower back, shoulders, hips, neck etc - but also how he has found relief from specific issues such as foot cramp, or a specific sore muscle. In his own words, he says that Somatic Movement, \u0026ldquo;is not a panacea, but it is the most effective method I\u0026rsquo;ve found for addressing these issues. In addition, it has the head/mind calming benefits often associated with other practices such as Tai Chi and yoga\u0026rdquo;.\nDavid has also found that Somatic Movement supports him in his day-to-day life. For example, like many of us, David spends time working at his computer, and describes how Somatics has improved his ability to work more easily, less painfully, and, crucially, more creatively, at his computer. It\u0026rsquo;s very difficult to concentrate and work effectively when we are in pain or discomfort. Somatic Movement helps us not only to notice when we are starting to stiffen up, but also to actively take steps to do something about it. Not only that, but the practice helps us maintain a more comfortable posture as we sit in relative stillness - so that when we do get up and move, we\u0026rsquo;re in a better place to begin with. It is very heartening to hear stories like David\u0026rsquo;s, around comfort at the computer, since it is a place that so many of us these days spend a good chunk of our time.\nBut it\u0026rsquo;s not only improved comfort at the computer that David calls out, in terms of how Somatic Movement affects him. He describes Somatics as a \u0026ldquo;very low impact, generally comfortable activity which can dramatically improve movement, reduce the incidence of pain and help your balance of mind\u0026rdquo;. When you are managing mental health issues, finding ways to bring release and relief to the system in gentle, accessible, adaptable ways is vital; and this is what Somatic Movement can bring us.\nI have also loved hearing some of David\u0026rsquo;s thoughts that he would like to share with everyone reading, to reassure and encourage anyone thinking of trying Somatic Movement. I wonder if any of his thoughts resonate with you - or are something you would like to experience yourself?\n\u0026ldquo;One of the great things about Somatics is that you are not judged, and you are not competing. You can find your own way in each class, with the teacher leading you towards an end goal, but not pushing you to outdo others, or reach beyond what you feel is comfortable at that specific time.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Martial arts and even yoga will, by their nature, sometimes encourage you towards stretches (either of the mind or the body) which can occasionally feel excessive, and sometimes even hurt - Somatics does not do this. If an exercise appears as though it might be painful or create real strain then you can work around this so that it simply does not happen.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;You can use it to help reduce stress and create clear head space. And you can practice it virtually anywhere to help regulate your physical and emotional responses. I have used it while travelling on the tube, while recording music and while preparing to go on stage, while cooking, and even (very carefully!) while driving*.\u0026rdquo;\nI hope hearing about David\u0026rsquo;s experiences here has inspired or intrigued you. If you\u0026rsquo;re new here, and you want to start to understand a little more about what we actually do in Somatic Movement (and how it\u0026rsquo;s different from other, more well known movement practices), you can find out a little more about what it is and how to get started in my \u0026lsquo;Beginner\u0026rsquo;s guide\u0026rsquo; blog post. Or you can get in touch with me at Restore Movement to ask questions and find out more. In the meantime, I want to give David the last word on a hugely practical, and very uplifting benefit of Somatic Movement, for those of us managing mental health issues - may we all find increased ease and comfort in our lives moving forwards.\n\u0026ldquo;A good personal example of how Somatics has helped me is: I regularly present music I have created in a \u0026ldquo;live\u0026rdquo; environment; I also suffer intermittently from depression and anxiety (which can be a very difficult combination combined with live presentation). I have tried all of the usual techniques - controlled breathing, self visualisation etc - but I have found that by carrying out Somatics basics while waiting to go on has been very helpful as it focuses on both mind and body coming back under your control. After that stepping out in front of people and awaiting their sometimes visceral response becomes significantly easier.\u0026rdquo;\nA big thank you to David for sharing his thoughts and experiences here. You can find out more about David\u0026rsquo;s work around music and mental health here.\n*I obviously can\u0026rsquo;t recommend doing Somatic Movement whilst driving :-)\n","id":8,"tag":"","title":"Personal experiences - Somatic Movement and managing long COVID and mental health issues","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/pe-covid-mentalhealth/"},{"content":" That day we climbed Yr Wyddfa As a family, we like to walk. And we like walks that push us a bit. On one family holiday a year or two ago, we started out on a walk that was scheduled to be a few miles, and ended up being a 9-miler. Were we shattered at the end of it? Yes. Did we feel good about ourselves at the end of it? Yes. Did we enjoy the walk throughout? Ummm… Mostly!! (Apart from that very hot bit by the river with very little shade lol!)\nNearly back into the trees now…\nSo a while back we decided it would be fun to try to climb a mountain. Yr Wyddfa (formerly known as Mount Snowdon) to be precise. And yes, I\u0026rsquo;ve been practising how to say it - not sure it will ever come easily to me, but it can be done!\nPreparation\nIn preparation, physically we managed, ahem, just one good long walk in the months preceding our attempt. Not quite the lead-up we\u0026rsquo;d planned - but it\u0026rsquo;s so hard to find the space for very long walks!!!\nWe do have a dog though, which means we do walk regularly. Which is something.\nAnd I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing my strength training - and both myself and my husband regularly practise Somatic Movement. (I\u0026rsquo;d say \u0026lsquo;of course\u0026rsquo;, but it\u0026rsquo;s not a given that you get your partner on board with this work, even if you do teach it!!)\nWe did do a lot of reading up about the climb though - there\u0026rsquo;s tons of information out there, like this or this. I found people\u0026rsquo;s real-life \u0026lsquo;reviews\u0026rsquo; (anyone else think \u0026lsquo;reviewing\u0026rsquo; a mountain sounds a bit odd lol?!) particularly useful for some of the nuggets of information and experience that you can\u0026rsquo;t get from the more official sites.\nAnd we had some family friends who had climbed Yr Wyddfa recently, so we asked them a bit about their experiences, which definitely helped to reassure us that this could be doable for us.\nWe knew there was the easiest path (the Llanberis Path) (note - that\u0026rsquo;s \u0026rsquo;easiest\u0026rsquo;, not \u0026rsquo;easy\u0026rsquo;!!). But we felt we\u0026rsquo;d rather do a slightly shorter distance/height climb, which might afford us a bit more interest and some amazing views. The Llanberis path sounded like it tended to be a bit busier too, as the most accessible walk up to the summit. We went for the Pyg Track to go up, and planned the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track to come down.\nWe each downloaded the Llwybrau\u0026rsquo;r Wyddfa Walks app before setting out, because you don\u0026rsquo;t need a web connection or phone signal to use it. This app shows your location on the paths as you climb, which could be very useful if you got in a bit of a muddle at any point. We chose a day that looked ok weather wise (and kept a close eye on wind speeds!), and a few days before we planned to do the climb, we pre-booked 8 hours of parking at Pen-y-Pass car park a couple of days before we planned to climb. I think you\u0026rsquo;d have to book more in advance if you were climbing in the summer holidays or something like that - we\u0026rsquo;re fortunate that we home educate our children, so can holiday in term time! Pre-booking is mandatory between April and November.\nWe would be climbing as a family (2 reasonably functionally fit adults aged 47 and 48; 3 children aged 16, 14 and 12; and one large, resilient dog (Ghost) who loves walking, aged 6). We agreed between us that we would try the climb, but if someone felt it wasn\u0026rsquo;t doable, then we would turn back, and that would be COMPLETELY ok. There would always be other opportunities. That said, we were all keen to get to the summit if we possibly could. The dog, to be fair, didn\u0026rsquo;t have much to say in the matter.\nWe packed plenty of food, including sandwiches, cereal bars and sweets. We packed plenty of water which we distributed between us. Some of it was in our reusable water flasks, but there are only so many metal containers you can carry, weight wise, so we also bought some (plastic) bottled water (which we usually try to avoid doing due to the plastic waste). You can\u0026rsquo;t fill water bottles at the summit (as water has to be taken up there by train), so we had money/cards so that we could buy more water or food as needed. We packed sandwiches in food bags rather than boxes, to save space/weight. I found it helpful to know that you have to take all your rubbish back down with you as well.\nWe each had a 30 or 35-litre backpack, except for one child who had a slightly smaller one. Along with our food, we were each able to pack a jumper, raincoat, waterproof trousers, sunhat, and a few other bits like I had gloves and a woolly hat as I tend to get pretty cold.\nGoing up\nWe were climbing mid-week (Wed) and mid-June (18th). We\u0026rsquo;d been keeping an eye on windspeeds in particular, in terms of the weather, as a couple of days beforehand they were higher than we would have wanted for climbing - but they\u0026rsquo;d died down on the day we climbed. This was a useful site for checking the weather in the days leading up to the climb, and you can even see what\u0026rsquo;s going on here if you want to!\nWe arrived at our allotted parking start time of 9.30am and got parked up. There are toilets at Pen-Y-Pass car park, as well as a drinking water tap so you can fill water bottles. There are staff in the car park who I\u0026rsquo;m sure would be helpful if you had questions. It\u0026rsquo;s clear where to start the Pyg Track path, as there is a big stone marker.\nBig marker. Stoney. By the time we\u0026rsquo;d used the toilets, applied suncream, changed shoes etc, we started climbing at approximately 9.50am. It was pretty hot. Much more so than we expected. That meant a LOT of drink stops. We also stopped for sandwich stop number 1 quite early, like 11.30am, and then stopped for a good number more of food/drink stops after that. All of this slowed us down quite a bit!!\nSandwich stop number one! We\u0026rsquo;d gathered that the Pyg Track would mean \u0026lsquo;some places where you might have to put your hands down to climb\u0026rsquo;. Well, in fact there were a LOT of places where you had to put your hands down! It was definitely harder going than we\u0026rsquo;d thought it was going to be. We were expecting an occasional scramble but there really were quite a few places where you had to navigate yourself fairly carefully. There weren\u0026rsquo;t too many steep drops down to the sides (which I was glad of - I do hate that stomach-dropping feeling when I look down from a height!) but there were some parts of the path where you didn\u0026rsquo;t have an awful lot of room and the ground did slope away from the path fairly steeply.\nTeensy scramble. Our dog is nervous of other dogs, and we have worked hard to help him with this, but we do tend to try to keep away from other dogs and give him space where we can. One of my concerns was that there would be a lot of other dogs, and/or that there would be lots of places where it would be hard to pass them. In actual fact, we only passed a handful of other climbers with dogs, and we were always able to tuck ourselves away. Just once we asked a group with a dog to wait so that we could get tucked into a suitable corner for them to go by and not stress our dog out, which of course they kindly did.\nNo other dogs here. Another concern I had was around whether there would be tons of sheep on or around the path. Our dog is always on lead, so we haven\u0026rsquo;t done much in terms of training him around other animals, and he does get very over excited when he sees things like sheep (to be fair, with his curly white coat, he might think he\u0026rsquo;s one of them lol!). It almost put me off trying the climb because I was worried we\u0026rsquo;d have to work super hard to get him past them. But I had a look at other people\u0026rsquo;s pictures of using the Pyg Track and the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track, and although there clearly were a good handful of sheep around, it looked like it would be doable. There were a couple of times where both my husband and I decided to have a good hold of Ghost as the path was tricky and if he\u0026rsquo;d leaped around it would have been challenging (he is a big dog!), but all in all it was pretty ok on the excited-about-the-sheep front. More annoying than anything else really!\nDreaming of sheep… Mostly there weren\u0026rsquo;t tons and tons of people on the climb, but you were frequently passing others. And I LOVED the connection and camaraderie with other climbers, however brief! People taking photos for each other, checking in with people about how far we still had to go, encouraging each other… It really was very supportive and friendly!\nOn our way up. Looking back down over the Miners\u0026#39; Track. Admiring the view. The views were STUNNING! We were so so lucky (well, a bit of planning and forethought - but definitely some luck too!) with the weather in terms of the views, in spite of the clouds coming over now and again (like when we got to the summit lol!), and as you can see, the sights from the Pyg Track really are amazing.\nThe lakes were amazing! You can see both the Miners\u0026#39; Track (near the lake) and the Pyg Track (further up to the left) in this one. Getting closer. Not close - but closer! Towards the top in particular, there were a lot of gulls. The gulls are very bold. VERY bold. If you value your sandwiches, keep a good eye out!\nBold. There were a fair few people on both our way up and down, but there were stretches when we were climbing alone. However, as you near the summit, the paths start to converge - and it got a LOT busier!\nGetting busier… At the top\nAs we made our way to the summit, which is also close the summit train station (yep, you can go up and/or down by train - but you have to book in advance!), things were really getting busy! For most of us, there will always be a queue to get to the summit, but it moves fairly quickly. We were only waiting for about 10-15 minutes. Some people who had come up by train didn\u0026rsquo;t make it right up to the summit though, as if they had waited any longer, they would have missed their train down - worth being aware of when you make your booking, that you might need a reasonable bit of time at the top.\nDefinitely the easier option - and you still get the views!! So British. Although not a very long queue, the fact that there are a good number of people waiting does mean that when you get to the actual summit you feel quite rushed - luckily there seems to be an unspoken rule that the people behind you in the queue take your picture, so there is time for that, but you certainly don\u0026rsquo;t feel like you can hang around, with all the people waiting for their turn! I would have loved to have just taken a few more moments to stop and celebrate and look around and breathe it all in, but it was not to be.\nWe made it! Speaking of celebrations, I did feel rather like I wanted to clap every time someone actually got to the summit! I didn\u0026rsquo;t. But I really wanted to.\nSnowdown summit. With complementary cloudage. Going down\nAfter getting to the actual summit, we realised that time was whizzing by - we only had the 8 hours for the car park, and you can\u0026rsquo;t extend it on the day, and we realised we really needed to get going fairly soon if we were going to make it back before our parking time ran out! We\u0026rsquo;d parked at our time of 9.30am, actually set off at 9.50am, and were at the summit itself at 1.55pm. So it had taken us about 3 hours to get up to the top, plus we then needed to use the toilets in the summit building, and get more water and some snacks for the way down in case we wanted something. By 2.30pm we were off!\nHeading down. We were heading back via the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track, which is mostly a bit flatter and more like a real path than the Pyg Path we took going up. However, the first part of the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track coming down was quite a steep descent. The dog did well, but there were points where we had to semi-lift him down (and I think this would have been the same if we\u0026rsquo;d gone back via the Pyg Track as there were some steep bits on there too), as although he\u0026rsquo;d been able to scramble on the way up, coming down would have needed him to essentially jump quite a good way down onto challenging terrain.\nWhere the Pyg and Miners\u0026#39; Tracks diverge. The walk back was definitely easier (although longer by distance) than the way up, in terms of the path. Of course we were all more tired by this point, the excitement had worn off a bit, and the way the leg work coming downhill for extended periods is quite challenging. The views were absolutely stunning on the way down though…\nWe made it back to the car park at 4.55pm - so pretty much 7 hours after we\u0026rsquo;d left. As it turned out, in plenty of time for our 5.30pm car parking time limit. But it was hard to tell (even with a map so we knew where we were) just how long it was going to actually take to get all the way back, so we had had to keep moving largely on the last bit. Not to mention we were all keen to get back by the end!\nThose gates mean we\u0026#39;re back!! Final thoughts\nSo there we are! We did it! Here are my final thoughts - make of them what you will!\nRandom stuff\nI wanted to visit the gift shop - I\u0026rsquo;m not actually sure if there was one at the top as I never went into the café part, but I suspect not. But I think there is one at the train station at the bottom, which we passed on our drive, but were too tired to visit! There is an Eryri National Park online shop - but that\u0026rsquo;s not quite the same!\nThe train looked fun - but you can\u0026rsquo;t take dogs on it. And you have to book it in advance - so you can\u0026rsquo;t walk up, realise you\u0026rsquo;re knackered, and just decide to catch the train back down.\nIt was much sunnier the whole way than we thought. I don\u0026rsquo;t know why but it hadn\u0026rsquo;t occurred to us that there\u0026rsquo;d be next to no shade. We had brought suncream with us which we\u0026rsquo;d put on before we started, and did put more on when we realised just how sunny it was, but we ended up getting a bit sunburnt - especially on backs of necks, a bit on ears, and (hadn\u0026rsquo;t thought of this!!) on ankles. Definitely recommend taking suncream and hats, and covering necks. And don\u0026rsquo;t forget to suncream those ankles!\nI also had a headband to keep my ears warm as I can\u0026rsquo;t stand wind in my ears, which I was really happy about (kept hair out of my face too), and a very light scarf which was BRILLIANT for covering my neck but not too hot.\nYou need to make sure the weather is going to be reasonably ok, and be ready for either heat or cold (it can be a number of degrees cooler at the top of the mountain than at the bottom - although that wasn\u0026rsquo;t the case for us when we climbed!). Going when it\u0026rsquo;s windy would have been much more challenging, and having good visibility was really helpful too. So the weather conditions are essential to check out before climbing, and having more than one option of days that we could climb in case any particular day didn\u0026rsquo;t look too good weather wise, was really helpful for us.\nSustenance and equipment\nHaving plenty of food was good, unsurprisingly, and water too. Although we didn\u0026rsquo;t eat as much as we thought we might - I think partly because we didn\u0026rsquo;t stop much, and partly because it was so hot.\nBringing sweets was absolutely brilliant - that kept some of us going just being able to have a sweet every now and then as we walked! We had some chocolate as well but it melted, so that wasn\u0026rsquo;t so helpful!\nI\u0026rsquo;d have loved to have brought a flask of tea but wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have wanted to carry it. BUT!! If it had been colder, tea would have been VERY welcome! I guess I could have bought one at the top though. I had a flask of hot water, tea bags and milk in the car - so was able to make myself one. I do love my cups of tea.\nBags with a waist strap are a MILLION times better than those without. Especially because you\u0026rsquo;re walking for a long time, and because you have to pack a fairish bit (especially with children and dog coming along), our bags were a little weighty and we soon felt it. Those of us with waist straps on our bags found it a LOT easier to manage the weight - and I would 100% invest in one for everyone if we were doing a walk like this again. Well worth it.\nI think it would have been quite fun and helpful to have those walking poles you see some people using (they\u0026rsquo;re also very good for exercising the upper body, amongst other things, as it happens!). But I really needed my hands free for the dog, so I think I\u0026rsquo;d have found them more trouble than use on this occasion. They\u0026rsquo;d need to be collapsible (but I think they usually are??) so that you could put them away when they weren\u0026rsquo;t needed, like when the it was more of a scramble, or when it was flatter and you just wanted a break from using them for a while.\nWe took some plasters and extra socks, and did use some of them when we realised ankles were catching the sun, and someone\u0026rsquo;s shoes were rubbing a bit. As regards footwear, some of us wore well-used waterproof shoes, and others just wore trainers. A bit of structure is important, and I can see that walking boots would be a good option, as advised by Eryri National Park, but for us, they weren\u0026rsquo;t necessary.\nWe had water and a collapsible bowl for the dog which is basically flat and very light, and we were glad of that. On the Pyg Track going up there were little trickles of water every so often which would be fine to give to a dog, and on the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track coming down he had some water at one of the lakes. He has a retractable lead (yes, we know the issues with those!), which we usually use on long walks. But we decided that his usual shorter lead would be best for this adventure, and that proved to be a good call. He didn\u0026rsquo;t need anything else - but we stopped a lot to make sure he was well watered. Some of the rocky bits could have been a bit tough on his feet, but we just let him find his own best way through those and he was ok doing that.\nPaths and parking\nIf you want good views, the Pyg and Miners\u0026rsquo; Tracks are both brilliant. It\u0026rsquo;s worth knowing that on these paths, there are no toilets on the way, and only occasional places where you can nip off the path (easier for some of us than for others!). I believe there is a café with toilets partway up on the Llanberis Path though (don\u0026rsquo;t quote me on this - but feel free to confirm or deny if you know one way or the other!!).\nDoesn\u0026#39;t look so bad on paper…! We did lots of short stops on the way up, but kept up a reasonable pace in between stops. We didn\u0026rsquo;t stop for a big lunch break, preferring instead to eat a sandwich every so often on the way up. We didn\u0026rsquo;t stop for long at the summit area. And we definitely didn\u0026rsquo;t take long stops on the way back as we were feeling rushed because of the parking situation! In all, going up the Pyg Track and down the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track, we took almost exactly 7 hours in total going up and down, plus a bit of time in the car park at the beginning and end of the trip to get ourselves sorted. Like making my cup of tea when we got back to the car. Important.\nIt was kind of good having the time pressure of having to get back, because it kept us going when we were feeling tired. But - we didn\u0026rsquo;t get to stop and admire the views in quite the way we might have liked. So on balance I feel like getting the full 12 hours of parking would have been better.\nYou can\u0026rsquo;t go one way (i.e. up or down) via the Pyg/Miners\u0026rsquo; Track, and then the other way via the Llanberis Path - because they start in very different places. I say this because there was a moment at the top where I thought it would have been nice to come up Llanberis and down maybe the Miners\u0026rsquo; Track - before realising that you wouldn\u0026rsquo;t then actually end up back at your car anyway! I guess you could do that if you planned carefully and went by bus or something, instead of by car.\nIf want an easier route, but aren\u0026rsquo;t drawn to the Llanberis Path, don\u0026rsquo;t choose the Pyg Track! Apart from quite a steep climb at the end, I would say the Miner\u0026rsquo;s Track is probably your friend. However, take that with a pinch of salt, since we did not go up via the Miner\u0026rsquo;s Track, only down.\nPhysicality\nThis was the biggie for me! I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have been able to do this a few years ago, so it meant a lot to be able to do it now. And hopefully gives others hope that the \u0026lsquo;inevitable\u0026rsquo; decline with age doesn\u0026rsquo;t necessarily have to be \u0026lsquo;inevitable\u0026rsquo;.\nTo climb Yr Wyddfa, I believe by any path, but certainly by the Pyg or Miners\u0026rsquo; Tracks, you do need to have a reasonable level of functional fitness and physical ability. If you can do a few long walks, with some climbing elements beforehand, that would definitely help you to see where you\u0026rsquo;re at and what you might be able to manage. That said, you can take your time (as long as you get going early), and of course you could stop at any point and change your mind. The Llanberis Path is definitely the one to take if you\u0026rsquo;re not too keen on the idea of scrambling a bit on the way.\nThe way down is hard work too. So if you think, once you\u0026rsquo;re at the top that\u0026rsquo;s it, you\u0026rsquo;ve sort of done it - think again! Of course your muscles are more tired on the way down, and maybe bits of you are a bit sore and aching, and we all know that extended downhills are challenging - some of us even found the downhill harder than going up. Worth being aware of.\nYou need to be ready for both heat and cold - and the heat definitely slowed us down. You need to be prepared to abort if things get difficult - this was something we had agreed as a family before we started, that we\u0026rsquo;d give up getting to the summit if that\u0026rsquo;s what any one of us needed to do. We were not willing to push on at any cost!\nAnd that brings me nicely on to… We REALLY had to work as a team - both in the planning, agreeing and carrying out of this escapade. I am EXTREMELY grateful for all the connection-building parenting we have done over the years, that meant we didn\u0026rsquo;t get bogged down in problems, we all owned what was hard for each of us, and we all supported each other at different times.\nApart from the overall levels of warmth and tiredness, we managed some small issues as we travelled. One child had a stretch of real struggle on the way up, meaning more stops, and me having to carry their bag for them for a while. Then another child struggled on the way down, as they were really flagging by then. There were a few stops to sort out shoes rubbing. The dog needed those bits of help to come down the tricky bits (coming down was definitely harder for the dog than going up).\nMy year or so of weekly strength training was definitely my friend - my legs were probably the strongest of all of us two-legged creatures (I can\u0026rsquo;t really speak for the dog!). I was proud that I didn\u0026rsquo;t have trouble carrying the extra bag when that was needed - although realised I had to hang it off my front from only one shoulder rather than both for the steep bits, or I couldn\u0026rsquo;t see my feet. Sometimes it\u0026rsquo;s hard to see the progress from just a weekly session, but it was noticeable to me how much my muscles could take in terms of enthusiastic use, before they tired.\nSomatic Movement helped me (and my husband) before, during and after the climb. We both did some in the morning before we left, to release anything that had built up overnight. We\u0026rsquo;re pretty good at bringing in little pandiculations here and there as well, like when we get out of the car, to keep everything moving freely rather than stiffening up.\nDuring the climb, we were able to use the principles and our learnings a lot. For example, at one point I had one knee that started to feel it a bit, so I made sure I paid attention to how I was moving, where I was holding tension, and what I could let go of to move more freely, and that made a HUGE difference.\nAfter the climb, that evening I did some practice to make sure things weren\u0026rsquo;t tightening up, and I could go to bed with everything as released as it could be. Then the next day, when I could feel muscles tightening up like in my calves when I stood up after sitting for a bit, I was able to do one quick pandiculation and I could immediately move pretty freely again. I could feel the muscles had been well used the day before, but that\u0026rsquo;s not an issue - it would have been weird if I couldn\u0026rsquo;t feel them!! But I didn\u0026rsquo;t have pain or stiffness - just tired muscles!\nNot bad for 47 and not much preparation I think! I just want to be able to keep doing stuff like this for as long as I can, and that\u0026rsquo;s why Somatic Movement feels so important to me, and so motivating to keep going with. When I started this sort of work - the parenting work that a lot of you know me through, then moving onto more healing/trauma/body work practices - I was much younger. And things have definitely changed in my soma* over that time! But in the last few years, things have begun to change for the better, not for the worse - I have less fatigue, more freedom of movement, less pain, and crucially, more ability to do the things I love to do.\nSo, it\u0026rsquo;s now time for me to review this beautiful mountain. Apparently that\u0026rsquo;s the done thing. I rate it 10/10, 5 stars, highly recommended, top notch, and All The Good Things. Visit if you can - whether you climb or go by train, it will be well worth it!\nAaaaaaaaand rest - the dog modelling that evening\u0026#39;s activities, once we got back. You might not want to climb a mountain, but moving better is brilliant. For example, some slightly less strenuous things that I find myself able to do because of Somatic Movement, include: crochet (my thumb pain that was holding me back has gone), sitting and relaxing (my upper back pain that made it impossible to sit comfortably is now just an occasional whisper, that I know how to deal with), (normal!!) walks - I used to have horrible sciatica that very rarely even hints at its existence these days… There are lots of things - there\u0026rsquo;s hope for us all! Find out more about what I teach, here.\nAll images shared with my family\u0026rsquo;s permission. Except for the dog ones. He\u0026rsquo;s not bovvered.\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\n","id":9,"tag":"","title":"That day we climbed Yr Wyddfa","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/climbing-mountain/"},{"content":" 30+ quick and easy ways to move more in daily life - going beyond \u0026rsquo;take the stairs not the lift' In many societies, such as the UK where I\u0026rsquo;m from, convenience is prized, and sedentary lifestyles are on the increase. We are moving less and less - but please, don\u0026rsquo;t think there\u0026rsquo;s judgement here! We all lead full lives, and it\u0026rsquo;s inevitable that we look for those short cuts, to save time and energy.\nAvoiding those shortcuts when we can does of course take up more of our time - but we can start small, and point ourselves towards a more healthful life. Because the consequences of a sedentary life are hugely detrimental to our health and wellbeing.\nI speak more about this in my blog post about how convenience is getting the better of us and of our health - if you haven\u0026rsquo;t seen it, you might want to have a read of it here.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re already on board with the idea that bringing more movement into our everyday life is a definite win, read on!\nI\u0026rsquo;m sure we\u0026rsquo;ve all heard the advice to take the stairs rather than the lift, or to get off the bus a stop early and walk the rest. But what if those aren\u0026rsquo;t accessible/relevant to us, or we\u0026rsquo;re already doing them? What other things can we bring in to increase movement in small but significant ways in our lives?\nI\u0026rsquo;ve put together a list of things you can try - have a noodle through it, and see what sparks some ideas for you. There\u0026rsquo;s no expectation or pressure - just some thinking points, and maybe some things you hadn\u0026rsquo;t thought of trying before. Start small if that works for you - pick one or two and get those in, and then bring in others when you feel like it. And leave the ones that don\u0026rsquo;t work for you - whether that\u0026rsquo;s because they\u0026rsquo;re not relevant to your situation, or because they aren\u0026rsquo;t a possibility for you right now. And yes, some of the ideas will be very similar to others on the list, and that\u0026rsquo;s ok - one might be just be worded in exactly the way you need, or refer to something in a way you have thought of.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s nudge ourselves towards more movement!! Here we go…\n(Maybe we don\u0026rsquo;t want to save the walk though…?)\nMove more - feel better!!\nOrder at the bar not at the table!!\nDon\u0026rsquo;t leave the thing at the bottom of the stairs to take up later - take it up now.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t carry tons of stuff at once, take things a few at a time so you have to repeat the trip (caveat - carrying heavy things is also good for you, but if they\u0026rsquo;re not heavy, it\u0026rsquo;s not really worth loading up with a lot of them!!).\nWhen unloading stuff from the car, take one bag at a time.\nGo and collect your takeaway rather than get it delivered.\nDo your food shop in person (ok that might be right out for busy families lol - it might be a step too far! Like it is for me right now. But it probably takes you about as much time ordering online so it is worth thinking about if you have the flexibility. It might save you money on delivery charges too!).\nGet a pedometer to incentivise yourself (just don\u0026rsquo;t be too tied to it - it\u0026rsquo;s just a fun marker, not the be-all-and-end-all. Look out for an upcoming post on my pedometer use, if you\u0026rsquo;re interested).\nWhen eating at the table, rather than asking someone to pass you something, get up and go round to get it.\nBe the one to do the thing that needs doing, e.g. rather than getting the young ones to do it.\nGo the long way round.\nPut things a bit (or a lot) more out of reach than is most convenient.\nMix or whisk your cooking concoctions by hand instead of using the mixer.\nTake the shopping trolley all the way back to the shop instead of putting it in the nearest trolley point.\nPark further from the buildings at service stations - you\u0026rsquo;ll probably find a space more easily too (this is particularly good because you\u0026rsquo;ll have been driving and seated for a while - extra walking = soooooo helpful!).\nPut some music on as you potter around the house - you might well find yourself dancing a bit (or a lot!) to it.\nGet a dog - or borrow a friend\u0026rsquo;s dog - and walk it!\nPark further up in the multistorey car park and use the stairs instead of the lift.\nGet a dog trailer for your bike instead of taking the dog out in the car.\nWalk around whilst you\u0026rsquo;re brushing your teeth.\nPut your phone in a specific \u0026lsquo;phones place\u0026rsquo; so that you have to go and get it when needed (bonus = you might use your phone a bit less. Which most of us could do with some help with, right?!).\nWalk around whilst you brush your hair.\nStand up to chop your veggies - all right, you\u0026rsquo;re not strictly speaking moving more necessarily, but you probably will a bit just because you\u0026rsquo;re standing up rather than sitting.\nUse secateurs and loppers instead of getting the hedge trimmers out.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t use the automatic door - push or pull one open instead.\nGet a standing desk, and vary it between sitting and standing (just make sure you get a mat to stand on, and build up gradually to more lengthy periods of standing, or you\u0026rsquo;ll really feel it).\nGet a standing desk with a manual handle, instead of an electric one.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t send an email or text if you can walk down the hall to your colleague or partner.\nWalk during online meetings - just turn the camera off first!.\nUse the further-away bathroom at home or work.\nWalk or cycle to a friend\u0026rsquo;s house rather than driving.\nPut everyday objects like your hairbrush, your toothbrush, your drinking glasses… on a higher shelf so you have to reach to get them (I\u0026rsquo;m a big fan of getting the upper body moving more - we so rarely do these days!!).\nChoose the slightly more challenging path over the logs, or climbing over the fallen tree, instead of staying on the flat.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s it. That\u0026rsquo;s all I\u0026rsquo;ve got for now. But it took me only a day or two to think of all of those (many of which I do myself already) - so I reckon there must be a million more out there!! So what do you think I missed? What would you add? Send me a message and let me know so I can add to the list and give everyone even more ideas!\n(Choose the logs maybe…?!)\n","id":10,"tag":"","title":"30+ quick and easy ways to move more in daily life - going beyond 'take the stairs not the lift'","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/30-ways-move-more/"},{"content":" Personal experiences - Somatic Movement and physical pain These \u0026lsquo;personal experiences\u0026rsquo; blog posts are designed to give the reader an insight into just a few of the many different kinds of people who practise Somatic Movement - as well as the sorts of issues the practice can help with. Search the \u0026lsquo;personal experiences\u0026rsquo; tag for more - I hope you enjoy them!\nLots of us manage a number of pain-related issues in our somas (our living bodies as we experience them from the inside) - indeed for many people, pain is their primary reason for exploring a Somatic Movement practice. One of our long-time students in our Somatic Movement membership shares a little about her experience with pain, and how Somatic Movement has helped.\nJayne is 73. She has had arthritis since her teenage years, and manages a long-term shoulder injury, a recurrent knee injury, and chronic lower back pain. Some of you lovely souls reading this will be familiar with one or more of these issues - I hope this blog post gives you some hope as you read through.\nIn her own words, Jayne explains what things used to be like for her, and how things have shifted over her time doing Somatic Movement:\n\u0026ldquo;Before I started Somatic Movement, I had some level of pain most of the time, and frequently the pain prevented me doing normal daily activities. Since practicing Somatics, pain has become the exception rather than the norm in my life and rarely stops me from doing the things I want to do.\nDuring the first few sessions I couldn’t believe that such small movements could make much difference. It disproves the adage of “if it ain’t hurting it ain’t working”. I soon noticed a dramatic reduction in pain and much more freedom of movement.\u0026rdquo;\nPain really gets in the way of being able to do the things we want to do, which includes our beloved hobbies, as well as activities of day-to-day living. As Jayne told me, she was even finding that standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables was causing pain in her back and shoulders - not being able to do even simple activities like this without pain is incredibly restrictive, as I\u0026rsquo;m sure many of you know.\nBut for lots of us who manage chronic pain in our day-to-day lives, the idea of a movement practice can feel really out of reach. After all, what if it hurts to actually do the practice? Or what if we just can\u0026rsquo;t do the movements asked of us? Pain restricts us both physically and mentally, and it can make the idea of trying something new feel frightening, or just out-and-out inaccessible.\nBut as Jayne says, the movements in Somatics are small, and they are also based on developmental movements and are done slowly and gently - and very importantly, within whatever capacity we each have to access them. Sometimes, that might even be just imagining doing the movement, rather than actually doing any discernible movement at all. Even this level of accessing the work has an effect on the muscles, since just by imagining, we are causing our neurones to fire - you\u0026rsquo;ve probably heard of athletes visualising movements from their sport, and how that helps them in their training. This!\nThis means that no matter where we are at in our pain/movement journey, we can access Somatic Movement, and start to see how it can work for us, so that we can do the things we want and need to do in life.\nJayne is currently attending regular classes once or twice a week, uses some recorded materials in between classes, and brings Somatic Movement principles into her day-to-day life - such as noticing tension building in her muscles and being able to release it, or ensuring she is moving in ways that feel easy and free, rather than tight and restricted. I asked Jayne to talk a little about why she continues with attending live Somatic Movement classes, and what benefits she gets from them:\n\u0026ldquo;The classes are well structured and easy to follow. There is no pressure, no pain, no competition, just an awareness of what is right for your own body. Each class lifts my spirits as well as improving my pain level and mobility. I keep going because I keep feeling the benefits, and now I only experience pain occasionally, and usually only when I have not been practicing for some reason.\nWorking with Emilie is a real pleasure. She structures the classes carefully so that they are easy to follow and give maximum benefit; her instructions are clear; she is very encouraging but there is no pressure. Emilie really cares about what she does and about the people she is teaching.\u0026rdquo;\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re struggling with chronic pain, I hope that hearing Jayne\u0026rsquo;s words gives you hope that things can change for you too. She shares that through Somatic Movement, she feels she can do \u0026lsquo;pretty much everything!\u0026rsquo; - and lists as regular activities with which she now engages in comfort: walking, gardening, cooking (bring on the vegetable chopping!) and dancing.\nQuite an inspiring list, I think you\u0026rsquo;ll agree!\nTo round off this post, for anyone on the fence or wobbling about trying Somatic Movement, Jayne gives us these words of encouragement:\n\u0026ldquo;At first, it is hard to believe that something so gentle will work, but it does. It is really worth the effort of practicing regularly as the rewards are huge. Even after shoulder surgery, I still had pain for years until I started Somatic Movement and now it is barely noticeable.\u0026rdquo;\nMany thanks to Jayne* for sharing her experiences - and bringing hope to all those who manage chronic pain.\n(*Not her real name.)\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d like to find out more about what Somatic Movement is, why it works, or what we do in class, you can have a read of this post.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d like to find out more about how to get started in this work, you can visit the website and browse the different ways you can try out Somatic Movement, or get in touch to discuss whether Somatic Movement might be right for you.\n","id":12,"tag":"","title":"Personal experiences - Somatic Movement and physical pain","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/pe-physicalpain/"},{"content":" What to do in Somatic Movement when you \u0026lsquo;can\u0026rsquo;t do it like that\u0026rsquo; Having that feeling of \u0026lsquo;I can\u0026rsquo;t do that!\u0026rsquo; is always tricky - read on, or hear me speak more about it here.\nIs learning something new always smooth and easy? Why no, of course not - we all know that!\nAnd sure enough, when you get started doing this Somatic Movement work, and you hear me describing and cueing the movements, you may well have an \u0026ldquo;I can\u0026rsquo;t do it like that\u0026rdquo; moment.\nThis is perhaps more likely to happen if you start the work through doing recordings or in group sessions - because it\u0026rsquo;s not possible to cover every possible unique experience in those kinds of sessions of course.\nYou could start out with 1:1 sessions - and even though you\u0026rsquo;ll probably still have a \u0026rsquo;no, I can\u0026rsquo;t\u0026rsquo; moment, you will at least have personal feedback and reassurance around what\u0026rsquo;s going on.\nBut either way, I don\u0026rsquo;t think that in learning a new skill you can avoid those moments altogether, no matter how you get started.\nHere are some examples of elements that can fox us to start with in Somatic Movement - for anyone who\u0026rsquo;s already started on this work, most likely you will recognise yourself in some of these. Some of them are my own personal experience - so you\u0026rsquo;re not alone! You might well have trouble with:\nBeing able to use the centre of the body in the Back Lift to do the work of lifting the head/leg.\nSensing anything in the deep muscles when doing Stuck in the Mud.\nHaving the head roll in the way that is cued in the Arch \u0026amp; Flatten.\nDoing the Flatten without pushing through the feet.\nLetting go of the glutes to let the heels flop out at the end of the Back Lift.\nHaving the shoulders press forwards/back in the way that is cued in the Washrag.\nAnd lots more!\nWe are learning something so unfamiliar for our somas* when we do this work, and there are so many layers that come in over time in our learning, that there are BOUND to be some elements that we just can\u0026rsquo;t yet figure out.\nSo what do we do in those \u0026lsquo;I\u0026rsquo;m not getting this\u0026rsquo; moments?!! Here are some ideas for you…\nKnow that you\u0026rsquo;re not alone - and that it\u0026rsquo;s COMPLETELY ok not to have it all down just yet.\nRemember that each cue is an invitation to explore - not so much an instruction to follow.\nLikewise, each question is a prompt to explore your experience - there is no right or wrong answer!\nSo it\u0026rsquo;s always ok for your answer to be \u0026rsquo;no\u0026rsquo; (or perhaps more accurately - \u0026rsquo;not yet\u0026rsquo;!) to questions like, \u0026lsquo;can you do this\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;can you sense that\u0026rsquo;.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also ok to have the answer \u0026lsquo;I can\u0026rsquo;t\u0026rsquo; to a \u0026lsquo;how can you…\u0026rsquo; prompt!\nStay curious! Allow yourself to ponder WHY that might be happening in the way that it is (or isn\u0026rsquo;t!!) - but again, there is no expectation that you have \u0026rsquo;the answer\u0026rsquo;.\nUnderstand that the layers will come in over time and that no one expects you to have it all figured out at the start. Or indeed at any point - there\u0026rsquo;s always something new to learn!\nGive some compassion and understanding to those parts of yourself that are frustrated or disappointed (or whatever the feelings are) about not having it all figured out yet, or not being where you\u0026rsquo;d like to be yet.\nKnow that things WILL change as you do the work - when you\u0026rsquo;re ready for them, new ideas and new layers will drop in for you, and that will be the perfect time for your unique situation.\nWhen you do figure out something new, it\u0026rsquo;s ok to say to yourself \u0026lsquo;oh, I\u0026rsquo;ve not been doing it like that\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;I hadn\u0026rsquo;t understood that before\u0026rsquo; - let\u0026rsquo;s normalise not knowing it all, because that\u0026rsquo;s what learning is all about!\nTry to be as unjudgemental of yourself and where you\u0026rsquo;re at and your progress as a friend might be - there\u0026rsquo;s no one harder on ourselves than ourselves!\nThe really really important thing to remember, is that it\u0026rsquo;s ok to be EXACTLY where we are right now. And that knowing it all, or doing it \u0026lsquo;correctly\u0026rsquo; is not the aim. The aim is to explore and to learn - and part of that is definitely not knowing it all, and making mistakes, and getting frustrated - as well as celebrating our insights and progress as they happen.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s just not possible to learn something new without mistakes, misunderstandings, mis-steps - and we welcome them all in Somatic Movement!\nGet in touch, come and meet us, or book a 1:1 session. Find a reparative learning experience, with no judgement - as you learn about your amazing soma, and help it to do all of the things you want and need to do in life. We love this practice - we think you will too!\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it.\n","id":13,"tag":"","title":"What to do in Somatic Movement when you 'can't do it like that'","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/cant-do-that/"},{"content":" Celebrating you! This isn\u0026rsquo;t going to be a long post. But it is an important one.\nBecause it\u0026rsquo;s all about you.\nSome of us will end up squirming in discomfort reading this, or reading it as if for someone else - \u0026lsquo;I see that for others - but not for me\u0026rsquo;. But the invitation is to allow in even a drop of my words, if you possibly can.\n(Also, very much acknowledging that some of us will have no trouble soaking all this in at all - and that\u0026rsquo;s great too!!)\nThis is a post to celebrate you, and all that you are, in your messy humanness.\nHow does that relate to Somatic Movement, I hear you ask? Well, it\u0026rsquo;s a very good question, and maybe there doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to be any connection at all on the surface.\nBut one thing we always have half an eye on in our movement community, is meeting ourselves right where we\u0026rsquo;re at.\nYes, we might have goals or intentions, and yes, ultimately we want things to change in how our soma* interacts with the world. But we also work to accept that we are where we are (including any frustration that might come with that) - and that includes recognising the things we might hope will change through this work, as well as celebrating our progress and our wins and all of the things that make us who we are, right now in this moment.\nIt can be SO easy to focus on what hurts, what doesn\u0026rsquo;t move well, our stress or tension… And forget that SO much of our amazing soma is working, is comfortable, that it\u0026rsquo;s getting us through life, that we are amazing just for being.\nWe hear a lot about people who have done or are doing great things to change the world for the better. But being those fantastic world changers - that\u0026rsquo;s not the path for most of us. Most of us are getting through our daily lives as best we can, doing our best, trying to be our best selves - and sometimes we forget that that is enough.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not saying never take steps to change the world - AND it\u0026rsquo;s important to remember that we change the world in our own small ways just by living in alignment with our values. By keeping doing the right thing - as well as giving ourselves grace when we don\u0026rsquo;t always measure up to our own high standards.\nSo I\u0026rsquo;m just going to invite you, right now, to take a moment to remember all that you do - for yourself, for others, for the world - and that just by being here, just by learning to accept yourself right as you are in this moment, is well worth celebrating. YOU are well worth celebrating.\nI see you**.\nWishing you, your loved ones, and everyone in this beautiful, tough world, all the good things. Keep being you.\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\n**If you don\u0026rsquo;t know me well yet, you might think this is some trite rubbish. It\u0026rsquo;s not. I know you\u0026rsquo;re doing your best, to live the best life that you can for yourself and others.\n","id":14,"tag":"","title":"Celebrating you!","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/celebrating-you/"},{"content":" Who do I work with, and who is Somatic Movement for? In this post, I\u0026rsquo;ve wandered a little away from my usual themes, in which I try to give you a little motivation or some practical ideas about Somatic Movement. Instead, I want to share with you a little about what I do, including who this work is for, as well as who I tend to work with.\nRead on, or you can listen here if you prefer.\n(Summary of the upcoming - because I hate the term tl;dr!! Somatic Movement is a fantastic practice for so many of us - we just need to be curious and open-minded, and to take self-responsibility. If you want it, it\u0026rsquo;s yours! Find out more about how to get involved here.)\nI have been teaching Somatic Movement for about 5 years now, building on my background of dance teaching as well as the inner work I supported people with for many years (such as parent coaching, Way of the Luminous Heart coaching and women\u0026rsquo;s circles).\nI came to Somatic Movement partly because of my developing knowledge about trauma and how it is stored in the body, and partly because of my own chronic pain issues.\nI stayed because it helped me sow the seed of hope that things could change for me - as well as for others, once I got into teaching.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve seen many profound changes in my life through doing this work, which I\u0026rsquo;ve spoken of before so I won\u0026rsquo;t go into too deeply, but which include a huge reduction in my chronic pain and an increase in energy, an increase in my body awareness, and a big shift in my own reactivity as my system learnt to spend more time in a settled state.\nIt hasn\u0026rsquo;t been quick, and it hasn\u0026rsquo;t always been easy - but Somatic Movement has changed my life, and it is one of the great delights and honours of my life to share it with you too.\nSo here\u0026rsquo;s a bit more about the amazing souls who come to work with me - my guess is, if you\u0026rsquo;re here, you\u0026rsquo;re one of them too!\nWho is this work for?\nThe short version of \u0026lsquo;who is this work for?\u0026rsquo; is - anyone and everyone who wants it!\nBecause all of us carry some habitually held muscle tension, we all benefit both from learning to release that, and from having an ongoing practice that maintains and deepens the gains we get when we bring Somatic Movement into our lives.\nHabitually held muscle tension - i.e. the muscle tension we hold and either aren\u0026rsquo;t aware of, or are aware of but can\u0026rsquo;t get rid of! - leads to issues like chronic pain, postural changes, reduced available energy, stress in the system, reduced freedom of movement… And it is challenging to shift!\nBut Somatic Movement teaches us a way to recognise and release the muscle tension we hold, so that we can free up movement, reduce pain, increase energy, and so on.\nIt is a very effective practice, and at the same time is very gentle - in the sense that you can access it at whatever level you\u0026rsquo;re ready for, staying within your current capacity.\nBut!!\nYou do have to want it!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s not easy work (it\u0026rsquo;s a brain workout if ever there was one!), and it isn\u0026rsquo;t (usually) quick. So it takes time and practice to see big shifts.\nHaving said that, some people do see big shifts really quickly - and everyone who gets stuck into it sees smaller but very useful and hopeful shifts within a few weeks or even in the first session.\nIf you can see the power and potential of those small changes, and hold onto those as you move forwards with this work, you\u0026rsquo;ll really be onto something!\nSo people who do this work tend to be motivated by something like reducing pain, or developing their body awareness, or wanting a very gentle way in to moving more. And they tend to be able to see the big picture, and understand that shifting years of habitual muscle tension isn\u0026rsquo;t usually an overnight process.\nAnd it\u0026rsquo;s work that\u0026rsquo;s suitable for almost any age group - again, you just have to want it! People just need to be of an age/stage where they can follow some directions and pay attention to some sensations. I tend to work with adults, although have colleagues who are doing this work very successfully with school groups (from primary right through to older teens). And my own kids do see the value and use the practice a little too, which of course I\u0026rsquo;m delighted about! Going the other way, I\u0026rsquo;ve worked with adults in their early twenties who are managing chronic pain, right up to fantastic elders in their 80s, who see the immense value of keeping movement as free as possible for as long as possible.\nAnd it\u0026rsquo;s never too late to start. For sure, earlier is better - if this practice were routinely taught from early on, and became as much a \u0026rsquo;thing you do\u0026rsquo; as doing your teeth, lots of us would avoid much of the pain, tension, stress and fatigue we end up in. But most of us won\u0026rsquo;t be lucky enough to get into it early - so now is the next best time!\nWho do I work with?\nI work with a huge variety of people but they do have one thing in common - they are all awesome!\nGetting slightly more specific… I\u0026rsquo;ve noticed that the people I work with tend to be open-minded and curious and to want to learn. This is absolutely ESSENTIAL for this work!\nWhen I teach Somatic Movement, I am really your guide - but YOU are the expert in your own soma*. I can give you ideas of movements to try, I can cue you in certain ways, I can spot some of your patterns that might be showing up as you do the work and help you to identify and shift them. But it\u0026rsquo;s you doing the work - showing up, trying things out, noticing your sensations, choosing where to take the work and deciding what you need in any given moment.\nAnd that brings me on to something else that the people I work with have in common - they are willing to take personal responsibility for their own progress and development. They understand that the words they hear me say are just the start, just the scaffolding - and that they are the ones who are forging their own path. I can point things out and share experiences and encourage you and accelerate your shifts… But I can\u0026rsquo;t do the work for you!\nI\u0026rsquo;m your guide - but what you choose to notice or use or take ownership of on your journey, that\u0026rsquo;s up to you.\nAnd finally, although some people do get immediate shifts in one area (such as reducing chronic pain), again, the people who work with me understand that this path is not a quick fix (I don\u0026rsquo;t think there is one out there to be honest), that it\u0026rsquo;s not a magic wand, and that what they invest into the work and themselves is directly correlated with what they get back.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s no judgement on how much people do in our community - some of us try to attend class once a week, and that\u0026rsquo;s what we can manage right now and we make slow and steady progress. Others of us try to have a daily practice and we will tend to see more progress more quickly. Some people are able to book some 1:1 sessions and get more tailored support. Some of us are working away behind the scenes via recorded materials. We all do what\u0026rsquo;s within our capacity and what\u0026rsquo;s right for us at any given life stage.\nBut one thing I do know about the wonderful people I work with, is that we all know that if we did one session and said \u0026lsquo;it didn\u0026rsquo;t work\u0026rsquo;, we\u0026rsquo;d be barking up the wrong tree!\nYou might not want to work with me if…\nLet\u0026rsquo;s get this bit out of the way, shall we?!\nAlthough Somatic Movement is brilliant for pretty much everyone - it\u0026rsquo;s simultaneously not for everyone!\nMaybe you\u0026rsquo;re not at a life stage where you see the value, or where you have the capacity (or time or money or energy…) to start this work.\nAnd that is totally ok! Maybe you\u0026rsquo;ll come back to the work later, or maybe you\u0026rsquo;ll just dabble with some short stuff or some free stuff or something like that for now, right?\nThe other path that people sometimes take, is wanting me to do the work for them, to wave my magic wand, to get a quick fix… If that\u0026rsquo;s the case, this work isn\u0026rsquo;t going to \u0026lsquo;work\u0026rsquo; - because it\u0026rsquo;s like learning any new skill, in that it takes time and work and effort and some commitment to the work. If you want all the answers laid out on a plate, with \u0026lsquo;do exactly this and you\u0026rsquo;ll be fixed\u0026rsquo; - that\u0026rsquo;s so far from what Somatic Movement is about, it\u0026rsquo;s untrue.\nImagine learning a new musical instrument or a new sport. Your teacher will give you some direction, and you\u0026rsquo;ll take on board some of that but likely not all of it straight away. And there\u0026rsquo;s going to be some confusion and frustration and questioning as you lay down the foundations of the new work, slowly build your understanding, and layer on your experience and skill through exploration and practice.\nAnd Somatic Movement is a lot like that! If you want clarity and skill and changes, you are going to have to work for it! (Sorry, but that\u0026rsquo;s how it is lol!)\nOn a more personal level around who might not want to work with me, I am a one-woman business, so pretty much all elements of the work, including admin, marketing (such as it is!), planning and delivery are all down to me. I try to make things happen as smoothly as I can but if you\u0026rsquo;re going to be irritated because I have to occasionally cancel a session when I\u0026rsquo;m ill or similar, or because the website is temporarily playing silly buggers, or if you\u0026rsquo;re going to be annoyed that you signed up without carefully checking the dates/times of classes and suddenly realise you can\u0026rsquo;t attend and I can\u0026rsquo;t offer a refund as I now can\u0026rsquo;t fill that space, then I\u0026rsquo;m probably not your woman. Not taking self responsibility is not a great thing in this work!\nI hold myself to that too - if something that is my responsibility has gone wrong, I will try my best to own that too. None of us is perfect, and that\u0026rsquo;s ok!\nOverall, even though I find it very hard, as I really don\u0026rsquo;t want to \u0026rsquo;let anyone down\u0026rsquo;, I am working hard to model a sustainable business and things aren\u0026rsquo;t always going to be trouble free. Which means, for example, when my family is on their way back from a weekend away (having left me at home to do some work), and they break down in a motorway services, and it takes half the night to get them home - I\u0026rsquo;m going to cancel the next day\u0026rsquo;s teaching and invite people to work from a recording if that\u0026rsquo;s what they wish to do. Otherwise I\u0026rsquo;ll run myself ragged, and that is not something I want to do, nor something I want to model for others.\nFor too long we\u0026rsquo;ve lived in a world that sees productivity as the only marker of success - but I want to promote sustainable living, and sometimes something has to give.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t worry - I won\u0026rsquo;t take the piss with it though. I only cancel when absolutely necessary to look after myself or my family - and my amazing members know this and find patience and acceptance when it happens. THAT\u0026rsquo;s who I work with!\n(Mini rant over - the world we live in is tough isn\u0026rsquo;t it!!)\nI love working with people who…\nOk, back to the positives! I\u0026rsquo;ve said or alluded to lots of this above, but here are some things I love about the people I work with - I imagine because you\u0026rsquo;re here in this space, you will see lots of this in yourself too!\nI love working with people who are interested, enthusiastic, curious and open to new ideas. I love the commitment of our members - and yes, it takes a bit of faith to get going, and to get your feet under the table with this work, but if you do… The rewards are pretty much endless!\nI love working with people who are understanding of me and my humanness. With me, you will get such a personal service, but it\u0026rsquo;s not always seamless (as I said above, sometimes I have to cancel class, maybe a link isn\u0026rsquo;t working in the portal occasionally, I am very likely to get my lefts and rights muddled at some point in class…!). I\u0026rsquo;m very professional in terms of the service I deliver and the quality of the work, but I am human and consequently messy, and like I talked about above, I really want to normalise some of that messy humanness in this world - especially in small businesses that don\u0026rsquo;t have a big team smoothing out the way as you move forwards, or sweeping up behind you when things don\u0026rsquo;t quite go to plan. You\u0026rsquo;ll get to know me as your Somatic Movement teacher, as well as as a person, through this work. And I will do the same with you - you\u0026rsquo;re not just a body to me!\nI love working with people who are encouraging and supportive towards others, even if it\u0026rsquo;s quietly in the background, or maybe even silently (not everyone has the capacity or personality to be active in social spaces, AND we know your good heart!). There\u0026rsquo;s no judgement in our space - just time and space for exploration, which necessarily means getting things wrong at times. In order to learn, we have to make mis-steps along the way, so \u0026lsquo;mistakes\u0026rsquo; are very very more-than-welcome in this work!\nI love working with people who see the big picture, and who know that in any learning situation, confusion and frustration will at times be part of the process. All of that is welcomed in our space, and everyone is met right where they are, with understanding and celebration.\nHow to work with me\nSo, if you have the motivation, the capacity, and the willingness to learn, and you saw yourself in some of my words above, here\u0026rsquo;s how to get started with this work.\nOur membership is the best, most seamless, most supportive, most progress-making way of getting going with this work. It gives you a great foundation, enables you to connect with others (through the live classes or the WhatsApp group), and then enables you to deepen your insights with new layers of learning as you progress.\nThere are also ways to get started via recordings only, which are great if you can\u0026rsquo;t be tied to a particular time, or if you just prefer to work at your own pace. You can join the on-demand membership (option 1), try a themed course, or have a go at our Small Steps to Somatic Movement course (a bit more bite-sized, so very useful when we\u0026rsquo;re trying to fit bits in here and there!).\nI also offer 1:1 sessions which can be great if you have very specific issues or want to work at your own pace with specific guidance. I see people both online and in-person - if you\u0026rsquo;re local enough! (Berkshire, UK.)\nWow! That turned into more of an essay than I\u0026rsquo;d planned - thanks for reading this far to everyone who made it here! In short, I\u0026rsquo;m so incredibly glad that I tried Somatic Movement and gave it a fair go (believe me, I had my wobbles!), and I work with the most amazing people now that I am teaching it too. Somatic Movement has totally changed my life, and I don\u0026rsquo;t know where I\u0026rsquo;d be without it. I hope you\u0026rsquo;ll give it a go too and enjoy the benefits it brings.\nHappy moving everyone!\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\n","id":15,"tag":"","title":"Who do I work with, and who is Somatic Movement for?","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/who-i-work-with/"},{"content":" How to adapt Somatic Movement if you need things really gentle, slow or small This post is for you if you\u0026rsquo;ve come to this work with lots of chronic pain, or are in the midst of a flare up and are wondering what to do, or you have very little physical or energetic capacity for the work right now.\n(You can listen to this information here if you prefer.)\nI know there are lots of us out there who are managing long-term conditions, such as chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and so on. I myself am in recovery from CFS, and manage my energies very carefully, as I\u0026rsquo;m sure many of you will understand.\nAnd I know that often when we\u0026rsquo;re working with these sorts of challenges, we can struggle to get into a movement practice because it all just seems too far out of reach.\nThe good news is that a) you\u0026rsquo;re not alone, and b) Somatic Movement and the work you do with me has got your back.\nI want to write in a bit more depth about coming to the work in this super gentle way in future, but for now, my capacity is only going to allow me to give you a few nuggets - I hope it will tide you over!\nAnd that brings me straight onto my first point, which I am VERY sure I don\u0026rsquo;t really have to say to anyone who\u0026rsquo;s in this boat - we can ONLY work to our capacity in any given moment, and that\u0026rsquo;s completely ok and exactly what Somatic Movement allows us to do.\nWhen I\u0026rsquo;m teaching to a group, it\u0026rsquo;s impossible to differentiate the movements exactly to what everyone uniquely needs. But I strongly encourage everyone always to really check in with their own capacity on any given day, and do only as much or as little as they feel they can.\nThere is no performance or efforting or trying to get to any particular position in Somatic Movement - just exploration, with no judgement around being right where we are.\nSo I may have people in a class who choose not to do a particular movement at all, or who finish before others and take a rest on the last repetition (or two, or three…!) of a movement. Or maybe they go much slower so they finish at the same time, but with fewer repetitions. And that\u0026rsquo;s just fine.\nYou can also do just part of a movement, rather than the whole thing. Not feeling like doing the full Washrag today? Maybe you just want to do the head and legs part of it. Or even just the rolling of the head because it feels good to gently move the neck in that way. Or maybe you want to do all the parts of a movement but not all together - for example, we often break down the Back Lift into its component parts before putting it all together, but what if you just did each component part and then rested for the full Back Lift?\nAnother very helpful thing about Somatic Movement when we really need to take it gently, is that we can make the movement smaller - or even just imagine it. Although it can be interesting and fun and it can feel good to go into a movement to the full (easy - not forced!!) extent of our range, that is not the aim, and is often not necessary or helpful. So when you\u0026rsquo;re doing, for example, something like your Arch \u0026amp; Flatten, you might just do the smallest possible arch that you can, and see what you can sense from doing that, and then do the same with the flatten part of the movement. Think of it like a \u0026lsquo;micro movement\u0026rsquo; - it\u0026rsquo;s almost just an extension of the thought of doing it.\nWhich brings me onto just imagining the movement. You\u0026rsquo;ve probably heard of athletes using visualisation to perfect the movements they need for their profession - we can use this idea in Somatics too, by imagining doing the movement as we hear it being described. Because Somatic Movement is all about involving the conscious, thinking part of the brain (rather than doing movements automatically), if we\u0026rsquo;re not able to move, we can indeed just imagine the movement and the brain cells will still fire, so our soma* essentially gets the impression that we\u0026rsquo;ve actually done the movement itself.\nI do think that sometimes in a class we feel we have to do what the teacher is saying, and be seen to be doing it, even if we\u0026rsquo;re not really up for doing it or it feels a bit much. It\u0026rsquo;s a whole nother post (that I definitely don\u0026rsquo;t have the capacity for right now!!) to address these cultural issues that lead to us feeling like we have to \u0026lsquo;do it right\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;do as we\u0026rsquo;re told\u0026rsquo;, but to counter this, I really really encourage people to feel into their own capacity, and explore only to the extent that the exploration feels helpful in any given movement - which might look like very little or nothing to the outside perspective. Some of us will find that easy to do anyway - others of us are still trying to be the good girl (or insert preferred noun there) and need to hear that it\u0026rsquo;s ok not to be \u0026rsquo;the best\u0026rsquo; or get it \u0026lsquo;right\u0026rsquo; all the time.\nAll that said, many of us often actually tend to overdo it at first - but don\u0026rsquo;t rule Somatic Movement out because of this. It can take a bit of practice to tune in to what works for us, but my recommendation would be to always go for less is more at first, until you sense more and can be more accurate in your decisions about what you need or not. It\u0026rsquo;s no good to you if you overdo it and incapacitate yourself the next day, as I\u0026rsquo;m sure you well know.\nIn terms of having a flare up of symptoms - and again, I\u0026rsquo;m probably preaching to the converted here - it\u0026rsquo;s worth taking a break of a day or two (or more!) if you need, and certainly if you\u0026rsquo;re in your early days of your practice. Or maybe lying down and listening to a recording and imagining seems within reach, if you don\u0026rsquo;t need a full-on break from practice, and that\u0026rsquo;s ok too. But it\u0026rsquo;s definitely ok not to do the work on any given day if you just don\u0026rsquo;t feel up to it. But once you\u0026rsquo;ve done a bit of practice, you\u0026rsquo;ll most likely start to notice which parts of your practice can be helpful to you in a flare up, and then you can come to it just doing those parts, as long as you stay within your capacity of course.\nOne thing that is really helpful in our practice at all times, is to come down to the floor (or wherever we practice), do our check in around where our soma is at right now, and then ask ourselves questions like, \u0026lsquo;What do I need today\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;How much can I manage today\u0026rsquo;. Once we get started into our movements, we can ask ourselves things like \u0026lsquo;How big/small do I want to make this movement\u0026rsquo; \u0026lsquo;Is this movement accessible to me today\u0026rsquo; \u0026lsquo;Do I want to do only part of this movement\u0026rsquo; and so on. These sorts of questions really help us to check in with our unique needs in that specific moment - and that really really helps in not overdoing things.\nWhether you attend classes live, listen back to recordings, or, after practising for a while, start to make up your own regular practice, it\u0026rsquo;s worth remembering that even though your teacher can guide you and give you ideas, they are never going to be the expert in being you - that can only be your job of course! YOU are the expert in you, and Somatic Movement will just help to deepen that, and help you meet your own needs in your own way and time, as you grow your awareness of your soma, your movement, your muscle holdings and your patterns. It is very empowering!\nSummary of ideas to keep it gentle:\nCheck in with your capacity each time you practice\nLeave a movement out if needed\nDo fewer repetitions of a movement\nGo slower\nDo part of a movement only\nMake a movement smaller\nImagine doing a movement\nRemember, less is more\nTake a break during flare ups if you need to\nAsk yourself questions about what you need\nRemember that YOU are the expert in YOU!\nAlready on board with all of this? I\u0026rsquo;d love to hear from you about what I\u0026rsquo;ve missed! What tips or ideas do you have for others that would be helpful in this work, when you need to take it slowly and gently?\nIf you haven\u0026rsquo;t started on this work yet, and are nervous about getting started - that\u0026rsquo;s understandable! Come and work with me 1:1 and I will support you to gently ease into this work in ways that work for you. Somatic Movement has helped so much in my own journey, and I want that for you too.\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\n","id":16,"tag":"","title":"How to adapt Somatic Movement if you need things really gentle, slow or small","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/gentle-practice-adaptations/"},{"content":" Your practice in impractical places This summer, we went for the first time to a family-friendly music festival called Camper Calling. It was absolutely brilliant, and I would highly recommend it for families who love live music - it was so friendly and accessible!\nBut it got me thinking - Somatic Movement when camping. How do we do that?\nBecause usually we have our yoga mat or a rug, and a bit of space around us, and we\u0026rsquo;re usually inside - because lying on your back (as we do a lot in Somatic Movement) with the sun shining down or the rain falling on us, doesn\u0026rsquo;t really contribute to paying attention to our internal sensations.\nBut camping doesn\u0026rsquo;t really give us much in the way of those options. Did we take a yoga mat with us in the hope we might get some \u0026lsquo;proper\u0026rsquo; practice in? Yes, yes we did. Did we use it? Absolutely not!\nThere wasn\u0026rsquo;t really space anywhere that worked, it was hard to find a chunk of time, and there wasn\u0026rsquo;t a great deal of peace and quiet per se (we were mostly always out, or getting ready to go out, or eating!).\nSo when we\u0026rsquo;re doing something like camping, we might have to get a bit flexible with our practice. Here are some ideas of when and how you can do that.\nLack of time\nI always think that on holidays I\u0026rsquo;ll have lots of time to do things like Somatic Movement. Every Single Time I am surprised that I don\u0026rsquo;t!\nBut I really really don\u0026rsquo;t want to stop doing my practice altogether whilst I\u0026rsquo;m away, as it keeps me moving freely, reduces stiffness, and makes sure I\u0026rsquo;m not falling back into the patterns of posture, movement and muscle tension that cause me problems like pain.\nIf I can grab a bit of time to do a good chunk of practice, even 15 minutes or so, then that\u0026rsquo;s what I\u0026rsquo;ll do - but sometimes even that isn\u0026rsquo;t available to us, right?\nSo I grab the moments I can, and do micro practices. Like when I first wake up in the morning and I\u0026rsquo;m still in bed, or when I finish eating and go to get up, or after a job like washing up or setting up the beds or putting up the awning - where I might have been hunched or bending a bit.\nYou can do a lot by bringing in pandiculations in those moments - you won\u0026rsquo;t peel back the deeper layers and address the nuance of your muscle holding, but you\u0026rsquo;ll definitely keep things at bay. Think of it like a maintenance practice, like you\u0026rsquo;re treading water with the work - which is enough to keep you going for a week or so, until you can bring back in a deeper level of the work.\nIf I feel a specific bit of tightness in an area of my soma*, I will aim to pandiculate that area once or twice in whatever position I happen to be in, and then just see if that feels less tight, then I\u0026rsquo;ll likely move that area through its range of motion, with awareness on my internal sensations, and see where else I might be able to pandiculate and release something. Quick and simple!\nLack of space\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re somewhere like camping, actually finding a space to lay out a yoga mat and do some practice might well be impossible. So our options now are: do our practice lying in bed, or do our practice in seated or in standing. Each has its uses!\nLying in bed is great because when you\u0026rsquo;ve finished a movement, you can fully let go and rest/integrate between repetitions. It also feels lovely to do a bit just before you go to sleep, and can help you sleep too. The downside is that if you\u0026rsquo;re in anything other than a firm bed (like a mat on the floor if you\u0026rsquo;re camping!!), it\u0026rsquo;s going to alter your resting position, and your position as you do the movements, which will affect which muscles you\u0026rsquo;re using and what you feel, and there are limits to the position you can release back to. That\u0026rsquo;s not a problem in and of itself, but it\u0026rsquo;s well worth being aware of this as you do your practice. But it might teach you something new, so give it a try! One great tip, is to alter your position to get the most out of the movements - for example, you might find it more helpful to do your Arch \u0026amp; Flatten lying on your side, rather than on your back.\nA seated practice is a lovely addition to your repertoire, and maybe being pushed into it through circumstance will actually be helpful, as you might realise that it teaches you something new that you wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have learnt when lying on the mat. It\u0026rsquo;s convenient and easy to adapt many of the movements to a seated position - you just won\u0026rsquo;t get that full release in between that you would get if you were lying down. I\u0026rsquo;d recommend doing a seated practice on the edge of a bed if you have one available so that you can sit up fairly straight, rather than on a camping chair though - although if that\u0026rsquo;s all you\u0026rsquo;ve got available, see what you can do!\nBut if a seated practice is out, standing might be your remaining option. There are a few movements that are well suited to standing, like the Shelf Reach, but many you would just have to ponder - what is it that\u0026rsquo;s contracting when I do this, and can I find a way for that to happen so that I can release those muscles. Again, you won\u0026rsquo;t be able to release to full rest in standing like you would if you were lying down, but you\u0026rsquo;ll still get benefits from doing it this way. Think of getting out of bed in the morning and doing a morning \u0026lsquo;stretch\u0026rsquo; (pandiculation) - this would often be in standing, it resets the resting level of tension of the muscles, and it feels really good. So definitely worth doing when you can.\nAnd of course you can combine any of these positions by doing each one when it seems like it would work - one or another might work \u0026lsquo;better\u0026rsquo;, but all will give you some insights and muscle release. So why not vary it and give them all a try at different points in your day?\nBeing out of routine\nWhen we\u0026rsquo;re out of our usual routine, a lot of things might fall by the wayside, and a regular Somatic Movement practice of course might be one of them. There\u0026rsquo;s lots of good evidence that tying one habit to another is a good way to help you remember to do it because it becomes just a bit of a \u0026lsquo;has to happen\u0026rsquo; sort of thing.\nBut what I\u0026rsquo;ve found when I\u0026rsquo;m away, and particularly with something like camping, is that my whole usual routine is so thrown out, that almost nothing takes no thought (i.e. is a habit) - even doing my teeth might be shunted around a bit.\nSo if you can tie a little practice to your usual routine (e.g. add a few minutes of Somatics practice to the time when you do your teeth, boil the kettle or go to bed), then great.\nBut if not, you\u0026rsquo;re probably going to need to try to be more aware of when you feel you NEED your practice, and use that as your signal to do it. For example, you might go for a long walk, or (in our case at Camper Calling), go and dance to a band for an hour, and then you have a sit down and a rest. And then when you go to get up, maybe you feel a bit like you\u0026rsquo;ve stiffened up after the muscles have worked hard, right?\nTHAT\u0026rsquo;s the time to do a minute or even half a minute of practice. It can be as simple as standing up, noticing the feeling of stiffness in the muscles, and doing a full-body pandiculation or two there and then. Then bring your attention to how you feel different after doing that.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;ve got a little more time and capacity, you might think to yourself, now\u0026rsquo;s the time to do a bit more of this, and then you can maybe find that little space where you can do a few minutes of lying down or seated practice.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re very very super organised, you might even plan in a fuller session - either listening back to a recording that you have access to, or just working from a starting point of \u0026lsquo;what do I sense, what do I need\u0026rsquo; and figuring out your own practice as you go. This might entail a little planning, and coordinating with other members of your group, but is well worth doing if you get the chance. Unlikely, but possible!\nIf you need some support\nOnce you\u0026rsquo;re into your practice, it\u0026rsquo;s much easier to grab a few minutes here and there to do the work, and to generate your own ideas for your session. Until then, we have lots of resources available in our membership area - some longer, for when you\u0026rsquo;ve got a bit more time, and some super short for when you only have a few minutes. You can access all of the recorded materials via the on-demand membership option (option 1). Or start with our brand new Small Steps to Somatic Movement course, which gives you lifetime access to shorter practices to help you build your practice in your own way, at your own time. Have fun with it, and happy moving!\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\n","id":17,"tag":"","title":"Your practice in impractical places","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/impractical-practice/"},{"content":" Behind the scenes: January - July 2025 Welcome to my first \u0026lsquo;behind the scenes\u0026rsquo; post, where I share a bit about what\u0026rsquo;s been going on for me in both my work and my home life.\nThe wider world\nFirst, it would feel impossible to even begin this, without acknowledging what a weird and, frankly, horrible 6 months (and some) this has been in the wider world. With Trump in power for a second term and turning the clock back a good 50 years or more with his bigoted and oppressive policies, with everything that\u0026rsquo;s going on with Israel\u0026rsquo;s genocide in Palestine, with the climate crisis escalating, and with the rise of Reform in the UK and the rise of hate and lack of acceptance in general*, I know a lot of us will be struggling with knowing what to do and how to help.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t have any answers. Some days, I feel like it\u0026rsquo;s impossible. How do we carry the weight of all the hate and othering that goes on? How do we bring people back to compassion? How do we not fall into the trap of othering those who disagree with us (whilst still holding boundaries that align with our values)? Above all, how do we take action?\nI can have big wobbles about my work - does it even matter given the current state of things? Is it frivolous? What do people really need right now?\nI think I will keep wondering these things probably forever. But hopefully will also make progress on them, and keep taking action where I can. I have to remind myself that I can\u0026rsquo;t do it all, that there a lot of ways to make a difference, and that maybe, just maybe, movement work is a tiny part of the solution - bringing people back to their bodies, connecting people, meeting people where they\u0026rsquo;re at, bringing glimmers of joy… Otherwise, in all honesty, it\u0026rsquo;s hard to know how to continue.\nWork stuff\nBut I love my work! And I do know that it\u0026rsquo;s important, and that it does have its place. I have to be able to carry two truths - one is that the world as we know it is crumbling, and the other is that we have to continue to live, because what else is there. So here\u0026rsquo;s some things that have been happening in my work life…\nThe membership has been slowly growing - marketing is not my forte, nor do I have a massive amount of time for it (I still only work a few hours, due to home educating our kids), but more people are hearing about this work and are drifting to it. I managed to create two extra spaces in our very full in-person membership by removing some furniture in our lounge space where I teach, and by my husband (who attends the classes) saying he\u0026rsquo;ll drop out on weeks where everybody can make it along!! Those spaces will now open up when we start our next block of sessions in September.\nThe online membership has had some wonderful new members too. Both groups are fantastic to work with (thank you all, lovely members, for being so willing and curious and keen!!), and it\u0026rsquo;s exciting to hear their insights, how they develop their practice, and how Somatic Movement impacts them in their lives. They are also just genuinely such a lovely bunch - so welcoming and mutually supportive - I feel very lucky to work with them!\n(Love this feedback from after a recent online session!)\nI\u0026rsquo;m now teaching Somatic Movement sessions in blocks so that beginners can join at the start of a block, which is working well. And we\u0026rsquo;re doing much the same in our salsa classes too - we no longer offer drop-in sessions for beginners, because we were finding we just had to keep starting from scratch and we weren\u0026rsquo;t able to progress our dancers. So we run beginner courses 2 or 3 times a year. This is very unusual in the salsa world but for now it\u0026rsquo;s working for us - it was the only way we could see to really bring people along, and that fits with our personal life currently as well. Trying these new structures has been scary - would people go for it? Would it be too much to get the blocks/courses running? What if no one comes!!! But as I say, it seems to be working right now. Phew!\n(Dancing in the lounge. Because why not!)\nI have a little bit of space to fit in some 1:1 Somatic Movement sessions, and am working with some truly delightful clients at the moment, who are keen to explore and meet confusion (aka learning!!) and make changes in their beautiful somas. Although I also offer online 1:1s, my current clients are local to me and getting hands on with people is a lot of fun. It also gives me increasing experience for the next stage on my Somatic Movement path, which brings me on to…\n…having been accepted onto the next stage of training for this work, which is a 600-hour, 2.5-year course, to go deeper into this work, including hands on movement protocols as developed by Thomas Hanna (the creator of Somatic Movement), more on the neurophysiology, and even going deeper into the philosophy of the work (if you ever read anything by Thomas Hanna, you will find he was indeed something of a philosopher!). I am TERRIFIED about how I\u0026rsquo;m going to find the time to do all the work, but It Will Happen, I know that much! Watch out for more on this as I will be offering very low-cost sessions to people who can get to me in person, to get my 200 hours of hands-on clinical practice time!! VERY excited to see how this work will inform my teaching, and to bring you all even more new ideas and nuances in this work, to make it even more effective!\nI\u0026rsquo;ve also just created a brand new course. I had the idea some time ago to offer something in more bite-sized pieces to get people started on doing this work - since a lot of us live full lives, and finding an hour to do the work can be very tricky! Especially before you have really experienced what it can do for you. I planned it out, with some short theory videos, and lots of short(ish) practice videos. Then my husband took the kids away for a weekend of camping - and I created 35 videos for the course!! It was a marathon but wow, did my soma feel great afterwards! (If you like the idea of this, you can have a look at the information here - we\u0026rsquo;ll be starting a supported run-through very soon for this first round, so if you like accountability and motivation and feeling like you\u0026rsquo;re not alone doing the work, this might be for you!)\n(The wonderful Back Lift movement in Somatics)\nPersonal life\nSo the weekend where my family went camping to free me up for a weekend on my own to work\u0026hellip; Was I a bit jealous (especially when I saw the pics!) - yes, yes I was! Was I excited to have a chunk of time to only think about the needs of my business, and looking after myself? Absolutely!! I do find when they leave me alone, it gives the demons a chance to be heard more clearly (\u0026lsquo;Why are you doing this? What\u0026rsquo;s the point? Is it even worth it? Does anyone actually want it?\u0026rsquo; and so on). This can be challenging, but I\u0026rsquo;m more ready for it than I used to be, and I see it as a valuable opportunity to have the space to explore what\u0026rsquo;s working, what I really need, how I want to show up and serve, and questions like that. There is just no free headspace most of the rest of the time, as I\u0026rsquo;m sure a lot of you can relate to!\n(Bit jealous? Yes I was!)\nMy husband and I are still really enjoying teaching our salsa classes, along with our amazing friend and third salsa team member, Helen. We started back a couple of years ago after a loooooong break due to the demands of parenting. It has been an absolute joy to get back to both teaching and dancing again and, much like with our Somatic Movement community, the Purple Salsa group is like a little family to us now - they are a wonderful bunch! We have also taken up a new dance called West Coast Swing, which has taught us so much - coming right back to beginner level has been incredibly informative and helpful for us, both in terms of our dancing and of our teaching. We also enjoy the dance a lot - but salsa will always be our first love!!\n(Just some of our amazing salsa community!)\nI\u0026rsquo;ve also really gotten into climbing, which I started because of my daughter\u0026rsquo;s interest in it. Along with that, and my weekly strength training sessions, I\u0026rsquo;ve actually started to get some muscles! I really noticed how much stronger I felt when we decided to climb Yr Wyddfa in Wales - it wasn\u0026rsquo;t easy, but we made it to the top, and were VERY proud of ourselves for doing it! I\u0026rsquo;m going to write more about that in a future post, so keep an eye out for that if you\u0026rsquo;re interested.\n(The Pyg Track. Harder than we thought it was going to be. But so worth it.)\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve had some upsy-downsy times with family health things - I had vertigo for the first time ever (and hopefully the last thanks!!) back in February, which gradually eased but nearly made me miss a Somatic Movement weekend I was booked on up in York (we\u0026rsquo;re down south in Berkshire). But my lovely family managed to wangle it to drop everything and take me up there so I didn\u0026rsquo;t miss out - they are awesome! And parents have had some health issues going on which have made things a bit wobbly at times.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re still home educating all 3 of our children, although are delighted that the oldest is now in post-16 provision (which means we don\u0026rsquo;t have to write a report for the LA anymore for him whoop whoop!). Being in charge of the home education, plus running the household (managing the children\u0026rsquo;s needs, coordinating where everyone needs to be when, making sure we get to do the things we want to do, making sure there\u0026rsquo;s food on the table that everyone will eat…) takes up a lot of time and headspace. But it is an absolute delight to spend time with my kids, and to see them continue to blossom and become more and more themselves. I am deeply grateful to my Hand in Hand Parenting training for the incredible, respectful relationship I have with my teens/tween, and that makes it so joyful to be around them.\nI make time for reading (either novels, or non-fiction) which I love, as well as dabbling in my hobby of crochet when I get the time. I love making blankets but a single bed-sized one takes about 100 hours, so completed projects are few and far between! But I do love tickling away at it and seeing how it all comes together.\n(I do love my books.)\nAnd I continue to love finding out more about nature - my latest favourite thing is my Merlin app, which identifies birds from their songs! I am mildly obsessed with corvids (ravens, crows, magpies etc) and am enjoying learning about them with no purpose other than my own interest, and learning their calls, how to tell them apart, and where we might find them. We were very lucky to VERY briefly spot choughs on our trip to Wales this year - just hooded crows to tick off now!!\n(One of the fantastic crows that lives near us.)\nLooking forward to the next half of the year\nFor the next 6 months in my personal life, I will be continuing to manage balancing the kids\u0026rsquo; needs, with my (our!) own. I know everyone here who cares for children or other family members will understand the challenges inherent in balancing people\u0026rsquo;s needs within the family unit - over the years we have worked hard to get our (we parents\u0026rsquo;) needs to the joint top of the list, because without doing that, we were going to be no good to anyone. That includes both looking after ourselves with things like our personal Somatic Movement practices, and doing the things we love like our dancing.\nFor my own Somatic Movement practice, my focus will be on continuing to regain mobility in my shoulders and upper body as a whole. I\u0026rsquo;ve made great strides, but there is more to do, and I relish the prospect of continuing to improve my movement with age, rather than following the \u0026lsquo;inevitable\u0026rsquo; slide that our culture tells us we must put up with. I stay motivated by attending weekly classes myself, which spurs me on both in terms of all the new stuff I learn about how I personally move, but also for adding new ideas and layers to my teaching.\nOf course the new training I will be undertaking will take up a massive chunk of time going forwards - and not just for the next 6 months! So that will be big on the agenda. I\u0026rsquo;m really looking forward to bringing new elements from that to my teaching as well. That, and looking after my clients, is going to be top of the list in terms of work things in my life. I don\u0026rsquo;t think I\u0026rsquo;ll have the bandwidth for too much in terms of sharing this amazing work with new people - is anyone else a bit jaded by social media these days?!! - but my weekly emails will definitely continue, so I hope that will help keep us all connected and motivated!\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll keep dancing - and I want to continue to develop my musical expression in my salsa particularly, so that I can support others to develop theirs, as well as just to increase the fun I have when I dance. Musical expression is definitely an art, but getting into the mindset of just trying something and being prepared for it to not work is definitely helping me on that front - not something I find easy though!\nWe don\u0026rsquo;t have any mountain-climbing plans for this coming year, but I daresay I will think of something that I really really want to do, and my lovely family will probably go along with it. These \u0026lsquo;interesting\u0026rsquo; schemes are usually my idea - but I love how my family gets on board with them, I really do! Trip to Scotland to find those hooded crows anyone…?!!\nThat\u0026rsquo;s about me done for now - did you enjoy hearing a bit about the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on in my life? What did you find out about me that you didn\u0026rsquo;t know before? What else would you have liked to know?! I\u0026rsquo;m excited about the next 6 months - and I\u0026rsquo;ll look forward to sharing about it with you in January 2026!!!\n(Celebrations!)\n*Sadly, not even nearly an exhaustive list.\n","id":18,"tag":"","title":"Behind the scenes: January - July 2025","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/behind-scenes-janjuly2025/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Small Steps to Somatic Movement An on-demand, self-paced course, to give you the foundations of Somatic Movement in accessible, bite-sized steps. Suitable for those with full lives, but who know they want to move and feel better!!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s for you if you:\nKnow you want to get started on Somatic Movement, but have trouble finding hour-long chunks of time right now Think you might want to get started on Somatic Movement, and need an easy way in Want to join the weekly live sessions, but need something bite-sized to get you to that point Enjoy doing the work in your own time and at your own pace It will help you with:\nReducing chronic pain Moving more freely Lowering stress levels Sensing your body better Improving balance Enabling you to access the hobbies you want to do Enabling you to do the everyday tasks you need to do To find out more about how Somatic Movement works and benefits you, you can read this article.\nThis course contains pre-recorded videos, including a little of the theory, and a lot of the practice, of Somatic Movement. It is designed to get you started with the work in a way that feels doable.\nYou get lifetime access to the materials (including a number of daily practice videos to keep you going with the work). But I strongly encourage you to largely work through it in the suggested schedule over the next few weeks, so that you can connect at the same stage with others working through the course.\nYou will need a bit of floor space, and to be able to lie on the floor, at least on your back, and to be able to get down to/up from the floor (using a chair etc for balance if needed is fine).\nPlease do get in touch if you have any questions at all.\nInvestment: £39, lifetime access.\nSign up to our Somatics newsletter to be kept informed of other upcoming Somatics offerings.\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nBook now Session details This 6-week course includes:\nWelcome information video 6 educational videos 1 pre-practice video Notes from all the above videos Planner/reflections diary 6x weekly practice video sets (3x individual movement videos, 1x movement sequence video) 7x daily practice videos for ongoing practice This very practical, accessible course can be spread over the 6 weeks, or you can take longer (or shorter!) as works for you. You have lifetime access to the materials.\nReflections from Somatics session attendees Note, these reflections are from my other Somatics offerings - as we don\u0026rsquo;t have any for this one as yet!!\n“Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness.\nLove that you’re doing this!”\n","id":20,"tag":"","title":"Small Steps to Somatic Movement","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/small-steps-somatics/"},{"content":" Convenience is killing us - why moving more in everyday life is important, and how to start doing it Concerned about what happens to you as you age? Read on, or listen on YouTube.\nAs many of you here know, I am absolutely and increasingly passionate about the vital importance of movement in living and aging well.\nDoes that resonate with you? As you\u0026rsquo;ve started getting a little older (which, after all, we\u0026rsquo;re all doing!!), you might have found yourself becoming a bit more restricted physically or energy-wise in terms of what you feel able to do, or how well/for how long you feel able to do it.\nYou\u0026rsquo;re not alone! But what can we do about it? Let\u0026rsquo;s explore…\nThink back a few years… What do you avoid doing now, or find less easy or pleasurable? It might be hobbies, activities of day-to-day life, or just getting playful in terms of your movement when you\u0026rsquo;re out on a walk. And in what ways have you set your life up to be more convenient - to save you time and energy - in ways that maybe weren\u0026rsquo;t available to you 10, 20 or 30 years ago?\nLife is just so much easier these days than it was even a decade or two ago, right? Who remembers (at the time of writing in 2025, I\u0026rsquo;m aged 47, just for a bit of context), actually having to get up to change the channel on the TV (you know, from one to another of the only four available!!)? Or having to get up to get the phone cable to plug in the computer to get on the internet? Or washing everything up because there was no dishwasher (ok, that was a bit before my time, but still!)? And if we go back quite a bit further, we now have all sorts of mod cons, like cars, water on tap, and telephones - all of which are very convenient, and all of which curtail our movement.\nWith research clearly showing that we are getting less in the way of physical activity these days than we used to¹, and the massive negative effects of this trend (lack of physical activity significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline, many serious illnesses, and overall mortality, amongst other things), how do we get out of this rut??\nWe might well be very clear that moving less decreases our quality of life - and know that if we live a long time (like I imagine most of us here wish to do), that we want to do so in good health please!!\nA couple of problems though in getting out of the slide towards sedentary living, as I see them. One, we have been fed the story that we must \u0026ldquo;exercise\u0026rdquo; to increase our movement - which essentially means physical exertion over and above our usual everyday activities. This kind of more intense movement might feel inaccessible to some of us, at least right now - traditional \u0026rsquo;exercise\u0026rsquo; might feel out of reach due to illness, injury or some other physical restriction. Then the risk is that we say, well, there\u0026rsquo;s nothing I can do - and means we rule out the activities of daily living as \u0026rsquo;not counting\u0026rsquo; towards an increase in movement in our lives.\nTwo, it\u0026rsquo;s a VERY vicious circle. We find it more difficult to move as we age (or perhaps I should say, easier not to), so we move a little less, which then means it becomes a little more difficult to move, which means we move even less… You get the idea.\nMore traditional physical exercise is very important. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of research on that too. Things like strength training will have a massive impact on your wellbeing as you age (don\u0026rsquo;t worry, you can start small!). But it appears that this sort of movement doesn\u0026rsquo;t replace getting more movement into everyday life - it complements it. So if we can work on increasing movement in our daily life, before or as well as introducing some more obviously \u0026rsquo;exercise\u0026rsquo; type activities, we will really be onto something.\nSo here are two simple things you can do.\nOne - start doing Somatic Movement. The best time is 20 (or more) years ago - the next best time is now. Somatic Movement frees up the muscle tension and reduces the aches and pains that make it difficult to move. So it makes movement easier. So you\u0026rsquo;re more inclined to move more. So you move more. So it gets easier to move… Now we\u0026rsquo;re into a virtuous circle - which is definitely what we want.\nTwo - stop aiming for convenience, and start aiming for movement. Which might mean, very simply, instead of carrying 4 items in one go even though you can, you carry two and then the other two so that you move about more. Or you put such-and-such an item across the room so that you have to get up and go to it instead of just reaching for it (what about moving the remote for example?!!). Or you wipe the floor with a cloth, on your hands and knees, rather than using a mop. Or you stop getting your kids to pick up that thing you just dropped onto the floor so that you have to bend down and pick it up yourself instead. What you do NOT have to do is formal \u0026rsquo;exercise\u0026rsquo; (yet??) - ANY form of physical activity is helpful. Even a little shows significant benefits. And keep an eye out for my upcoming blog post to give you TONS of ideas for moving more in everyday life!\nSo yes, convenience is helpful and easy and saves time, and has brought so much to our lives. And when you\u0026rsquo;re pressured for time, as many of us are, it\u0026rsquo;s hard to think of doing things that aren\u0026rsquo;t going to be the most convenient, the most efficient. But what if convenience is killing us. Slowly but surely, in the long term. Sometimes we will HAVE to lean towards convenience (and note, if that\u0026rsquo;s what you need right now in your life, you GRAB it - this is not to guilt anyone who needs convenience right now). But if we can reduce convenience and increase movement in our lives - we will be doing ourselves a MASSIVE favour.\nSo the questions are, where can you bring more movement in, and how can you make that movement easier? Start Somatics with us, and look for all opportunities to move in everyday life that you can find.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s do this!! Emilie xx\n¹See for example here, here and here.\n","id":21,"tag":"","title":"Convenience is killing us - why moving more in everyday life is important, and how to start doing it","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/convenience-killing-us/"},{"content":" How to do Somatic Movement - a beginner\u0026rsquo;s guide If you\u0026rsquo;re new to Somatic Movement, getting started can feel a bit overwhelming. I\u0026rsquo;ve written this post to help you with exactly that, no matter whereabouts you are on your early journey!\nFirst of all, what is Somatic Movement? Perhaps you\u0026rsquo;re here because you\u0026rsquo;ve heard the word \u0026lsquo;somatic\u0026rsquo; and you know it\u0026rsquo;s everywhere at the moment, and you want in on this. Perhaps you\u0026rsquo;re looking for somatic yoga and have stumbled across my website. Maybe you\u0026rsquo;ve heard of Thomas Hanna\u0026rsquo;s work and know how effective it is for pain relief, and so you\u0026rsquo;re exploring the options around Somatic Movement.\nSo, first of all, I can tell you that Somatic Movement is not the same as yoga, or any other movement practice you might have come across. I say this because it\u0026rsquo;s the question people most often ask - \u0026lsquo;Is it like [insert movement practice of choice here]?\u0026rsquo;. Does it have its similarities to various other movement practices? Yes, yes of course - you move, and you might sometimes move in similar ways. But that\u0026rsquo;s about it. Somatic Movement has a different intention and uses very different techniques to other movement practices. It is also less of a movement practice (bear with me here!) and more of a personal education into your unique soma and how it moves - that happens to use movement to aid our understanding.\nSomatic Movement focuses on the release of unconsciously, chronically carried muscle tension, by helping us to understand our patterns of \u0026lsquo;holding\u0026rsquo; in the muscles of the body, through movement education. Thomas Hanna, who created Somatic Movement, described 3 reflexes (Red Light, Green Light and Trauma) which we learn to consciously recreate so that we can \u0026ldquo;decreate\u0026rdquo; them. To do this, we use a technique called \u0026lsquo;pandiculation\u0026rsquo; which works at the level of the nervous system to \u0026lsquo;undo\u0026rsquo; our unconscious holding of muscles that pulls us into certain postures, that reduces our range and ease of movement, and that causes chronic pain. Through this we address the \u0026lsquo;sensory-motor amnesia\u0026rsquo; that means we have forgotten how to sense and control the movement (including the release) of our muscles, so that we can free up both awareness and movement in our soma - our living body as we experience it from the inside.\nIf you want to read in a little more depth about how Somatic Movement works and how we practice it, you can find more information in this blog post.\nSo, where do we start? First, I share here some options, depending on where you\u0026rsquo;re at on your journey and what you need right now. Personally I run and attend (for myself) both online and in-person classes, as well as providing (and using!) recorded resources. They all have their pros and cons - so just have a ponder about what would work best for you in your current stage of both life, and Somatic Movement practice.\nThen keep reading, for the best tips to incorporate into your practice, to make it the most effective and easeful it can possibly be, for you personally.\nFirst of all, let\u0026rsquo;s get you started. There\u0026rsquo;s no point in me telling you how to maximise your practice, if you\u0026rsquo;re yet to get going!\nI\u0026rsquo;ve never done Somatic Movement before, and I don\u0026rsquo;t really know what it\u0026rsquo;s all about. Where do I start? The absolute best thing to do with Somatic Movement is to try it! You can get a completely free, short trial session here - and quickly see what it feels like to engage with this incredible practice.\nI know a bit about Somatic Movement - or at least enough that I want to give it a good whirl. Where should I look to get going? The membership is the absolute best place to get started. I won\u0026rsquo;t go into tons of detail here, as you can find all the information you\u0026rsquo;ll need on the membership page on the website, but you can either join just to access recorded resources which you can work through in your own time (membership option 1), or you can join live classes, either online (option 2) or in person (option 3) - as long as there are spaces available. (If you want to join the live classes, just make sure you start at the beginning of a new, themed block, or work through the pre-recorded beginner\u0026rsquo;s course that\u0026rsquo;s included in the membership before joining the lives. Otherwise you might feel a bit like you\u0026rsquo;ve jumped in at the deep end.)\nIf there are currently no spaces available on the membership option that you want to join, feel free to come and join us in our newsletter community to hear when spaces open up.\nI have done a bit of Somatic Movement elsewhere, or did some a long time ago and feel a bit out of the loop. Have you got anything for me? The best thing in the first instance is probably to get in touch and we can see where you\u0026rsquo;re at and what you need. Or, you can just come over and join us in the membership and check out the available resources there to get back on the wagon.\nThe absolute best way to get started with Somatic Movement is to try it out. If you\u0026rsquo;re anything like me, you might be a bit of an \u0026ldquo;over\u0026quot;thinker. (I don\u0026rsquo;t actually like that term, hence the quotes.) But just thinking about what Somatic Movement is and how it works only scratches very lightly on the surface of what it can do for us. So my invitation to you is to get some experience of it, and you will start to see how powerful it is, and what can shift for you. It brings so much hope when we feel stuck in pain or restricted movement, or are confronted with the seemingly \u0026ldquo;inevitable\u0026rdquo; decline of aging.\nSo now I\u0026rsquo;m doing the work - what are your best tips for me?! So you\u0026rsquo;ve made a start, or are just about to (that\u0026rsquo;s awesome - I\u0026rsquo;m celebrating you!!), and as promised here are my best tips for making it all work for you. Enjoy!\nStart where you are. What a cliché - but it\u0026rsquo;s so true! When we see someone do a particular movement in Somatics, or when we hear something described, we might think \u0026lsquo;but I can\u0026rsquo;t do that\u0026rsquo; - and we risk giving up before we\u0026rsquo;ve even started. (Well, hopefully not, as your lovely teacher will guide you to a suitable starting point - but still!) But Somatic Movement is eminently adaptable - we use the position we need to use, the supports we need to use, and the amount of movement (which is sometimes none!) that we need to use right here and now. You might need some guidance to adapt lying down movements to a seated position, or to get specific ideas on \u0026lsquo;what to do when\u0026rsquo; for your own unique case, but the basic principle is to meet yourself where you\u0026rsquo;re at, and start there. Approach classes, recordings and your practice with curiosity. As Thomas Hanna used to say: \u0026rsquo;leave everything you know at the door\u0026rsquo;. Make no assumptions. Cultivate \u0026lsquo;beginner\u0026rsquo;s mind\u0026rsquo; in every practice. Every day is completely new - don\u0026rsquo;t assume that you know what\u0026rsquo;s going to show up for you in your practice, or how you\u0026rsquo;re going to feel. Even if you have done a particular movement before, you\u0026rsquo;ve never done it on this day, in this moment, at this stage in your practice - there\u0026rsquo;s always new information and ideas and insights to uncover that will help you make progress. Avoid going into automatic pilot wherever you can. Bolster yourself. If you need something to make you comfortable in the suggested position - a cushion, folded blanket etc - go ahead and use it. Just try to use as little as you can. And check back regularly with whether you still need that particular bolster, in that particular movement or position - things change so much in our somas through Somatic Movement, and it\u0026rsquo;s well within the realms of possibility that over time things become easier to access without so much support. Keep an open mind. Find your best position. The \u0026lsquo;ideal\u0026rsquo;, if I can even say such a thing, is to do your practice (usually) lying on the floor. The floor gives great external feedback in terms of noticing our sensations and position, and doesn\u0026rsquo;t have too much \u0026lsquo;give\u0026rsquo; like a bed would. Lying down allows you to fully let go of your muscles once you\u0026rsquo;ve completed a movement, in a way that isn\u0026rsquo;t possible in seated or standing. However! Getting down to the floor might not be an option for you (yet) - so you might start in your bed, or on a chair. Or lying on your front might not be an option for you - so you might need to do the movement in seated, or to bolster yourself and adapt the movement in lying down. The best position is the one that works for you currently - get advice for sure, but if something doesn\u0026rsquo;t feel accessible to you at any time, know that you can make the necessary changes to adapt it to your unique situation. Don\u0026rsquo;t over-effort. Western culture is very much one of \u0026lsquo;strive\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;work hard\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;achieve\u0026rsquo;. Somatic Movement is the polar opposite of this sort of attitude. Aim to do the movements with as much comfort and ease as you can. Make them slow always, and small if you need or if it helps you to notice your sensations. Never force anything. Take your time. Somatic Movements are to be done slowly and with conscious awareness. Take your time as you do the movements, noticing what is present for you in terms of sensations as you go along. If you go fast, you\u0026rsquo;ll do the movements in your usual, automatic way, you won\u0026rsquo;t sense what\u0026rsquo;s going on and you won\u0026rsquo;t be able to make changes. Avoid the perfection trap. Don\u0026rsquo;t aim for perfection in your practice (whatever that might be!). It\u0026rsquo;s your experience of the movements that is important. As you practise, you layer on new insights and awareness, and your movements will improve (e.g. in terms of range or comfort or accessibility). Aim for the next step, not the final goal. Adapt as you need. Can\u0026rsquo;t do a movement as described? Just get as close to the suggestion as possible - or check in with your teacher to ask how to adapt it. Find a good-enough time and place. A beautiful practice space… Hours of free time… Nothing on the to-do list… Wouldn\u0026rsquo;t those things make our Somatic Movement practice easier?? Are we going to wait for them before we start?? No!! Because they\u0026rsquo;re just a fantasy. Make your practice real and functional; practice in the windows of time you create for yourself, in whatever space you have available. Don\u0026rsquo;t wait for the perfect time/place/headspace, or you\u0026rsquo;ll never get started. You know I\u0026rsquo;m right ;-) Create. The. Time. Following on from that… I no longer say \u0026lsquo;I didn\u0026rsquo;t find the time\u0026rsquo; when I don\u0026rsquo;t get around to something. I say \u0026lsquo;I didn\u0026rsquo;t create the time\u0026rsquo;. Why? Because \u0026lsquo;didn\u0026rsquo;t find it\u0026rsquo; feels vague and passive somehow. \u0026lsquo;Didn\u0026rsquo;t create it\u0026rsquo; is up to me. So the invitation is don\u0026rsquo;t \u0026lsquo;find\u0026rsquo; the time - because it won\u0026rsquo;t be there when you look. You\u0026rsquo;re going to have to carve it out, prioritise it, be active about it. Even if it\u0026rsquo;s 5 minutes at the end of the day. Make it happen! Find a supportive teacher / community / class / practice buddy. It\u0026rsquo;s So Much Harder on your own. Find others doing the work. Get inspired. Feel like you\u0026rsquo;re part of something. It will really help you as you explore. Like our Saturday morning online classes - the MOST beautiful group you could ever hope to connect with. Even if we do say so ourselves. Drop expectations and intentions. Well, maybe keep one intention - make it be to explore where you\u0026rsquo;re at, and what possibilities might be opening up to you. Don\u0026rsquo;t strive to achieve something (not even pain relief - sorry!) - strive to stay open to what\u0026rsquo;s happening in your soma right now. Pay attention to your before and after. Our brains learn when things change. How have you changed in your practice today? What is new in your sensations, position, insights, and so on? Paying attention to how we feel at the beginning of our practice and comparing it to how we feel at the end of our practice allows our brain to embed our new learnings. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip this! Welcome everything that arises. Yes, it can be hard to welcome frustration, or the desire to eliminate pain Right Now. Annoyingly, it\u0026rsquo;s all part of the process. If it annoys you just hearing that - know that\u0026rsquo;s welcome. But annoying. But welcome. That\u0026rsquo;s it. Maybe there are more things that I\u0026rsquo;ve forgotten. But this is more useful to you out there, than it is sat in a document on my computer. Progress not perfection. Just like Somatic Movement.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re ready to start, come and join us in our Somatic Movement membership - you\u0026rsquo;ll be made most welcome.\n\u0026ldquo;I’ve now been attending Somatics sessions with Emilie for a year and absolutely love coming. My chronic back, hip and neck pain have hugely reduced and I can manage my pain a lot better. I understand my body and have so much more body awareness during my day-to-day life and am better able to look after my body as I get older. I love learning about body movement each week and really enjoy the connection with the others in the lovely like-minded community that Emilie has created. I’d highly recommend coming along and giving it a try!\u0026rdquo;\n","id":22,"tag":"","title":"How to do Somatic Movement - a beginner's guide","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/beginners-guide/"},{"content":" An introduction to Special Time: your questions answered When we parents are at home, we spend lots of time with our children - from the moment they get up in the morning, until the time that they drop off to sleep at night, if we\u0026rsquo;re not right there with them, we\u0026rsquo;re certainly on call. And in amongst all of the many, many chores that need to be done to keep the household running smoothly, we try to make time to play with our children and to have fun with them. But it can be so hard! We have so many pressures weighing on us, so many distractions to drag us away, that spending our day trying to balance these demands, whilst also putting our focus fully onto each of our children, can mean that playing ends up seeming like just another \u0026lsquo;must do\u0026rsquo; on the list. And when we don\u0026rsquo;t manage it? We can end up feeling guilty that we\u0026rsquo;re not giving them everything that we could, not giving them our best. So what if there were a way, in just a few minutes each day, to know that we have really given our children some fantastic quality time, which will really fill their cup - and ours as well? Well, there is - and it\u0026rsquo;s called Special Time.\nWhat is Special Time? Special Time is one of the Hand in Hand Parenting Tools. In brief, Special Time is one-on-one time with each child individually for a set amount of time, with no interruptions. We let the child choose whatever they want to do, and follow their lead in the activity, only putting limits on activities if there is a real issue of safety, time or money. We don\u0026rsquo;t try to guide the play, to teach, or to entertain. Our focus is solely on pouring in all of our love, awareness and enjoyment to that child in the moment. In doing this, our child can bask in our full attention, showing us what they are enjoying currently, or setting up situations where they can address issues that they are having in their lives. It\u0026rsquo;s our invaluable opportunity to really enter their world, to listen to what they have to say, and to see how things are for them. Apart from giving our child a real sense of how important they and their ideas and interests are to us, Special Time also has another huge benefit. We know that as social animals, our brains function much better when we are feeling safe and connected to others. By giving our children Special Time, we boost our connection with them, and fill their cup. When they are feeling full of our love and warmth in this way, child are much more likely to be their cooperative, cheerful selves - which means life runs much more smoothly. Not to mention how close we, as parents, feel towards our children after a bit of Special Time! And this in turn tends to make us a bit more flexible and loving when the time comes to get things done that might challenge us.\nI won\u0026rsquo;t go into detail here about the \u0026lsquo;how to\u0026rsquo; of Special Time - there\u0026rsquo;s lots more information in the links at the end of this post, about how to set up Special Time and get the most out of it - rather this post will focus on giving some thought to the main issues and questions that we parents often have around Special Time.\nEek! I like the idea of Special Time, but I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how to fit it in! With our seemingly endless lists of things we must or even just want to do, it can feel overwhelming to add yet another item to the list. So I try to see Special Time as an investment - I have to put in some time and effort up front, but it is paid back many times in what I save in time and energy later on! Our lives overall run so much more smoothly with our children when we have put in this little extra element to our routine - we all feel more relaxed and connected, so we all end up being more flexible and cooperative. More connection equals fewer tussles and disagreements, and helps us all to think more clearly when things aren\u0026rsquo;t going so well. So it\u0026rsquo;s definitely worth fitting in somewhere - but how? Well, it\u0026rsquo;s just fine to start small - just a few minutes here and there can make a big difference to how our days pan out. And once we see the value, it\u0026rsquo;s much easier to increase the time a little to get even more benefit! I give my child lots of one-on-one time - why is Special Time important? It\u0026rsquo;s wonderful when we are able to give our child a lot of time just the two of us, and this is certainly very valuable and important time, both for us and for our child. For me, the difference between normal one-on-one time and dedicated Special Time lies in the energy and constancy of our focus. For example, when I\u0026rsquo;m just playing normally with one of my children, I might suddenly think of something I want to look up on the internet, start tidying idly around the area that we are playing, or wander off to make yet another cup of tea. We adults also have a tendency to see opportunities as we play, and to lead the play in a direction that we enjoy more, or that we see as having more learning potential, for example. This steering of the play might prevent our child from showing us what they really enjoy - and basking in our enjoyment of it too. Or it might redirect them from \u0026lsquo;playing out\u0026rsquo; something which is on their mind - and so getting to root of anything which might be bothering them. And where some of our families have more than one child, we will also find ourselves drawn away to what the others are doing, often with no warning. So in these sorts of instances, the child I\u0026rsquo;m playing with has no idea how long I will be with them, whether I\u0026rsquo;m really getting into the play, and whether I can be trusted not to disappear off on a whim of my own.\nHow do you do Special Time if you have one adult and more than one child? It\u0026rsquo;s not easy! We have three children, and I try to do Special Time during the day with them when I\u0026rsquo;m on my own, and sometimes it goes better than others! What has worked well for us, has been starting really small - literally one minute each. This way, they can start to see the value, and the two who are not the focus at any one time can practise playing with each other - but with it being a short burst it doesn\u0026rsquo;t feel like too much! And then very slowly we have been able to increase the time we can spend on Special Time for each child. And don\u0026rsquo;t worry if for the first few times it doesn\u0026rsquo;t go to plan and someone comes and interrupts - just apologise to the child whose time it should have been, and make sure you make it up to them later. They do soon get the hang of it! Another thing we do, because there are two adults in our family, is to have longer Special Times when we are both around at the weekend, or when for example their Grandma comes to play and can be the second adult. Other families have used screen time, e.g. a favourite programme, or Facetiming a family member, to keep the other child/ren occupied, or you can use times like naptimes, or when one child wakes earlier than others. There are more ideas in this article, and don\u0026rsquo;t be afraid to try various things and see what works for you - it might take a bit of time and thought, but you will get there!\nReally? They can choose any activity?? Many of us are concerned about the idea of our child having free rein over the choice of activity in Special Time - and it\u0026rsquo;s true that occasionally a child might choose something rather wild! The idea is that we say yes if we possibly can, even if it is something that makes us uncomfortable. This builds trust and safety for our child that we really will enter into their world, and also allows us to see what they really feel like they want and need right now. And our discomfort is not actually a bad thing - it is the first step towards our own growth. We can take that discomfort and explore it (Listening Partnerships are ideal for this sort of work), and see what underlies the feeling of \u0026rsquo;this is hard\u0026rsquo; for us, and usually we can then get ourselves to a point where we\u0026rsquo;re much more relaxed about a range of activities, which definitely makes life easier, not to mention more fun! If possible, we only put limits on safety, time and money issues - and even these sometimes need examining, especially the safety aspect, to check that there really is an issue!! If our children choose something like watching TV or eating sweets, and we find this challenging, bear in mind that it is likely that they will do it a few times and then it will lose its appeal and they will move on to something which uses your good attention more effectively. If not, well, see the next point…\nMy child does the same thing for every Special Time If we have offered our child Special Time and they have chosen the same activity a good 8 or 10 or 15 times, we might want to delve a little here. It may just be that they are really enjoying developing their skills on the trampoline say, and revelling in having an attentive audience - in which case it\u0026rsquo;s just fine to carry on, as they will move on when they are ready. Or perhaps we ourselves are concerned about the repetition and need to examine where our own discomfort is coming from, so that we can allow the activity to continue for as long as our child needs. This is going to be very different for each child and family - it may be that you are not comfortable with lots of screen time for example, and you may wish to set a limit here which is in line with your family values. But spending some good Listening Time in our Listening Partnerships on why this is important for you, is a great way to make sure we are making the decision for the right reasons.\nSometimes though, we might just get the sense of our child being stuck in a particular activity, rather than that they are enjoying it and wanting to carry on. In this case, after a good number of sessions of saying a wholehearted \u0026lsquo;yes\u0026rsquo; to the activity, we might want to bring a limit on that particular activity. This would look like a warm and loving \u0026lsquo;We can do anything you want to do, but no trampoline for Special Time today\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;We can choose something else today\u0026rsquo;. If your child is just repeating the activity because they haven\u0026rsquo;t realised that they can do whatever they like, or because they haven\u0026rsquo;t yet thought of anything else to do, they are likely to move on fairly quickly. But if some feelings are making them feel really rigid around that activity, a good warm limit - where you listen to their hard feelings around giving up the activity - can really make a breakthrough to move them forwards and lighten their emotional load. My child doesn\u0026rsquo;t like the timer It can be really hard for some children to have a limit put on this precious time with you, and rightly so - why would they want it to end?! The timer is one of the elements that makes Special Time special, and parents over the years have found it a useful aspect of this tool. Only you know what feels right for your child, but I will outline here some of the reasons why having a timer can be helpful (even though it might not seem that way), and hopefully that will help you weigh up its usefulness in your own family situation.\nThe main reason to use it, is that the timer protects this precious time for your child - at any other time when you are playing with your child one-on-one, you might be tempted to answer the phone, pull the washing out of the just-finished machine, chat to your other half, or pop to make a cup of tea. Having the time protected in this way means that your child can trust that you will give them your full attention for the entire time, if humanly possible! This is a rare chance for your child to be fully in charge of their time with you, and builds up a tremendous amount of safety for them to experiment with their limits, and to show you anything that\u0026rsquo;s bothering them - knowing you will be fully present as they do so. It is also time that is \u0026lsquo;protected\u0026rsquo; from siblings - this is so valuable in families with more than one child, where one-on-one time with one parent is often rarer than we might like. From an adult perspective, some of the activities our child chooses in Special Time might not be our favourites! When we are asked to participate in an activity that challenges us, it can be hard to throw ourselves into it wholeheartedly with no end in sight - so the timer helps us to bring our full enthusiasm to the activity for the time we have given over to our child. And how wonderful to have specified time with just one child, feeling we have \u0026lsquo;permission\u0026rsquo; to know we are fully focused on their interests, not trying to \u0026lsquo;achieve\u0026rsquo; anything, and that our only job is to love and enjoy them for that time. It benefits us both - and they know it and feel it! Finally, the timer can give our child something to push against if they are needing a limit - but more on that in the next section!\nIf you feel your child really does struggle with the timer (and this can be the case particularly for some of our neurodivergent children), if you decide the timer is helpful, you may wish to either clarify that the timer is for you, the parent (to help you stay focused), and/or have something that only you will notice, e.g. a quick check of a wall clock occasionally. If you do this latter, you will just need to find a way to not be constantly checking. You could also use a prompt like the timer going off when a load of washing has finished – if you do this, you will need to wait a few minutes before saying it’s time to finish, so that your child doesn’t think you’re going off because the washing has finished.\nWhat if my child gets upset when Special Time ends? It can be really hard when our children hear the timer and get upset. Firstly, I think it\u0026rsquo;s important to say that once children get used to Special Time, this generally lessens quite quickly - if they are just upset that the fun game is over, you will find that they will be upset, you will listen, and they will quickly get through it. They might do this a few times until they have learnt that Special Time happens regularly, but once they\u0026rsquo;ve worked out that this wonderful time they have spent with you will be back soon, they will find it easier when it comes to an end each time.\nBut sometimes children are carrying some big hurts or worries or fears around with them. You\u0026rsquo;ll probably know if this is the case, because throughout their days they\u0026rsquo;re not their usual sunny, cooperative self. In this situation, our children wisely use the timer as a pretext to offload some of these feelings they are holding onto. First, they feel the full force of your unconditional love during your wonderful time together, and they feel the safety build. Then they hear the timer go off, and they are feeling so loved up, so trusting in your warm presence, that they finally feel able to offload these big feelings to you, safe in the knowledge that you are present enough to listen to them fully. It\u0026rsquo;s a gift - but you might want to take it to your Listening Time to help you maintain your warm, loving energies during these episodes!\nWon\u0026rsquo;t it take up a lot of time if they start offloading?! Yes, it might! We usually suggest (especially if you know your child is carrying some big feelings around) that if you have say half an hour available for Special Time, that you allocate maybe 20 minutes to Special Time, and then have 10 minutes left over for listening. Or, depending on how you feel things are, you might want to only spend 5 or 10 minutes on Special Time, to give you plenty of relaxed time to listen.\nCan I carry on playing with my child once Special Time ends? Of course! If you have more time and energy to spend on your child right there and then, by all means carry on playing with them. Just make it clear that Special Time has ended, thank them for spending the time with you, and carry on. This way, they know that there\u0026rsquo;s a possibility that you might be interrupted, but that you\u0026rsquo;re not taking their dedicated time away from them. Some children may find it easier to understand if you make a clear break between the end of Special Time and continuing the play - once the timer goes off, you can thank your child and say that you\u0026rsquo;d like to carry on playing but you\u0026rsquo;re just going to make a cuppa/take that washing up out of the machine/check if the post has come… - a small job that clearly marks the continued play from the dedicated Special Time.\nMy child doesn\u0026rsquo;t know what to do for Special Time Some children are fantastic at thinking of a million and one ingenious ideas for their Special Time. Others are wonderful at bringing their full attention and joy to slightly more everyday activities, like sharing a story or doing a puzzle. But some children really struggle to think of anything at all that they could do in their Special Time. If this is the case for your child, at this point, I would usually say to resist the temptation to make suggestions - this ‘I can’t think of anything to do’ sense is a really important barrier for our children to work through, and almost always they will come out the other side being more creative and clear-thinking.\nWe can just set the Special Time timer, and say \u0026lsquo;I\u0026rsquo;ll be with you while you think\u0026rsquo; - and then just pour our love and attention into being with them, no matter what they are doing. Occasionally reassure them with warm words like \u0026lsquo;You\u0026rsquo;ll think of something\u0026rsquo;, and \u0026lsquo;I\u0026rsquo;m right here with you\u0026rsquo;, and just listen to their feelings of frustration or upset as needed.\nIf they are upset and this continues after the timer marking the end of Special Time goes off, be prepared to carry on listening. Or our child might seem fine doing essentially nothing with us up until the timer goes off, and then realise what they have missed! It\u0026rsquo;s ok to just listen through this, to let them have their feelings about it without reproach from us, and to give gentle reassurances like \u0026lsquo;We\u0026rsquo;ll have Special Time again soon\u0026rsquo;.\nFor a handful of children, and this can be the case more for our neurodivergent children (although not always by any means, so it’s important not to assume!), suggestions can be useful and necessary for getting Special Time going. What we usually find though, is that after a while, suggestions are no longer needed, as our children settle in to Special Time and understand and trust how it’s working for them.\nMy child doesn\u0026rsquo;t want Special Time!! Children mostly love the idea of one-to-one time with one of their favourite adults! But occasionally they will say they don\u0026rsquo;t want Special Time - and that can be hard to take! It might be that they are new to the idea (especially if it\u0026rsquo;s an older child) and not sure why you\u0026rsquo;re suddenly offering to spend time with them - they might think it\u0026rsquo;s all a bit suspicious! But even if they have done Special Time on a number of occasions, they might suddenly decide it\u0026rsquo;s a no go, which can fox us a little. When we understand that they might be feeling a bit disconnected from us and so push back when we offer to be with them, or that they are carrying some big feelings that they are afraid to confront in the warmth of your attention, it can be a little easier to see where this might be coming from. You can handle it by staying close, setting the timer and saying \u0026lsquo;I\u0026rsquo;ll stay close in case you change your mind\u0026rsquo;. Once the timer goes off, you can just thank them for being with you - and be ready to listen as needed. This builds trust that you are there even when things are hard, and that you\u0026rsquo;re not asking anything of them. If they get upset as you sit warmly nearby, it\u0026rsquo;s a sure sign that they have some big feelings to offload - just listen, and they will work through them and feel better on the other side. Or you might choose to go playful when they initially reject your Special Time offer - a melodramatic \u0026lsquo;Oh noooooo! Pleeeeease play with me!\u0026rsquo; as you fall to the floor and clutch at their ankles, might elicit some laughter and get things warmed up between the two of you again. There are some more ideas in this article, but feel free to try a few different things out and see where it takes you. And if it feels hard to be told that you\u0026rsquo;re not wanted, do take it to your Listening Time to work through it!\nMy child only wants Special Time with me (or my partner) Oh, this always feels hard - whether you\u0026rsquo;re the one the child wants, or the one being rejected! Children often have a preference for one parent or the other at any given time, and it\u0026rsquo;s well worth taking this to your Listening Time to talk about how it feels, which will help to take the heat out of it for you. In practical terms, if a child says they don\u0026rsquo;t want Special Time with a particular parent, that parent can offer their warm presence, and give the occasional bit of information or reassurance such as \u0026lsquo;I know you want Daddy\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;It\u0026rsquo;s our Special Time today\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;You\u0026rsquo;ll have Special Time with Daddy another time\u0026rsquo;. As above, put the timer on and thank the child when it\u0026rsquo;s finished - even if all you\u0026rsquo;ve been able to do is sit and listen to their upset about missing the other parent. Then continue to listen after the timer for as long as you are able - being heard in this way will greatly ease whatever burden the child is carrying about needing the other parent so much. Again, as above, you could take this in a playful direction if it feels appropriate - when the child grumbles that they don\u0026rsquo;t want you, you can playfully beg and plead with them to play with you and see if that leads to some laughter and silliness between the two of you. There\u0026rsquo;s some great information and ideas here and here on what is going on when a child wants only one parent, which might help spark some more thinking for you in this area.\n(Quietly whispers - sometimes it\u0026rsquo;s a bit boring!!) Yes, yes it is. Sometimes our children choose an activity that really doesn\u0026rsquo;t speak to us, and that can be tough going! But there will be a reason they have chosen it, and we can take a few minutes here and there to immerse ourselves in their specific interest, and doing that is tremendously valuable for them. And then we can take it to Listening Time - why does that particular activity feel quite so tortuous for us?? What we find out can be really useful in moving us forwards in our family journey. Try it - you might like it! If you\u0026rsquo;re not sure how Special Time might work, or whether it\u0026rsquo;s really useful - try taking these thoughts to your Listening Time to rant and rave about someone trying to add even more things to do to your schedule, and see what might be underneath those feelings. And if you\u0026rsquo;re still feeling resistance to Special Time (and a little resistance in life is normal, and not a bad thing to work against now and then!), just take a moment to imagine your own childhood - what would it have been like to have one of your parents suspend their busy schedule to spend time with just you? Where they fully immersed themselves in your interests, and clearly loved spending time with you? Where they weren\u0026rsquo;t going off to answer the phone, get the washing out of the machine, or make a cup of tea? And these days of course, we also have the siren call of Facebook or other social media to answer to - it\u0026rsquo;s all too easy for us to just \u0026lsquo;have to\u0026rsquo; nip off to check in with what\u0026rsquo;s going on in our non-parenting life, and not be fully present with our kids. I should know - I\u0026rsquo;m as guilty as anyone of being distracted by cups of tea and Facebook throughout the day! But Special Time is our chance to put that to one side, just for a while - after all, the kettle will still be there when we\u0026rsquo;re done. Give it a try and see how things work out for you - what do you have to lose?\nHow it can look in practice Here\u0026rsquo;s an example of some Special Time I spent with one of our children (then 4), and how they really used it to test out some limits with me!*\nOne of our children (4 years old at the time of writing) loves doing experiments (the messier the better!) and messy sensory play. Sometimes I find it hard to engage with these activities - they just seem to make so much mess, and take lots of time to clear up, and I\u0026rsquo;m not that keen on getting messy myself! On this particular cold winter\u0026rsquo;s day our child decided they wanted to use their Special Time to go outside and do some water play with the hose, to try to \u0026lsquo;make a rainbow\u0026rsquo;. I must admit I wasn\u0026rsquo;t really looking forward to it – it was really cold!! But it was Special Time, and I got my head ready to throw myself into it 100%, and off we went.\nOur child got me to unroll the hose as they wandered down the garden spraying things on their way. Then they got me to be with them as they sprayed all sorts of things in the garden - I had to resist the temptation to get them to stop because of all the water I felt they were using up (actually not that much in the end, as they kept stopping and starting it), and not to tell them that the plants didn\u0026rsquo;t need watering, or that someone else might want to use the trampoline later so not to get it wet. We went around \u0026lsquo;cleaning\u0026rsquo; lots of things, and at one point they accidentally sprayed me - normally I would have been irritable about this, but I didn\u0026rsquo;t even feel that sense of annoyance because it was Special Time. I just laughed in surprise and our child giggled, and then gave me a bit of a searching look, as if to say, Is this really ok?, and then they sprayed me again! We both giggled a lot, and actually they didn\u0026rsquo;t do it for long, and were quite gentle with me with the water. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure what I thought would happen if I got wet, but it wasn\u0026rsquo;t nearly as bad as I would have imagined - I\u0026rsquo;m hoping I remember that for next time I get sprayed when the children are playing with the water! Anyway, it was really great to see my child fully immersed in an activity they love, basking in my attention, and showing great leadership skills, confidence, enjoyment, and joy in experimenting.\nShortly after spraying me, and doing a bit more \u0026lsquo;cleaning\u0026rsquo;, my child slipped and fell on the wet decking, and landed hard on their elbows, bottom and back. They cried hard, and suddenly realised they were cold and wanted to go inside. We went in and took off our wet coats as they cried a little more. I didn\u0026rsquo;t say much, but made sure to really listen and be present with them. They stopped crying, and thought we ought to change our wet clothes. My child talked about us being wet having played in the water, and that reminded them that they had slipped - as they talked about it briefly (\u0026lsquo;And then I fell over on the decking\u0026rsquo;), they looked just slightly tearful. I said something like \u0026lsquo;Yeah, you did fall, didn\u0026rsquo;t you?\u0026rsquo; and my child acknowledged it, and then moved on cheerfully - I had really expected them to be more upset, but I think they felt really connected to me after all our time together playing, and felt listened to, so they were able to quickly work through their sudden and quite painful fall, and move on from it. Our child went on to have a happy time reading books and doing junk modelling after that, and then had a very cheerful evening playing with their sibling.\n*All stories about my children on my blog have been reviewed and given the green light for sharing by my children.\nOther resources you may find useful:\nA guide to letting your child rule How to make the most of Special Time with your child - useful and quick reminder of how to do Special Time! How Special Time makes children content - gives a really good flavour of the feel of Special Time Free video series - 10-minute tool to dramatically change your child\u0026rsquo;s behaviour (free videos and checklist) Get the Hand in Hand Parenting booklet set – which includes a really useful booklet on Special Time Short video - An introduction to Special Time An introduction to Listening Partnerships: how being listened to, and listening to others, helps us to live the life we want! ","id":23,"tag":"","title":"An introduction to Special Time: your questions answered","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/intro-to-st/"},{"content":" An introduction to Listening Partnerships: how being listened to, and listening to others, helps us to live the life we want!! How often do you feel truly listened to? Where is your space to say exactly what you are thinking without being judged on any of it? Where can you cry or vent or even laugh about your troubles without anyone trying to fix anything for you? We all build relationships in our lives which hopefully support us through the hard times, but sometimes we need some time and space to really delve into what is going on for us - without interruption, without being given advice, and without feeling like we have to hold back for the sake of our listeners. This is what Listening Partnerships bring to our lives.\nBefore you get stuck into this article, you might like to watch a very brief video on what LPs are about here.\nA practical tool to support our parenting Listening Partnerships are one of the cornerstone Hand in Hand Parenting Tools. The other 4 tools, which we will look at in future posts, are all for an adult to use with a child, but Listening Partnerships, or LPs as you will often see them referred to, are specifically an adult-to-adult tool. We use them to work on deep-seated feelings which underlie our behaviours - feelings which might include frustrations, worries, fears and, importantly, past hurts.\nIn brief, a Listening Partnership is an equal exchange of time between two adults, where one speaks and the other listens, and then you switch. You decide between you on how much time you\u0026rsquo;d like to spend, set the timer, and off you go. The speaker can talk about anything they like (not just parenting - although for most of us that is the main thrust of our LPs!), and our listener is there to act as a warm, non-judgemental mirror if you like, for whatever we have to say. I won\u0026rsquo;t go into detail about the \u0026lsquo;how\u0026rsquo; of LPs here - there is plenty of information about that out there, which I will link to below - but I hope to give you a flavour here of why they are important, and how they can help you in your own parenting (and wider) life. How to start When we are just starting out with LPs, or if we get a new Listening Partner at any time, a good place to start is by telling our life story, little by little, from as early as we remember. During these early sessions, all we are really trying to do is to build safety - perhaps a feeling of \u0026rsquo;testing out\u0026rsquo; our Listening Partner: \u0026lsquo;If I say this, what will their reaction be?\u0026rsquo; - and hopefully finding that everything we say is met with warmth and understanding and acceptance. This way, we can touch on things that have been hard for us (but perhaps without going too deep at this early stage, if we are not yet ready), and we can activate for ourselves some of our own memories which might be tucked away. As we talk, it is important to notice where some feelings start to bubble up for us - we can just mentally note these, and come back to them in future sessions when we are ready to see what is going on for us in those areas.\nSo far, I have described using our LPs to talk - but this is just skimming the surface. What we are eventually trying to do with LPs is to get to the feelings underneath our spoken words. This can seem incredibly uncomfortable at first! We are not a culture that recognises or values the importance of truly feeling our emotions, so purposely bringing them to the surface seems very counterintuitive. But when we understand that our brains and bodies are designed to feel and express all emotions, even uncomfortable ones - that in fact it is our highly effective way of working through trauma or hurt and then being able to leave it behind - we become more at ease with deliberately seeking out those emotions and letting them be seen in these safe and confidential situations. When it feels hard Now, for anyone feeling really icky about all this right now - I am totally with you! I come from a family where even joyful emotions tended to be seen as \u0026lsquo;a bit much\u0026rsquo;, and where the more uncomfortable emotions were clamped down on, distracted from, or otherwise made to go away. My parents did what they knew, what was passed down to them from previous generations, and I am very grateful for all they have done for me, but if they had known then what the brain science tells us now, I am quite sure they would have attempted to handle things differently in some areas! Anyway, learning to delve deeply into these challenging feelings has been a HUGE journey for me, but it has been so so worth it - so please, give it a try and know that you\u0026rsquo;re not alone if you find it a difficult and uncomfortable process at first!\nThe reason we want to get to the emotions and really feel them fully, really express them, is because emotions that are stuck in our emotional brain (our limbic system) and bodily system will tend to block our good thinking. If we have experienced a hurt or trauma in the past, and weren\u0026rsquo;t, for whatever reason, allowed to fully express that hurt, that trauma, in the moment, we then carry those feelings around with us. Mostly, they are pushed down, with the lid screwed tightly on, but if something reminds us in some way of that past hurt, the pressure becomes too much and we are immediately transported back to that event in terms of our feelings, and those feelings want to be released! Often as parents, we are activated (i.e. our buttons are pushed) by the things our children do, and that\u0026rsquo;s when we blow. But if we really think about it, how many of our children\u0026rsquo;s behaviours really warrant the reaction we sometimes give to them? This is no slur towards our own efforts - we are all doing our best, and usually with little support, and it is natural that we will lose our cool at times - but if we can change things so that those incidents don\u0026rsquo;t fire us up, wouldn\u0026rsquo;t we want to look to do that? And that\u0026rsquo;s where LPs are so so helpful - they allow us, at an appropriate time, to really feel the emotions we \u0026lsquo;should\u0026rsquo; have felt in the past, so that we can let them go, move on, and can be less (or no longer) activated by what bothers us in our lives. In doing this, we can lay down new brain pathways, so that we are not stuck in the same old reactions, the same old conditioning that has been producing reactions in our parenting (and in our lives) that we just don\u0026rsquo;t want. Often, our ingrained brain patterns are of no use to us, are not serving us, but if we don\u0026rsquo;t change how we feel about the things that trigger us, it\u0026rsquo;s incredibly hard to change how we react to them as well.\nImagine, for example, that every time my child whines, I bristle and get snappy. Is whining hurting anyone? Is it life-threatening? No, of course it isn\u0026rsquo;t - my rational brain knows that, but my emotional brain/body system is still firing up to stand up to this threat of whining. Why? Well, it\u0026rsquo;s quite likely that whining wasn\u0026rsquo;t handled with compassion when I was a child. Knowing more about how the brain works, means we can understand that whining is a call for connection, a cry for help, from a child who is stuck and doesn\u0026rsquo;t know how to move forwards. We can know it, but because whining was addressed with frustration, disappointment, snappiness, or worse when we were a child, our brains only really know those reactions as a possible response to our child\u0026rsquo;s behaviour. So, I can use my LPs to talk about how my child\u0026rsquo;s whining makes me feel, and I can shout at ‘my child\u0026rsquo; (my Listening Partner stands in) to stop, I can cover my ears, stamp my feet… Whatever I need to do to take some of the heat out of it for me. But to really address my feelings, I need to go back, recognise what my own inner child needed when she was whining all those years ago, and vent or grieve about that need not being met for me at that time. After doing those sorts of explorations in my LPs, when my child comes whining to me, I can feel their current pain (rather than my own, old pain), and move to address what is causing the whining with empathy, and without being activated into a reaction myself. It might take one good LP session, or it might take a good number of sessions, to address an issue to a point where it no longer bothers us, but we can get there.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d like some more support with keeping your own calm, you can get a free download on just that, here.\nThe power of listening The other element of LPs which can seem terribly uncomfortable is the part of actually being the listener! So many of us find it incredibly hard at first to \u0026lsquo;just\u0026rsquo; listen, but once we understand the power of that role, it becomes so much easier to see why it is so important. A few ground rules as listener include: no judgement, no giving advice, no telling your own story, no interruptions, and no asking for clarification of the story. It helps to hold in mind that the purpose of LPs is ultimately for our partner to get to their emotions - the more we speak, the more we bring our partner back to their rational brain, when where they need to be is immersed in the experience of their emotional brain and bodily system. Your warm presence (either in person, or over the phone/online) is all the speaker needs. Just give them your full attention (no distractions) and make sure they know you\u0026rsquo;re listening (this might just take the form of a few \u0026lsquo;mmm\u0026rsquo; sort of comments occasionally), and you have done your job. Later, as you get more practised, you will learn ways to guide your Listening Partner towards their emotions if they seem to need that, but at first, focus fully on building trust and safety by just listening.\nSo, why is just listening to someone so powerful? What\u0026rsquo;s our purpose if we don’t give them advice to get them to where they need to be? Again, as we start to understand more about how the brain works to relieve itself of stresses and tensions and hurts, the role of the listener becomes much clearer. Feeling our emotions fully - or even just a little bit! - can be very scary. It can feel like they\u0026rsquo;re never going to stop, and it can feel like people will think less of us if we express ourselves in whatever way we need to. We need someone with us who can warmly hold the space, without judgement, and who is quietly holding the fact that it will be ok, and that everyone is safe right now. These upsets we are feeling stem from past hurts, but right now, we are safe, and our listener knows it, even when we can\u0026rsquo;t know it for ourselves. And as our brains work best when they are feeling safe and connected, just having someone by our side as we work through whatever is hard for us is immensely valuable - and can help us tap into the answers that we have inside, so that we can figure out our problems ourselves, and then move forwards.\nAnd a little, but wonderful, extra upside to being a listener - suddenly, we are doing an incredible service for someone, being immensely useful, really providing something of such great value. And the sense of self worth that this brings to us is so powerful, so necessary - we are really really helping someone, and we are doing it by supporting them to find their own inner strength, their own answers, and it\u0026rsquo;s really something when you realise that it\u0026rsquo;s you doing that! Do not underestimate your value and importance as the listener in this exchange. It feels to me like our listener is our \u0026lsquo;misplaced\u0026rsquo; inner voice. When we are born, we are born with a sense of goodness, of \u0026lsquo;knowing\u0026rsquo; that we are good, that we deserve to be here in this world, and that we have a right to be loved and cared for by others. In short, we love ourselves. But gradually we lose this sense of our \u0026lsquo;right\u0026rsquo; to be here, of our self love, and when we talk to ourselves it is with a negative inner voice, that points out to us all that we are doing wrong, all that we are that is not good enough. So our listener brings us back to that warm, caring inner voice, becomes that inner voice - that voice that quietly whispers, through their mere presence, that we are worth it, that we are good, that we are enough just as we are. And as we are listened to in this way, over time, our true inner voice, the one that knows we are worthy, that we are always doing our best, gets a little louder, until we start to hear it more and more inside of us, and to recognise the goodness that we are and that we do. And if that\u0026rsquo;s not a powerful reason to listen to someone with warmth and without judgement - even if we do feel a bit redundant that we\u0026rsquo;re not allowed to give advice! - I don\u0026rsquo;t know what is.\nHow it works So to finish, here is a real-life example from my own experience, of how LPs helped me work on my feelings of not being deserving - we were a long way down our LP path by this point, and I often know what I need from my partner, and in this instance I asked her to do certain things for me that I thought would help me to get to my horrible feelings of discomfort! I hope it helps to illustrate what we have been discussing above - and do have a look at the links below for further information about how to find a Listening Partner, and for more guidelines for how to set one up and carry it out.\nI have recently realised that I am really really awful at accepting compliments - I tend to shrug it off and do a sort of \u0026lsquo;Yes well, it\u0026rsquo;s only because…\u0026rsquo; sort of response, sort of like I\u0026rsquo;m making an excuse for whatever it is I have done well. It must be a really thankless task trying to tell me something nice!!\nDuring my turn in our parent support group, I\u0026rsquo;d been talking a bit about how I find it difficult in Listening Partnerships to accept the compliments that we often hear - things like \u0026lsquo;You\u0026rsquo;re a great mum\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;You\u0026rsquo;re working so hard for your children\u0026rsquo;. I suspect that self-congratulation wasn\u0026rsquo;t looked on very favourably in my childhood - I can\u0026rsquo;t speak for other cultures, but it feels like in the UK, blowing your own trumpet is seen as boasting and not really the done thing.\nI decided to take the initiative and asked my upfront Listening Partner to pay me some compliments so that I could practise my response (even asking her to do it was hard!!). I started by just trying to say \u0026lsquo;Thank you, that\u0026rsquo;s really nice to hear\u0026rsquo; - it felt so wrong, and I really cringed and had to jump up and shake my body in disgust to try to get the yucky feeling off and we all laughed and laughed about it! I tried that a few times and it got a tiny bit easier, and then I decided to try responding to it by saying, in a joking way, something really over the top, like \u0026lsquo;Oh yes, I\u0026rsquo;m AMAZING!!!!\u0026rsquo; We all laughed a lot again, and I did that a few times. I didn\u0026rsquo;t feel it was as useful as trying a genuine \u0026lsquo;Thank you\u0026rsquo;, but I was glad I tried it, and it did make me laugh a lot at how ridiculous it sounded. It made me feel as if maybe I downplay it when I\u0026rsquo;m complimented, because I really don\u0026rsquo;t want to sound like that \u0026lsquo;Oh yes, I\u0026rsquo;m amazing\u0026rsquo;, boastful sort of person! But at the moment I go much too far the other way, and put myself down, as I don\u0026rsquo;t really believe that I am doing anything well enough to deserve a compliment! We finished by me trying to genuinely say \u0026lsquo;I am a good mother\u0026rsquo; - i.e. giving myself a compliment - which wasn\u0026rsquo;t quite as bad as I thought, and certainly not as bad as hearing someone else say it and having to respond appropriately!\nI plan to do more on this in future Listening Partnerships, but I feel like I made a big step forward in just recognising how difficult I find it, and hearing how I would like to sound for real after a bit of practice!\nFurther information on listening and Listening Partnerships:\nFor more detail, get this comprehensive booklet: Listening Partnerships for Parents - I would highly recommend getting this (if not the whole booklet set!), as each time I come back to it it helps me a little more with developing my LP skills - a \u0026lsquo;must read\u0026rsquo;!\nOr of course if you want to find out about other elements of the Hand in Hand approach, I recommend getting the whole set which is great value (and includes the Listening Partnerships booklet): Parenting by Connection booklet set and bonus materials - There is also a self-guided, online class on LPs, which you might want to check out - I\u0026rsquo;ve done it, and it is extremely helpful in getting the most out of your LPs: Building a Listening Partnership\nA short video with a brief Introduction to LPs - and this might be a great way to share this amazing tool with others if you are called to!\nThe self-explanatory What is a Listening Partnership and why do I need one? For more on Listening Partnerships - what they are, and how to do them - try 10 tips for being a good listener And now you just need How to find a listening partner!! ","id":29,"tag":"","title":"An introduction to Listening Partnerships: how being listened to, and listening to others, helps us to live the life we want!","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/intro-to-lps/"},{"content":" 8 reasons why I do my homework when it comes to parenting As a species, we are born to be parents – whether that’s through having children who are biologically ours, or adopting, or being involved in the care of the children of others within our community. It\u0026rsquo;s not a choice everyone makes of course, which is just as beautiful a choice. But in biological and evolutionary terms, as a species, we are designed to make and care for babies - indeed, the continuation of the human race rests on at least some of us doing so. And information about parenting abounds in our culture. So if our desire and ability to become parents is so innate, why do we need all these books, articles, and other snippets of information to guide us along the path? Many people I\u0026rsquo;ve met are surprised that I read and research as much as I do on the subject, and I completely understand why many people don\u0026rsquo;t, or don\u0026rsquo;t want to, do this - not enough time, reading isn\u0026rsquo;t their thing, difficult to access information, overwhelmed by the amount of information, happy with how parenting is going… There are many reasons why this isn\u0026rsquo;t a path someone might choose to take, and you will find no judgement from me on that front.\nHere, I hope to explain a little about why, for me, it is important to look more deeply into the parenting research and to use that information to inform my parenting practices.\nReason 1: I love reading! I love reading, I love learning, I love going deep into subjects that interest me. And parenting really really interests me! At school you are very much encouraged to go broad - to learn a little of everything - rather than to go deep. Well - woop woop - I\u0026rsquo;m not at school now, and I\u0026rsquo;ve found something I love, and I am going to devour whatever I can about it! I read pretty discerningly (you will see many many pencil marks in the books on my shelves), and I keep what fits for me, and what is based on the best possible psychological and neurological research, and leave the rest. One or two books have even ended up in the recycling box in the past (there are some parenting books no one should have to read)! (Audiobooks, or other ways of accessing this sort of information, are just as valid – I just happen to like reading!!)\nReason 2: Parenting is exceptionally difficult in the culture we live in. We live in isolated bubbles in our own little brick boxes; we often don\u0026rsquo;t even see our neighbours from day to day, let alone supportive family - and although some of us are lucky and know we can call on people local to us in the community anytime if we needed to, we don\u0026rsquo;t like to be a burden so we tend to keep quiet except in the most dire of circumstances:\nIsolation, struggle.\nWe are presented by society with unrealistic expectations about what our children \u0026lsquo;should\u0026rsquo; be doing - both in terms of behaviour, and in terms of development and academics - and then we wonder why we can\u0026rsquo;t get our children to meet those high levels:\nGuilt, failure.\nWe have to do all the jobs that in evolutionary terms should be done by a whole community - cook, clean, get kids to school or to this club or that event, play with our kids, spend time with our partners, work:\nExhaustion, burnout.\nWe don\u0026rsquo;t really know what we\u0026rsquo;re doing, because we no longer learn parenting first hand, within a close-knit community. For the most part, we have a single model of parenting in our lives, which is based on living in a society which doesn\u0026rsquo;t support parents (or children for that matter) well at all. So our own parenting is based on a flawed set of assumptions and behaviours, which often don\u0026rsquo;t serve us or our children well:\nConfusion, worry.\nIf I hadn\u0026rsquo;t researched parenting, I would still be thinking that it\u0026rsquo;s a problem when I feel like I can\u0026rsquo;t cope with all these demands. As it is, I now know that we are not meant to have to parent like this. And I hold tight to that when things are tough!\nReason 3: Researching parenting helps me feel less isolated. Parenting does not come easily to me. I am not chilled out, Zen-like or laid back in any way [although I’m very happy to report that things feel a lot more ease-ful and flowing since I originally wrote this post!]. Small things stress me - and any more than a small amount of mess makes my head want to explode! Your parenting issues might be completely different to mine, but reading about, and talking with, other parents helps me to see that my struggles are normal; that others are going through things too, and I am not alone. And looking into parenting has brought together a community where we look to each other for the emotional and practical support which is missing in our nuclear families.\nReason 4: The art of parenting is no longer instinctive. What we think is instinct, is in fact upbringing*. When you shout at your child - that\u0026rsquo;s not instinct, that\u0026rsquo;s usually a stuck pattern from your childhood. When you speak sternly to your child - that\u0026rsquo;s not instinct, that\u0026rsquo;s every fibre of your being remembering how you were spoken to by your own parents. When you are or want to be physical with your child - that\u0026rsquo;s not instinct, that\u0026rsquo;s a position of believing you have no other option; of feeling powerless. We want to parent from instinct, and I do think that parenting could come to us more instinctively, but because of the lack of good information and practice we are exposed to within our immediate communities, it just can\u0026rsquo;t ever be so. Without looking into our parenting, we are stuck with society and its influence, and with whatever parenting we received - and then we are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past.\nReason 5: I need new ideas. I don\u0026rsquo;t know it all. None of us does. Yes, you could get very bogged down in the information that is out there, but there are ways to overcome this. I tend to focus on websites or books which are more about the latest research, or that present a range of ideas that people have found have worked in their experience, rather than sources that have a one-way-only \u0026lsquo;it worked for me, so it must work for you and you should do it this way\u0026rsquo; kind of stance. I think about what sits well with me; what feels right. What am I already doing that works, and what melds well with that? Talking to trusted friends, whose parenting approach I admire, is a great way to get new ideas and share thoughts or challenges. But whatever works is fine - for me it\u0026rsquo;s reading, and reading, and writing, and reading some more, and talking, and reading, and going on courses, and reading a bit… Anything to keep myself actively thinking about what I am doing with my children, rather than doing it all automatically. (But yes, there are still times where I just play and be and enjoy them too!)\nReason 6: To keep on top of the research. If I don\u0026rsquo;t keep some sort of an eye on current parenting literature, how will I find out what’s new as our knowledge of things like psychology and neuroscience is added to and refined over the years? Yes, things are always changing, and yes, some of the research will be found to be wrong, but to ignore it completely is like wandering around with blinkers on just in case you see something that makes you question your vision of how you\u0026rsquo;ve been doing things.\nReason 7: I want to, and can, do better for my children. When we parent from a fixed stance, we continue to practise old habits which we accept as the norm. In fact, most of what we do doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to be that way. If we can see (and crucially, re-feel) our reactions for what they are - mimicking old patterns and old thinking which we have been exposed to in the past - we can start to look to change them. I can\u0026rsquo;t in all good conscience say \u0026lsquo;I\u0026rsquo;m shouting at my children, but that\u0026rsquo;s normal, that\u0026rsquo;s what was done to me, that\u0026rsquo;s just the way it is\u0026rsquo;, without pondering whether children can in fact be brought up well without raised voices. When we avoid questioning these damaging patterns, when we say \u0026lsquo;Well, this is what was done to me, and I turned out ok\u0026rsquo;, we are copping out - just because I turned out ok, doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean I can\u0026rsquo;t do better. Doing \u0026lsquo;ok\u0026rsquo; is not what I want for my children - I want them to rise, to excel, to grow, to devour life, to thrive!\nReason 8: This is my work at the moment. And my work deserves critical analysis, and continual development. What is/was your paid day job? Perhaps it is full-time parenting, like mine, but perhaps you are the one who brings home a pay cheque. Did you study to reach a point where you were able to do the job you do/did? Did you learn on the job, from trained, respected and experienced colleagues? Do you keep up your skills with regular training, reading a professional magazine, or taking time talking to colleagues? Well, parenting is my work - and never before in my life have I done work as important as this. It is challenging work, with little support, reward or recognition, and certainly no acknowledgement that we might want or need to work at it, but that is exactly what many of us want to do. I could say that I was a child once, with parents, therefore I should be able to parent my own children without outside influence. But could you be an effective teacher just because you were taught once upon a time at school? It feels like that is the analogy we are being forced to make, in order to explain why learning about parenting is indeed important – it is assumed that because we were once parented, we must automatically be able to parent our own family well. And yet our model of parenting as a child (generally by a maximum of two role models, although often one, with maybe a few others playing supporting roles) gives us even less scope than the influence of the teaching style of the many many teachers we will have encountered over the years. I have no intention of standing still in my parenting - every day there are new challenges, and I need help and ideas and support to work through them, and to develop my skills as a responsive, trusted, conscious, connected parent.\nMany people are happy with their parenting choices, and don\u0026rsquo;t feel a need to look into the parenting literature further, and that is completely fine. But I hope this post helps with an understanding of why some of us do want to spend specific time and effort in furthering our parenting skills. And if you reach a point where things just don\u0026rsquo;t feel like they are working for you, like you\u0026rsquo;re getting stuck in patterns of behaviour which don\u0026rsquo;t reflect the parent you wanted to be, or like you just aren\u0026rsquo;t feeling the joy in your parenting anymore, then there are things out there which can shake things up for you, too. No one knows your children better than you, and no one is going to be able to tell you what to do - but you can make changes if that\u0026rsquo;s what you want. And if I don\u0026rsquo;t keep reading, keep looking, for ways to improve how I do things in my own family - and keep working to build my support network - I will be overcome by the overwhelming task of parenting. At best I won\u0026rsquo;t be enjoying my parenting work - at worst, I will just fail to cope at all.\nAnd a final note - we don\u0026rsquo;t have to constantly focus on doing better either! It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a paradox, but yes we want to be the best parent we can be, AND sometimes that just means taking a break from all the inner work, the thinking, the re-learning\u0026hellip; And just being, just as we are! So whether you\u0026rsquo;re on a \u0026lsquo;working on something\u0026rsquo; part of your path, or whether you\u0026rsquo;re on a \u0026lsquo;rest and sit back\u0026rsquo; part of your path - I fully trust that that\u0026rsquo;s right where you need to be, and I\u0026rsquo;m celebrating you, right now, just as you are!\n*Just a note about our parents: our parents, in the vast majority of cases, did their best for us when we were young. They, like us, did the best they could with what they had and with what they knew. In amongst all the hard work, exhaustion, lack of support and isolation which parenting brings, and with the habits formed via the parenting they received in their own childhoods, they did everything they could to raise their children well. Just like us, they generally had their children\u0026rsquo;s best interests at heart, as much as they possibly could. And that doesn’t mean we can’t build on and develop and move on from what they modelled for us! Further information which you may find useful (if you want to do some more homework!):\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re feeling stuck with your children\u0026rsquo;s behaviour, and want some fresh ideas to help you move forwards, I invite you to look into the very non-judgemental work of Hand in Hand Parenting - they will meet you with understanding wherever you\u0026rsquo;re at, and help you to get to where it is you want to be.\nAll those on the peaceful parenting path are very very welcome in our Mighty Networks community space, which is the loveliest, least judgemental, most compassionate community you could ever hope to find!\n","id":31,"tag":"","title":"8 reasons why I do my homework when it comes to parenting","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/8-reasons-i-do-my-homework/"},{"content":" What are the Hand in Hand Parenting tools? Our family happened upon Hand in Hand Parenting (HiH) when our oldest child was already about 4 or 5. We were already most definitely following a non-mainstream parenting path, with approaches like Attachment Parenting, Baby-Led Weaning, and co-sleeping resonating for us right from our child\u0026rsquo;s first days (and before!). I know that many parents/carers come to Hand in Hand along a similar pathway - but I also know that many make the switch when they\u0026rsquo;re far past thoughts of weaning and co-sleeping, as the children get older and they just find that mainstream parenting is not building the sort of relationships and behaviours they know in their hearts they want to be experiencing in their families. Hand in Hand is such a beautiful foundation for any and all parents/carers who are looking for something different, and this post will give you a sense of what HiH is and how it works. Enjoy! What is Hand in Hand Parenting? Hand in Hand Parenting is, at its simplest, a parenting approach which focuses on connection between family members (or between adults and children in any situation). But it\u0026rsquo;s so much more than that! When I first read an article on the Hand in Hand Parenting website, something about it really struck a chord with me. As a parent, it felt so supportive of me exactly where I was at on my journey. And the descriptions and explanations of the struggles of parenting felt so real to me - I felt like the author must surely have met me and my kids! And since that time, the approach has had an amazing impact not just on my parenting, but on my life in general.\nHand in Hand Parenting was founded by Patty Wipfler, based on her own experience of being a parent, as well as of working in education and of supporting parents/carers. The work is informed by the latest research into parenting, adult-child connections, neuroscience and trauma. The approach understands that we are all at different places on our journey, and that we all need support and guidance to do the best we can as parents/carers - and provides us with practical tools to help us to make shifts in our lives.\nWhat are the Hand in Hand Parenting tools? There are 5 Hand in Hand Parenting practical tools (I speak about them all, briefly, in this video) - they are mostly aimed at targeting various interactions between parents/carers and children, but one of the tools is specifically a parent-to-parent (or adult-to-adult) support. Let\u0026rsquo;s start with an overview of that one.\nListening Partnerships Listening Partnerships are where we team up with another adult, and we exchange \u0026lsquo;Listening Time\u0026rsquo;. This means that one adult gets a timed turn to speak, whilst the other adult listens, and then you switch over, so that you each have a turn in both the speaker and listener roles.\nBecause a HUGE amount of the peaceful parenting journey is about exploring our own reactions in our parenting, being able to express ourselves in the security of a Listening Partnership is an absolutely invaluable chance to work through what\u0026rsquo;s hard for us, shed some of the emotions that cloud our thinking, and repattern our brains so that over time we are able to respond to our children more and more in the peaceful, respectful ways we want to be using.\nWhen we\u0026rsquo;re in the role of the listener, we can feel a bit redundant at first - but in fact listening is hugely powerful. Just holding space for someone else to talk about, and (crucially) to feel what\u0026rsquo;s hard, without interrupting, offering advice or trying to fix anything, gives so much power back to the person speaking. Once they\u0026rsquo;ve had a chance to explore their own history, and to feel what they need to feel in the safe environment of the Listening Partnership, they can clear some of the long-held emotions that might be clouding their thinking, and gain clarity and insight into areas where they were previously feeling stuck. When we start to get free of past experiences that are keeping us repeating unhelpful patterns, we can take action in our lives that is much more what we want it to be - and it doesn’t just help our parenting!\nThis tool is probably one of the hardest ones a) to find the courage to reach out and begin, and b) to really grasp just how helpful it is until you\u0026rsquo;ve given it a go! But it really is worth looking into a bit further, and giving it a try - you don\u0026rsquo;t have to talk about all your deepest, darkest fears and experiences at first, you can start small, but it\u0026rsquo;s really worth just starting! You can find more information about some of the most common questions asked about Listening Partnerships here, as well as finding links to more resources if you are called to delve further into this amazing tool. And if you want to go a bit deeper, I highly recommend the Hand in Hand Parenting self-study course, Building a Listening Partnership to dig further into how to get the most from your Listening Time.\nNow let\u0026rsquo;s move on to the parent/adult-child tools.\nSpecial Time Special Time is a dedicated, timed period of time, in which one adult and one child play together uninterrupted. As the adult, we focus on following the child\u0026rsquo;s lead, enjoying our time with them, and giving them our full attention. The child chooses the activity, and during Special Time we avoid teaching, steering the play, or correcting our child.\nSpecial Time is absolutely WONDERFUL for building connection with our children, and for giving our children a chance to raise and work through anything that might be bothering them or puzzling them, in a free play situation.\nTo find out more about how to do Special Time (and what makes it different from how we might often play with children), have a read of this article.\nStaylistening Our children will all have big feelings at times in their lives - and being with those big feelings when they come up is part and parcel of our role as parent/carer! We use the tool of Staylistening to create the space our children need to express their feelings, so that they can \u0026lsquo;clear them out\u0026rsquo; and move on from them.\nThere are some really helpful things we can do when Staylistening - like staying calm and warm, not trying to distract our children from their feelings, and showing by our demeanour that all feelings are welcome, and that our children will get through it when things feel hard. But this isn\u0026rsquo;t easy for many of us - and our own big feelings might come up when we\u0026rsquo;re trying to Staylisten! This is something that is SO helpful to take to our Listening Partnerships, so that we don\u0026rsquo;t get sucked into the situation and end up joining our child in their feelings - at least, not as often (we are human after all!).\nOf course, there\u0026rsquo;s so much more to Staylistening than just sitting and listening! Here\u0026rsquo;s more information about the \u0026lsquo;how\u0026rsquo; of Staylistening, as well as links to more articles and resources. You can also get a free download here, to help you with keeping your own calm, even when everything around you is kicking off!\nPlaylistening Playlistening is a beautiful tool, in which we playfully follow a child\u0026rsquo;s lead - and follow their laughter! Often when we\u0026rsquo;re Playlistening, we\u0026rsquo;re doing things where we look a bit foolish - we take the less powerful role. This might be doing things that are a bit slapstick (falling over, missing a catch, etc), or it might be wrestling with our child or being chased by them, and always being caught, being \u0026lsquo;got\u0026rsquo;, because we\u0026rsquo;re just too slow or clumsy. Children tend to spend a lot of time in life in situations where they may not have much say or control over things (although, this is always worth examining - as some of the assumptions we might make about what children can or should do, aren\u0026rsquo;t quite as solid as we might think. Another place where Listening Partnerships can help!!). Playlistening gives our children a chance to guide and control the play and the laughter, and leads to opportunities to laugh off some lighter fears and feelings, to feel powerful (in a good way!), and to build connection.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s not necessarily as easy as it sounds - taking a step back and allowing our children to take the lead, or to \u0026lsquo;win\u0026rsquo;, as well as taking the less powerful, playing-the-fool role, can bring up some big feelings for us as adults! Working through our own feelings around this, by reflecting on our own experiences of adults\u0026rsquo; playfulness when we were growing up, and by finding ways to get more comfortable with trying out this sort of playfulness, can really help. You can probably guess what I\u0026rsquo;m going to say now, can\u0026rsquo;t you?! Listening Partnerships are a great place to work through these issues!!\nTo find out more, have a read of this article that I wrote and see if it guides your thinking and learning around using this tool. You can also get a free download here, to support you with being more playful!\nSetting Loving Limits People often think that as peaceful parents, we don\u0026rsquo;t have any boundaries - that we just let our children do whatever they want, whenever they want - but that couldn\u0026rsquo;t be further from the truth! In fact, we tend to have fairly high expectations of our children; although we may well have fewer out-and-out \u0026lsquo;rules\u0026rsquo; about behaviour than in mainstream families, we expect our children to behave in ways that don\u0026rsquo;t hurt others, themselves, or property. And we accept that at times, when they\u0026rsquo;re feeling frustrated, upset, or angry, we might have to help them uphold these boundaries - rather than just stating what we feel needs to happen and letting them get on with it (and probably fail).\nThe big difference is, that when we do have to set limits in some way, we aim to do it with warmth (and a simple explanation where needed/possible) - e.g. \u0026lsquo;Oh sweetheart, we can\u0026rsquo;t go to the park right now - we have to wait in for a delivery\u0026rsquo;. We avoid harsh limits (e.g. \u0026lsquo;Stop that!\u0026rsquo;), and power-over language (like \u0026lsquo;Because I said so\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;Because I\u0026rsquo;m the adult\u0026rsquo;). And, crucially, we allow any feelings the child might have to be expressed - so if we do have to say no to something, and the child is upset about it, they have every right to express that upset (and then we\u0026rsquo;re back to Staylistening here!).\nGuess what? This also isn\u0026rsquo;t easy!! Most of us will have grown up with limits being set harshly, arbitrarily and/or without explanation. So we\u0026rsquo;re learning a whole new skill here when it comes to intentional, warm, accepting-feelings limit setting. Sigh. You guessed it - Listening Partnerships for the win again!!\nThis article answers questions and gives more detail about how and why we set limits in the way we do in the HiH approach.\nSo why are we doing all this?!! Well, we have some practical tools here then, to help us on our peaceful parenting journey - but wouldn\u0026rsquo;t it just be easier to follow the mainstream path, and do what our own upbringing has taught us? Well yes, yes it probably would!\nBut in peaceful parenting, we are really looking at the long game. It\u0026rsquo;s not the easy path, and goodness knows it won\u0026rsquo;t always (ever?!!) go smoothly - because it\u0026rsquo;s a constant learning curve of understanding ourselves better, so that we can learn to do things in the ways we want to do them.\nBut that\u0026rsquo;s why it\u0026rsquo;s important - we know that peaceful parenting feels like the right path to us. And actually, if we look into the latest science around how to raise our kids to be kind, confident, resilient… This path of putting connection first is where it\u0026rsquo;s at. And if we hold that strong connection with our kids as one of our core values - it makes all the hard work worth it.\nFeeling a bit wobbly in your parenting - or life in general? You can get our FREE Core Values teaching, reflection and planning download here.\nTo find out more about the Hand in Hand Parenting approach, you can:\nRead the book Visit the website Sign up to a Starter Class course To connect with the Journeys in Parenting community, where we practice and tweak and learn from this approach, you can:\nJoin our amazing community group Sign up to receive our beautiful newsletter Follow us on Instagram ","id":33,"tag":"","title":"What are the Hand in Hand Parenting tools?","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/what-are-the-hih-tools/"},{"content":" What Are Circles - and how can they support us in our parenting? We know (from the ample available evidence about the evolution of humans as a social species but also, for me, in our very hearts and souls), that people need each other. As a rule we have been, and always will be, drawn to gathering with others, for every conceivable reason. Whether it\u0026rsquo;s to connect socially, to learn, to play, to make decisions, to heal, or for any number of other reasons, we want to gather together and connect.\nThere is also plenty of reason to believe in the vital importance of connection for the health and wellbeing of our body-mind system - the effects of loneliness are significant.\nBut not all connection is created equal. Many gatherings we will end up attending throughout our lives will leave us feeling unseen, unheard, unimportant.\nGathering in Circle, on the other hand, is an antidote to all those times when we have been hurt, unheard, and made to feel we\u0026rsquo;re not good enough. It\u0026rsquo;s a space where we can experience feeling heard and witnessed and held, where we can show up as ourselves, and where we can be vulnerable - yet accepted just as we are. What are Circles?\nI actually find it really hard to define or even really describe Circle - but I\u0026rsquo;m going to try for you all here! In essence, a Circle is a gathering of people. Circles will have different intentions and purposes, and will consist of different styles, themes and structures. What connects them all, is that they are a way to bring people together with a shared intention, in a safer space*, where they will have opportunities to share, to experience something in a new way, to rest, or to learn, amongst other things.\nCircles are considered sacred space. Once the Circle has been opened (started), we immerse ourselves as far as we can in the experience, and leave day-to-day cares and chats behind, just for a while.\nThe space is usually \u0026lsquo;held\u0026rsquo; by one or two of the people attending, although everyone attending is held as equal - there isn\u0026rsquo;t a \u0026rsquo;leader\u0026rsquo; per se, and certainly no kind of \u0026rsquo;expert\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;guru\u0026rsquo;, that\u0026rsquo;s for sure!\nWhat do the facilitators do?\nThe facilitators, or guides, are the ones who hold the space. By \u0026lsquo;holding space\u0026rsquo;, we are essentially talking about being \u0026lsquo;responsible\u0026rsquo; for the space, both physically and energetically. Sometimes the same person/people will hold the space at each Circle, or sometimes the role of facilitator is passed around each of the participants, from gathering to gathering.\nUsually the facilitators will have planned the structure, and perhaps the theme, of the Circle, and they are responsible for maintaining that structure and introducing the theme - whilst also allowing for flexibility and flow very often, depending on where the Circle takes everyone! The facilitators will also have the intention of bringing an energy of acceptance and welcome, which allows other participants to show up exactly as they are.\nOutside of Circle, facilitators are likely to be focusing on bringing the spirit of Circle into their day-to-day life - this can be elements like learning to show up more authentically, learning to express themselves and take action in ways that are aligned with their core values, and learning to recognise, embrace, and integrate their shadow parts (those parts of ourselves that we don\u0026rsquo;t really like much - or want others to see!). In fact, everyone attending Circle is likely to be doing this sort of work in some way or another, outside of the Circle itself - it might be in very small ways at first, but over time this bringing of attention to living in alignment (with our own core values) will tend to grow for all those participating! Who can facilitate Circles?\nFacilitators may be trained in some way, but that definitely doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to be the case - with a bit of research (take a look at the (audio)books list below, for example) and lots of ongoing inner work, Circle holding is open to anyone.\nAlthough the focus of a Circle might be quite wide, it\u0026rsquo;s helpful to hold the intention of running a Circle for people who have experienced something similar to you. If, for example, you\u0026rsquo;re running a Circle for parents, it\u0026rsquo;s probably a good idea to be a parent, so that you are immersed fully in the experience of those attending - even though your specific experiences will of course vary.\nI also believe it\u0026rsquo;s important to attend some Circles where you are not facilitating - this means you too can get support, without always having to be the one holding the space. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean you don\u0026rsquo;t get support from the Circles you hold (you definitely do!), but there is a different expectation of you when you are participating as a non-facilitator, and that is important to experience and to have as support for yourself on your path.\nWhat is expected of the participants?\nLike the facilitators, all participants aim to bring the intention and energy of acceptance, for everyone in the Circle. There is likely to be an expectation of participation in some way (rather than just observing) - although the ways and levels in which participants are expected to engage or contribute will vary. Full presence, as best we each can, acceptance, and an open heart are probably the most important things to bring to Circle! What sorts of things happen in Circle?\nOk, let\u0026rsquo;s get practical - what actually happens in Circle?!! Well, there are lots of different types of Circle out there - one might focus on learning about and exploring a particular theme, another might have a leaning towards more general support, exploration or where-you\u0026rsquo;re-at-right-now sharing (with no theme suggested), some might encourage resonating with or reflecting on others\u0026rsquo; shares… There really are lots of ways of doing it!\nElements that you experience at Circle might include: some \u0026rsquo;teaching\u0026rsquo; from the facilitator (this might be more like sharing on a theme than \u0026rsquo;teaching\u0026rsquo;), shares between participants (where you have time to share about your personal experience without interruption, judgement or advice - very like our Listening Partnerships tool), conscious movement, chanting, singing, meditation, guided visualisations, and ritual and ceremony. Not all Circles will have all of these elements - but I think you\u0026rsquo;d be hard pushed to find a Circle without some of them!\nWhat do Circles in this community look like?\nThe elements of Circle that I weave into my own spaces, usually include: some learnings on a theme, one-to-one and whole-group sharing, Prompt Questions that people can use in their sharing time if they are called to, Embodied Explorations, and ritual to open and close the sacred space.\nIn terms of themes, we have explored many areas over the years, often co-created with participants, depending on where we all feel we want to turn our attention at any given time. Some examples of the fascinating themes we have explored in the past include: anger, self-compassion, overwhelm, self-doubt, expressing emotions, parental guilt, forgiveness, acceptance, shadow parts, self-love and boundaries. There are endless paths we can take in our explorations - and we often circle back to a theme to peel off deeper layers, too.\nHow do Circles support our work on this peaceful parenting path?\nCircles are an incredible tool on this path. They help us to have a reparative experience of being held and witnessed, as we explore challenges from our own lives, often especially as they relate to our childhoods or our own parenting. It\u0026rsquo;s often hard to imagine what it would have been like if, even in our toughest moments as children, or when we stood up for ourselves and disagreed with parents or other adults, we had been accepted for who we were and not shamed for our feelings or behaviours.\nCircles literally give us the chance for our whole body-mind-spirit system to receive a new experience, and this can help us to shift how we view and engage with the world. Depending on the Circle, they can help us to settle our nervous systems (meaning we\u0026rsquo;re likely to lose our sh*t less), to heal past hurts (meaning we\u0026rsquo;re less likely to get activated in our challenging parenting moments), and by giving us the support of a community (meaning we feel less alone, and have others to lean on when things get hard).\nThey also give us a chance to lean in to discomfort - rather than trying to avoid the tough feelings that come up for us. This is far from comfortable - but the more we learn to do it, the more we can stay with what gets hard in our parenting too. I can\u0026rsquo;t even describe how helpful this has been to me in my own parenting journey - knowing that I can stay with tough feelings, without acting out or suppressing the feelings, has allowed me to move through a LOT of challenges whilst staying in alignment with my values. That\u0026rsquo;s HUGELY important to me!! Why would you want to join a Circle?\nCircles are the most amazing, beautiful way to find connection with supportive, non-judgemental others, to explore where we\u0026rsquo;re at, to learn to feel what we need to about the challenges in our lives, and to experience a different way of being held. As I said above, I do find them VERY difficult to describe (although I hope you\u0026rsquo;ve managed to get a flavour from this post!), but they are incredibly powerful on this healing path in terms of finding a place where we belong - where we are welcomed in all of our humanness and wholeness.\nIf you are called to, I invite you to take a moment to imagine finding yourself in a space where you are held in full acceptance, without judgement, to show up exactly as you are in that moment. A place where you can take stock, rest, go inwards, notice, reflect, feel… Or whatever it is you need to do right then and there. What would that be like for you? How might it support you on your path?\nI believe that the benefits of gathering in Circle are profound and life-changing. Most of us have experienced being shamed for expressing who we are, and made to feel \u0026rsquo;less than\u0026rsquo; or \u0026rsquo;too much\u0026rsquo; or not good enough as we move through life. The opportunity to find a space where we can experience our authentic self being held with love, compassion and acceptance, is deeply healing.\nAn invitation\nIf you are called to try this, I invite you to just start to explore and consider and get curious about this path - here are some Prompt Questions to get you started:\nIn what situations or areas of my life, do I feel a sense of belonging (even if in a small or brief way)? Where do I feel like I am accepted, just as I am?\nHow does it feel in my body to even consider that possibility of belonging? What does it bring up for me?\nWhere can I build even a tiny drop more of a sense of belonging, of a community of support, into my life? What would that look and feel like to have in place?\nIf you would like to, you can get a free, downloadable Embodied Exploration here, to support you in experiencing this sense of belonging, and exploring what comes up for you.\nI\u0026rsquo;m holding all that comes up for you as you consider this CRUCIAL area of our healing journey - sending so much of love to you all as you explore, always! Resources and reflections\nHere in this community, I offer occasional one-off Circles (a beautiful way to access this work if you\u0026rsquo;ve not tried it before, or if you\u0026rsquo;re not able to commit to more regular participation just now), as well as a year-long Circle exploration. If you would like to be kept informed about upcoming Circle offerings, you can sign up to receive our Circle information emails here.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d like to explore more generally, these are some of my favourite books about Circles or belonging or similar themes. I\u0026rsquo;ve given links so that you can take a look and see what calls you, as well as making sure you\u0026rsquo;ve got the right book! I link through Hive where I can - Hive is a UK online bookshop, from which local bricks-and-mortar bookshops get a percentage of what you spend. I don\u0026rsquo;t share Amazon links, even though that would be the easiest, as it is out of alignment for me to share links from there (although I won\u0026rsquo;t judge you if you shop there - I did until fairly recently!):\nMoon Circle: Rediscover Intuition, Wildness and Sisterhood (Lucy Aitkenread) - a good place to start if you\u0026rsquo;re not familiar at all with Circles\nBelonging: Remembering Ourselves Home (Toko-pa Turner)\nIf Women Rose Rooted: A Life-changing Journey to Authenticity and Belonging (Sharon Blackie)\nBraiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants (Robin Wall Kimmerer)\nCircle of Stones: Woman\u0026rsquo;s Journey to Herself (Judith Duerk)\nIf you loved our free Embodied Exploration on belonging, and you want to explore other themes as well, you can receive a range of Embodied Exploration recordings here. I would recommend these for those who have already started on the inner work, where you know you have the capacity to hold big feelings if they come up for you, as they can bring up a lot.\nAnd for you to get a sense of our beautiful Circle space, here are some of the words shared by beautiful souls attending the Circles I hold:\n“Sigh, it’s like coming home. To be in circle with such beautiful, honest, vulnerable women is so inspiring and nourishing. I feel I can learn so much each moment that someone is willing to open their heart and their struggles with us. Emilie guides the circle so beautifully and we are all empowered to show up fully each month.”\n“I attended Emilie’s gathering for the first time last night. It was a very special evening. The energy of the circle was warm, loving and non judgmental. The perfect ingredients to opening the heart and feeling heard. Thank you Emilie for making me feel so welcome x”\n“I didn’t know what to expect at circle but it’s always such a safe and nurturing environment. A great place to connect.”\n“I always come away from circle feeling calmer and comforted, and with an amazing feeling of being loved and supported by a group of wonderful women.”\nRemember, you can sign up here to find out when our next Circle is running.\nEmilie is a certified women\u0026rsquo;s Circle facilitator with Sistership Circle. She is also undertaking further training with Mitlé Southey, of Circle School (the best place to follow Mitlé is on her Instagram account).\n*\u0026ldquo;Safer\u0026rdquo; than the usual spaces in which we gather. \u0026ldquo;Safer space\u0026rdquo; is a term I learnt in my trainings with Mitlé, as an alternative to \u0026ldquo;safe space\u0026rdquo;. Whilst all Circle holders will ensure their Circle is as safe a space as possible, we can only really say that it is likely to be \u0026lsquo;safer\u0026rsquo; than your average, day-to-day space! ","id":36,"tag":"","title":"What are Circles - and how can they support us in our parenting?","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/what-are-circles/"},{"content":" What is Somatic Movement - and how can it support us? Learning to look after ourselves is a part of life that becomes even more important as we get older. That isn\u0026rsquo;t always easy to hear - many of us live full lives (often with others to take care of as well), and we often end up with little time and energy for taking care of our own needs.\nBut we can find little windows to turn towards ourselves in everyday life - even things as small as taking a pause and a breath, savouring that first sip of tea, or sitting down for a few minutes even when the washing is piling up - these things can bring so much more space into our busy lives.\nAnd then there are some beautiful practices that we can bring into our lives to support us as well. Yes, we have to create a little more space to bring these in - but if we check in with our priorities around what will support us well as we move through life, that can help us find the motivation we need to leave something else to one side for a while to let us focus on ourselves when we can. Somatic Movement is an amazing practice that I am so glad I have worked to make space for in my life. If you too live with pain, are finding your movement is more restricted, struggle to notice when your emotions are rising, or often find yourself feeling stressed and crabby, Somatic Movement can help.\nWhat is Somatics? Somatic Movement, often just referred to as \u0026lsquo;Somatics\u0026rsquo;, is a gentle modality, originally developed by Thomas Hanna, which retrains your nervous system to relieve muscle tension caused by trauma, stress, injury or habits. It is a slow, gentle, conscious form of physical movement, based on developmental movements, and is suitable for all abilities. It is a wonderful way to become more aware of your internal sensations, which is essential for learning new patterns - and getting out of old ones.\nSomatic Movement uses the technique of pandiculation to retrain our nervous system and allow our muscles to release the chronic tension they carry. Think about a dog or cat when it first gets up from a nap: it will always do a big stretch, often first moving slowly into a deep ‘tummy dip’ - curving its back right down so that its tummy almost touches the floor - before rounding its back luxuriously in the most amazing rainbow-shaped curve.\nWhat the animal is doing, is gently contracting a set of muscles, before slowly allowing them to release, and then doing the same with another set of muscles. So in the first movement (the \u0026rsquo;tummy dip), the animal is contracting the muscles all down its back before gently releasing them. And in the second movement (the rounding upwards of the back), the animal is contracting the muscles mainly in its front body and then releasing. I invite you to have a gentle go yourself now, if it calls you - arch your back as if you were doing a big yawn and stretch, and notice, can you feel which muscles are contracting, and then slowly releasing as you allow yourself to gently come back to a resting position? Then do the same crunching forwards - can you feel your stomach and maybe your chest tightening and then releasing as you do so? This action, of moving into a gentle, slow contraction, before slowly releasing those muscles, allows our nervous system to ‘remember’ that ‘this is what it feels like to contract this set of muscles - and this is what full release of those muscles feels like’. And doing this consciously, with different muscle groups, is the basis for the approach of Somatic Movement: we work to become increasingly aware of our movements, and the contraction and release of our muscles, through practising specific body movements, to pandiculate muscles and integrate new patterns. And this allows our nervous system to learn to release the chronic muscle tension which many of us carry.\nWho could benefit from this approach? Anyone who experiences chronic pain, postural issues, or difficulties with sensing their internal sensations, may find Somatics helpful. It is also a beautifully relaxing practice in the moment (I\u0026rsquo;ve not known anyone yet to not come to the end of a session feeling more relaxed!) - as well as, over the long term, supporting the nervous system to release the stress-causing tensions we carry. Finally, Somatics is an extremely helpful foundation for any sort of movement practice or sport that you might enjoy, where moving freely, comfortably and safely is important. It has certainly helped me in my strength training, dancing, and rock climbing hobbies - and even in doing my crochet!\nWhy does it work? The physical movements we repeat regularly are stored in our brain, which helps us to be efficient in our movements. Due to our activities (day-to-day tasks, work, hobbies such as sports or playing a musical instrument, and so on), we develop certain patterns of movement and lose our conscious awareness of what our muscles are doing in those movements. This is what we know as ‘muscle memory’ - the ability to enact a certain posture or movement without any conscious thought about what the muscles are doing.\nAnd it’s very helpful! Imagine if you had to think hard about how to clean your teeth, brush your hair or even just pick up your cup of tea each day - everything would take a very long time, and you would make lots of mistakes! If you want to get an idea of what it would feel like to lose your ‘muscle memory’, just try cleaning your teeth with your non-dominant hand and notice how aware you have to be to do it. (Even if you are ambidextrous, you will likely have preferred hands for different activities - so find an activity where you have a preference and make a switch and see what it’s like!)\nBut over time our ‘muscle memory’ can mean we get stuck in patterns of posture and movement that aren’t as supportive as we might hope. And when these stored posture and movement patterns are causing discomfort or pain (or before even, if possible!!), we need to regain conscious awareness of our muscle contractions so that we can learn to release the muscles fully, rather than carrying unnecessary muscle tension around with us all the time. As well as habitual movements and postures, injuries can cause our muscles to tighten up around the site of the pain/injury, in order to protect us as we heal. This is very helpful in the short term, but these tightenings can continue long after the original injury has healed, as they have become ingrained as a habit (i.e. our nervous system has ‘forgotten’ how to do things differently - how to fully release the muscle contractions). Again, we need to regain conscious control of our muscles to retrain them. Stress and emotional trauma are similarly held in the body, and also need addressing through conscious awareness of our muscular tensions and patterns of posture and movement.\nWhat happens in a Somatic Movement session? Somatic Movement sessions take place in a quiet, warm-enough space, with lighting that is not too bright. Most of the movements are done lying down, on a carpet or exercise mat - the surface ideally needs to be firm but comfortable enough to lie on. A few movements are ideally done in front of a mirror, and a few in a seated position (your Somatics teacher will let you know if you will be doing movements with a mirror or in a chair). Some classes will teach Somatic Movement in a seated position only - which is really helpful if you\u0026rsquo;re not able to get down to the floor, or lie down comfortably. You will need to wear comfortable, stretchy clothing (jogging bottoms/leggings, t-shirt, etc) if possible, which will allow you to move freely. The movements are not strenuous in the way that \u0026rsquo;exercise\u0026rsquo; is, and although you need a bit of floor space and (occasionally!) a chair, there is no special equipment that you need to have.\nYour teacher will guide you in the principles of the approach, and teach you specific self-care movements to support you in gaining awareness and control of your muscles. The aim is for you, the student, to take ownership of the process, to empower you to continue to make gains and overcome issues throughout your life.\nHow long will it take for me to see improvements? There’s no easy answer to this. It will depend on factors like: how long you’ve been carrying the chronic muscle tension; whether you are engaging in habitual movement currently that reinforces any issues you have; and your patterns of tension throughout the body. Along with whether you engage regularly with the practice or not, of course!\nThere is no magic wand for this work. But with regular practice, and through increasing your knowledge and understanding of, and skill in using the approach, you may see significant gains within a few months. The most important thing is to do the exercises slowly, consciously and frequently (daily is ideal). Over time you will start to find yourself bringing the principles into your everyday life, and this helps to bring even more shifts in the issues you are experiencing.\nHow to get started I have a number of offerings for you to explore, to get you started with Somatics. Please feel free to get in touch if you can\u0026rsquo;t find what you\u0026rsquo;re looking for, or if you have any questions at all.\nIf you aren\u0026rsquo;t at all familiar with Somatics, and just want to get a taste of what it can bring you, you might want to start with my one-off, pre-recorded session, Introduction to Somatics.\nIf you want to dig deeper, you can find pre-recorded, themed Somatic Movement courses, covering areas such as stress relief, relieving back pain, and improving breathing, amongst others. These short courses are suitable for beginners to the approach, or for anyone wanting to go a bit deeper into a specific area of their practice.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d prefer to attend live classes (either online or in person, RG40), you can join the membership. I assume no knowledge of Somatic Movement from the start of new themed blocks, and you can find our next start dates here.\nIf you just can\u0026rsquo;t wait for the next themed block of live classes, you can\u0026rsquo;t lie on your back, or you have very specific or complex issues that you wish to work on, please just get in touch to find out about 1:1 sessions.\nYou can find more details about all of my Somatics offerings here, or sign up to our newsletter to be notified of upcoming courses and events, as well as learning more about Somatic Movement. Or you are welcome to get in touch if you want to find out more or ask any questions.\nI look forward to connecting with you in this beautiful practice!\nEmilie\nTestimonials “Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness. Love that you’re doing this!”\nAbout Emilie I am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\n","id":37,"tag":"","title":"What is Somatic Movement - and how can it support us?","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/what-is-somatics/"},{"content":" What is peaceful parenting - and where do I start? Peaceful parenting Peaceful parenting sounds simple from the outside - you just have to parent, without losing your sh*t, right? But you only have to have even just a tiny toe on this path to start to realise that there is SO much more to it than that.\nPeaceful parenting is believing in something different from the prevailing cultural ideas about children and why they (children) do the things they do. It\u0026rsquo;s questioning your own assumptions, exploring your inner experiences, and realising you are only really able to change your own behaviour, not that of others. It\u0026rsquo;s aligning with the latest psychological, neurological, developmental and trauma research. It\u0026rsquo;s not trying one strategy a couple of times and thinking that\u0026rsquo;ll cut it - it\u0026rsquo;s a constant journey of change, and a whole new way of life for many of us.\nFor so many of us, peaceful parenting is a completely new and at times bewildering way of looking at the world, as it\u0026rsquo;s usually so different to how we\u0026rsquo;ve been raised ourselves, and also so different to how our culture wants us to parent our children. In this post, I\u0026rsquo;ve gathered some thoughts and resources for those who are just starting out on this journey, or perhaps those who just need a refresher, some direction or a bit of motivation right now. What is peaceful parenting NOT? Two big myths We have to start with what I feel is one of the two biggest myths about peaceful parenting - and that\u0026rsquo;s that it\u0026rsquo;s all about being Zen-like and calm, and that everybody is happy and cooperative All The Time. I can tell you that this is absolutely not the case - so if you\u0026rsquo;re starting out and thinking you must be getting it wrong because in your family you see lots of big feelings or behaviours like anger, tears, aggression or metaphorically (or literally!) pushing you away, I can absolutely reassure you that you\u0026rsquo;re not getting anything wrong, and this is completely normal in peaceful parenting families!\nAnd the other HUGE myth about peaceful parenting? That there are no \u0026lsquo;rules\u0026rsquo;, and everyone just does whatever they want, all the time, without any regard for others. Nothing could be further from the truth. As you\u0026rsquo;ll see later, peaceful parenting is not an unguided free-for-all, with hands-off parents - far from it. This can be a really tricky area, as we try to balance not being that stern or angry parent who sets lots of arbitrary and unfair limits (something many of us experienced as children, and want to get away from), with finding ways to be together that work for everyone in the family, as we live our day-to-day lives. If this balance doesn\u0026rsquo;t feel like it\u0026rsquo;s quite in place yet, you are not alone - and there are things you can do to find a better balance. We\u0026rsquo;ll come onto more of that a little later too.\nNot a magic wand - or a one-size-fits-all Peaceful parenting is also not a quick fix, or a way to stop your children behaving \u0026lsquo;badly\u0026rsquo;. I think for many of us (myself included), when we first come to this path, we feel like if we\u0026rsquo;re just more peaceful, more connected - generally \u0026ldquo;better\u0026rdquo; at this parenting thing - our children will be \u0026lsquo;fixed\u0026rsquo; and will no longer show the behaviours that trouble us, that they will be cooperative, will be happy… Over time, we realise that actually the big work on this path is all about examining ourselves - our own assumptions, expectations, feelings and reactions - and how we can learn and grow ourselves as we travel this path. Which in turn supports our children hugely. Dealing with our children\u0026rsquo;s behaviours is actually secondary - and \u0026lsquo;fixing\u0026rsquo; them doesn\u0026rsquo;t even come into it.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also really worth saying that peaceful parenting is not going to be the same for everyone. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t look the same in each family, different resources and strategies might be used, and it isn\u0026rsquo;t even always the same for each individual within that family. But at its heart, peaceful parenting has the same root - which is all about connection between parent and child.\nNot the easy path! Before we get into that foundation of connection though, I must dispel one final myth - and that is thinking that peaceful parenting is the easy path to choose. It. Is. NOT!! Even when we\u0026rsquo;ve only just started out on this path, we quickly come to realise this, but I think many who are not on this path do not, and think we\u0026rsquo;re swanning along, leaving our kids to get on with it, and everything is \u0026lsquo;perfect\u0026rsquo; - nothing could be further from the truth!! Peaceful parenting is, over time, a deep-dive into knowing ourselves, knowing our children, establishing our core beliefs and values, and understanding and working with our own challenges, so that we can be the parent we want to be. Easy it is not!\nWhat is peaceful parenting? There are many names for what I am here broadly calling \u0026lsquo;peaceful parenting\u0026rsquo;: gentle parenting, connected parenting, responsive parenting, conscious parenting, intentional parenting, respectful parenting… And I\u0026rsquo;m sure a few more that haven\u0026rsquo;t sprung to mind as I write this! You\u0026rsquo;ll see all of these terms used as you travel this path and do your own research into this area. And although there are arguably some differences between these approaches, they all rest on the same sorts of foundations, which are reflected in their names. But for me, the biggest foundational building block of all, is around developing a strong connection with our children. And if we want to be connected, we will need to (learn to) be respectful, intentional, responsive…\nConnected relationships So building, maintaining, and repairing connection with my children is where I start when I\u0026rsquo;m thinking about my own parenting. Peaceful parenting is about finding connected, peaceful, respectful, cooperative ways to move through life. I might ask myself in any given moment, \u0026lsquo;Will this action or response build connection, in this moment?\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;How can I connect right now?\u0026rsquo; - and this can help to guide me around what I want to do in any given moment.\nAnd there are lots of tools, ideas and strategies out there which can support us in building connection with our children (see below for ideas) - because although it\u0026rsquo;s natural to want to connect with our children, there are lots of things that can get in the way of that at times. That might be things like our own conditioning (how we were raised, how our culture views parenting), or our current circumstances (lack of time, lack of support, lack of capacity to deal with what\u0026rsquo;s coming at us in the moment). But as we examine what\u0026rsquo;s hard, we can slowly take steps towards better understanding what\u0026rsquo;s going on, and making any necessary changes - and bringing our parenting (and our life) more into alignment with our values and beliefs.\nAcceptance, not resignation Another part of peaceful parenting, is about learning to accept circumstances as they are in the moment. That doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean getting stuck there, and resigning ourselves to how things are even if they are hard - but it does mean cultivating a kind of rolling-up-our-sleeves, this-is-how-it-is-right-now sort of mentality, when we\u0026rsquo;re facing the challenges that life throws at us. Because we will face challenges as parents, that\u0026rsquo;s for sure! And being able to do this - being able to accept exactly what is in the moment - is often what can help us to stay calm, even in the face of really big stuff that our children bring to us. Again, this is NOT easy (no surprise there!) - but we can make changes and see shifts, so that we don\u0026rsquo;t get so sucked in to what is hard.\nAnd this is one area where the \u0026lsquo;inner work\u0026rsquo; comes in. Inner work is all about exploring our own unique experiences, so that we get to know ourselves better and understand our own reactions to life. As we do this, we develop the ability to take action and to live from an increasingly informed, intentional, conscious, present-in-the-moment, accepting place - rather than being hijacked by our subconscious, which tends to make us act in ways that we don\u0026rsquo;t always understand, and often later regret!\nFinding a balance with boundaries Further up, I talked about finding balance within our families - this is where boundaries come in. We don\u0026rsquo;t have hard and fast \u0026lsquo;rules\u0026rsquo; in our house about what\u0026rsquo;s \u0026lsquo;allowed\u0026rsquo; and what isn\u0026rsquo;t - we discuss and learn and decide as we go, together as a family. We aim to not damage property, nor to hurt ourselves or each other (with words or anything else!), but that\u0026rsquo;s a guideline not a \u0026ldquo;rule\u0026rdquo; - and we have to help support each other to stay on track with it. What I mean by that, is we don’t make it a hard-and-fast \u0026lsquo;rule\u0026rsquo;, because it would be unrealistic to expect children (and especially our highly reactive children) to always be able to hold off on impulses without support - and let\u0026rsquo;s be honest, even as adults we benefit from support to walk away at times!.\nIn other, more everyday areas, we try to respectfully ask for what we need in a given moment (not always easy as parents!), as well as to reflect on the impact our actions have on others - so a boundary might look like saying, \u0026lsquo;I\u0026rsquo;m feeling really tired right now, and I don\u0026rsquo;t think I\u0026rsquo;m going to manage the mess the paints make - would it be ok to leave that until tomorrow?\u0026rsquo;. Learning to compromise, and to consider our own needs and desires, as well as those of our children and others, is important!\nFinding support I also think it\u0026rsquo;s important to say that I believe that peaceful parenting cannot be done in isolation. It\u0026rsquo;s so different from the mainstream parenting culture (at least here in the West), that going it alone can put you in the firing line from friends, family and even random strangers. So having a community around you (which might be a virtual community, especially if it\u0026rsquo;s hard to find a local, in-person one), is vital to keep you motivated and supported as you travel this path. Find the people who resonate with your path (even if they\u0026rsquo;re not on exactly the same path themselves), who show understanding and acceptance of your experiences, and who help you to learn to look after yourself whilst you are also looking after your family, and you will have unlocked a treasure trove for your travels. Healthy expression of feelings Being very human, as all of us are, there are often big feelings that come up in peaceful parenting families - especially (but by no means only!) from our children. So (another!) one of our big learnings as peaceful parents is how to develop the capacity to \u0026lsquo;hold\u0026rsquo; these big feelings (create space for them, and allow them to be, just as they are). We are taught in our culture (I\u0026rsquo;m in the UK, but many cultures are similar in this respect) that big feelings should be dealt with, gotten rid of, as soon as possible - think of all the times children get told that \u0026lsquo;big girls/boys don\u0026rsquo;t cry\u0026rsquo; or all the times distraction is used to stop tears. And never mind anger, which is absolutely not allowed in our culture - being told off for \u0026rsquo;talking back\u0026rsquo; or being sent to bedrooms and isolated, are common reactions to anger when it comes from children.\nIn a peaceful parenting approach, we aim to allow all feelings that arise - although we may have to step in (warmly) if the behaviours that occur as a result of those feelings are destructive or hurtful. And we learn strategies to support our children to develop ways to express their big feelings in a healthy way, rather than shutting the feelings down or lashing out. (It\u0026rsquo;s also worth knowing that when we get started on this path, you might see an increase in big feelings being expressed by our children - this is because we\u0026rsquo;ve created more connection and safety for them to let the feelings out, so it isn\u0026rsquo;t a bad thing, even though it can feel hard!!)\nWe also learn that all behaviours send a message, and if we only deal with what we see on the surface (like shutting down the behaviours, or stopping the tears, and so on), we\u0026rsquo;re not dealing with the underlying cause of the behaviour. Of course, again, always, a big part of this is doing the inner work to know ourselves and to understand our own reactions to big feelings, so that we can find compassion for what our child is experiencing, but without getting too \u0026lsquo;drawn in\u0026rsquo;. Another huge piece of work on this path!\nA lifetime\u0026rsquo;s journey There\u0026rsquo;s so much more I could say on what peaceful parenting is - I feel like the journey itself is a lifetime one, so there is always so much more to learn and explore and say! Just to finish this section though, I think it can be helpful to hold in mind the guiding principle that people do well when they can (to paraphrase Pam Leo, author and parent educator), and when people feel better, they do better. Connected parenting aims to help people feel what they need to feel, in a supportive, safe relationship, and to move through the feelings and come out the other side. Once we\u0026rsquo;ve done that, we feel better, and so we tend to act in ways that are more aligned with what I call our \u0026rsquo;true selves\u0026rsquo; - loving, cooperative, giving, tending to our own needs, connected, and so on. In other words, we do better.\nThere is just one other thing that I want to briefly touch on here, and that is peaceful parenting as a justice movement. If you follow any peaceful parenting blogs, or accounts on social media, you will see, to a greater or lesser extent, many posts on seemingly unrelated topics like anti-oppression, climate change, and human rights - right alongside all the peaceful parenting information. It\u0026rsquo;s beyond the scope of this post to go into any depth here, but it\u0026rsquo;s important to know that a peaceful parenting approach is one of the strands that contributes to making this world a better, more equitable, more just, more sustainable place - and I believe it can\u0026rsquo;t be divorced from other anti-oppression and social justice work. Peaceful parenting includes tackling our own prejudices, and also learning to speak up against oppression and injustice wherever we see them in the world - how could we say we are a peaceful parent if we let racism, ableism, colonialism, anti-LGBTQ+ and other oppressive stances slide by? You will also see information about childism - even in the world of anti-oppression education, this is an area that is still little understood. But by following a peaceful parenting path, we are digging out one of the core roots of our unequitable society - our children deserve respect just as much as anyone else, and that is what we\u0026rsquo;re trying to give them. Each of us in our own small way is a world changer - and that\u0026rsquo;s something to celebrate! It\u0026rsquo;s also worth noting that peaceful parenting is a privilege. That might sounds strange to hear! But although it\u0026rsquo;s hard for all of us to break out of the path we were shown as we grew up, it becomes even harder as we add layers of oppression and discrimination onto our lives. So for those of us who, like me, have enough money to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads, or who don\u0026rsquo;t have to deal with daily oppressions due to the colour of our skin, or who don\u0026rsquo;t have to work two jobs and therefore have miniscule amounts of time to do this work, or who have the kind of intelligence that society values and therefore can access some of the more densely-presented information that\u0026rsquo;s out there around this work, for example, it is easier (not easy, but easiER!), to try to follow this path. If you are managing layer after layer of oppression as well as doing the work to undo your conditioning, those are extra weights to carry, and I believe it\u0026rsquo;s important to acknowledge and honour that. (If you are managing these extra layers, and need financial support to access my work, we will figure something out.)\nWhat peaceful parenting looks like in our family As I said above, peaceful parenting looks a little different everywhere you go, but I wanted to give you just a taste of how it manifests in our household - food for thought, but definitely not a to-do list!\nIn our house, and in no particular order, peaceful parenting can look like:\nWhole-family discussions about what\u0026rsquo;s working and what\u0026rsquo;s not in our family - and how we want to try to change what\u0026rsquo;s not working.\nAttempts (and failures!) to find a way that meets everyone\u0026rsquo;s needs in a particular situation.\nRevisiting those attempts repeatedly - until we find what works.\nLearning to handle mistakes with warmth and compassion.\nBeing playful and loving, where culture would have us be cold and punitive.\nAcknowledging that when we (parents) get frustrated, it\u0026rsquo;s almost always either that we didn\u0026rsquo;t put a personal boundary in place soon enough, or it\u0026rsquo;s a reaction coming from an old hurt we carry. And then working out what to do about it!\nGetting cross and lashing out (sob!!) - then repairing our connection.\nFinding ways to express anger (not repressing) that aren\u0026rsquo;t directed at the kids.\nChecking in with our beliefs regularly.\nRiding the waves that family life - and wider life - brings (so, learning how to deal with our own big feelings around the things that life throws at us).\nLearning to know and understand ourselves better.\nLearning to look after ourselves.\nLearning that not being perfect is ok!\nWhere you can learn more about peaceful parenting There are many resources out there that can support us on this journey - it can feel quite overwhelming to know where to start! Here are a few of my favourites to get you going - take a look, see what calls you, and leave the rest or come back to it further down your path.\nEducate yourself. On this path, you will get people who think that parenting should \u0026lsquo;come naturally\u0026rsquo; and that we shouldn\u0026rsquo;t have to look for help or support with it. I\u0026rsquo;ve written more about why that isn\u0026rsquo;t the case here, but in short, we DO need to relearn parenting, if we want to do it differently from how we were raised, and from how our local culture expects us to do it. It\u0026rsquo;s the hardest, most involved job we\u0026rsquo;ll ever have to do, so ongoing, on-the-job updating of knowledge and skills is a must - just like in any other job we might do!!\nStart exploring and noting down your own unique core values, beliefs and priorities - these will change over time, and you\u0026rsquo;ll likely want to revisit these often on your journey, but it helps to have some sort of foundation to rest your thoughts, explorations and learning on. When we know what we truly believe in our heart, it makes it MUCH easier to stay steady when we encounter the naysayers, as well as helping us when we have our own personal wobbles about what it is we\u0026rsquo;re trying to do. Over time, we learn increasingly to trust our intuition - which is a huge help in staying aligned with our own values when we encounter the inevitable challenges and changes on our parenting path.\nFind practical peaceful parenting approaches to learn new ideas to support you on this path. Hand in Hand Parenting is a beautiful, neuroscience-aligned approach which encompasses compassion and support for us parents, exactly where we are on our path at any given time, with practical tools to help us navigate the challenges that parenting inevitably throws at us.\nBooks/audiobooks are wonderful sources of inspiration - some of my favourites for getting started are listed here (in book form, because that\u0026rsquo;s my bag!!):\nListen - by Patty Wipfler and Tosha Schore Raising Humans with Heart - by Sarah MacLaughlin Follow aligned accounts on social media - here are just a few of the many helpful ones!:\nHand in Hand Parenting on Instagram or Facebook Latinx Parenting on Instagram or Facebook Aha! Parenting with Dr Laura Markham on Instagram or Facebook Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources with L.R. Knost on Instagram or Facebook Get support - this might be through a counsellor or therapist, through a Listening Partnership (one of the Hand in Hand Parenting tools), or through a like-minded community, like our online community group - or a combination of them all! Support is an invaluable resource on the path.\nExplore some journalling or self-exploration prompts to help you clarify where you\u0026rsquo;re at and what you need to move forwards - finding ways to stay intentional and to dig into our own inner work is essential on our journey. Here are some ideas for you to explore:\nWhat do I do already that builds connection with my child? Are there areas where I notice our connection isn\u0026rsquo;t as strong as I would like? (Hint, that is the case for all of us, and there is no shame in that!) How did my parent/carer/s connect with me as a child? How would I have liked them to connect with me? How can I keep moving forwards on this peaceful parenting path? What small step(s) will I take next? Keep learning and growing! Join our community newsletter to say in the loop with this amazing, challenging work!\nSo there it is - a introduction to peaceful parenting in a rather large nutshell! There\u0026rsquo;s always going to be more to say because in this fascinating, challenging ongoing journey, we know there\u0026rsquo;s just SO much to it - but this is a good place to start building your foundations. Has this post helped you to gain some clarity or insights? What resonated for you - and what didn\u0026rsquo;t?! I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to see where travelling this path will take you - it\u0026rsquo;s the ride of a lifetime! ","id":38,"tag":"","title":"What is peaceful parenting - and where do I start?","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/what-is-peaceful-parenting/"},{"content":" Making mistakes in class It’s humbling (not to mention fascinating) attending classes in the practice you teach.\nFor one thing, you get to hear how others teach it – the subtle nuances, the cues they use to guide, the variations on foundational pieces… It helps to remind you of all that you can still learn. And that’s a wonderful thing.\nAnd it also reminds you of things you might find challenging about the work, in your own personal practice. Although these won’t be exactly like someone else’s, it does serve to nudge you to keep those challenges in mind when you’re teaching. And that helps both with supporting others to navigate those specific challenges, and with meeting people exactly where they’re at in their practice – understanding that there will be challenges, and that if you can learn to navigate them, so can your students.\nI noticed a couple of things a while back when I attended a Somatic Movement class. One, was that I could have easily fallen asleep. Now, this is absolutely not down to the teaching! And Somatics is fascinating, both as a whole, and as it relates to our own individual bodies. But it is also very relaxing, both physically and mentally, as you focus on releasing excess tension from the muscles. And feeling sleepy is a definite side effect for some.\nIt’s not the worst thing in the world to fall asleep during your Somatic Movement practice, but a) you’ll miss the rest of the class, and b) you kinda don’t want to be doing it every time – or at least if you do, it might mean you want to explore where you can get a bit more sleep into your life. But knowing it can happen is really helpful – and, as a teacher, making sure you look out for the signs, getting people to respond to you in some way so that they’re having to ‘snap out of it’ a bit, or using different positions so that people have to turn over etc, can be helpful to support people to stay with the work. A good reminder for me.\nThe other thing feeling sleepy reminded me of, is how easy it is to tune out for a split second – and then miss some very key part of the instruction. Like ‘left’ vs ‘right’. Or ‘go again’ vs ‘don’t go again just yet’. And then you can feel a bit lost and adrift. And oh, but the culture we live in does not give much space for missing something or tuning out or just taking a moment, does it?! So that can bring up all sorts of thoughts around ‘am I doing it right’ or ‘what if I mess up’ or ‘what if I miss something’, or a sense of panic, or whatever your thing is in that situation.\nBut what if we can see those moments as an opportunity for a reparative experience? A chance to find a new somatic response to all those times, probably from school days, when it wasn’t ok to make a mistake or miss something or daydream for a moment? Because Somatic Movement meets you exactly where you’re at, in all your humanness, you can miss things and make \u0026lsquo;mistakes\u0026rsquo; – and you’ll be met with patience and compassion and kindness. What an opportunity for the soma* to start to find safety in those moments of human messiness.\nOf course, it’s unlikely that you’ll suddenly become ok overnight with making mistakes – but every opportunity you get to practise it, in a reparative situation, in a safer space, gives your soma more and more chances to learn that it will survive regardless, even in the harsh, shaming world we live in. If we avoid all that’s hard, if we avoid trying to make mistakes, we never give ourselves a chance to learn how to thrive even when (and even because) we make them.\nAnd as a teacher of Somatic Movement? Missing bits or making mistakes in the classes I attend is a good reminder to me (again, hello humility) as a teacher to repeat things, to check in with people, to explain in a slightly different way… To put the responsibility onto myself as a teacher for ensuring the message gets across - rather than having my students feel it\u0026rsquo;s on them. And even then, people will miss things or make mistakes – and I can help make that feel ok.\nMeeting people exactly where they’re at, embracing their human messiness (celebrating it even!), is something that has long been important to me in my work. Those spaces where you are welcomed just as you are, are so incredibly important to find if you want to thrive in this world. So if you find spaces like that, hold onto them tight – they are worth their weight in all the Good Things. (I was going to say gold – but I don’t think that’s what most of us are seeking, right?!)\n*Soma = your living body as you experience it from the inside.\nFind a beautiful community in our Somatic Movement membership here. You\u0026rsquo;ll be made most welcome \u0026lt;3\n","id":39,"tag":"","title":"Making mistakes in class","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/making-mistakes/"},{"content":" Moving with ease and freedom, through Somatic Movement Somatic Movement is a practice that enables you to learn to release chronic, excessive, unhelpful muscle tension in a lasting way.\nOver time, we are all subject to developing tension in our muscles that we can\u0026rsquo;t \u0026rsquo;let go of\u0026rsquo;. This muscle tension comes about through repeating everyday postures and movements (sitting at our desk or on the sofa, cleaning our teeth, driving…), through our hobbies, through handedness (think how you use each side of your body differently), or through injury/trauma.\nAfter a while of doing something a certain way, our nervous system holds onto this \u0026lsquo;muscle memory\u0026rsquo; and forgets how to let it go when it\u0026rsquo;s not needed. We have forgotten what it feels like to contract and release our muscles in certain ways, and when we can\u0026rsquo;t sense what\u0026rsquo;s going on in our muscles, we can no longer move (contract/release) our muscles in the ways we might want to.\nOver time, this excess muscle tension can lead to pain, stiffness, stress, difficulties with walking and other day-to-day movements, and many more effects that don\u0026rsquo;t serve us well.\nSomatic Movement uses a technique called \u0026lsquo;pandiculation\u0026rsquo; (more on that here), in which we (re-)learn to sense and move our bodies in more efficient, effective ways, and to reduce our resting levels of muscle tension.\nBecause muscle tension is generally held below the level of consciousness, we need to bring this tension to our conscious awareness. The technique of pandiculation means we do exactly this, as we are able to get into the \u0026lsquo;sensory-motor feedback loop\u0026rsquo; to make changes.\nThis means that as we consciously engage in our Somatic Movement practice, we learn to sense and move our bodies in a variety of ways, which enables us to start to actively notice our habitual patterns of muscle tension. Then we can let that tension go when we don\u0026rsquo;t need it. If you\u0026rsquo;ve ever found yourself lying down but not able to actually relax your body fully, or if someone tells you to \u0026lsquo;relax your shoulders\u0026rsquo; but you just can\u0026rsquo;t get them to stay dropped down when you try, you\u0026rsquo;ll know what it\u0026rsquo;s like to be holding onto excess muscle tension. And you\u0026rsquo;re not alone in that! Somatic Movement gives us a way to re-learn how to let the muscles go, so that we can relax our bodies when we want to.\nIt also means that as we carry out the many movements we need or want to do during our days, our muscles can contract efficiently when they are needed, let go when they are not, and move in beautiful coordination with each other. Imagine, if you will, that you carry a lot of tension in your back, and that you want to lean forwards. Leaning forwards involves contracting in the front of the body - but if your back muscles can\u0026rsquo;t let go as you bend, you end up having to work really hard to lean down - your belly muscles are essentially \u0026lsquo;fighting\u0026rsquo; with your back muscles to pull you down.\nNow imagine that you need to lean forwards, but your back muscles have practised and re-learnt their part in this movement (to let go!!), and as you lean forwards they know they aren\u0026rsquo;t needed and can release and lengthen. How much easier do you think this would make bending down?\nYou can try it if you like - carefully! (Never force or push anything.) Tense up your back, and keeping it tense, try to lean forwards. Go as far as is comfortable, pause, then take a breath into your back muscles and see if you can let them go a bit. Does that enable you to lean forwards a little bit further or easily or more comfortably?\nWhat was that like? Was it even possible to try? It\u0026rsquo;s ok if not - Somatic Movement is very exploratory, and there is no aim or agenda. If it didn\u0026rsquo;t feel accessible to you to try that little leaning experiment, that is still useful information that we can bring to our practice. There\u0026rsquo;s no right or wrong in Somatics!\nFor me, over time my Somatic Movement practice has freed up simple, everyday movements, like being able to turn more easily to look over my shoulder when I\u0026rsquo;m driving, or being able to reach up for something on a high shelf without restriction. My excruciating chronic pain in my upper back has reduced down to a mere occasional whisper (which I now know how to manage, with Somatic Movement). The practice has given me SO much more freedom in my walking - I used to have a lot of sciatica pain, which is very rare for me to experience now, and everything just flows so much better. And I\u0026rsquo;m sure I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have managed to get back to my salsa dance teaching without Somatics either! Overall, Somatic Movement has brought a lot more comfort, ease and joy into my movement - I\u0026rsquo;m much more likely to get playful and experimental as I move around now, like I used to when I was younger, and that really helps bring more fun into my life!\nThe best way to see what Somatic Movement can do for you, is to try it. So if this post has piqued your interest, find out how to get started with Somatic Movement here (scroll to the end of the short article for links to resources and classes, if you don\u0026rsquo;t want to read any more). I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to share this practice with you!\nHappy moving! Emilie\n","id":40,"tag":"","title":"Moving with ease and freedom, through Somatic Movement","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/moving-with-ease/"},{"content":" Somatic Movement - a (very!) brief summary Somatic Movement (also often referred to as just \u0026lsquo;Somatics\u0026rsquo;) is a practice which teaches you to release muscle tension at the level of the nervous system. In other words, you learn to re-teach your brain how to let go of muscle contraction when you don\u0026rsquo;t need it. If you ever get general aches \u0026amp; pains in your body, feel stiff when you get up from sitting/lying down, live with chronic pain, have experienced injury or trauma, or can\u0026rsquo;t move as freely and flexibly as you maybe once could, Somatic Movement can help. It is a gentle practice, that you take at your own pace, and within your own capacity and comfort levels. It is accessible to anyone who wants to try it.\nSomatic Movement helps with many things, including:\nReducing stress and tension Reducing chronic pain General relaxation Reducing reactivity Improving comfortable posture Improving comfort in sitting/standing/moving Understanding your own patterns of where you hold muscle tension Becoming more aware of your body sensations Recovery after injury Becoming more flexible in your movement Somatic Movement benefits you in your day-to-day life in areas such as:\nPhysical activities - e.g. gardening, rock climbing, going to the gym Activities where you might be seated or in one position for a while - e.g. crochet, sewing, drawing Work where you spend time sitting at a computer, or driving Practices where you need to move into different positions - e.g. yoga, tai chi, qigong, dance Activities where your form matters in terms of avoiding injury - e.g. running, hiking, strength training Everyday activities - e.g. washing up, making the bed, putting on shoes, getting into different positions such as sitting/lying down If you want to get started on Somatic Movement, these are the offerings that will help you:\nFree, short trial class - pre-recorded, around 20m, free Introduction to Somatics - pre-recorded class, around 60m, £7 Short themed courses - 8 pre-recorded sessions (approximately 1 hour each) on a variety of themes (e.g. tackling back pain, reducing stress, improving breathing) suitable for beginners, plus extra resources to support your understanding and practice, £39 Membership - to join our live classes (online or in-person RG40), start at the beginning of a themed block (start dates can be found on the calendar here), £9/£29/£35 per month For all of these offerings, you will need to be able to get down to/back up from the floor (this can be with a chair or similar to support you to get there) - or be able to try the movements out in bed.\nIf you need more targeted support, or other ways to access the work, you can get in touch to discuss options.\nTo find out more detail about how the practice of Somatic Movement works and how it can help you, you can read this blog post.\n","id":41,"tag":"","title":"Somatic Movement - a brief summary","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/somatics-summary/"},{"content":" What is The Way of the Luminous Heart? I do not find the world of humans an easy place to be in a lot of the time. You know, coz of all the judgement and shaming and stuff. AND I don\u0026rsquo;t believe it has to be this way. I can hold both of these truths simultaneously.\nOn my ongoing healing path, I needed guidance in how to thrive and grow and just be in a world that can be so judgemental, that uses shame as a corrective tactic, and that doesn\u0026rsquo;t give people the support they need, when they need it. A world that so often doesn\u0026rsquo;t want to see us as we truly are, in our wholeness, and our human messiness.*\nI\u0026rsquo;ll be forever thankful that the universe guided me towards Francesca Redden and her amazing body of work that would evolve to become The Way of the Luminous Heart (WOLH).\nBut what is WOLH? And how does it bring about the heart-opening magic that I, and many others, have experienced as we engage with this work?\nWhat is WOLH? The Way of the Luminous Heart is a relational healing approach, that weaves earth, body, heart, energy and soul medicine practices to reconnect us to our inner wisdom and healing, and which bring us back to our authentic, beautiful selves. It understands that we each have the seed of healing inside of us - and that many of us will need guidance to rediscover and tend to this seed.\nThrough this work we can develop increased self-compassion, find sacred self-responsibility (knowing and owning what\u0026rsquo;s ours - and what\u0026rsquo;s not), reignite our own wisdom, passion and ability to heal… So many things. Through our relational connection as we do this work, we are supported to heal past hurts, lay new maps (patterning) of possibility into our soma (our living body as a whole, as we experience it from the inside), and bring in resources and practices to increase our capacity to handle the hard stuff that life throws at us.\nWe learn to connect with our hearts and bodies, to harmonise with the Earth, and to align and restore our energies. We are invited to engage with curiosity, to rest in the mystery, and to open our hearts and trust in where the work takes us. It\u0026rsquo;s a truly awesome and fascinating journey!\nThe Way of the Luminous Heart is an embodied, trauma-informed approach. In our sessions, we explore intentions, engage with beautiful, gentle (yet powerful) practices, and take time for integration. We follow up with ideas of practices and explorations to support us as we integrate the work into our daily lives. In this work, we are held in full acceptance, just as we are, and witnessed in our whole, beautiful, human messiness, as we reconnect with our hearts, bodies, spirits, and the Earth.\nWhat is WOLH not? If you\u0026rsquo;re here reading this, it\u0026rsquo;s likely that you\u0026rsquo;re on some sort of healing path. Maybe you resonate with my experience: struggles with thriving in this often harsh world; learning to move on from living from a space of shame, frustration and struggle; experiences of trauma; habits like self-criticism, people-pleasing and perfectionism; a sense of disconnection from body - and from life… Maybe there\u0026rsquo;s something very unique to you that you wish to explore.\nEither way, you probably already know that NOTHING on this path is going to be a quick fix - and WOLH is no exception. It\u0026rsquo;s not a magic wand. AND it can and does bring significant shifts when we commit to the work (and work through the inevitable frustration, resistance and discomfort!!!). There are no magic wands on this path.\nAnd as I hinted just then, it\u0026rsquo;s also not always comfortable. To heal our hurts, some of our biggest challenges might arise, and this can be painful and feel really hard. And that\u0026rsquo;s ok! Not easy, but ok. (There are times where it is also the sweetest, most expansive, most heart-opening experience as well though!!)\nAnd finally, WOLH is not about coming to see an expert who has all the answers (does anyone, in this healing work??). In your WOLH guide you will find a supporter, who will help you come back to yourself and to the seed of your own inner wisdom - not someone who thinks they know best, has expectations of you and your path, and who will give advice and tell you what you \u0026lsquo;should\u0026rsquo; do. Hopefully you won\u0026rsquo;t encounter this on your healing journey, whatever path you take, but it definitely won\u0026rsquo;t be the case with a WOLH guide.\nHow is it done? WOLH practices are engaged with under the guidance of a WOLH certified guide, like me. WOLH guides undergo an intensive, small-group, 7-month training with Francesca Redden. We engage with the work to support our own healing journey, as well as learning how to bring this work to others who are travelling this path. As I said above, we are not experts in your healing or your journey - we are not here to fix or heal. Instead, we are guides who can support you to come home to yourself, and to find that seed of healing and wisdom that you have inside of you.\nThe WOLH approach can be experienced in groups, or 1:1. Both types of session are a uniquely heart-opening opportunity to rest in a space of full acceptance for each of us, exactly as we are right now. All sessions begin with an opportunity to check in around our intentions for the session (and it\u0026rsquo;s ok if we don\u0026rsquo;t know what they are at this stage too!), and anything that\u0026rsquo;s been present for us since any previous sessions we might have done. The majority of the time is then spent engaging with one of the beautiful WOLH practices, followed by some time at the end for integration, questions and sharings.\nAre 1:1s or group sessions right for me? Both 1:1s and group sessions have their upsides, so there is no one right answer here. Finances might draw you to one or another, or you might be guided by the sense of whether you want to share the experience within a group vs individually. It can be really beautiful to do a mixture - or your leanings might change over time to draw you to one option or another.\n1:1 consultations are more targeted to you as an individual, and your specific experiences and intentions that you bring into a session. That means that practices will be chosen specifically to support you or guide you within that particular session, taking into account your intentions, needs and capacity on that particular day. They are an opportunity to go deep, with tailored support, into issues that arise for you, and to receive specific, individualised guidance to support you as you move forwards.\nGroup sessions give you the opportunity to engage with a range of heart-opening practices as you connect with other beautiful souls doing this work, which is such a valuable way to help us in feeling less alone in the challenges life brings us.\nPractices, energies and experiences from sessions, whether 1:1 or group, can also be brought into our everyday lives, completely shifting how we engage with life, how we manage our internal disharmonies, and how we put ourselves out there into the world.\nHow do I know if it\u0026rsquo;s for me? Ah, this could be both the hardest and the easiest question at the same time! When I was looking around for a counsellor many years ago, I contacted a few, and the responses I received did not, sadly, fill my heart with hope. When I saw Francesca\u0026rsquo;s website (she was working as a counsellor at that time), I immediately knew that I wanted to work with her - even though she lives on the other side of the world from me! Even though I was very caught up in my head at that time, for once, I listened with an open heart to my intuition, and went with the message I received.\nAnd so I guess that\u0026rsquo;s the answer about WOLH too - only you can know if this work feels like it\u0026rsquo;s a good fit for you! You can take a look at my About page on my website and see if my outlook and values match with yours. You can get in touch with me to connect and ask me any questions you might have. You can even try a pre-recorded, introductory WOLH session and see what shifts you notice through getting a taste of this work. But ultimately, I invite you to check in with your heart and see if you feel that this work might be supportive to you, right now, where you are at.\nFor me, the Way of the Luminous Heart approach has been life changing. I have such an incredibly different experience of the world through doing this work - I am more compassionate, peaceful and trusting, and things unfold with so much more ease as I move through the ups and downs of life. I experience myself as love, and the Earth as benevolent and supportive. I have a deeper connection with my ancestors, as well as having many more resources and internal supports. Life feels better, and even when things feel hard, I can hold that challenge with curiosity and love. I wonder if anything there resonates for you, as something you would like more of in your life? If so, reach out and we can see if working together feels like the right thing to do. I will never, ever do a hard sell; if I think you won\u0026rsquo;t benefit from working with me - or if I think there\u0026rsquo;s something that would support you better - I will let you know.\nHow do I find out more about WOLH sessions? As you have hopefully gathered by now, I am a certified WOLH guide. Visit my website to find out more about group sessions or 1:1 sessions, or contact me with any questions you might have. You will also find other wonderful WOLH guides listed on Francesca\u0026rsquo;s website.\nFor ongoing inspiration and guidance, you can find me on Instagram or Facebook, or via my website, where you can also sign up to receive my as-and-when newsletter.\nFind Francesca Redden and her inspiring work on Instagram or Facebook, as well as via her newsletter.\nWishing you wonderful things as you travel your healing path! Much love, Emilie xx\n(*I think the world is AMAZING and that people are beautiful and good - AND I know that so many of us are wounded and hurting, and that is often the bedrock that cultures are built on; pain and hurt. And that this affects how each of us approaches the world, and can make it such a challenging place to live in. AND I always always believe that a seed of goodness and beauty and pure heart resides in each of us, even in our biggest struggles and darkest moments.)\nReflections \u0026ldquo;I am so grateful to Emilie for the wonderful sessions we had together, they have been truly transformative. What I have seen through my journeying has strengthened the connection to my inner wisdom, and to the oneness of the universe. I have loosened my attachment to fear and past trauma in certain difficult relationships, which has opened up an enduring space in which to plant seeds of love and connection. Emilie thank you ❤️\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Thank you so much Emilie I’ve really enjoyed working with you on this! ❤️🙏It’s really opened my eyes (and heart!) to a new way of understanding / being. I’m excited to explore this more. I’ve been amazed at how powerful it’s been to explore my emotions through my body and heart. I can see the effects the next day and the next week, it has felt like tapping into a new, for me previously untapped, source of healing. As a therapist, and someone who has not experienced such a healing approach before, it’s been humbling and heartening for me to be in the place of client and have little idea of what to expect or what I should do. Your warm grounded guidance through the beautiful embodied practices (is that the right word) meant that I instantly knew I was in safe hands. This allowed me to feel free to fully explore where my heart and feelings lead me. Such a freeing empowering experience that has really left me with a sense of being more connected with my body and myself.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;My WOLH session with Emilie was heart-opening. There was a phrase that came to me during our work together, and I\u0026rsquo;ve come back to it since as a calming measure, as a way to check in with myself. I full-heartedly recommend working with Emilie, and I look forward to future experiences with her, as well.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Emilie guided me through the WOLH session with great tenderness and warmth, inviting me to open to whatever came up while reminding me of how to stay grounded. Emilie has such integrity and authenticity, it was a pleasure to share this experience with her and I felt calmed and open hearted afterwards, having experienced some beautiful moments of connection. Thank you so much.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;While its fresh in my mind I wanted to email to thank you so much for this evenings session. It was so deeply relaxing, but also very focused. I was surprised at how focused and present I felt. I didn\u0026rsquo;t expect to physically feel anything so to feel more open in my body and experience the tingling in my neck was a surprise. I feel calmer, softer and more connected to my body after that session which I am so grateful for as I live so much from my neck up! Thank you Emilie, I feel I can absolutely trust in whatever you bring us, and I am so grateful to you for offering that session xx\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Thank you so much Emilie. I found the session yesterday evening really nurturing and it gave be quite a bit of new insight. Thank you for your care and compassion guiding me through it and for giving me the session, I feel so grateful and appreciative of your presence and insights. I have had a busy day with quite a few demands along the way and I have regularly visualised the images brought to me in the session and it helped me kind of soften to myself at difficult moments which is quite a different response to my automatic “metal cage” that I feel like is usually my structure and way of coping (not sure that makes any sense)! Anyway thank you from my heart, I will practice the daily reflections you talked about. With much love and gratitude Emilie\u0026rdquo;\n","id":42,"tag":"","title":"What is The Way of the Luminous Heart?","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/what-is-wolh/"},{"content":"I am taking a break from my dance fitness work - whilst I complete my Clinical Somatic Educator training. Check back soon for more information on classes.\n","id":44,"tag":"","title":"Fitness","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/fitness/"},{"content":"Somatic Movement is a gentle movement education modality, originally developed by Thomas Hanna, which retrains your nervous system to release chronic muscle tension caused by trauma, stress, injury or habits. It is a slow, conscious form of physical movement, and is suitable for all abilities. It is a wonderful way to gently relieve chronic pain, to reduce stress, and to become more aware of your internal sensations, which is essential for learning new patterns - and getting out of old ones. You\u0026rsquo;ll find all of my Somatic Movement offerings here on this page. Visit the blog to find out more about how Somatic Movement works, and how it can benefit you.\nWhat is Somatic Movement? Blog Find out more about the benefits of Somatic Movement, and how it works, on my blog.\nFind out more\u0026hellip;\nYouTube channel Find sample movements on my YouTube channel, as well as hearing me speak on various aspects of the practice of Somatic Movement.\nFind videos\nFree short recording If you want to get a taste of what Somatic Movement is all about, you can access a free, mini recorded session here.\nSubscribe\u0026hellip;\nFull single class recording for beginners If you would like to experience more than just a taste, and try out a full session, my full class recording is for you (£7).\nFind out more\u0026hellip;\nGetting Started Short courses for beginners Explore my Somatic Movement short courses for beginners, which will give you a solid foundation to work from.\nFind out more\u0026hellip;\n1:1 packages For a more personal approach, 6-session 1:1 packages are available. Note: for a short while these will be available on special offer, whilst I finish my clinical training.\nFind out more\u0026hellip;\nGoing Further Membership Following your initial short course or 1:1 package, take the work deeper by joining a regular group class, via our membership community.\nFind out more\u0026hellip;\n1-1 consultations After getting your foundations in place, you can book further 1:1 sessions, either as a block, or on an ad hoc basis as required. These sessions can be useful when you want to dig deeper into a specific area of your practice, or get some personal support and feedback.\nFind out more\u0026hellip;\n","id":45,"tag":"","title":"Movement: Somatics","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/"},{"content":"Explore my offerings here\n","id":46,"tag":"","title":"Offerings","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/"},{"content":"Use the calendar below to find upcoming dates for my various offerings. Dates may be subject to occasional change. If you have any questions, please get in touch.\nEvent Upcoming Dates Somatic Movement classes (weekly, online) Available via the membership, or as drop-in sessions (existing clients only). Next block theme: Working with the periphery. Starts Sat 19th Sept. Saturdays (10-11.15am, London time) No classes on the following dates (2026): 10th \u0026amp; 17th Oct Somatic Movement classes (weekly, in person) Available via the membership only. Next block theme: Working with the periphery. Starts Mon 21st Sept. Currently full. Please get in touch to receive information when spaces open up. Mondays (7.45-9pm, Finchampstead) No classes on the following dates (2026): 12th \u0026amp; 19th Oct Somatic Movement classes (drop-in, online) Suitable as a taster session for beginners, or as a refresher. Saturdays (10-11.15am, London time) Upcoming dates: Sat 9th Jan \u0026lsquo;27 Somatic Movement classes (drop-in, in person) Suitable as a taster session for beginners, or as a refresher. Mondays (7.45-9pm) Upcoming dates: Mon 11th Jan \u0026lsquo;27 (if space) Somatic Movement 1:1 sessions By arrangement. Get in touch to find out more. Dance fitness classes More details to follow Visit the Purple Salsa website to find out about our salsa offerings! Tuesdays (7.45-10.30pm, Emmbrook) No classes on the following dates (2026): 22nd \u0026amp; 29th Dec ","id":47,"tag":"","title":"Offerings Calendar","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/calendar/"},{"content":"If you\u0026rsquo;ve arrived here then you\u0026rsquo;ve probably followed a link from some of my parenting-related content - welcome!\nWhilst my work has currently shifted from focusing directly on parenting, I still have an affinity with parents and a lot of my offerings are still very relevant to parents. Please have a browse of the rest of the site to see what calls you, or get in touch for more information.\n","id":48,"tag":"","title":"Parenting","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/parenting/"},{"content":"Discover the joy of salsa dance through our weekly, in-person classes on Tuesday nights in Emmbrook. Find out more on our Purple Salsa website, dedicated to all things salsa!\n","id":50,"tag":"","title":"Salsa","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/salsa/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Introduction to Somatic Movement (one-off recorded session) This beautiful 1.25-hour online pre-recorded session, will give you an experience of the amazing practice that is Somatics - so you can get a taste, before you join us for our 4-week beginner’s course!\nThis session is for you if:\nYou want to spend some time calming and settling your nervous system\nYou have chronic pain and want to learn an effective practice to support you to reduce your pain\nYou want to increase your awareness of your internal body sensations\nYou want a practice that helps with postural issues\nYou just want to take some time for yourself to relax!\nYou’ve never done Somatic Movement before and want to give it a try\nYou’ve done Somatic Movement before but want a refresher or a boost for your practice\nYou want to get a sense of my teaching style!\nI won’t go into what Somatics is all about here - nor how beneficial it is!! - because you can get a sense of that by visiting this page. Or you can get in touch if you have questions. But if you already know this is something you want to try, read on for more info!\nEvent details This offering is a pre-recorded, \u0026lsquo;first steps\u0026rsquo; session, to give you a taste of what Somatic Movement is all about. You will be introduced to a little of the theory, as well as experiencing some foundational movements that you can weave into your life as soon as you have watched the session. This is a very experiential session, designed to enable you to get a real feel for what Somatic Movement is all about - so come ready to move!\nWhat you will learn\nThe basic underlying theory of the Somatic Movement approach Foundational movements which you can practise at home How Somatic Movement supports your unique body An effective way to settle your nervous system How to become more aware of your own body sensations How we do it?\nIn our pre-recorded 75-minute session (approximate timing), you will receive a grounding in the Somatic Movement approach, including the basis of the theory underpinning the practice, and you will experience some of the foundational Somatics movements.\nThis is a highly practical and experiential session - you will need space to lie down on the floor, on a carpet or exercise mat, and preferably with enough space to spread your arms out to the sides (as if you were doing a snow angel!). Wear comfortable, flexible clothing for the best experience.\nPre-requisites: none.\nRequirements: preferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out; ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but recommended!); internet access. Please get in touch if you are unsure about any of these requirements.\nExchange: £7 for the session, including lifetime access to your session recording, as well as extra teaching videos. On signing up for this offering, you will receive access to all the resources you need - please note, as I only work part-time, it may take a day or two to hear back from me with this information.\nIf you would like to hear about future Somatic Movement offerings, you can sign up to our newsletter.\nAnd if you would like to take this life-changing practice further, you can sign up to our beautiful 4-week course, where you can either join a live run-through, or you can purchase the recorded version to access in your own time.\nBook now Somatic Movement\nSomatic Movement is a gentle modality, originally developed by Thomas Hanna, which retrains your nervous system to overcome chronic pain caused by trauma, stress, injury or habits. It is a slow, conscious form of physical movement, and is suitable for all abilities. It is also a wonderful way to become more aware of your internal sensations, which is essential for learning new patterns. For more information about what Somatics is and how it works, you can visit this page, or of course you can contact us if you have questions.\nBenefits of Somatics:\nReducing chronic pain\nImproving posture\nIncreasing body awareness\nRetraining movement patterns\nSettling the nervous system\nImproving breathing patterns\nIncreasing sense of grounding and relaxation\nAbility to move more freely\nIncreasing ability to attend effectively to the body\u0026rsquo;s needs\nLowering the chance of recurring injuries\nRe-educating the nervous system in better stillness and movement patterns\nReducing stress and anxiety\nImproving range of movement\nAlleviating or preventing many functional conditions\nPreventing joint degeneration\nLearning an empowering practice\nAbout Emilie\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from Introduction session attendees \u0026ldquo;I was unable to attend the session live and have had the recorded session in my inbox for 3 months now. I finally found time to do it and I wish I\u0026rsquo;d done it earlier! I had no idea what Somatics was about and I found it very enjoyable and loved taking the time to rest my body and learn about controlling my movements. Even during the practice I noticed how much more comfortable my lower back was, and my hips felt softer/happier (!) after the practice too. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to doing some more Somatics to help me slow down and learn to listen to my body more. Thank you so much Emilie!\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;My back was really bad this morning and just finishing that then, it felt, I mean it\u0026rsquo;s still there, but it didn\u0026rsquo;t feel quite as bad. So it\u0026rsquo;s a really nice feeling - I just feel more relaxed generally.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;That was amazing, thank you!\u0026rdquo;\nFor more reflections on Somatics, you can visit the Testimonials tab on the Somatics beginner\u0026rsquo;s course page.\n","id":51,"tag":"","title":"Introduction to Somatic Movement (pre-recorded)","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/intro-session/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Relax \u0026amp; Restore - Somatic Movement drop-in classes (all levels, online class) Welcome to our Relax \u0026amp; Restore online Somatic Movement classes - exploring gentle yet powerful movements to release muscle tension, for whole-body relaxation, stress reduction, and freer movement.\nWhether you are a complete beginner when it comes to Somatic Movement, or you\u0026rsquo;ve done some (or plenty!) but want to get some more practice in, these classes are for you.\nNot yet familiar with what Somatic Movement can do for you? Read about the benefits here.\nFriday drop-in Relax \u0026amp; Restore classes run online, on a monthly basis. No knowledge of Somatic Movement is needed to attend. You can book individual sessions - or you can access these sessions (as well as session recordings) at no extra cost as part of our Somatic Movement membership.\nThis is a live offering - recordings are only available as part of our Somatic Movement membership.\nBook now\nContent\nOur Friday morning, all levels sessions, run from 10.45-11.45am, with an extra 15 minutes at the end of class for those who want to share their experiences or ask questions.\nWe will cover the principles and techniques of Somatic Movement, and sessions will be aimed at releasing muscle tension so that you leave at the end feeling relaxed, stress-free, and rejuvenated.\nThese sessions are aimed at complete beginners - and for those who already have some experience, as you know, attending class will bring even more layers to your practice, as well as giving you a chance to Just Feel Good!\nInvestment: £12/class. (Or included in your membership.)\nUpcoming dates: Friday morning sessions are usually the first Friday of the month. Please visit the calendar page on the website to find specific dates. On booking, you are booking for the next upcoming date.\nPre-requisites:\nNone.\nRequirements:\nPreferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out if possible; Zoom (free download); ideally the ability to position the camera so I can see most or all of your body when you are lying on the floor (or at very least your torso) (optional, but recommended!); ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be; intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but highly recommended!).\nPlease do get in touch if you are unsure about any of these requirements.\nBook now\nMore details Live classes are 1-hour, online, group sessions, practising Somatic Movement, and are suitable for anyone who wishes to experience this practice and meets the requirement described above. If you have specific learning needs, or questions about the suitability of these sessions, please do get in touch.\nOn booking, you will receive class information via email.\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from Somatics session attendees “Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness.\nLove that you’re doing this!”\n","id":53,"tag":"","title":"Relax \u0026 Restore - Somatic Movement drop-in classes (all levels, online class)","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/relax-restore/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Somatic Movement - short courses I offer a number of short courses to help you get started with Somatic Movement, whilst focusing in on an area that feels particularly important for you. All short courses are suitable for complete beginners. These courses are available on demand (£39) - or you can join the next course live (£96) if you wish to.\nAttend our next short course live - start date: 4th July 2026\nLive courses are £96 for 8 sessions - £76 on early bird. You also get access to a recorded version of the course - this might not be a recording of the exact class that you attend, but classes will cover the same themes, movements and techniques. Book via the button below - you are booking for the next upcoming course (start date 4th July).\nBook now\nOn-demand versions of our themed short courses are currently available as follows:\nFreeing up and easing pain in the lower body - lower back, pelvis, hips, glutes legs, feet and easy walking Stress relief Relieving pain and tension in the back Rebalancing and untwisting the body Better breathing - classes currently being added (May-June 2026) Future courses will include the following - please check back soon or join our community newsletter to hear when these courses become available:\nRelaxation (start date for live sessions - 4th July) Freeing up the periphery of the body - working with the face, jaw, head, neck, eyes, hands and feet (start date tbc) Whole-body movement, rotation and integration (start date tbc) Relieving pain and freeing up movement in the upper body - upper back, chest, ribcage, shoulders, neck and arms (start date tbc) Our final short course option, is a complete course in the foundations of the approach, but taken in bite-sized pieces. Please click through this link to find out more, as it is unlike the other, 8x hour-long, themed courses. Any of the themed courses or the Small Steps course will give you the foundations you need to practise this approach, or to take it further via the membership or other offerings.\nEvent details Each on-demand themed course includes a total of 8, hour-long pre-recorded classes, as well as access to a library of individual movement videos to support your work. All resources are available on demand once you have purchased your course. Full classes are recorded as audio only - the library of individual movements are videos. The Small Steps course has it\u0026rsquo;s own curriculum and a different number/length of classes - please visit this link to find out more.\nAll courses assume no knowledge, so are suitable for complete beginners to the approach. You can pick one course, or more than one if you wish to - and you can begin with any course that you are drawn to starting with. See below for more detail about each of the courses.\nAll courses will give you the foundational information and experience that you need to then join our weekly live sessions if you wish to, so that you can continue to deepen and expand your practice and the benefits you get from this work.\nOn purchasing any of these courses, you will also gain access to my Somatic Movement pre-recorded beginner\u0026rsquo;s course. You do not need to work through the beginner\u0026rsquo;s course before starting on your themed course - it is just there as an extra bonus, if you wish to explore it.\nWhat you will learn\nThe basic underlying theory of the Somatic Movement approach How to release muscle tension effectively Foundational movements which you can practise at home How Somatic Movement supports your unique body An effective way to settle your nervous system How to become more aware of your own body sensations Specific movements aligned with your themed course Course pre-requisites: none.\nRequirements: preferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out; ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions; internet access. Please get in touch if you are unsure about any of these requirements.\nInvestment: £39 per on-demand course, including lifetime access to your course recordings, as well as extra individual movement teaching videos. On signing up for your course, you will receive an email with all the details you need to access your resources - please check your spam folders if you can\u0026rsquo;t see it, and then get in touch if you still can\u0026rsquo;t find it.\nAnd if you would like to take this life-changing practice further, you can sign up to our Somatic Movement membership, which gives you access to ongoing live classes (membership options 2 and 3) or recordings (membership option 1).\nCourse details and bookings\nLower body focus (lower back, hips, glutes, legs, feet)\nGiving you an experience of Somatic Movement with a focus on the lower body, this course covers areas such as freeing the centre of the body to free up the legs, sensing and moving the hips more efficiently and comfortably, and freeing up tension in the legs and feet. We finish with a session to bring our attention to moving freely in walking - Somatic Movement helps us to move more efficiently and comfortably and freely, and as many of us walk a lot during our days, this helps us to translate our practice into functional, everyday movement.\nThis course is for you if you: have pain/discomfort in any areas in the lower body, including sciatica, plantar fasciitis, SI joint pain, lower back pain, hip or knee pain; you want to be able to walk or move more freely and comfortably; you know you carry tension in the lower part of the body and want to know how to free the muscles up.\nBook now\nStress relief\nWhere do you hold stress and tension in the body? This course helps you to learn to recognise and sense your patterns in terms of muscle tension when stressed, so that you can gently release the holding. This is a \u0026lsquo;virtuous circle\u0026rsquo; - when we hold less tension in the muscles, our body feels less stressed, and when we feel less stressed, we hold less tension in the muscles\u0026hellip; Tackling tricky areas like the shoulders, neck and jaw, as well as the full-body patterns of muscle tension that many of us experience when we\u0026rsquo;re under stress, this course gives many ideas to help us to feel freer and more comfortable in our bodies.\nThis course is for you if you: have a lot of stress in your life; want to manage the symptoms of stress more effectively; want to understand better where you hold tension and learn to let it go; know you hold tension or have pain or discomfort in areas like the shoulders, neck and jaw.\nBook now\nBack pain\nDo you have back pain? Are you nervous to move because of it? Maybe you have noticed your ability to do everyday movements like bending or reaching has reduced? This course will address back pain in the context of whole-body patterns, so that you get to the root cause of what\u0026rsquo;s contributing to your issues, rather than just working with the symptoms. Through gentle, developmental movements, you will learn to understand the tension that you hold in your muscles that is restricting movement and causing pain, and learn to release that tension, so that you can move more easily and reduce chronic pain.\nThis course is for you if you: experience back, hip, knee or foot pain; want to understand your patterns of muscle holding that are contributing to your pain; want to move more freely in walking, day-to-day activities, or for your hobbies.\nBook now\nRebalancing and untwisting the body\nDo you have one-sided pain, such as in just one hip, knee or shoulder? Do you feel like you\u0026rsquo;re not balanced side to side - maybe you\u0026rsquo;ve been told one leg is longer than the other? Or perhaps you know you have a twist in your pelvis, or much more freedom of movement in one side of the body than the other. In this course, we focus on what\u0026rsquo;s going on when we have issues with one side of the body, by addressing the left-to-right muscle tension imbalances we hold, whether that\u0026rsquo;s through injury, hobbies, handedness, or issues like scoliosis.\nThis course is for you if you: have pain in areas on one side of the body; feel asymmetrical in any way; have asymmetrical hobbies such as golf or playing the violin and experience issues because of this; want to even up freedom of movement in the two sides of your body; want to learn how to rotate and twist freely and evenly through your body.\nBook now\nBody awareness\nHow well do you know your body? Many of us doing the work of Somatic Movement come into it either feeling like we don\u0026rsquo;t know our body at all, or thinking we know it (before realising we myabe don\u0026rsquo;t know it as well as we thought!) - but either way, we learn so many amazing and useful things about ourselves as we practice these slow, gentle, yet powerful movements in this work. This course will take your self-sensing and self-understanding to the next level, to help you move more easily in everything you want to do in life, as well as helping you to notice sensations as they arise, so that you can do what you need to do to live your life as fully and freely as you can.\nThis course is for you if you: feel like you don\u0026rsquo;t have good body awareness and would like to develop it; feel like you know yourself quite well but aren\u0026rsquo;t moving as freely as you\u0026rsquo;d like and can\u0026rsquo;t work out why; struggle to notice sensations in your body as they arise; are interested in how this practice can help you to understand yourself better.\nBook now\nBetter breathing\nHow does it feel to breathe freely and easily? Our breathing is often restricted by the muscle tension we hold in our body - for example when muscles are habitually contracted in areas like the belly, ribs and diaphragm. Sometimes we don\u0026rsquo;t even know our breathing is restricted - until we free it up. This themed series of sessions gives you a range of movements that free up the muscles that we need to have moving and releasing efficiently, in order for us to breathe well.\nThis course is for you if you: feel like your breath is restricted or doesn\u0026rsquo;t come easily*; feel like you can\u0026rsquo;t get enough air; tend to chest breathe; experience stress that impacts your breathing; want to feel more relaxed in your body as a whole.\n*Note: this course won\u0026rsquo;t directly help with breathing issues that are a result of medical conditions. However, you may find that the increased relaxation in the system, and improved efficiency of movement in the muscles, gives you some improvement in your breathing. Always check with your doctor if you are unsure.\nBook now\nRelaxation\nHolding habitual tension in the muscles gives our body the message that we aren under threat - which makes it hard to relax, as our body readies itself for a fight or flight response. It\u0026rsquo;s not our fault! But we can learn how to release tightly held muscles to bring true and lasting relaxation to the whole system.\nThis course is for you if you: lead a stressful life; feel like you can\u0026rsquo;t relax; tend to be more reactive than you\u0026rsquo;d like to incidents in your life; struggle to get to sleep; have aches and pains that you can\u0026rsquo;t shift; want to get to know your body better.\n\u0026ldquo;This block of the course has been excellent for showing how releasing tension in one part of the body can release pain somewhere totally different. It has helped me recognise tension in my neck and shoulders, and identify ways of dealing with that. Amazing stuff - thank you!\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I loved the insights about my soma/ body and how it brings awareness and ease to everyday movements like cycling, reaching up. I joined live, the accountability more suits my neurodivergent mind.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I have loved exploring the movements in different ways and being able to get into some gnarly spots that I didn\u0026rsquo;t know existed. It has also been beneficial to \u0026lsquo;go easy\u0026rsquo; on some of the moves to really notice what my body is feeling.\u0026rdquo;\nBook now\nWorking with the periphery (head, neck, face, jaw, eyes, hands, feet)\nThis course is currently being created, with a new session added usually weekly from early September. Purchase now and get access to all available sessions (from 12th Sept onwards).\nDo you have pain, discomfort or restricted movement in the outer parts of your body, such as hands and feet? How does that connect with where the muscles hold tension in the body as a whole? Through this Somatic Movement course, we address these more peripheral parts in connection with the rest of the body system, relearning the patterns that cause us pain and restriction, so that we can release tension to feel and move better.\nThis course is for you if you: get tension headaches; have a stiff or sore neck; have TMJ issues; spend a lot of time at the computer or driving; have pain or discomfort in hands/fingers or feet/toes, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or plantar fasciitis; want more ease of movement in areas like turning the head and moving the limbs freely.\nBook now\nWhole-body movement, rotation and integration\nComing from 9th Jan 2027.\nWant to feel more connected, with your body moving smoothly, efficiently, and in a pain-free way? In this course, we focus on the body as a system, learn about our unique patterns of holding, reconnect the parts to move in coordination, and find more ability to twist through the whole body - essential for everyday activities like walking.\nThis course is for you if you: want to better understand your body, your patterns of muscle tension, and how to move freely; have pain or discomfort that you can\u0026rsquo;t seem to pin down and address; feel like you don\u0026rsquo;t walk as freely as you once did; want to move more easily for engaging with hobbies, work, or family activities.\nBook now\nUpper body focus (upper back, shoulders, neck, arms)\nComing soon.\nThrough addressing full-body patterns of muscle tension, this course focuses on issues in the upper body, including upper back, shoulders, neck and arms. When we are restricted in our upper body, it can cause pain, and makes it harder to reach, twist, use our hands, and many other functions.\nThis course is for you if you: have a stiff neck or tension headaches; have pain or discomfort in the middle or upper back; have tension in your shoulders; have restricted movement in the upper body; struggle to turn to look behind you; want to feel like movement comes more easily and freely when using the arms and hands.\nBook now\nSmall Steps to Somatic Movement\nAn on-demand, self-paced course, to give you the foundations of Somatic Movement in accessible, bite-sized steps. Suitable for those with full lives, but who know they want to move and feel better!!\nThis course is for you if you: know you want to get started on Somatic Movement, but have trouble finding hour-long chunks of time right now; think you might want to get started on Somatic Movement, and need an easy way in; want to join the weekly live sessions, but need something bite-sized to get you to that point; enjoy doing the work in your own time and at your own pace.\n*Note: this course has a different structure to the themed courses listed above, with more, but shorter, sessions than the themed courses. Please visit this link to find out more.\nBook now\nSomatic Movement\nSomatic Movement is a gentle modality, originally developed by Thomas Hanna, which retrains your nervous system to overcome chronic pain caused by trauma, stress, injury or habits. It is a slow, conscious form of physical movement, and is suitable for all abilities. It is also a wonderful way to become more aware of your internal sensations, which is essential for learning new patterns. For more information about what Somatics is and how it works, you can visit this page, or of course you can contact us if you have questions.\nBenefits of Somatics:\nReducing chronic pain\nImproving posture\nIncreasing body awareness\nRetraining movement patterns\nSettling the nervous system\nImproving breathing patterns\nIncreasing sense of grounding and relaxation\nAbility to move more freely\nIncreasing ability to attend effectively to the body\u0026rsquo;s needs\nLowering the chance of recurring injuries\nRe-educating the nervous system in better stillness and movement patterns\nReducing stress and anxiety\nImproving range of movement\nAlleviating or preventing many functional conditions\nPreventing joint degeneration\nLearning an empowering practice\nAbout Emilie\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from session attendees \u0026ldquo;When I do tai chi, the instructor is very keen on us feeling grounded, and feeling that our body is connected all the way down to the ground. After doing that [Somatic Movement class], for the first time I really felt that connection between my lower legs and the floor as I\u0026rsquo;m standing on it. The exercises improved my sensation of my feet connecting to the floor - so rather than just my sole connecting to the floor, I felt my whole foot connecting, with the sensation also working its way up through my leg. It was a very different sensation of sensation. It was great, it was really good!\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I’m just starting my Somatics journey in the last year. It’s so interesting to learn a new practise and find out new things about my body. The practise of pandiculation is at once immensely relaxing, rewarding and strengthening. I recommend it to everyone to enjoy your body and learn how to feel more present in it. It has really helped get rid of neck and shoulder pain.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve found ease of movement, ease of breathing, and the ability to do the things that I really want to do!\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Thank you for this experience! I had heard of somatics, but didn\u0026rsquo;t have a real frame of reference for what it is. This experience has been eye opening. These seeming small movements greatly affect the way my body feels, holds tension, and its balance. I cannot thank you enough for sharing somatics with me!\u0026rdquo;\n","id":54,"tag":"","title":"Somatic Movement - short courses","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/short-courses/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Somatic Movement Beginner\u0026rsquo;s Course Our Somatic Movement beginner\u0026rsquo;s course will give you a grounding in the approach, including the basis of the theory underpinning the practice, and experiencing a range of Somatics movements.\nThe foundation of the course is 4 practical sessions, of approximately 1 hour each.\nIn addition, you will have access to a range of supportive materials, including short recordings to enhance your learning and practice.\nThere are 3 ways to access our beginner\u0026rsquo;s course (scroll down to the \u0026lsquo;Options\u0026rsquo; descriptions for further details):\nOnline, via recordings Online, via live sessions In person, via live sessions Content\nAll versions of the course provide the following:\n4 recorded video versions of the full beginner\u0026rsquo;s class content (approx 60m each). 4 recorded audio versions of the full beginner\u0026rsquo;s class content (approx 60m each). Short recordings of the class content, for further practice (approx 20m each). A bonus seated class (video and audio versions, approx 60m each). Reference videos of the movements described in class. Access to a community of those practicing Somatic Movement. Access to further useful resources. Lifetime access to recorded resources. Support throughout the course, via email. Option 1: The online, pre-recorded course\nGet all of the resources as described above, to access in your own time, at your own pace.\nInvestment: £30.\nBook now\nOption 2: The live, online course\nAll of the above resources, plus the 4 beginner\u0026rsquo;s classes delivered live, online.\n(For dates of upcoming courses, please visit the calendar page on the website.)\nTime in class for sharing experiences/asking questions.\nInvestment: £40 / £45 / £50 (chooose your price).\nBook now\nOption 3: The live, in-person course\nAll of the above resources, plus the 4 beginner\u0026rsquo;s classes delivered live, online.\n(For dates of upcoming courses, please visit the calendar page on the website.)\nTime in class for sharing experiences/asking questions.\nInvestment: £50.\nBook now\nYou can also sign up to my newsletter to be kept informed of upcoming course dates.\nWhat you will learn\nThe basic underlying theory of the Somatic Movement approach Foundational movements which you can practice at home How Somatic Movement supports your unique body An effective way to settle your nervous system How to become more aware of your own body sensations Pre-requisites:\nNone.\nRequirements:\nRecorded course: preferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out; ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but recommended!).\nLive, online course: preferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out; Zoom (free download); ability to position the camera so I can see most or all of your body when you are lying on the floor (or at the very least your torso) (optional, but recommended!); ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but recommended!).\nLive, in-person course: ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but recommended!).\nPlease get in touch if you are unsure about any of these requirements.\nPlease note, this group course gives a basic grounding in the approach, and enables you to continue to practise for yourself at home, or to join our ongoing membership after the course - to address specific or complex issues, please get in touch to enquire about 1:1 sessions.\nSomatic Movement\nSomatic Movement is a gentle modality, originally developed by Thomas Hanna, which retrains your nervous system to overcome chronic pain caused by trauma, stress, injury or habits. It is a slow, conscious form of physical movement, and is suitable for all abilities. It is also a wonderful way to become more aware of your internal sensations, which is essential for learning new patterns. For more information about what Somatics is and how it works, you can visit this page, or of course you can contact us if you have questions.\nBenefits of Somatics:\nReducing chronic pain\nImproving posture\nIncreasing body awareness\nRetraining movement patterns\nSettling the nervous system\nImproving breathing patterns\nIncreasing sense of grounding and relaxation\nAbility to move more freely\nIncreasing ability to attend effectively to the body\u0026rsquo;s needs\nLowering the chance of recurring injuries\nRe-educating the nervous system in better stillness and movement patterns\nReducing stress and anxiety\nImproving range of movement\nAlleviating or preventing many functional conditions\nPreventing joint degeneration\nLearning an empowering practice\nAbout Emilie\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from Somatics session attendees “Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness. Love that you’re doing this!”\n","id":55,"tag":"","title":"Somatic Movement beginner's course","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/beginners-course/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Somatic Movement membership Welcome to our Somatic Movement membership! If you\u0026rsquo;re looking for ongoing classes and support as you practise this work, this is the place to be!\nMembership gives you access to regular live classes (if you choose option 2 or 3), as well as to a range of recorded materials (all membership options), such as recordings of the live, online classes, as well as recordings for when you need shorter practice sessions.\nThere are 3 ways to access our Somatic Movement membership (scroll down to the \u0026lsquo;Options\u0026rsquo; descriptions for further details):\nOn-demand membership Online membership In-person membership Content\nAll types of membership include access to the following:\nRecordings of our 4-week beginner\u0026rsquo;s course.\nRecordings of all live, online sessions (available for at least 6 months).\nShort recordings to aid your regular practice.\nAnd more! We have a whole library of useful recorded materials available to support you as you dive deeper into this work.\nOption 1: On-demand membership\nOn-demand membership is a low-cost option for those who can\u0026rsquo;t make the live classes, but who want to start or deepen their practice, and get inspiration and new movement ideas, through access to our wide range of recorded materials.\nInvestment: £9/month (cancel anytime).\nBook now\nOption 2: Online membership\nOnline membership includes all live, online weekly classes as listed here (Saturday mornings), as well as access to all of the other recorded resources as described above to use in your own time, at your own pace.\nWeekly Saturday morning live online sessions (10-11.15am, London time).\nTime in class for sharing experiences and asking questions (optional).\nInvestment: £29/month (cancel anytime).\nBook now\nOption 3: In-person membership\nJoin weekly in-person classes, as well as any weekly live online classes (Saturday mornings), and access all of the other recorded resources as described above to use in your own time, at your own pace.\nAttend weekly in-person classes on Monday evenings (7.45-9pm, in Finchampstead RG40).\nInvestment: £35/month (minimum 2-month commitment (2 payments), then cancel anytime).\nBook now\nMembership pre-requisites:\nYou can join the membership at any time as long as spaces are available. Before attending live classes (whether online or in person), please note that you must do one of the following:\nJoin live classes at the beginning of a themed block - we assume no knowledge when we start a new themed block, so you are always welcome to start live sessions at this point. Get in touch or visit the calendar for our next start date. Gain some experience of Somatic Movement. If you have not previously done any Somatic Movement, the necessary experience can be gained via the recorded 4-week beginner\u0026rsquo;s course (accessible as part of your membership), or through 1:1 sessions. Regular live classes can only currently be accessed via the membership. Please do get in touch before joining if you\u0026rsquo;re unsure about any element of the membership.\nRequirements:\nOnline classes: preferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out if possible; adequate internet connection; Zoom (free download); ideally the ability to position the camera so I can see most or all of your body when you are lying on the floor (or at very least your torso) (optional, but recommended!); ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but highly recommended!).\nIn-person classes: ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but highly recommended!).\nPlease get in touch if you are unsure about any of these requirements.\nMore details Regular live classes are 1.25-hour group sessions (which includes discussion time), practising Somatic Movement, and are suitable for those who have some Somatic Movement experience, or who are joining at the beginning of a themed block. One-off \u0026rsquo;taster\u0026rsquo; classes are offered every few weeks which are suitable for those with no experience of Somatic Movement. Please get in touch if you\u0026rsquo;re unsure, or to ask about dates.\nOn booking onto the membership, you will receive access to our membership portal, where you will be able to access all resources available to you as a member. Please note, if listening back to the recordings (i.e. not attending live), sessions will be around 60 minutes, as I won\u0026rsquo;t record sharing time at the beginnings/ends of the sessions.\nMonday evening sessions are held in Finchampstead, Wokingham RG40. Please get in touch to find out more details.\nIf I have to cancel a session for some reason (e.g. illness), or if a session is not running because I am away, I invite you to (re)visit one of the available recordings, so that you can still \u0026lsquo;attend\u0026rsquo; your regular session. This is to enable me to continue to run my business in a sustainable way, and I hope it will also meet your needs for a regular session. The price I charge for live membership encompasses my need for some flexibliity in this regard.\nYou can of course cancel your subscription at any time (in-person membership only has a minimum commitment of 2 payments). On cancelling, you will no longer have access to any of the recorded resources, so I recommend doing it just before your next payment becomes due if you wish to use the resources for the full month.\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from Somatics session attendees “Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness. Love that you’re doing this!”\n","id":56,"tag":"","title":"Somatic Movement membership","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/membership/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Somatic Movement on-demand taster session Our Somatic Movement on-demand taster session is a one-off, full-length session, designed for those new to the approach to get a sense of what it\u0026rsquo;s all about and how it can benefit you. If you are looking for a regular live class, please visit our membership page.\nContent\nThis entry-level, pre-recorded session will give you an experience of the amazing practice that is Somatic Movement - so you can get a sense of what it\u0026rsquo;s all about, before you go deeper via the membership, or with a short course.\nThis session is for you if:\nYou want to spend some time calming and settling your nervous system\nYou have chronic pain and want to learn an effective practice to support you to reduce your pain\nYou want to increase your awareness of your internal body sensations\nYou want a practice that helps with postural issues\nYou just want to take some time for yourself to relax!\nYou’ve never done Somatic Movement before and want to give it a try\nYou’ve done Somatic Movement before but want a refresher or a boost for your practice\nYou want to get a sense of my teaching style!\nI won’t go into what Somatics is all about here - nor how beneficial it is!! - because you can get a sense of that by visiting this blog post. Or you can get in touch if you have questions. But if you already know this is something you want to try, read on for more info!\nOn-demand taster session\nThis offering is a pre-recorded, \u0026lsquo;first steps\u0026rsquo; session, offered to give you a taste of what Somatic Movement is all about. You will be introduced to a little of the theory, as well as experiencing some foundational movements that you can weave into your life as soon as you have worked through the session. This is a very experiential class, designed to give you a real feel for what Somatic Movement is all about - so come ready to move!\nWhat you will learn\nThe basic underlying theory of the Somatic Movement approach Foundational movements which you can practise at home How Somatic Movement supports your unique body An effective way to settle your nervous system How to become more aware of your own body sensations How do we do it?\nIn our pre-recorded 60-minute session (approximate timing), you will receive a grounding in the Somatic Movement approach, including the basis of the theory underpinning the practice, and you will experience some of the foundational Somatics movements.\nThis is a highly practical and experiential session - you will need space to lie down on the floor, on a carpet or exercise mat, and preferably with enough space to spread your arms out to the sides (as if you were doing a snow angel!). Wear comfortable, flexible clothing for the best experience.\nPre-requisites: none.\nRequirements: preferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted; room to lie on the floor (carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out; ability to get down to/up from the floor to do the practice (this can be using a chair etc for support if needed); ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be); internet access. Please get in touch if you are unsure about any of these requirements.\nInvestment: £7 for the session, including lifetime access to the session recording, as well as extra teaching videos. On signing up for this offering, you will receive access to all the resources you need.\nBook now\nMore details Taster sessions are pre-recorded, 1-hour sessions practising Somatic Movement, and are suitable for those who have no previous Somatic Movement experience, or for those who want a refresher.\nOn booking onto the taster session, you will receive access to our resources portal, where you will be able to access all resources available to you.\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from Somatics session attendees “Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness. Love that you’re doing this!”\n","id":57,"tag":"","title":"Somatic Movement on-demand taster session","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/taster-sessions/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Somatic Movement taster sessions (live, in person) This page enables you to book for a 1.25-hour in-person taster session in Somatic Movement. These sessions are suitable for those completely new to the approach, as well as for those more experienced/wanting a refresh.\nPlease note, these are the in-person taster sessions. To book an online taster session, please visit this page.\nThis session is for you if:\nYou want to spend some time calming and settling your nervous system\nYou have chronic pain and want to learn an effective practice to support you to reduce your pain\nYou want to increase your awareness of your internal body sensations\nYou want a practice that helps with postural issues\nYou just want to take some time for yourself to relax!\nYou’ve never done Somatic Movement before and want to give it a try\nYou’ve done Somatic Movement before but want a refresher or a boost for your practice\nYou want to get a sense of my teaching style!\nRequirements: please bring a yoga mat, a blanket (if you get cold easily) and a couple of small cushions if you have them (if you don\u0026rsquo;t have some or any of this equipment, it will be provided); you may wish to bring a drink - water can be provided if needed; if possible, wear something comfortable and flexible (e.g. jogging bottoms/leggings, t-shirt, jumper without hood); ability to get down to and back up from the floor to do exercises; ability to lie on your back (this could be propped with cushions if needs be; intention to create space to practise between sessions (optional, but highly recommended!).\nPlease get in touch if you are unsure about any of the above requirements.\nInvestment: £12/session.\nWhen booking, you are booking for the next upcoming date. All dates can be found on the calendar page. Please check dates carefully before booking, or get in touch if you\u0026rsquo;re unsure.\nFor more information about Somatics, take a look at this article. If you\u0026rsquo;d like to go deeper into the approach, you can find out more about our beginner\u0026rsquo;s course here.\nPlease note: these sessions are group sessions, and cannot be targeted to individuals\u0026rsquo; specific issues. For tailored sessions, please get in touch to enquire about 1:1 support.\nSign up to our newsletter to be kept informed of upcoming offerings.\nBook now Session details 1.25-hour in-person group session, to get a taste of Somatic Movement.\nPre-requisites: none. Sessions involve getting down to the floor, so if this isn\u0026rsquo;t possible for you, please get in touch to find out how you can access this work.\nSessions are in person, and are held in Finchampstead, Berkshire, UK. Further details will be sent on booking.\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nReflections from Somatics session attendees “Thank you so much Emilie, I loved it! I never expected to feel so relaxed afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to your recording last night to practice. I’m loving how much concentration and focus it needs to I work out how to do the pandiculation. It’s enough to engage my mind so I’m not away with thinking/worrying and the combination of this and the deep connection with the body seem to allow my system to relax which is really rare. I’m excited to see the effect of the practice on pain and flexibility too.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“I’ve really enjoyed connecting with you all and I feel a lot of optimism about the power of CS [Clinical Somatics] to help with ongoing pain and also with my work around calming my nervous system! Thank you for your work in bringing this information to the world.”\n“I think your descriptions are so clear - that’s what I’m impressed by, I don’t have to look at you or see what you’re doing, it’s so easy to follow you.”\n“You have obviously put so much thought and effort into the course and it really paid off, I felt in very safe hands. I’ve learnt so much, in such a short space of time, but I never felt hurried. Thanks again, it was a great experience.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n“I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie’s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn’t disappointed! Although life has gotten in the way of me really using the Clinical Somatics exercises regularly, I still felt a huge shift in various ways as a result of participating in the class. I probably only practiced 8 times in 6 weeks. Each time I felt centred, grounded and more connected in to my own feelings and experience. My awareness of my body has really developed. Particularly my awareness of my posture, which is slowly improving. I’ve also found that I’m more able to notice sensations that might be a hint for me to step back from hard situations right at that moment - which has been very helpful! Emilie is a great facilitator, very knowledgeable and trauma informed, with a real focus on participants honouring our own needs and experience. Thank you Emilie, I’m so glad I did the course and I look forward to getting a regular practice going soon and reaping the benefits :) \u0026quot;\n“Thank you so much for these past 6 weeks or so. I found the classes to be exactly what I needed to make me stop and take the time to tune in to my body. The exercises seem simple yet there is so much to them and I appreciate the awareness I have been developing to the nuances of the way my body moves. It is like making friends with a stranger, a stranger I often perceive as scary… yet she’s not! I can feel the difference this is making to being able to connect with myself. It’s hard to put into words. You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands. I have been recommending you and will continue to do so. I feel like your classes are a beautiful entry point for parents who are disconnected from themselves and resistant to body awareness.\nLove that you’re doing this!”\n","id":58,"tag":"","title":"Somatic Movement taster sessions (in person)","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/taster-inperson/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials One-to-one support for your Somatic Movement work. I have limited availability for one-to-one sessions for Somatic Movement work.\n1:1 sessions are offered either online, or in person in Finchampstead RG40. I am not currently able to offer home visits.\nPlease note: I am currently extending my skills in this work by training as a Clinical Somatic Educator. For this, I will need a number of clients for 1:1 hands-on sessions. These sessions will be offered at a very discounted rate through the time of my training (Oct 2025 - March 2028). Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about these training sessions specifically.\n1:1 sessions are useful for people who:\nHave already done some Somatic Movement work but who want some specific guidance around a particular area of their explorations. Have signficant or specific issues (either related to their body, or to their learning needs) which would be difficult to address in group classes or via recordings alone. Want to get started on the live group classes and need a grounding in the approach. Can\u0026rsquo;t make the live group classes. I maintain a waiting list for my one-to-one work, and prioritise those I am already working with. Please get in touch if you would like me to contact you when I have sessions available, and please include a short description of what you would like support with. There is no commitment at this stage.\nI am certified to deliver Somatic Movement education classes, in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. I am a Somatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor (level 3) (through Sarah Warren\u0026rsquo;s Somatic Movement Center training), and a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher (through Martha Peterson\u0026rsquo;s Essential Somatics training).\nSession details\nSessions are 60-75 minutes, and are charged as follows:\n£70 for a single session. (Single sessions are useful as support for a specific issue you encounter whilst taking a course/attending drop-ins, or as a lead-in before attending a group course.)\n£200 for a block of 3 sessions (saving: £10) - to be taken within 3 months of booking.\n£370 for a block of 6 sessions (saving: £50) - to be taken within 6 months of booking.\nPre-requisites\nNone.\nRequirements\nPreferably a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted (online sessions only).\nRoom to lie on the floor (on a carpet or exercise mat) and spread arms and legs out (online sessions only).\nIf you are unable to lie on the floor, I will work with you in seated - a kitchen-type chair (flat seat, upright back) is ideal.\nZoom (free download) (online sessions only).\nAbility to position the camera so I can see most or all of your body (or at very least your torso) when you are lying on the floor or sitting in the chair (online sessions only).\nAbility to attend sessions in Finchampstead (RG40) (in-person sessions only).\nIntention to create space to practise between sessions.\nBook now Individual consultations are tailored to suit your needs. There will be time for discussion and for setting intentions at the beginnings of our sessions. The majority of our time together will be working with practical tools to support you in your aims - for example around reducing chronic pain, increasing body awareness, or increasing freedom of movement. We complete the sessions with integration time, and time for sharing and questions. Reflections \u0026ldquo;I have been doing Somatics with Emilie for a little while now. It has had an amazing effect on my freedom and ease of movement in ways that I didn\u0026rsquo;t realise I was missing. As a simple example, I hadn\u0026rsquo;t realised that I would lean against something when putting socks on standing up, and can now balance and move freely enough that I have no need for something to lean on.\nI have done a number of 1-1 sessions with Emilie and these have been great for allowing me to focus on specific areas. For the longest time, I thought I had one leg shorter than the other. After working to build up my awareness of my body and release tension in areas that I didn\u0026rsquo;t realise were carrying it, today I stood and felt \u0026ldquo;even\u0026rdquo; - I have matching length legs! Walking felt strange for a couple of minutes at the end of the session as my body was re-learning walking with two even-length legs, but now feels fabulous and even my breathing feels improved!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s not over-stating it to say that Somatics with Emilie has had a profound effect on my sense of health and well-being!\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Thank you for this experience! I had heard of somatics, but didn\u0026rsquo;t have a real frame of reference for what it is. This experience has been eye opening. These seeming small movements greatly affect the way my body feels, holds tension, and its balance. I cannot thank you enough for sharing somatics with me!\u0026rdquo;\n“Thank you Emilie, it’s just been a real revelation, and such a door opening on a whole new sort of physical, mental healing opportunity, so I’m so grateful, just thanks so so much, it’s been brilliant.”\n“This week I noticed a new internal sensation when I get angry (I feel a tight band of muscles constrict around my upper chest, under my arms). I was quite surprised to feel it! This is great because I can make a mental note to watch for that sensation as a trigger that it’s time to be more intentionally mindful and step away if needed.”\n“I’ve really noticed a difference, like just that Standing Awareness, and how I might use it in normal things I’m doing - I realise I am checking with my body more. And that’s one of the things I really wanted to get from this, that’s great - even if it’s just a small step forward it feels really positive.”\n","id":59,"tag":"","title":"Consultations","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/consultations/"},{"content":" Event details More information Testimonials Packages of in-person 1:1 sessions. If you\u0026rsquo;re here on this page, you may well know that I am doing a 2.5 year training to become a Clinical Somatic Educator. (I am currently a certified Somatic Movement teacher.)\nAs part of this training, I need to provide around 200 hours of 1:1, hands-on sessions.\nThis is where you come in!\nI am offering a small number of packages of sessions, open to anyone who can get to me. Sessions will be held at my home clinic in Finchampstead, Berkshire RG40, or in Oxford on occasion.\nPackages will be priced much lower than my usual 1:1 consultations (I usually charge £70/session) to encourage people to sign up so that I can get my hours in! I hope it will also give a unique opportunity for curious people to try out what Clinical Somatics can do for you - and to find out how, even if you are already engaging in a Somatic Movement practice through my work, these clinical sessions will accelerate your learning and your progress.\nSpaces fill up fast - if you click through the \u0026lsquo;Book now\u0026rsquo; button and there are no spaces left, please get in touch if you would like to be put on the waiting list, and I will let you know when spaces open up again.\nQuestions, or ready to book? Get in touch here.\nWhat will the sessions involve?\nPlease allow 75-90 minutes for your first session, and 60-75 minutes for follow-up sessions, which includes time for discussion and questions. Once you\u0026rsquo;re signed up to your session package, we will agree suitable session dates over the time of my training. Before attending your sessions, I will ask you for information about your health and wellbeing. In the sessions, we will explore specific gentle movements, with my hands-on guidance as relevant, to address habitually held patterns of muscle tension. When we release muscle tension, we can reduce pain and stress, increase energy, improve sleep, increase freedom of movement, and experience many more benefits besides.\nIf you have been to my classes, or past 1:1 sessions, please note that these clinical sessions will be rather different. In addition to guiding you in some movements, I will be actively assisting you in your pandiculations by giving you hands-on feedback.\nEither way, I invite you to come with an open mind: Clinical Somatics is a long-term practice, and although you might have significant improvements or insight in your first session, you also might not see immediate improvements, and that\u0026rsquo;s ok. We are working with patterns of muscle tension that have been building up over a lifetime, and there is no quick fix. That said, some people have signficant shifts in a single session - everyone\u0026rsquo;s path is very individual.\nClinical Somatics is a gentle practice, working with your nervous system to release muscle tension. After a session, you might feel a little soreness in the muscles, but that will pass within a day or two. I recommend taking it easy immediately after a session (don\u0026rsquo;t go straight off to run a marathon or do strength training for example!), but a gentle walk, or engaging in your normal activities of daily living, is beneficial. You may well also notice that you move more freely, or that pain is reduced - keep an eye out for these improvements too!\nSessions are held in my garden office at my family home in Finchampstead. A bathroom is available for your use in the house. There is plenty of parking, either on our driveway, or on the road outside. I actually recommend parking a short way along the road or even round the corner, so you get a little walk after the session, rather than getting straight into your car!\nPlease wear comfortable clothes that you can move easily in, such as leggings/jogging bottoms, and t-shirt and jumper (preferably without a hood, but I can work around that if needs be). People tend to get a little cool when doing Clinical Somatics sessions, so feel free to bring some thick socks to wear if you want to as well.\nSigning up\nAs long as I have availability, you can sign up for a 6-session package. To book, you must be able to attend sessions on Friday mornings - if you need sessions at other times, you will need to get in touch with me before booking to agree possible dates.\nWhat you can expect from me with this package:\n6x 1:1 sessions (60-75 minutes each - the first session might be slightly longer) (usual price: £420) Access to videos of the movements taught in your sessions, to support your practice (usual price: £39) Workbook to support your work, with theory, prompts, and space for reflections (usual price: £19) Access to my Small Steps to Somatic Movement course (usual price: £39) Online membership for the duration of your 1:1 sessions (up to a maximum of 2 months) (usual price: £58) (Note - existing members receive an extra discount, instead of 2 free months of membership) Access to our online community group, for support and inspiration (priceless!) Access to my guidance throughout the time of your sessions (priceless!) What I expect from you with this package:\nCommitment to practising between sessions - around 10 minutes daily, at least 5 days a week Taking self responsibility for your own learning and progress - Somatic Movement is not a \u0026lsquo;done to you\u0026rsquo; practice, and you will need to actively engage in the process to see long-term improvements Turning up to sessions of course! In total, this package is worth well over £600, and I have very limited packages available at any given time. I am offering it on this initial roll-out for just £149 to help me get my sessions in, but it will not be available at this price again!\nIf you are interested in signing up, you can do so via the \u0026lsquo;Book now\u0026rsquo; button here on this page. When you click through, if there are spaces available you will be able to book. If not, you won\u0026rsquo;t! Please note, sessions at these prices are limited, and prices will go up over the time of my course.\nFor the Berkshire sessions, I will be seeing clients in my home clinic space on Friday mornings. A small amount of other days/times will be available during the training too, which we would agree between us. Oxford sessions will likely be at the weekend, or on Wednesdays/Thursdays, in Wytham, OX2.\nThe it\u0026rsquo;s-a-pain-that-I-have-to-say-this bit: My usual terms \u0026amp; conditions (T\u0026amp;Cs) apply on booking - make sure you\u0026rsquo;re happy with these before paying for your sessions. By booking these sessions, you are agreeing to these T\u0026amp;Cs, and refunds can only be given as per these T\u0026amp;Cs. If refunding a portion of a block, you will be charged the usual full price for a single session for each session completed up to that point (£70/session), then refunded the remainder of your payment (if any), minus a £5 administration fee. On requesting a refund, you will also lose access to the Small Steps course, your free membership time, community group access, and access to my guidance, as well as any other elements included in this offering. Please get in touch if you are unsure. Please do read the T\u0026amp;Cs carefully to ensure you are happy with the refund process and consent that you are agreeing to on booking.\nWorking with me - I am a one-woman business, and work few hours in the week. You won\u0026rsquo;t get immediate answers to queries, nor the slickest, sleekest experience working with me. You will, however, get personal connection and support, and someone who takes responsibility for their part (and gets things sorted) when things don\u0026rsquo;t go smoothly. People who connect well with me are respectful of my humanness, own their own feelings, and can expect a high quality, personal service from me. If this doesn\u0026rsquo;t sound reasonable to you, we are probably not meant to work together - and that\u0026rsquo;s completely ok!\nOn booking, you will receive a link to book your sessions. If we have previously agreed to sessions outside of my usual working hours, we will book these separately. Sessions must be booked weekly or fortnightly, and must be completed within 2 months of the date of your first session.\nAgain, please do not book if you can\u0026rsquo;t attend Friday mornings, unless we have corresponded further to make sure we can sort venues and dates!!\nIf you are ready to book, please go ahead and check if spaces are available via the \u0026lsquo;Book now\u0026rsquo; button, or if you have further questions, please just get in touch here, or reply to any email I send you. I look forward to working with you!\nPre-requisites\nNone.\nRequirements\nIf you are post surgery or injury, you need to have been cleared for movement. Willingness to explore and learn alongside me - curiousity is a must! Willingness to create space to practise between sessions - essential! These consultations will enable you to experience the Clinical Somatic hands-on protocols, which will accelerate your learning and bring you new insights. I hope you enjoy them as much and find them as helpful as I have when I have had sessions myself! Reflections from these hands-on sessions so far\u0026hellip; \u0026ldquo;Well that was AMAZING! Thank you so much Emilie for that incredible 1:1 clinical session! My body feels so good afterwards, honestly felt like I was floating on my walk home! I literally can’t wait till you’re back in York so we can book in the next one! I wish I lived near you - I would be booking a session with you every week! I’m so grateful you are doing this training and sharing it with us 🥰🙏❤️ And it\u0026rsquo;s amazing how much clearer and more confident I feel now about taking my own practice forward, thank you xxxx\u0026rdquo; (Michelle W., psychologist)\n\u0026ldquo;Thank you so much for this and for an amazing session this morning. I was confident I would enjoy it, but was still surprised at how much you achieved. Not only does my whole body feel much freer and lighter, I feel so much more relaxed and positive. You have to take personal credit for this - it’s not all Thomas Hanna, some of it is pure Emilie Leeks! Many thanks for being a wonderful person.\u0026rdquo; (Anonymous)\n\u0026ldquo;This week has been quite the week (work has been very stressful) and I think I was holding that a lot in my muscles. It\u0026rsquo;s incredible how much of that I can feel has released after the session. My posture feels massively different and walking feels freer. I also feel taller after the session, so much so that we measured my height. I\u0026rsquo;m quarter of an inch taller than I was (which is already an inch taller than I was when I measured myself in my 20s/30s)!\u0026rdquo; (Stuart L., software developer) (Full disclosure - Stuart is my husband! But he does love Somatics!)\n","id":60,"tag":"","title":"Packages for in-person 1:1s during clinical training","type":"offering","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/offerings/somatics/cset-consultations/"},{"content":" Reconnect with freedom, ease and joy in movement Welcome to Restore Movement.\nI\u0026rsquo;m Emilie. I guide people in movement practices focused on Function, Fitness and Fun. Through working with me, clients develop practical, everyday somatic practices, increased ease, joy and playfulness in movement, and a wonderful community connection to support them throughout their journey.\nSomatic Movement Function\nA gentle but powerful movement practice to reduce muscle tension/relax the muscles.\nExplore gentle, conscious movement Develop awareness of body sensations Reduce chronic pain Bring an increased sense of safety to your nervous system Experience increased freedom of movement Learn More\nDance Fitness Fitness\nIncrease cardiovascular fitness in these low-impact, fun and friendly dance fitness classes.\nMove to music Accessible classes Enjoy getting fitter Learn More\nSalsa Fun\nLearn to dance salsa in our fun and friendly weekly classes\nLearn to dance Welcoming classes Find joy in movement Learn More\nHere at Restore Movement we value compassion, tolerance and acceptance. We welcome people of all colours, gender identities, sexualities, neurotypes and abilities, accommodating all needs where we can, and we welcome guidance in any of these areas, as we have much to learn. We stand against the genocide in Gaza, the actions of far-right extremists, and intolerance of all kinds. If that sounds good to you, then you are more than welcome here. What people are saying about Emilie \u0026quot;I went into the course feeling hopeful. I trust Emilie\u0026#39;s opinion and value her expertise and experience. I wasn\u0026#39;t disappointed!\u0026quot; Creating a safe space... \u0026quot;You are an awesome instructor/facilitator. I always felt like no question was a stupid question and I felt really safe in your hands.\u0026quot; Participant in Beginner\u0026#39;s Somatic Movement course On the benefits of Somatics... \u0026quot;I am so grateful to have discovered Somatics with Emilie! She is such a great teacher and Somatics helps me in so many ways! My chronic pain has reduced, my body can move more easily in every day life and practicing Somatics relaxes my mind like nothing else does.\u0026quot; Somatic Movement member On the blog Somatic Movement - a brief summary #movement #somatics 21st July 2021 Posted by Emilie What is Somatic Movement - and how can it support us? #movement #somatics 29th January 2022 Posted by Emilie Moving with ease and freedom, through Somatic Movement #movement #somatics 21st July 2021 Posted by Emilie ","id":61,"tag":"","title":"Emilie Leeks","type":"page","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/"},{"content":" This page is a space holder There’s nothing to see here - yet! You’ve probably been sent here because we are working to update the website, and the link you’ve clicked on does not yet have any content. We’re on it, and there will be something helpful here soon! If you want to make contact, you can reach us here.\n","id":62,"tag":"","title":"Holding Page","type":"other","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/holding-page/"},{"content":"Welcome to my blog. In the \u0026lsquo;Current posts\u0026rsquo; section, you\u0026rsquo;ll find all things Somatic Movement and dance. Because I have also worked for many years with other hats on, you\u0026rsquo;ll also find posts related to my peaceful parenting, circles, and healing coaching work in the \u0026lsquo;Archived\u0026rsquo; section. You might enjoy some of those too, although please don\u0026rsquo;t expect all the links within to work.\n","id":63,"tag":"","title":"Latest Articles","type":"article","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/blog/"},{"content":" Hi, I’m Emilie. Welcome to this space. This is where you get to find out a bit about me and what makes me tick! In my work, I am a Somatic Movement instructor, a salsa dance teacher, and a dance fitness instructor. I support those who are looking for more ease, freedom \u0026amp; joy, and less pain, stiffness \u0026amp; restriction, in their bodies - and in life! This feels increasingly important to me as I move towards the end of my fifth decade of life - I want to keep moving and grooving for as long as I possibly can!\nMy work encompasses the gentle but incredibly powerful practice of Somatic Movement, low-impact, accessible, light-hearted fitness through my SOSA dance fitness classes*, and introducing people to the wonderful world of salsa dance.\n(*Classes currently on hold whilst I complete a next-level Somatics training!! Watch this space\u0026hellip;)\nWorking with me I am a one-woman business, and work few hours in the week. You won\u0026rsquo;t get immediate answers to queries, nor the slickest, sleekest experience working with me. You will, however, get personal connection and support, and someone who takes responsibility for their part (and gets things sorted) when things don\u0026rsquo;t go smoothly. People who connect well with me are respectful of my humanness, own their own feelings, and can expect a high quality, personal service from me. If this doesn\u0026rsquo;t sound reasonable to you, we are probably not meant to work together - and that\u0026rsquo;s completely ok!\nWhy I do this work I have always loved working with people. Formerly a paediatric speech and language therapist, I enjoyed getting to know children and their families, and working with them on speech, language and communication issues. But what really drew me in, was finding a place in myself where I would see these children and parents for who they each were – where I could hear and honour their perspectives, meet them where they were at, and work collaboratively with them to help them find their path.\nAnd then I became a parent myself – and that has been my deepest, biggest and most challenging learning curve. I realised just how under-resourced and under-recognised parents are – and how impossible it was to parent well in such isolation, as we do in our culture. My focus shifted from speech and language therapy, to training as a Hand in Hand Parenting coach and walking alongside other parents, as we all did the necessary learning and inner work to be less tied by our own conditioning and traumas, and to become more conscious and intentional on our parenting path.\nFinding myself on a parenting path that included neurodiversity, anxiety and reactivity amongst my children, as well as chronic health conditions in myself, led me increasingly down the path of education around trauma and the body, and the realisation that this body-centred work is where my heart lies. I found, practised, and trained in Somatic Movement, went back to teaching salsa (one of my big, pre-parenting loves!), and then added the dance fitness work to my repertoire. And this is where you find me today!\nMy approach I work both with groups and individuals, and in person as well as online. Wherever and in whatever form I work with someone, my aim is to meet them where they\u0026rsquo;re at, and support them in the work that takes them to where they want to be. And that looks really different for each of us! My guiding principle is around bringing people home to themselves, through the body, so they can live life more fully, whatever that means to them.\nMy work aims to be as inclusive as possible. As a white, cis, straight woman, I have a long way to go. I continue to learn and change in my own ways, and am open to guidance and correction when it is needed. All are welcome in this space – racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression will not be tolerated here, although discomfort is held with compassion and kindness as we learn on this path.\nEducation \u0026amp; trainings Parent and home educator to 3 beautiful children\nSomatic Movement Center® Certified Exercise Instructor\nCertified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher\nEssential Somatics Clinical Somatic Educator-in-training\nSOSA Dance instructor\nSalsa dance teacher\nOxygen Advantage Functional Breathing Instructor-in-training\nAs I have travelled this path over the years, I have also explored and gained certifications in a number of other supportive practices involving trauma release, dance, movement, and inner work, which have informed and guided me as I have developed my work and my understanding of the incredible process that is the living body!\nI am also an avid reader, and taker of relevant courses. I am constantly learning and evolving, as I dig deeper into my explorations around connection, authenticity, trauma, the nervous system, ancestral wisdom, movement, and dance, amongst other things. Life is just endlessly fascinating!\nWhole-life living… It is tremendously important to me to create balance in my life – to tend to my own needs, as well as those of others, and to find joy and gratitude, alongside the challenges that life brings. Here and there, in the windows that I create or that open up to me in any given moment, I put time towards natural and conscious movement practices, dance, climbing and rest. I am a dog lover and owner, I both frustrate myself with and enjoy making a mess of the gardening, and I love to laugh with my partner, be silly with my children, and connect with friends. I have a weird love of corvids. I write, crochet, curse cryptic crosswords, drink tea, and read. Around the washing up, the (occasional) cleaning, and the supporting of my family\u0026rsquo;s needs (as well as all the other parenting and life ‘stuff’), I make space to do the things I enjoy. It makes all the difference.\nWork with me Somatics Find out more... Fitness Find out more... Salsa Find out more... ","id":65,"tag":"","title":"Emilie Leeks","type":"page","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/about/"},{"content":"Can\u0026rsquo;t find the answers you\u0026rsquo;re looking for here? Just get in touch and ask away, and I\u0026rsquo;ll be happy to help.\nSomatic Movement FAQs I’ve never done Somatic Movement before – where do I start?\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d like to know more about what Somatic Movement is, and what it can do for you, have a read of this blog post.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re ready to get started and would like to access something NOW!! to try Somatic Movement out, you can get hold of a recorded introductory session here.\nFinally, if you know that you definitely want to get a good sense of this approach, and a deep enough foundation to enable you to make big shifts over time, you can access full, pre-recorded, themed courses suitable for beginners here.\nI really want to get started with live classes - can I do that?\nDefinitely. I run one-off live taster sessions (both online and in person) suitable for beginners, in between themed blocks of sessions. You can find the next upcoming live taster class dates via the calendar.\nYou can also get started with live classes as a beginner by joining the membership at the start of a themed block - see below for details of the membership. Again, start dates are listed on the calendar. I assume no knowledge at the start of new themed blocks of sessions, so it is a great time to start.\nFinally, if you can\u0026rsquo;t wait for any of that, or if there\u0026rsquo;s something very specific you want to work on with me, I offer 1:1 consultations either online or in-person (RG40) - you can find out more here, or get in touch if you have questions or to arrange dates.\nWhat are the membership options you offer?\nWe have three membership options - one gives you access to recorded materials, if you want a low-cost option or can\u0026rsquo;t attend the live classes. The other two options are for people who want to attend live sessions, either online, or in person. Both of the \u0026rsquo;live class\u0026rsquo; options give you access to attend as many live online drop-in sessions (Saturday mornings, 10am London time) as you wish, as well as access to recordings of sessions, access to the full recorded beginner\u0026rsquo;s course, and lots more besides. In-person membership also guarantees you a space at our small-group, Monday night (7.45pm), in-person sessions, as well as giving you access to all the resources that online membership gives you. Obviously for the in-person membership, you must live locally! (Berkshire, UK.)\nWhere are Somatic Movement sessions held, and how will I receive details of classes?\nIn-person sessions are held in Finchampstead, Berkshire UK. Online sessions are held on Zoom. You will receive venue/Zoom details and all the other information you need via email after booking. Please do check your spam folders if you don\u0026rsquo;t get an email through within a few minutes - and then get in touch if you\u0026rsquo;re still unable to find the email.\nI’ve heard the words \u0026lsquo;somatic\u0026rsquo; or ‘somatics’ in lots of places – what does the term mean?\nThe word \u0026lsquo;somatic\u0026rsquo; just means \u0026lsquo;related to the body\u0026rsquo;. The term \u0026lsquo;somatics\u0026rsquo; was coined by Thomas Hanna, the creator of Somatic Movement, and describes the field of movement practices which focus on your personal internal experience. There are lots of these practices, and they are all very different! My classes are specifically Somatic Movement in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. When I use the term \u0026lsquo;Somatics\u0026rsquo; with a capital \u0026lsquo;S\u0026rsquo; it refers to Somatic Movement only. Somatic Movement is a specific approach for consciously releasing habitual muscle tension at the level of the nervous system. You can read more about it here.\nI’ve done some Somatic Movement elsewhere – what’s the best way to get started with the live classes?\nThe best thing is to join the membership and start live classes at the beginning of a themed block. Even though you\u0026rsquo;ve experienced Somatic Movement with other teachers, we all have our individual approaches, and I don\u0026rsquo;t want anyone to feel like they\u0026rsquo;re starting in at the deep end! If we\u0026rsquo;re a few weeks away from finishing a block, you might prefer to join the membership, access the first few classes of the block via recording, and then join us for the remaining live classes. Just get in touch to find out more about dates and whereabouts we are with things, if that feels like it might be an option for you.\nI can’t get down to the floor at the moment – can I still do Somatic Movement?\nYes, absolutely! My group classes are currently geared towards people who can get down on the floor - but there are many ways to access Somatic Movement. The best thing would be to get in touch and we can establish your needs and how we can best meet them.\nCan you do Somatic Movement on a bed?\nYes, you can. It\u0026rsquo;s best to do the lying down movements on the floor (on a carpet or yoga mat), as you get feedback from the floor that you don\u0026rsquo;t get in the same way when lying on a bed. But doing Somatic Movement in bed is much better than not doing any. Another option, if getting down to the floor is hard for you at the moment, is to learn some chair movements as well. Get in touch if you need some guidance about the best ways for you to access Somatic Movement.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not sure if Somatic Movement can help me - what should I do?\nHere are a few ideas to help you decide if Somatic Movement is right for you:\nHave a read of my blog post and see if it sounds like something you would be interested in trying.\nJust try it and see! I have a low-cost, pre-recorded introductory session which is ideal for just giving Somatic Movement a try and seeing how it lands for you in the first instance.\nOr, you can get in touch and we can explore whether it\u0026rsquo;s the right approach for you at this time.\nHow quickly can I expect to see results from practising Somatic Movement?\nThere is no single answer to this question. Results will depend on a number of factors, like how long you\u0026rsquo;ve had any particular issue, and how much time you spend practising Somatic Movement. It\u0026rsquo;s best to go into Somatic Movement with no particular expectations! It\u0026rsquo;s an exploration and a self-education, and things will shift for you over time - and the more time you put in, the more shifts you will see.\nI’ve just had an operation/injury – when can I (re)start Somatic Movement?\nYou will need to check with your doctor about how long you need to give yourself to allow things to settle and heal after your particular operation. But as a guide, all the movements we do in Somatic Movement are anatomically safe and normal movements of the body - so if you are good to move around and do normal everyday things, you can bring in gentle Somatic Movement practice, as long as you practise slowly and carefully. Somatic Movement is not exercise and is certainly not about pushing your body - nevertheless, always remember to keep your Somatic Movement practice within your own comfort and confidence level. Never do any movements that cause you pain. Never force any movements. If in any doubt at all, please consult your doctor.\nCan Somatic Movement help with healing (emotional) trauma?\nYes, it can help. Somatic Movement is not therapy, and working with emotional trauma is not the purpose of Somatic Movement, but since we hold trauma in the body, releasing tension that we hold in the muscles can help trauma to move through. If you think you will have a lot coming up as you do this work, I would recommend 1:1 sessions at first, so you can see how you might respond, and get the support you need in the moment. Whilst people do have emotional reactions which come up in group classes, you\u0026rsquo;d have to take responsibility for finding the support you\u0026rsquo;d need in that moment, as it\u0026rsquo;s not possible to stop the class to give 1:1 support. I may also recommend that you find a therapist to support you if you feel that this work will bring up a lot for you, or if you have significant past trauma.\nNote, Somatic Movement is in no way connected with Somatic Experiencing (Peter Levine\u0026rsquo;s approach to healing trauma) - people sometimes get them muddled, and understandably so given the similarity in the names!\nCan Somatic Movement help with flexibility?\nYes. Because Somatic Movement helps you to release chronically held muscle contraction at the level of the nervous system, over time you will find that your movement frees up and you become more flexible - both in terms of your range of movement, and in terms of your ability to move in novel ways and differentiate the ways in which you move.\nCan Somatic Movement help with chronic pain?\nYes. This is one of the main reasons people come to Somatic Movement - pain is a great motivator to do the work!! Many chronic pains we carry are caused by habitually held muscle tension. Because Somatic Movement works to release unconciously held muscle tension (i.e. muscle tension that we don\u0026rsquo;t currently have control over), it can also help with chronic pain. It\u0026rsquo;s no magic wand - you have to do the work! - but over time, it\u0026rsquo;s very likely that you will see your chronic pain reduce, and your comfort in and freedom of movement increase.\nCan you do Somatic Movement if you have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia?\nYes. Somatic Movement is a very gentle form of movement, and can be done to whatever capacity you have in a given moment. Take it slow, stay within your capacity, and Somatic Movement can help both with reducing chronic pain, and increasing energy levels, due to releasing muscle tension at the level of the nervous system.\nIs there a way to connect with other people doing this work?\nYes! Once you\u0026rsquo;re working with me, you will be made very welcome in our community WhatsApp group, which we use to connect, ask questions, and access information.\nGot more Somatic Movement questions? Just get in touch to ask.\n","id":66,"tag":"","title":"Frequently Asked Questions","type":"other","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/faq/"},{"content":" Get in touch Please enter your name, email and message below Name Email Message Sorry - to get in touch, you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser Send Follow me on ","id":67,"tag":"","title":"Parenting","type":"other","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/contact/"},{"content":" ","id":68,"tag":"","title":"Search emilieleeks.com","type":"other","url":"https://emilieleeks.com/search/"}]