As part of my holistic approach, I have incorporated a number of somatic (body-based) tools and techniques to support you in your healing.
All of these tools have helped me in my healing journey, and most form part of my daily routine. A consistent daily practice of one or more of these modalities will allow you to make immediate and significant changes to your mental, physical and spiritual well-being.
Alongside the obvious, that somatic tools allow you to ground into the present by moving you out of your head and into you body, they also carry with them a number of other benefits.
Trauma, conditioning & the day to day stress of life put a lot of strain on the mind, the physical body, and the nervous system, and while we tend (especially in traditional talk therapy) to focus our attention on the cognitive (the mind), through the somatic practices below we give ourselves the opportunity to let the body catch up too.
Breathwork
Breathwork provides us an opportunity to sink into the physical sensations & stored emotions held in our bodies, allowing us to identify & acknowledge the areas in which we are stuck, physically & emotionally. Breathwork is a physical meditation, and it’s benefits are both physical and cognitive.
Through breathwork we can address the symptoms of illness, fatigue, insomnia. Bringing mental clarity, boosting our moods and clarifying our thoughts. We can also regulate the nervous system and release trauma from the body.
Breathwork
Breathwork provides us an opportunity to sink into the physical sensations & stored emotions held in our bodies, allowing us to identify & acknowledge the areas in which we are stuck, physically & emotionally. Breathwork is a physical meditation, and it’s benefits are both physical and cognitive.
Through breathwork we can address the symptoms of illness, fatigue, insomnia. Bringing mental clarity, boosting our moods and clarifying our thoughts. We can also regulate the nervous system and release trauma from the body.
Cold Water Immersion (ice plunging)
Ice plunging, in addition to supporting our health and nervous system in ways similar to breathwork (especially alongside the breath) it can aide in the reduction of inflammation, burn fat, aide sleep and recovery. Cold plunging has been proven to provide a 2.5x dopamine hit, similar to cocaine, but unlike the popular party drug, the dopamine hit lasts 3-4 hours, as opposed to just 10 minutes. Not to mention the affects on the body and mind.
Finally, as a daily practice, one thing I have noticed is that getting in the cold water does not get easier, it sucks every time. A lot of the things that are good for us are unpleasant, in my daily practice my mind goes to all sorts of places to keep me out of the cold. A lesson I have learnt is that we are not our thoughts, or our feelings (especially the ones that try to keep me from the water). This lesson has been crystallised for me by this daily routine, despite my thoughts trying to intervene I get in the water everyday and the results have been remarkable.
