Somatic Bodywork

23rd January 2023 | News

The experience of teaching Pilates has taught me a lot about people and the house they inhabit: their bodies. Some observations or insights were obvious: nobody is the same and no body is the same. Don’t have an expectation for a certain outcome, stay open. Although Pilates is an exercise system, I was taught that this system needs to be adjusted to suit the individual and not the other way around.

There were other insights that took longer for me to figure out. With some clients progress in some regards was limited. First I took a look at myself: what was I as a teacher doing or not doing or saying that could possibly limit this client’s progress. Having exhausted the exercises and techniques known to me (sometimes also beyond the Pilates scope), it dawned on me that something deep within the client wasn’t willing to let go yet. Old convictions and experiences nestle themselves in the body and when unaddressed can prevent one from moving forward. Not just in an exercise program, but in any given area of your life. It isn’t possible to separate the mind and body. They are one: mindbody.

Somatic bodywork offered me a different approach to address certain blockages. It can be surprising what comes up when certain areas of (conscious or unconscious) tension in the body are acknowledged. When you allow space for a memory or an emotion to be felt, it can create clarity and it may feel like a release.

Clients shared with me that after sessions they felt energized. Some were concerned they might have taken energy from me. However, after giving a session I always feel grounded and energized too. Each session with a client is an adventure. This is what I aim to offer you: a little or big adventure within yourself in order to (re)connect you to your own unique self.


‘Het is jouw kracht om heel dichtbij te kunnen komen zonder de persoonlijke ruimte van een ander binnen te vallen. Ik denk dat je dat kan omdat je een gereserveerd en een heel betrokken mens bent, dus dat je de kunst verstaat zelf vederlicht te worden en nul onrust te veroorzaken. Het allerfijnste aan die somatische therapie is dat er zoveel energie gaat stromen.’

– Joke Hermes
Hi! I am Barbara the author of this post
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This workshop took place on November 4th, 10h00-17h00

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