What do you need to let go of in order to pick up what you want?

We often need to let go of old stories, old ways of being, in order to move towards what we seek.  It’s scary. It’s an unbounded space where old familiar guidelines no longer serve. We recognize how these old guidelines hold us where we’ve been and prevent us from moving towards who we yearn to be.

Be gentle! These old stories have served you well. They got you where you are today. How will you honor them while seeking out what will be supportive in your next chapter?

The loss of these pillars of perspective can be disorienting. The good news: You’ve faced similar challenges before multiple times and been successful. Let me remind you.

When you learned to walk, you likely first learned to pull yourself up onto 2 legs and then inched along while still holding onto to something. When you became a bit more competent, you began taking wobbly steps between pieces of furniture. As your confidence grew, you attempted going farther and farther without holding on to anything at all. Here you were in an unbounded space.

Similarly, think back to the first time you asked for your training wheels to be removed from  your bike. Something deep inside you knew it was time. You probably wobbled multiple times that day. And perhaps on following days. Again, you were in an unbounded space.

Whether walking or riding, you were focused on going in a specific direction. Towards something that you wanted. Was it scary to walk upright or ride without training wheels unaided? No doubt. It was also exhilarating! The possibilities that presented themselves with a new way of being.

When we let go of these old stories we need to embrace a beginner’s mindset. We’re very competent in an old way of being, but very new to a different way of being in the world. In somatic coaching, we hold that our experiences shape our bodies, and our bodies shape our how we perceive and engage with the world. If we don’t put down what we’ve been carrying, there isn’t space for new ways of being to develop. When our body changes, so too, do the possibilities. 

Every client has a time when they recognize their old way of being is holding them back. That they need to let go of long practiced stories in order to pick up something new. In somatic coaching this pivotal moment is what we call a somatic opening. You could think of it as the shell of your old shape is cracking open, presenting new possibilities. From my own experience, I can say it’s disorienting. Nerve-wracking, even. I found myself also feeling less competent. And I was, because I was practicing a brand-new way of being in the world. My coach invited me to keep up my somatic practices because they soften the body to the new way of being and support the changing of its shape.

As my coach does for me, I guide clients through their own journey. First we work to cultivate your self-awareness and preparing your body-mind through a variety of somatic practices. Once the somatic opening begins, we clarify which practices feel most supportive for the new shape you’re living into. With this support, we set the stage for the new shape to take form.  This approach builds my clients competence and confidence. They are able to continue growing and deepening on their own after our engagement ends.

What do you need to put down in order to pick up what you want?