Many coaches have a sense that the body is important in their work, but may not be aware of exactly how much it matters.
I’ve spent many years helping coaches and facilitators increase their embodied understanding; rather than just their bodily understanding. Here’s a quick list of some of the most important reasons not to ignore the body.
1. It’s tells you what you’re screaming
Your bodily states and general disposition are always transmitting to others. Our bodily way of being is one of the most dramatic influences on clients, regardless of the words we are speaking. Learning about this is vital. This video shows one technique for building this kind of awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bISWrFwUk
2. It’s your uber Google
While logical techniques and tools are helpful, it’s only by accessing deep bodily wisdom and intuition that we can do our best work. Here is a video about getting in touch with and using your intuition in coaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpc9144WbqY
3. It’s your free legal high
Simple bodily techniques such as ‘centring’ can be used to quickly self-regulate and relax (or wake up) when faced with the challenges of coaching and facilitation. Here’s an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrFOdDQKVV8
4. It’s your x-ray specs
Not only is your own body shouting a story of your history and dispositions, so do your clients’ bodies. By learning about embodiment, you can more accurately assess and adapt to clients, both in marketing and delivery. The ‘four elements’ model is one place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UN5Fnwucso
5. It turns you and your clients into transformers
If you develop greater embodied range for yourself and teach clients to do the same, new possibilities quickly open. By being able to step into new ways of being, we quickly see new ways to do things and new solutions to problems. Here is an example of this kind of coaching, again using the four elements model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjhUubNIpeM
6. It’s your psychic spy
By tuning into your body as a coach, you will become aware of how it mirrors others, giving you vital information about a client or group, e.g. when they are feeling uncomfortable. In this way, you can intuit far more, which of course, makes you better able to facilitate.
7. It makes you human!
Being tuned into yourself makes you authentic, ethical and in touch with what you care about. If we aren’t bringing that fully into our work, what’s the point? Being embodied is being human.
