Private Embodiment Coaching with River

Discover the profound wisdom of your body through guided embodiment coaching, where your own body becomes your greatest teacher.

At your own pace, we’ll explore embodied practices that dissolve barriers and guide you toward personal mastery and alignment with your true self. Together, we’ll uncover the embodied wisdom within, creating space for greater depth in your life, relationships, and sense of self.

Transformative Embodiment Coaching—A Journey to Your True Self

As an embodiment coach, I celebrate the diverse desires and journeys of individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as the allies and parents walking alongside them. This feminine and masculine embodiment journey is rooted in somatic awareness, fostering self-compassion, emotional connection, and deeper understanding. Whether you’re navigating your own practices or supporting others, my coaching provides a path to clarity, confidence, and freedom through embodied leadership.

Let’s create a future where your body leads with intuition, unlocking new possibilities.

Nurturing Wholeness: Compassionate Healing and Lasting Empowerment

Embodiment coaching is more than just a practice—it’s a journey to unlock the embodied arts of self-compassion, resilience, and alignment with your desires. Through movement practices, mindfulness, and somatic tools, you’ll gain a greater depth of emotional clarity and awareness.

These tools are designed to help you feel fully present in the moment, enhancing your ability to navigate challenges with grace and ease. As your emotions and desires come into alignment, you’ll naturally cultivate stronger connections, both personally and professionally.

Guided Healing: Grounded in Science, Led by the Heart

As a Somatic Experiencing™ student with certifications in Mindbody Coaching, Integrated Somatic Trauma Therapy, and Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga, I guide you through a proven framework of coaching principles that combines leading science with compassionate, heart-led practices. Drawing from insights by experts like Bessel van der Kolk, Stephen Porges, and Nikki Myers, my approach integrates self-coaching, movement practices, and embodied ways to foster sustainable growth.

Let’s work together to uncover your body’s innate wisdom and create lasting transformation.

What's Holding You Back? The Missing Link Between Body and Mind in Healing

Have you ever felt disconnected from your body or stuck in old patterns, despite your best efforts? Many clients describe a sense of emotional blocks or stagnation. This is where embodiment practices come in, helping you access the wisdom within your body and break free of what’s holding you back.

Through somatic awareness and practical tools like movement and breathwork, we’ll reconnect the dots between your physical and emotional worlds, helping you find clarity, confidence, and freedom.

It's not your fault.

The challenges you face in healing may be largely due to the limitations within the general healthcare system and traditional therapy approaches. The mainstream healthcare system often overlooks the unique and crucial interplay between body and mind, opting instead for managing symptoms rather than facilitating holistic healing.

In addition, many traditional therapy approaches are limited in their scope, frequently failing to incorporate essential elements like movement and breathwork, which are key to integrating and healing past traumas. This combination of systemic oversights has likely hindered your path to deeper, more meaningful healing. Many approaches overlook the role of masculine or feminine energy, body-based awareness, and movement practices. Embodiment coaching fills this gap by integrating personal practices that honor the wisdom of your body and emotions.

Why Now?

Imagine a life where constant exhaustion, feeling shut down, or being overwhelmed by life's pressures are things of the past. Picture waking up each day with a sense of energy and clarity, no longer weighed down by that paralyzing numbness or sense of disconnection. By starting your healing journey today, you're stepping towards a future where you're actively engaged, vibrant, and fully present in every moment of your life.

So why wait to feel alive?

Why should you trust me?

Embarking on a journey of healing and self-discovery is a deeply personal experience, and I approach it with both professional expertise and heartfelt dedication. My professional background includes:

  • Certification in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy

  • Certified Y12SR (Yoga 12-Step Recovery) Peer Guide

  • Level 3 Certification in Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga

  • Certified Mindbody Coach

  • Current student of the Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training Program at Somatic Experiencing International

Embodiment coaching is more than a profession to me. It's a heartfelt commitment to guide you toward rediscovering your inner resilience and tranquility.

I invite you to join me for a complimentary 20-minute breakthrough call. This is an opportunity for you to listen to what your body and heart are telling you, and sense if this journey resonates with your path to healing. It's a moment to connect with your intuition and feel if we're the right fit for each other on this transformative path.

How Does This Work?

  • Initial Exploration Session

    Sign up for a complimentary 20-minute exploration session. This is where you and I, River, connect to understand your needs and see if we're the right fit. It’s a chance for you to listen to your body and intuition to feel comfortable moving forward.

  • Tailored Coaching Selection

    Choose a Coaching Package that best suits your journey. We offer various options to cater to your unique path, ensuring that the program aligns with your specific goals and circumstances.

  • Flexible Session Formats

    Attend your sessions either in-person or via Zoom. This flexibility allows you to engage in the coaching process in a way that fits your lifestyle and comfort level.

  • Body Awareness Development

    Discover how your body speaks to you. Our sessions focus on developing your body awareness, helping you understand and interpret its signals and messages.

  • Integrate Tools for Growth

    Learn tools to integrate past traumatic experiences. We use proven techniques to help you process and integrate these experiences, reducing their hold on your present and future.

  • Pathway to Empowerment

    Choose a different path, not defined by your past. Our coaching empowers you to redefine your life's journey, moving beyond the constraints of past traumas.

  • Experience Your Vital Self

    Experience a more vibrant existence. Through our sessions, you'll discover ways to enrich your daily life, finding more joy, energy, and fulfillment.

  • Embodied Living

    Experience what it's like to truly live in your body. Gain control over your responses and emotions, and learn to navigate life with a newfound sense of agency and self-awareness.

  • Ongoing Support and Growth

    As you progress through the coaching, you'll receive continuous support and guidance, ensuring that your growth is consistent and tailored to your evolving needs.

Let's Get Started!

About River

I am an embodiment coach and advocate, proudly part of the LGBTQIA+ community. My journey of transformation, both personal and professional, has shaped my approach to holistic healing. Certified in Integrated Somatic Trauma Therapy, Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga, and as a Y12SR Peer Support Guide, my practice is centered around the philosophy that true well-being is achieved through harmony between body and mind. I am committed to fostering this balance, guiding individuals to embrace their true selves and live authentically.

It's my belief that by supporting each person to inhabit their body with awareness and compassion, we can collectively nurture a more empathetic and understanding world.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • While each person’s journey will be unique, I apply a loose framework to each of my coaching clients. We begin with an assessment of what it is you want to address in your life right now. We’ll discuss where you are now, where you want to be, what’s holding you back, and devise a plan to get you there.

    Each session is designed to identify those obstacles holding you back and work with the sources of those obstacles to achieve healing in a deep and sustained way.

    I believe that we all have the power to heal ourselves. I believe our bodies contain the wisdom to change old patterns and facilitate healing. With this perspective, I am not your doctor, your guru, or any other top-down term steeped in patriarchy. I am merely a guide, someone to hold a flashlight to illuminate the hidden things, and someone to hold space as you examine those things in your own time.

  • Each session begins with an arrival practice designed to ground both of us into the room, into our bodies, and into relationship with each other.

    From there, we identify the issue of your choosing and explore that issue with curiosity. We may talk, we may breathe, we may do some movements to help release or integrate discoveries.

    You are the driver. I may invite you into certain practices that may or may not be accessible to you and you may choose not to do any practice.

    My goal is to help you discover what is blocking you, identify patterns, and hold space as you process traumas and integrate new learnings in a way that enables you to avoid getting sucked back into dark places, but rather, to stand next to them and explore in a safe and manageable way.

  • n embodiment coaching sessions, a variety of somatic tools can be used to enhance self-awareness, emotional processing, and body-mind integration. I developed the Bodha Blueprint for unlocking your True Self using the 4Ms:

    *Movement
    *Mindfulness
    *Meditation
    *Manifesting
    ‍
    With this simple blueprint, we can work together to unlock your body's inner wisdom and get you started building a life you love.

  • The distinction between a somatic therapist and a somatic coach primarily lies in their training, the scope of their practice, and the methods they use in their work.

    Somatic Therapist:

    1. Training and Qualifications: Somatic therapists are typically licensed mental health professionals who have additional training in somatic practices. They often have degrees in psychology, counseling, or social work.

    2. Scope of Practice: As licensed mental health professionals, somatic therapists are qualified to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. Their training allows them to address complex psychological issues and trauma with an understanding of both mental and physical health.

    3. Approach: Somatic therapists integrate body-oriented techniques with traditional psychotherapeutic methods. They use their understanding of the mind-body connection to help clients process emotional and psychological issues, often addressing trauma's physical manifestations.

    4. Regulatory Framework: They operate under the regulatory and ethical frameworks of their licensing bodies, which govern their professional practice.

    Somatic Coach:

    1. Training and Qualifications: Somatic coaches may not have formal mental health training or a license to practice psychotherapy. Their expertise typically focuses on body-awareness practices and may come from backgrounds in bodywork, movement therapy, or other somatic disciplines.

    2. Scope of Practice: Somatic coaches work primarily with clients who are looking to improve their body awareness, manage stress, and enhance overall well-being. They do not diagnose or treat mental health disorders but rather focus on the personal development aspect of somatic work.

    3. Approach: The work of a somatic coach is more centered on guiding clients to develop a deeper connection with their bodies, using techniques like mindful movement, breathwork, and guided meditation. They facilitate personal growth and body-mind integration.

    4. Regulatory Framework: Somatic coaches are not typically bound by the same regulatory bodies as licensed therapists. They may follow the standards and guidelines set by their training programs or professional associations.

    It's important to understand that a license is not a requirement to practice somatic work effectively. Somatic coaches, despite not being licensed mental health professionals, bring valuable skills and approaches to their practice, focusing on body awareness and personal development. Many individuals find significant benefits in working with somatic coaches, particularly when seeking to deepen their connection with their body and improve overall well-being. Additionally, some people may benefit from seeing both a somatic therapist and a somatic coach, as each offers unique approaches and perspectives. A somatic therapist can provide comprehensive mental health support, especially for those dealing with trauma and complex emotional issues, while a somatic coach can offer more focused guidance on bodily awareness and personal growth. This combination can lead to a well-rounded approach to healing and self-discovery, addressing both psychological and physical aspects of well-being.

  • Embodiment coaching is a holistic approach to personal growth and transformation that works with the body as a primary resource for change. Unlike traditional coaching, which often focuses on cognitive strategies, embodiment coaching incorporates gentle non-athletic movement, posture, breathing, and body awareness to help clients achieve deeper, faster, and more lasting change.

  • Embodiment coaching combines physical awareness with mental insights to guide clients toward their desires and goals. It integrates:

    • Movement: Gentle, accessible exercises to connect with the body.

    • Posture: Exploring how body positions influence emotions and thoughts.

    • Breathing: Using the breath to regulate and calm the nervous system.

    • Awareness: Developing a deeper understanding of sensations, emotions, and thoughts in the present moment.

    By working through these techniques, clients can overcome challenges, whether in their life, career, or personal relationships.

  • Embodiment coaching is versatile and can be applied to various life and career challenges, including:

    • Career transitions or navigating uncertainty.

    • Procrastination and feeling stuck in repetitive patterns.

    • Social confidence and feeling more comfortable in your body.

    • Emotional resilience and stress management.

  • Traditional coaching often relies heavily on cognitive tools like mindset shifts or goal-setting. While effective, this approach sometimes overlooks the body as a source of wisdom and change. Embodiment coaching bridges this gap by integrating body-based practices, leading to deeper and more sustainable transformation.

    By focusing on both sensations in the body and the thoughts arising in the mind, embodiment coaching helps clients create change that “sticks” because it’s rooted in the body.

  • Absolutely, embodiment work has the potential to bring up unresolved trauma because the body often holds onto experiences that the mind might not consciously remember. Some coaches hesitate to use embodiment techniques for this reason. However, skilled practitioners trained in trauma-informed approaches know how to guide clients through this work gently and safely.

    As a student of Somatic Experiencing (SE) with the International Somatic Experiencing Institute and a certified practitioner in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy, I use evidence-based techniques to ensure that sessions are empowering rather than overwhelming. Trauma-informed coaching prioritizes your comfort and readiness, incorporating practices like grounding, titration (working in manageable steps), and resourcing to help you feel safe while connecting with your body.

    This approach ensures that any emotions or sensations that arise are met with care and that you remain in control of your healing process.

  • Embodiment coaching works because it addresses change at a deeper level. By engaging the body and its natural ability to process emotions and stress, it allows for:

    • Faster results: Changes happen more quickly because the body holds many patterns of behavior.

    • Lasting transformation: When change is rooted in the body, it becomes more sustainable.

    • Concrete tools: Embodiment coaching provides practical, quick-win tools clients can use in their daily life.

    As a student of Somatic Experiencing (SE) with the International Somatic Experiencing Institute and a certified practitioner in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy, I use evidence-based techniques to ensure that sessions are empowering rather than overwhelming. Trauma-informed coaching prioritizes your comfort and readiness, incorporating practices like grounding, titration (working in manageable steps), and resourcing to help you feel safe while connecting with your body.

    This approach ensures that any emotions or sensations that arise are met with care and that you remain in control of your healing process.

  • A typical session involves:

    1. Arrival: Centering yourself with breathing or grounding exercises.

    2. Exploration: Discussing a current challenge while noticing body sensations and patterns.

    3. Movement and Awareness: Engaging in gentle practices to shift emotions and create new perspectives.

    4. Reflection: Integrating what you’ve learned and identifying how to apply it to your life.

  • Anyone looking for personal growth, deeper self-awareness, or practical tools for transformation can benefit. Whether you’re a professional seeking clarity, a parent navigating stress, or someone feeling stuck in a pattern, embodiment coaching offers tools to help you move toward your goals with confidence and ease.

    Embodiment coaching is truly for everyone—it meets you where you are and grows with you as you create a more aligned and fulfilling life.