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The Leap of Faith
Has someone ever come into your life and left you changed? Maybe that person wrote a book or ran a course. Perhaps they had a lesson to share with you, or even just created an Instagram account that hit you right between the eyes and left a lasting impact. This is what happened to me last year with Sara Duigou, a somatic coach.
Sara is my guest on this episode of the She Be Red podcast. She helps people come back to their physical selves, to create an honest connection with their bodies. She shows them how to build resilience and work with their nervous systems instead of ignoring their emotions or pushing them down.
I took Sara’s course, Reclaiming Home, in 2020. It was one of those beautiful containers that was full of wisdom and practical things I could do to get connected with my body. In fact, it was largely because of this course that I shifted my priorities at the start of this year. Sara has inspired me to open my mind, get curious about some of the things I learned growing up, and create a better connection with my body moving forward.
In this episode, Sara talks about self-awareness, intuition, neural pathways, the connection between body and mind, and how disconnection might manifest. She shares the science and philosophy behind her work as well as letting us in on how she’s helping clients overcome some of the challenges thrown up by the pandemic.
Ultimately, this is a conversation about resilience and vulnerability. It’s about returning to your body, allowing yourself to feel those uncomfortable feelings, and letting them be part of a life that truly feels good.
I’m so excited to introduce you to Sara, so let’s dive in! The world of somatic healing contains some serious magic, and we’re here to help you unpack it!
What You’ll Hear Us Talk About in This Episode
The connection between brain and body
Increasing resilience
Navigating neural pathways
The difference between cognitive and body self-awareness
Bringing the body online through movement
Neuroscience and the nervous system
Body-confidence issues and eating disorders
Feeling numb
Ashtanga yoga and Pilates
Emotional safety and emotional sovereignty
Polyvagal theory and the dorsal vagus
Somatic healing
Normalizing emotion
Creating a nourishing and nurturing relationship with your body
Main Takeaways from Sara’s Experience
We can’t just rely on the brain or on the body; we have to bring the whole of ourselves into the conversation.
Having a conscious awareness of what’s going on as a whole and learning to listen to our bodies better can be transformational.
Often, we’re not really listening until we’re in physical or emotional pain, but we have to put in the time and effort to nurture ourselves on a consistent basis.
Not wanting to be with your emotions, feeling something intense but locking it away or pushing it down, can make you numb and less capable of holding your emotions.
Your body and brain are just trying to keep you safe, so have compassion for yourself, whatever stage of the journey you’re at.
The way we react to things is dependent on what we’ve encountered during our lifetimes. Creating new neural pathways and finding ways to respond, rather than react, takes time, so we need to be patient.
When you bring your body online, you’ll have more physical space to hold your emotions, and you’ll be able to create more resilience.
Trust yourself and your intuition.
Resources
Soma - Greek word relating to the living body
Brain in a vat (BIV) - hypothesis in philosophy
Reclaiming Home - Sara’s group course
Do Less - book by Kate Northrup
Window of capacity - Sara’s IGTV video
Jane Clapp - mindful strength and movement coach
@sara.duigou - Sara’s Instagram account
Sara Duigou - Sara’s website
The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love - book by Sonya Renee Taylor
Burnout - book by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
I really hope this conversation with Sara has made an impact and inspired you to get curious about your relationship with your body and mind. If so, please let me know. I’d love to hear what you’ve learned from our chat and what you plan to put into practice. Send me a DM on Instagram @maddie_shebered or @shebered, or you can email me at connect@shebered.com.