The Benefits of Somatic Therapy and Meditation in Your Journey to Self-Discovery

Finding emotional balance and inner steadiness can feel like a lifelong project. Many of us have tried traditional talking therapies, different meditation apps and self help tools, yet still feel anxious, overwhelmed or cut off from ourselves.

When we bring somatic emotional therapy together with meditation, something different becomes possible. We are not just trying to think differently or force ourselves to relax. We are learning to include the body, the nervous system and our inner life in one gentle, coherent practice.

This post explores how this fusion can support our emotional health, why it matters to become more of our own therapist over time, and how we can experience it in real time inside a live 6 week Somatic Journey into Meditation starting Thursday 15 January at 7 pm GMT.

A calm meditation space prepared for a somatic therapy session

What is somatic emotional therapy

Somatic emotional therapy focuses on the relationship between mind, body and emotions. Rather than staying only with stories, beliefs or analysis, we turn towards the felt sense of our experience.

In practice, this might look like.....

• Noticing where tension, numbness or tightness shows up in the body

• Tracking how our body changes when we talk about certain situations

• Giving space to emotions that do not yet have words

• Recognising how our nervous system is trying to protect us

  
  

By tuning into the body in this way, we begin to access emotions and patterns that may have been difficult to reach through talking alone. Over time this supports healing on both a physical and emotional level.

Somatic work is especially helpful if we live with anxiety, burnout, a history of trauma or the sense of being “shut down but still functioning”.

How meditation complements somatic therapy

Meditation is often understood as a way to quieten the mind, but in this context we use it more as a practice of kind observation.

When we combine meditation with somatic therapy, meditation becomes a way to.....

• Calm the nervous system by giving our attention something steady to rest on

• Increase body awareness so we notice more of what is happening inside

• Strengthen emotional regulation by pausing before we react

Instead of trying to get rid of thoughts or emotions, we learn to notice them, feel them in the body and respond with curiosity rather than criticism. In this sense, meditation starts to help us become more of our own therapist.

We build skills we can return to when life feels intense, rather than only relying on external support.

What we will explore in the 6 week Somatic Journey into Meditation

This live online course offers a structured, held pathway to integrate somatic therapy principles with accessible meditation practices.

Each Thursday at 7 pm GMT, we meet for around 90 minutes on Zoom. Across the six weeks, we explore.....

• Gentle body scans to notice and ease tension without forcing change

• Breathwork exercises that soothe and steady the nervous system

• Somatic meditation practices focused on emotional awareness and self connection

• Reflections and optional sharing to help us make sense of what we experience

• Simple home practices so the work continues between sessions in small, realistic ways

  
  

The intention is not to become “good at meditating”. It is to build a living, flexible relationship with our body and nervous system that supports us in daily life.

Why it matters to become more of our own therapist

Support from others is vital and often life saving. At the same time, many of us reach a point where we long for something deeper than being “fixed” by professionals or endlessly managing symptoms.

Learning to self regulate and listen to ourselves is a big part of that shift. Becoming more of our own therapist can look like.....

• Having tools we can reach for when difficult emotions arise

• Trusting that we can meet our experience without automatically shutting down

• Knowing how to create small pockets of safety and rest in the middle of busy days

• Recognising patterns sooner, so we have more choice before we spiral

  
  

Meditation combined with somatic work helps us build this inner capacity. Instead of abandoning ourselves when things feel overwhelming, we learn to stay closer, one breath and one sensation at a time.

Simple ways to begin a somatic meditation practice today

We do not have to wait for the course to start to begin experimenting. Here is a short practice you can try in your own time.

1. Find a quiet spot where you are unlikely to be interrupted for 5–10 minutes

2. Sit or lie comfortably and allow your eyes to soften or close

3. Notice your breath just as it is, without trying to change it

4. Gently bring attention to your body from the feet upwards, noticing any areas of warmth, tightness, heaviness or ease

5. If an emotion arises, see if you can locate where it sits in the body

6. Rather than analysing it, simply acknowledge “something is here” and stay with a few more breaths

   
   

This is enough. We are not trying to make anything happen. We are simply building the muscle of listening.

Who this journey is for

This 6 week journey may be a good fit if we.....

• Feel anxious, overwhelmed or stuck in “always on” mode

• Have tried meditation before but struggled to settle or stay present

• Are healing from past relational or developmental trauma

• Live with burnout, stress or a sense of numbness or dissociation

• Want a more embodied, honest approach to our inner life

• Are curious about meditation as part of a broader healing or spiritual path

  
  

No previous experience with therapy or meditation is required. If we are already familiar with somatic or mindfulness practices, this course can help deepen and integrate what we know.

What makes this course different

This is not a generic “learn to meditate in 10 minutes a day” offer.

The Somatic Journey into Meditation is grounded in.....

• Trauma informed somatic therapy a body based, nervous system aware approach

• Realistic pacing we move gently, with plenty of room for sensitivity and individual needs

• Relational guidance you are not practising alone with an app; there is live support and the option to ask questions

• Integration each week includes suggestions for weaving practices into ordinary life, not just the cushion

  
  

Over the six weeks, we are not aiming for perfection. We are building a relationship with ourselves that feels more honest, compassionate and stable.

How to join the 6 week Somatic Journey into Meditation

The next round of this live online course begins on Thursday 15 January at 7 pm GMT and runs for six consecutive Thursdays.

To join.....

1. Book your place online via the checkout page👉 https://somatic-wellness.heymarvelous.com/buy/product/90087

2. Set up a comfortable space at home where you can sit or lie down with privacy

3. Add the dates to your diary and treat them as a weekly appointment with yourself

Each session is approximately 75 minutes and includes teaching, guided practice and time for questions.

Early bird pricing

Early bird pricing is available until 20 December. If you already know this speaks to something in you, you are warmly invited to claim the early rate and give your future self the gift of having this support in place for the start of the new year. Investment is £50 at the early bird price.

A gentle next step

If you are curious but unsure, you might begin by trying the short somatic meditation practice above for a few days and notice how your system responds.

When you are ready to go deeper, the 6 week Somatic Journey into Meditation offers a live, guided way to explore this work with others who are also learning to listen more closely to their bodies and inner life.

This is not about fixing who we are. It is about discovering that, with the right support, our nervous system and our heart can learn new ways of being with life.