September Reflections — Learning, Creating & Connecting

September has felt like a month of learning, creating and connecting.

Not necessarily in big, dramatic ways, but through conversations, experiences, ideas and moments that have quietly encouraged me to think a little differently about my work and about what I might want to create next.

One of the things I continue to value about being a therapist is that the learning never really stops. There is always another perspective to consider, another piece of research to explore and another opportunity to deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.

This month, professional development has been an important part of that.

I spent four days at the Masters Events Oxford attending a trauma conference;  an opportunity to listen, learn and reflect alongside others working within the field. As always with these experiences, I came away not only with new knowledge, but with questions, thoughts and ideas that I know will continue to influence my practice.

Increasingly, I find myself drawn to the relationship between our psychological and physical experiences.

How we think.

How we feel.

How we experience ourselves in our bodies.

And perhaps this feels particularly meaningful because movement has always been part of my life.

Long before I became a psychotherapist, I worked as a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer and educator. For many years, those two parts of my professional life felt quite separate.

More recently, they have begun to feel increasingly connected.

And somewhere within that connection, at EASE has emerged.

Creating something new

This month I have spent a lot of time developing at EASE  my new gentle movement and wellbeing class.

It brings together many of the things I care about: movement, music, breath, relaxation, body awareness, wellbeing and connection.

But it isn’t about fitness, getting steps in or being able to dance.

There is no expectation of getting everything “right”.

Instead, I wanted to create a space where people can move in a way that feels comfortable, enjoy music, reconnect with their bodies and perhaps give themselves permission to slow down for a while.

There will be gentle movement and stretching, grounding through breath, a little accessible choreography, some simple wellbeing information and time at the end for relaxation.

In many ways, creating at EASE has reminded me that sometimes we don’t have to choose between the different parts of ourselves.

We can allow them to come together.

My years in dance haven’t disappeared because I became a therapist. My therapeutic training hasn’t replaced everything that came before it.

Each experience informs the next.

And I think there is something quite lovely about recognising that.

The importance of connection

Connection has also been a recurring theme for me this September.

Connection with colleagues through learning.

Connection with the people I work alongside.

Connection with clients and supervisees.

Connection between mind and body.

And connection with ourselves.

In therapy, we often talk about understanding ourselves better, but sometimes that understanding doesn’t begin with words.

It might begin with noticing.

A change in our breathing.

Tension in our shoulders.

The feeling of our feet on the floor.

The effect of music.

The experience of moving our body.

Or simply recognising that we need to stop for a moment.

The body can sometimes communicate things long before we have found the language for them.

Perhaps that is one of the threads I am becoming increasingly curious about within my work.

Learning doesn’t always mean adding more

September has also reminded me that personal and professional development isn’t always about doing more.

Sometimes it is about becoming more curious.

Questioning what we already think we know.

Allowing ideas to develop slowly.

Trying something new.

And trusting that our experiences — even those from very different periods of our lives — can have value in where we are now.

As I move into October, that feels particularly relevant.

at EASE will move from an idea I’ve been developing behind the scenes into something real, with the first open class taking place on 22 October.

There is excitement in that, of course, but also vulnerability. Creating something new means allowing an idea that has lived safely in your head to step out into the world.

And perhaps that’s another form of personal development too.

Not needing to know exactly how something will unfold before being willing to begin.

So, if I were to sum up September, I think it would be this:

Keep learning. Keep creating. Stay curious. And notice the connections that are already there.

Sometimes what comes next isn’t an entirely new direction.

Sometimes it is simply different parts of ourselves finally finding their way back together.