Why Would an Athlete Work With an Embodiment Coach?

There are many reasons why an athlete would work with an embodiment coach. Subsequently, in this post I wanted to share you you some of those reasons. However, before I share why an athlete would work with an embodiment coach, let’s make sure we are on the same page about coaching.

What is Coaching?

The International Coach Federation (ICF) refers to coaching as –

“partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

Another definition of coaching from Anthony Grant includes –

“A collaborative, solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of performance, life experience, self-directed learning and the personal growth of people from normal (non-clinical) populations.”

Coaching recognises the client as the expert in their own world (personal and professional) and knows every person is creative, resourceful, and whole.

Basically the coaching process is about identifying where you are now, where you would like to be and then close that gap. The coach does this through –

discovering, clarifying, and aligning with where the client wants to be,
encouraging self-discovery and trust within themselves,
eliciting client-generated solutions and strategies,
keeping the client accountable and ensuring they are taking responsibility for themselves, and
providing support to the client.

What Coaching is Not –

a quick-fix, one size fits all approach for your current challenges (as we are all unique),
therapy or counseling (please seek a licensed medical professional if this is what you need),
about giving you advice (you are the expert in your own life),
financial advising or estate planning (again please seek a licensed practitioner if this is what you require).

You can see more about what coaching is and is not in the following video –

What is Embodiment?

Defining embodiment is complex and an area that continues to evolve. Following are some definitions of embodiment from a variety of sources:

“refers to the mind and body connection” ~ Julian Kiverstein,
“to be embodied means to live through our sense door. It means to engage oneself in the world through the experiences we feel in our body, through our body, and perceived through our body.” ~ Ann Saffi Biasetti,
“To be a consciousness or rather to be an experience is to hold inner communication with the world, the body and other people, to be with them instead of being beside them.” ~ French philosopher Merleau-Ponty, and
“The act of expanding one’s self awareness to include the felt experience of the body, such as sensory, sensational, emotional and physical experiences, and incorporating that information into one’s overall conception and conduct of themselves, their identity, beliefs, behaviors, and ways of being.” ~ Kardin Rabin.

After reading the above definition on embodiment, do you think embodying your mind and body is something that would be useful in your own life?

What is Embodiment Coaching?

Basically, Embodiment Coaching is coaching that connects and aligns your mind and body. What does embodiment mean to you? Maybe it is –

Move beyond the duality of both ‘you are not your body’ and ‘you are not your mind’ to find harmony and whole-hearted connection?
Experiencing a felt sense of your body?
Relating to the body as a subject, rather than an object?

Do you sense embodiment coaching could be useful for you?