Is it safe to go to the beach? What if people don’t wear a mask or stay 6 feet away from me? Can I hug my friends? Am I being overly worried? Or not cautious enough?
Nearly everyone I talk to is more stressed than usual, frustrated about safety measures not being followed, confused about what's safe and what isn't, disappointed about what this pandemic brings out in people, and in need of a hug. If this describes you, I'm right there with you. Keep reading ...
First, feel the surface you’re sitting on.
(I’m serious. Feel the surface you’re sitting on.)
Take a deep inhale.
Now exhale and relax your belly.
Welcome to Embodied Safety Training.
You just got out of your head and into your body. You took a step to feel calmer, even if only a little bit.
You can put yourself in a state where you go about your day worrying less and enjoying things more. And it can be quick and simple. Come join me for a different kind of safety workshop, and I’ll show you how.
Make the world a safer place for yourself, from the inside out.
- Keep your stress level in check and stay calm, so you're not freaking out needlessly.
- Use universally accessible posture adjustments and movements, inspired by martial arts and yoga, to feel less threatened.
- Make more confident safety decisions, and enjoy going out - or staying home.
- Feel more in control and less at the mercy of your circumstances.
Want to be notified about the next workshop?
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Should you move to a remote cabin in the mountains until there’s a vaccine for this virus? You could, but that would only put a temporary band-aid on this one specific threat.
Should you just go about your life and not worry? You could, if you're comfortable with the potential risks for yourself and others.
No matter where you are and what you do, at any given moment there is potential danger - real and imagined, negligible and serious.
I’m not trying to scare you by claiming that you won't be safe, no matter what you do or where you go. I'm also not suggesting that, since you're never 100% safe anyway, you should just get over your fears already.
I am saying that, while you can't be completely safe, you can be safe enough – safe enough to do what you want or have to do, and not be more scared and stressed than you need to be. (Hint: some fear can be helpful. More about that in the workshop.)
What is "safe enough"?
Let's revisit a few things that you probably know, but may not have in the forefront of your mind:
"Safe enough" is a personal experience.
The same situation may send one person into a panic, while the next person doesn’t even blink. Roller coasters, anyone?
"Safe enough" comes disguised as a feeling.
We are wired to continuously make rapid threat assessments which bypass the complex thinking parts of our brain. That's why it's called a “gut reaction” ... We say that we "feel safe" or we "feel in danger", but what we are experiencing is confidence or fear.
Safety is not a feeling. So what is it then?
"Safe enough" is about your capacity to deal with danger.
Is jumping into the deep end of a pool safe? How about kayaking without a life vest? It depends on how strong of a swimmer you are ...
Is it safe to be in close proximity to people who potentially carry a contagious virus? It depends on the state of your immune system, availability of healthcare, and a whole list of other factors ...
"Safe enough" is your decision.
Based on your personal comfort level, on how afraid you feel in a situation, and on your capacity and skill to handle what you are facing, you assess whether the level of risk is acceptable to you and decide whether or not to do something.
Safety is more about you, and less about your circumstances than you may think.
Which means that you have a great deal of control over your own safety.
What to expect at the Workshop
- A different perspective on what safety is and where it comes from.
- Identifying your personal version of fight-flight-freeze, and what you do in your body when safety is missing.
- A newfound sense of empowerment.
This workshop is NOT for you if
- You are looking for validation there’s no reason to be scared, or that you are right to feel unsafe. (Remember, safety is personal and your decision, not anyone else’s.)
- You want to power through your fears and just get on with life. (I will NOT help you beat up on yourself.)
- You are looking for information on this blasted virus or recommendations for personal protective equipment. (I’ll leave that to epidemiologists.)
- You need help healing from a serious traumatic experience. (Please seek support from a medical professional.)
- You just want to vent about the current state of humanity. (Tempting, but we'll do stuff that's much more productive.)
What makes me qualified to teach you
I used to refer to myself as a "walking threat assessment". The world as a whole felt like a mostly unsafe place, with too many people wanting or expecting things from me. My quiet and gentle nature, aversion to conflict, and inability to set boundaries didn't exactly help.
I felt like I had no voice, there was no space for me, and my default response to any kind of danger was to retreat. This is rather ironic, because I was a lawyer. While I successfully stood up for other people, I was unable to do the same thing for myself.
Needless to say, this was very unpleasant and painful. For a very long time, I tried to find a way to take charge of my life the only way I knew how - using my brain. But it wasn't until I got my body involved and I experienced a different way of being, on a cellular level, that my life really began to transform.
Now, 14 years of professional experience as a mediator and conflict coach, a Black Belt in Kenpo Karate, and three Yoga teacher certifications later, I respond very differently to threats. Most of the time, I feel safe. Not just because I actually could kick someone's butt (although that does help) - but because I learned to embody calm confidence.
This is coming in really handy now as we're facing a nasty virus, differing opinions about safety measures, and an elevated collective level of stress, anger, and fear. These are "opponents" we cannot punch. We can, however, keep ourselves safe by staying calm and making reasonable decisions that balance courage and caution.
Will you join me?
$50
maximum 10 participants
Want to be notified about the next workshop?
Your information is safe with me, and I hate spam as much as you do.
Nice things people have said about previous workshops ...
(Names have been omitted to respect my clients' privacy.)
I feel like a have a bunch of new cool Ninja tools under my belt now. So simple, and so powerful!
I left the session already feeling more confident and empowered.
I'm still breathing so much more easy with your tools and techniques in hand after attending this last week. It's so nice to know that safety can be created from within. Makes so much space, inside and out. Thank you.
It was very powerful to articulate how my body responds to threats, and connect that to experiences in my life. Thank you for reminding me to get out of my head and into my body, and giving me a physical motion to do that.
I just wanted to say thank you for the workshop this evening. I absolutely loved it and I got so much from it! I'll be sure to share to my network and hopefully more people can experience this awesomeness.
I loved how interactive and fun you made it. Very engaging.
Really interesting to see the subtle shifts in your posture and my response to it.
Five stars! All of the content was understandable and related and very relevant. I feel like I got a lot out of it.
I was reminded how much of a practice it is to speak and move with confidence and grace, how it might not always feel natural but I can keep getting better at it, and how many avenues there are without being an aggressive bully, a scorned cynic, or a passive pushover.
If you read this far, this workshop is probably a good fit for you.
I would be happy to notify you about the next one.
I value your privacy and would never spam you.