🌱 The Shape You’re In (and Why It’s Not Your Fault)
Let’s start with this:
You are not broken.
You are shaped.
And your shape makes complete sense.
I talk about this all the time in sessions, because it’s one of the most common things I see:
“I know what I want… so why does my body shut down when I try to move toward it?”
You might know—logically, intellectually, beautifully—that you want to show up with confidence.
That you want to lead in your business.
Or be more present with your kids.
Or speak your truth in a relationship.
And then something in your body says…
Nope.
Not today.
You freeze. You go blank. You bolt. You crumble. You overwork. You please.
And then maybe you judge yourself, or spiral, or think, “Why can’t I just DO the thing?”
Let Me Introduce You to Your Shape
In somatic work, we use the word soma to describe your whole self—your body, your nervous system, your emotions, your longings, your beliefs, your survival strategies, your spiritual self, your patterns. It’s the constellation of you.
And your soma has a shape—not just physical, but energetic, emotional, and relational.
It’s the shape you learned to take in order to get your needs met.
It was shaped by:
- Family systems
- School rules and punishments
- Religion or culture
- Race, gender, class, body size, ability
- Political and social pressures
- All the ways you learned: “This is how I stay safe. This is how I belong. This is how I survive.”
Your nervous system learned all that way before your thinking brain could make sense of it.
It adapted brilliantly.
It worked.
And now… you want something more.
The Problem Isn’t You—It’s the Old Shape
Let’s say you’ve done the therapy. You’ve got your affirmations. You’re journaling and setting intentions.
But when it’s time to speak up in a meeting?
Or say no in a conversation that matters?
Or show up publicly in your truth?
Something in your soma ducks out. Goes stiff. Gets panicky. Wants to disappear.
That’s not a character flaw. That’s the shape of your survival.
And it makes sense.
But it also might be outdated. That shape—though once wise and necessary—may no longer serve who you’re becoming.
So What Do We Do?
We don’t bulldoze the shape.
We don’t bypass it.
We don’t force a “better” one.
We get curious.
We ask:
- When do I feel most alive?
- What does that feel like in my body?
- What gets in the way?
And we practice. Gently. Together. In little moments.
Because you can’t think your way into a new shape.
You feel your way there.
This Is Especially Important Now
In this world—this particular moment in history, with so many systems in crisis and so much pressure on all of us—it’s really hard to stay regulated.
The external stressors are real.
The injustice is real.
The financial uncertainty is real.
And the exhaustion? Also very real.
Many of us—especially those in marginalized or underestimated bodies—carry shapes that were necessary. Still are, in some spaces.
So we hold all of this with care. This is not just personal work. It’s systemic, too.
And still—we begin with you, here, now, in this body, learning a new way forward.
The Shape You’re Becoming
So here’s what we practice at Rise Up:
- Tracking what happens in your body when you move toward what matters
- Naming the shape you’re in (without shame)
- Practicing new ways of being in real time—so that you can choose a different shape, over time
We build new neural pathways—not by force, but by repetition and care.
We practice being the shape that aligns with your values.
That makes space for your longings.
That allows you to belong to yourself.
Up Next: The Grab Practice đź‘‹
Next week I’ll walk you through a Grab Practice—a somatic exercise I learned through the Strozzi Institute that helps us feel into our current shape and practice responding differently.
It’s one of my favorite tools to use in sessions, and I’ll show you how to adapt it for home practice too.
Until then—be gentle with your shape.
It got you here.
And that’s no small thing.
With love, curiosity, and breath,
Katie @ Rise Up Bodymind
