Setting boundaries is hard! Many of our clients—and us—cave, over-explain, or shut down, particularly when it’s someone like grandma asking.
Do you—or your clients—ever say “yes” when it really feels like a “no”? Even if they “know better,” they just cave, collapse, or accommodate? Or maybe they too rigidly put up walls, closing themselves off to possibilities?
In our culture, it’s surprisingly hard to name our limits clearly. We overextend and override our bodies, which can lead to resentment and burnout, or dysfunctional dynamics like codependency and martyrdom.
In this experiential workshop, you’ll learn how to recognize your body’s signals in real time, and respond with clarity, compassion, and dignity. We’ll practice two powerful somatic techniques from the Strozzi Institute for Somatics:
The Yes / No / Maybe Practice
The Centered Decline Practice
These practices help participants:
Notice their default patterns (e.g. appeasing, shutting down, over-explaining)
Say “no” without collapse or aggression
Express a clear “yes” when it’s truly aligned
Ask for more time with dignity, if they are a “maybe”
Stay grounded under pressure or insistence
We pair these techniques with real-life scenarios, so participants don’t just talk about boundaries—they practice them in their bodies. By mindfully noticing their reactions and intentionally repatterning, clients eventually gain more choice in the moment, even in tough relationships, whether with partners, bosses, children, or even with grandma.
Participants will receive a digital handout with key somatic concepts and step-by-step instructions to continue practicing beyond the workshop.
Zach also offers attendees a complimentary 60-minute session to deepen their somatic practice.
Light snacks and refreshments will be served.
Presenter bio: Zach Bell, M.Ed, helps purpose-driven professionals to sustain their impact over time and communicate more effectively at home and at work. He is a certified somatic coach with the Strozzi Institute for Somatics, and he specializes in conflict, boundaries, burn-out, anger management, anxiety, men’s work, gender identity, listening skills, and intimacy. His methodology, The Bodymind Breakthrough, brings together Nonviolent Communication, somatics, and role play to create practical, meaningful changes for leaders and teams. He runs a private practice over Zoom and in Oakland, which includes individuals, Men’s Groups (Oakland and San Francisco-based), and giving workshops at various retreats and family camps throughout the Bay Area.
His background includes founding his dream summer camp that brings young leaders from different race and class backgrounds together to build empathy, serving as an Oakland public middle school classroom teacher, dean, and Restorative Justice facilitator, as well as roles in education technology, management consulting, and nonprofit consulting. In addition to his clinical work, he channels his passion for men’s work through Real Men Share, a website for men to anonymously share first person stories about their experiences of masculinity, in an effort to reduce shame, promote healing, and shift perceptions of masculinity in our culture. He is also an avid basketball player, contact improv dancer, Jewish ritual host, late-in-life theater kid, and Ram Dass devotee.
Learn more at www.bodywisdomcoach.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.