The concept of supervision is rare in the wellness space, even though it meets a fundamental need all practitioners have.

And I would argue, many try to tend to this need in unhelpful and exhaustive ways.

Supervision in Wellness

Supervision is a mostly misunderstood concept in the wellness world. For most somatic practitioners, breathwork facilitators, coaches, and bodyworkers, it exists within training but is often called something else.

And then when you graduate, nobody mentions it.

Although it is a standard part of practice in the psychotherapy and counselling field, but shrouded in assumptions in the wider wellness arena.

These assumptions that are worth examining, because some of them might be costing you more than you realise.

My name is Cat Moyle, I have been in the wellness business for over 25 years and I host The Treehouse, a supervision and support community for wellness professionals.

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Myth 1: Supervision is for when something goes wrong

This is probably the most common one. Supervision gets filed under crisis management, something you’d seek out if a client complained, if an ethical issue arose, or if you were “struggling badly enough” to need outside input.

The reality is almost the opposite. The practitioners who benefit most from supervision are not the ones in crisis. They’re the ones who are curious, committed and who want to go deeper.

Supervision is a reflective practice, not a remedial one. It’s the ongoing process of bringing your work into a supported space so that patterns can be noticed, blind spots can be named, and the quality of what you offer can continue to develop. Therapists and counsellors have understood this for decades. They don’t wait until something breaks. They build supervision into their practice as a matter of course.

That’s exactly what The Treehouse is designed to support, the ordinary, ongoing rhythm of a practitioner who takes their work seriously - alongside the exceptional moments that shake the ground.

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Myth 2: I don’t need supervision because I do my own personal development work

This one comes from a good place. Many wellness practitioners are deeply committed to their own growth. You may be in therapy, your own somatic or breathwork practice, training, retreats. This matters enormously, so much so I encourage you to factor it into your business model.

But personal development and supervision are not the same thing, and one doesn’t substitute for the other.

Your personal practice is about you. Supervision is about you in relation to your clients, your work and your business.

It holds a range of lenss — one that asks not just “how am I doing?” but “what is happening in the space between me and the people I work with? What am I bringing into the room that I might not be aware of? What is the work asking of me that I haven’t yet given?” “How can I hold my business in the context of the world”

These are questions that require a particular kind of container. Not therapy, not a peer chat over coffee, not a training course. Supervision. When wellness practitioners, attempts to meet this need in other spaces, something important is missed.

Myth 3: Supervision means someone checking up on me

The word itself doesn’t help. “Super-vision” seeing from above - carries connotations of oversight, assessment, hierarchy. Something being done to you, rather than with you.

In practice, good supervision feels nothing like that.

It is a collaborative, confidential relationship built around your work. You are not here to be evaluated, corrected, or reported on.

A supervisor is there to think alongside you, to help you notice what you might not be able to see from inside the work, and to support you in making sense of your own experience as a practitioner.

At The Treehouse, supervision is grounded in somatic principles. That means paying attention not just to what you’re thinking about your work, but to what you’re feeling, sensing, and carrying. The body holds a great deal of information about the therapeutic relationship. Supervision is one of the places where that information can be heard.

Myth 4: My clients are fine, so I’m fine

Client outcomes are one measure of how a practitioner is doing. But they are not the whole picture.

Practitioners can be quietly struggling in ways that don’t immediately show up in client progress. Absorption of client material. Compassion fatigue. Over-functioning in sessions. Dread before certain appointments. A sense of flatness or disconnection from work that once felt alive. These experiences are more common than most practitioners admit, because there’s rarely anywhere to take them.

Wellness work can be particularly absorptive. The nervous system doesn’t maintain neat professional boundaries. What moves through your clients can touch you too, whether you’re tracking it or not. Without a regular, dedicated space to process that, it can accumulate.

Your inner life as a practitioner must be permitted and actively attended to. Because when you’re supported, your clients feel it, even if they don’t know why.

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Myth 5: Supervision is only relevant if I’m working with trauma

There’s a version of supervision that has become associated specifically with trauma-informed practice, and while supervision is absolutely essential in that context, it’s far from the only one where it matters.

If you’re working with people in any depth - holding space for transformation, facilitating altered states, supporting nervous system regulation, sitting with grief or joy or confusion - you are in relationship.

And as you know, rellationship is where the most interesting and complex things happen. Things that don’t always have obvious answers. Things that deserve more than a quick reflection on the drive home.

Supervision is for any practitioner who is working with people and wants to do that well. The complexity doesn’t have to be clinical to be worth exploring.

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So why hasn’t supervision existed in the wellness space until now?

Because most wellness professions are unregulated. Without regulatory bodies mandating reflective practice, there’s been no structural reason for it to develop and no infrastructure to support it even if practitioners wanted it.

That’s the gap The Treehouse is built to fill.

I believe that supervision should be as natural a part of a wellness practitioner’s life as their own practice. Not because someone requires it of you.

Because the work deserves it.
Because your clients deserve it.
And because you do too.

If you’re ready to find out what supervision could offer you, The Treehouse is here.

Let me know what landed for you here.
And comment Tree to be sent info about The Treehouse.

Much love,

Cat x

#SomaticSupervision #BreathworkPractitioner #WellnessPractitionerDevelopment #SomaticPractice #PractitionerWellbeing

Wellness folks,

Can we explore how your love for your work may be infinite, but that doesn’t mean you can offer yourself without limit.

And how these limits might actually hold the key to making your practice what it is.

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The context

Many who walk the therapeutic career path do so because it is heart-led work.

Their own life experience has led them to find benefit in the exploration of movement, somatics, nutrition, nature, breath, talk therapy, energetics and they want to offer that gift to others.

The motivating force is an infinite well of love.

But that force of love won’t protect you from boredom, burn out or business plateau unless you understand where your limits lie.

My observation

We are not entirely limitless

With all respect to the quantum 8 figure business crew, we do actually have limits and working beyond them when your role is to hold a therapeutic space can lead to burnout, boredom, compassion fatigue and your business plateauing below your capacity.

I am NOT saying these limits are set for life.

Actually a lot of what I am talking about here is how to expand your capacity; increase your limit; open your therapeutic wings wider but with your feet firmly rooted in the earth.

What limits are we talking about?

Your physical capacity

The maths on how much you can earn from a one-to one therapeutic practice is often done on maximum working hours available each week. Not energy over time.

Some sessions are more tiring than others, some days of the month asks more of bodies with menstrual cycles, some periods of our life have us energised and some less so.

If you are drained and you force yourself to work, your ability to maintain a clean space dwindles.

Some useful questions might be:
Am I looking at my maximum working capacity to make my business work?

Have I factored in time for rest, exercise, food and my own rhythms to see what is sustainably possible?

What is already in place if a life event takes me out of action for a while?

_________

Your nervous system range

If you are rattled in a client session and move into fight, flight, freeze or fawn your clients mirror neurons will feel it and shut down.

Beyond this if you do not experience safety in your own life - e.g. if your finances are shaky, your homelife is not stable, the systems we live in are a threat - and that begins to seep into your working life, your business will respond.

Some useful questions might be:
Where am I taken care of?
Where can I take things when I am rattled?
What does (relative) safety feel like for me?

________

Your blind spots

Running a business, being a therapist and of course, being in your own life will all invite you to shine a light on your own stuff.

The more you work on, the clearer you become as a channel, the wider and deeper space you can hold.

Some useful questions might be:
What do I bump into over and over in my work/business?

Is there a space for me to explore my shadow self?

Do I have any energy for more reflection right now?

These all interrelate BTW
And they are all work-on-able.

Why it matters

The point here is that our “human being” is a key part of our work.

And, alone, the love we feel for it is not enough to keep us going, keep us growing and keep us strong.

It can offer a pulsating beat, beneath what we do.

But, we must take responsibility with ongoing commitment to our own bodies - physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, energetic and our relational lives outside of work if we are to offer the love in healthy, sustainable ways.

And this is often under-revealed in therapeutic teachings.
And unsupported by conventional late capitalist models.
And yet the discovery and integration of it can be one of the most powerful things we do in our business.

Navigating this can feed the roots of what we are growing.

It is why The Treehouse was founded.
To feed the roots with an online community for those in wellness to be held in supervision, to access somatic support sessions and steadily tend to their bodies, nervous systems and blind spots.

You can read more about it here: https://www.catmoyle.com/treehouse

And I would love to know your thoughts here - what is your experience?


Love, Cat

#supervision #somatics #wellnessindustry #nervoussystem #limitlessness

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Working in these times…

If you are in the wellness space, you will know that doing this work asks a lot of you - especially now.

• The demands of running a business in the algorithm age.

• Late stage capitalism and the K economy.

• The poly-crisis that you and your clients feel.

Means this can happen…

It is common for much of the energy that it took you to train and launch your work into the world to begin to dwindle over time.

I have heard practitioners say “I didnt realise how much time it would take - outside of client sessions - to run my practice”

For some, around 50% of their time is spent on non clinical activity.

This includes marketing and general business activities - some cite the non-clinical tech skills to run a practice as a real kicker.

And, more crucially, all the personal preparation and development needed -
i.e most practitioners have extensive practices behind the scenes to continue taking care of the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and energetic aspects of themselves in order to hold the space well.

This is not to moan about it, or to say this ratio is wrong, but to acknowledge the reality. And to highlight why so many practitioners stall or quit at the crucial moment their expertise is maturing.

Why does it really happen though?

The energy dwindles because so many practitioners are doing this work alone.

They take the challenges they face in their work and business and privately process them.

The helper in us ends up holding it all.

And we end up drawing on all our valuable life force to keep going and eventually hit a wall.

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So, what’s the alternative?

We know that where there is community, this experience is much improved.

If we have a place where practitioners can share ideas and ask for suggestions from others who understand, the reciprocal energy feeds everyone.

And where there is really well held space for us all to face the harder parts of this work - not just as part of a nice network or a place to celebrate the wins - but a real and committed crew willing to continue growing through supervision and specific somatic support, this energy is multiplied.

• We feel the strength of support at our back.

• We build on our knowledge

• We expand our range

• We weave deep and respected threads with others who care in the way that we do, about building a better world.
  

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Why this matters…

When there is really well held space for us all to gather and face the harder parts of this work - practitioners can continue thriving in their business.

• Which means more people can be held in their experienced hands.

• Which allows the medicine to spread farther so we can begin to turn the tide of division.

• The fear, anger and grief can be alchemised

• And the hard work of holding and creating hopeful visions for the future can continue.

  
  

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This is why The Treehouse | Grow Your Wellness Practice with Supervision, Support and Community | was created.

If you are interested in finding out more visit https://catmoyle.com/treehouse

See you soon,

Love, Cat x

#supervision #somatics #wellnessindustry #abetterworld #medicine.

Why it matters?

I recently heard a psychotherapist explain that (according to extensive research, not internet anecdotes) longevity + quality of life rests most on the quality of our relationships.

That 5am starts, cold plunge + protein maxxing are good for us to an extent but it’s relationship maxxing that makes the biggest difference to our lifespan and the quality of our years.

Where are you?

I sit here in the early summer breeze wondering if email + social media is still the way to reach those who care about living a good life.

Have we all unhooked from the relentless hooks, sales funnels, AI slop + ads, or are you still hanging in there for news of something that feels deeply human + necessary?

I don’t know for certain, but right now it feels like a lot of online spaces (social media in particular) are focused either on feeding us distraction.

What else is there?

As someone who remains dedicated to deeply human connection, it is always so heartening to find online spaces that allow for that… Here are 2 brilliant ones…

I recently connected with Laurence McCahill of the Happy StartUp School to find out more about their Summer Camp. Laurence holds calls with folks interested in attending because first + foremost they are a community. Our zoom call was uplifting + thoughtful + I look forward to taking a step towards their collective.

The Portal Collective by Sally Burns (which is now home to my online group offerings) continues to be a source of inspiration in these times. In their words

“Imagine a space where knowledge flows naturally between communities, like nutrients shared through forest root systems. Where creators support each other’s growth rather than competing for attention in a biased + crowded algorithm. Where learning happens through genuine interaction rather than passive consumption”.

The best way to understand it is to join (free).

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How am I contributing?

I am building a space for wellness practitioners to be properly supported in their essential-for-these-times work, with supervision and community.

Below are some words + images about it, which includes a founders offer.

If you offer medicine to keep people connecting to themselves + others and want to keep doing that for the long run, you might be interested.

If not, please remember - the antidote to disappearing online is human connection.

See you there.

Cat xx

#wellnessindustry #connection #goodonlinespaces #jointheportal #somatics

Most practitioners are well trained in their craft but very few are prepared for what it takes to sustain themselves as the primary instrument of that craft.

It begins when you understand you are not just a practitioner. You hold an insightful, precise, frequency and that means you have to take care of yourself.

In my experience, very few trainings prepare you for what this genuinely takes - and it’s rarely factored into how new practitioners plan their businesses. So this is my honest attempt to name it.

Here’s what that actually looks like for me — behind the scenes.

THE PHYSICAL

1. Feed yourself well. This work asks for density and rootedness in the body. I eat well and I eat often. Showing up half-nourished when you’re holding space for others is something you feel pretty quickly.

2. Hydrate seriously. I drink a lot of water. It keeps things moving through my system, supports clear thinking, and, drawing on Traditional Chinese Medicine, protects the kidneys when the work gets intense or I’m navigating something that stretches me.

3. Move every day. I lift weights, walk, stretch, do yoga, and get out of breath. Some forms of bodywork require real physical strength. Beyond that, daily movement gets blood and lymph circulating, opens up my breathing, and helps me stay connected to my own body, which matters enormously in this work.

THE INTERNAL

4. Invest in support. I have a paid mentor and a trusted circle of fellow practitioners. You cannot sustainably guide others through depth work if no one is holding that space for you. This one took me a while to fully commit to.

5. Empty Regularly. Regular bodywork, saunas, and a fasted detox once a year are minimum. I began an annual japa meditation practice this year.
Staying clear is an active practice, not something that happens on its own.

6. Shadow work. Regular deep work with my mentor, exploring what lies beneath. Working with what’s unresolved in myself is a starting point for any change I support in clients. You can’t comfortably take someone further than you’ve been willing to go yourself.

THE MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL

7. Keep learning. Workshops, trainings, ongoing research. Our field evolves, and staying fixed in what we already know doesn’t serve the people we work with.

8. Meditate most days. Honestly, not every single day. But most days, and the consistency is where it counts. Once a month, or only when things get hard, tends to be a reaction rather than a practice.

9. Practice peace deliberately. I believe much of the conflict in the world begins with unresolved conflict within people. So I try to live that awareness rather than just hold it theoretically. That means noticing victim and drama triangle dynamics, returning to sincere appreciation for being alive, and being thoughtful about the frequency I’m carrying into the room.

10. Devotion I tend to an altar as a daily devotional practice. This is the energetic anchor beneath everything else, the place where I reconnect with what this work is actually for.

This is not a luxury list. This is the kind of infrastructure that doesn’t always feel urgent until you notice you’ve let it slip.

Every item here costs something in time, money, or attention. And each one pays back in the quality and sustainability of the work. If you’re building a practice and haven’t yet factored this in, I’d gently invite you to reconsider.

💬 What does your behind-the-scenes maintenance look like? I’d love to hear.

#WellnessBusiness #PractitionerLife #SelfCareForHealers #SustainablePractice #WellnessIndustry

You know the one.

It can happen in an instant, you are merrily going about your work and then you see someone else with a similar niche / brand / message / modality and suddenly all confidence drains from your veins and you question your right to be in the wellness space at all.

Hello Imposter Syndrome, thanks for the take down.

In this moment

there is a contraction in your system.

You might feel it as a tightening, a grip, a flattening, a loss of energy.

This coupled with an inflation in your mind of the other human into superhuman and everything you have been doing can grind to a halt.

The internal spark - the part of you that is switched on by your work - dims.

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It’s not all you.

Of course this is happening internally, but I would argue it is fuelled by external narratives too - e.g. hyper individualism in the business world, last stage capitalism that insists on growth at the expense of everything else are all involved in the perfect storm.

If you are a solo-preneur in the wellness space, imposter syndrome can feel like an intense obstacle to creating a thriving, sustainable business.

But what if it was fire in disguise.

What if it was fire you could use to fuel your own practice.

Let’s start with how it hurts.

Most practitioners in this space care deeply about their work, it is a passion and as such something that is fulfilling on a deeply emotional level. So of course the thought of not being able to do it - because you perceive someone else is better / more qualified / more experienced / more articulate than you - hits deeper than the pocket.

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And what the pain can show you.

What if what’s happening is you are getting proof that your particular skillset is needed in the world. So much so that others have chosen to be in that space too.

What if what’s happening is that you have come across someone with a shared philosophy and the same passion as you.

What if you were to reach out to them and connect from that place of shared interest.

What if you were to take the contraction you feel and instead turn towards what you think is the source of that contraction and instead OPEN.

What might become possible from that place?

The opening

One of the intentions behind my work is to bring together and connect those who work in the wellness space.

To explore what’s behind the social media presentation of what’s happening and be with the truth of what this work asks of you.

To see the common ground that exists between us.

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Leads to…

When you deliberately counteract the grip, space gets created. Things - ideas, actions have room to move again.

When you open in a space with others, we all feel the warmth of a community who understands what this work asks of you.

When you turn towards those who also work in this space (even though it’s not easy), you are inviting connection over separation both between you and within you.

You are honouring the part that hurts and holding it in loving action.

And the imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome can not thrive where there is genuine connection.

But the fire of doing the life changing work you love, can.

To find out more about my work comment “Imposter” and I will send you something interesting…

Love

Cat x

#supervision
#coaches
#support
#treehouse
#wellness

Let’s start at the start.

At the heart of most (all?) therapeutic modalities is a return to wholeness.

- Whether it is movement to drop you out of being solely in your head and into the wider home of your breath and body.

- Or meditations for noticing the constant draw of the ego so you can remember your connection to the collective.

- Or exploration practices that support you to seek and lovingly re-acquaint yourself with your exiled parts so you can live from your whole self.

- Or courses that remind you that you are part of nature (not solitary automaton) and that you have cycles and ebbs and flows just like the great mother earth.

The common theme here is wholeness.

And yet the wellness industry is awash with individualism.

So we end up working in a way that is antithetical to our values and vision for the world.

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The system isn’t in our favour here.

Most therapeutic professions that involve the body/mind/soul/personal development are unregulated.

With the exception of counselling / psychotherapy, many therapeutic trainings do not offer ongoing supervision or support post qualification.

Add to that the modern marketplace which teaches us to build a personal brand (yes, I have one too) and you get a perfect recipe for solo flying therapists, out there in the increasingly complex realm of human stuff.

Hello consequences

Hello overworking - if we run any version of the healer wound or “good child” pattern.

Hello being unsupported - if we like to lone wolf things.

Hello feeling lost - we can be the most well trained practitioner on the planet and we will duly get our biggest lessons in the sessions we hold. With real clients. In relationship.

Hello being under-resourced - if we have to fund all of our own support themselves.

And eventually

This leads to many good practitioners collapsing, burning out or falling into disillusionment or losing confidence. This can lead to the hard (and never wholehearted) choice to quit or do ‘lighter’ work at very the moment these practitioners have breadth and depth of experience, and the most to give back to the collective.

When what we really need

What we really NEED at this time is their particular skill and ability to hold depth and complexity in and for our communities.

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So here’s my contribution to fixing it

Whilst the work to dismantle rampant individualism and late (last?) stage capitalism might take some time, the support we can offer to those who hold others is available in a heartbeat.

I’m talking about

- Regular supportive supervision for spaceholders, in small groups where practitioners get to share what has challenged us, what we would like to do better, how to respond to the ever changing external landscape that (we and) our clients are living within.

- Access to a community of peers (not just those we trained with but those who see things from different perspectives), a group that sees and understands us and this work and that we see in return.

- Online spaces that don’t hijack our attention and feed the techbro billionaires but instead are soothing and supportive and dedicated to humanity.

- Essentially a chance to be held in the way we hold others - this is often the thing we will deprioritise but which is actually the thing that is deeply necessary to sustain us.

This is why The Treehouse - Supervision, Support and Community for Spaceholders was created with Sophie Brigstocke

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A return to the collective

So that we can begin to hold that frequency for those around us.

Because we can’t single-handedly hold the expansion required to hold others in these times without being supported and held ourselves.

If you wan’t to find out more about The Treehouse - come and attend an Explorers call or try out the free Reflect and Recharge resource for Spaceholders.

Bring your thoughts to the conversation.

Much love,

Cat x

The Treehouse

And furnished those who responded with gifts galore and

All of us stepped on the path away from rampant individualism and back to the kind of beautiful power money can’t buy.

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The Soap Box

2026 has to be the year we stop pretending we achieve any of our great wins alone.

It has to be the year we acknowledge the circles we are in.

The teachers that have come before and passed on what they know.

The pioneers who broke the rules we continue to break.

The friends who listen.

The dogs/cats/goldfish who captivate us.

The artists that inspire us.

2026 must be the year we disrupt this rampant individualism and make the collective great again.

The Invitation

This invitation is to start by acknowledging who got you where you are.

To normalize that bit solo artists do at a live gig when they thank the band.

Practice naming the communities and people and energies that support you to work your magic in the world..

To answer the question.

Who or What has influenced who you are today?

But it’s not enough to just know - the value is in the expression. In the dismantling of the secrecy.

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My response to the question

The ones that influenced, inspired, support just ONE DAY in my business last week were:

Naomi Absalom of The Collective Energies who has been a mentor for the past 2 years.

https://www.sophiebrigstocke.com/with whom I am soon to launch an incredible offering to the collective..

Rebecca Mackay Miller of BLOC + ROSE who is an absolute genius at what she does - Sense Making for your business.

The two dogs I now live with who are impossible not to love.

The late great David Bowie whose artistry, humour and soft yet lazerlike ability to call out BS is a constant inspiration.

My best mate who’s desk and shoulder I rest on often.

My friend Mischa, who is the best listener.

Every.single.one of my coaching and somatic clients for their wisdom, courage and devotion to their growth and the growth of the collective.

And on and on.

Your beautiful responses

You cited teachers, mentors and artists galore.

You noted your children

You mentioned your guides from other realms.

Keri Jarvis mentioned her clients and others reflected the same.

Someone said their garden and it reminded me of the land.

Beautiful

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But the real power came in the wake of the answers

The secrecy spell broke -

People began to share, discuss, update and reaffirm the support they have received, some used the invitation as a prompt to add these influences to their website or to update their current page.

And connections were formed -

People discovered they had similar lineage, had their curiosity sparked about others teachers and explored the nuance and layers.

I loved reading Keri’s comment that she didn’t have to agree with everything someone said to feel their influence.

Something deeper than words was revealed -

The brilliant Elle Bower Johnson reflected that

“When I turn my attention towards it, this web of connection feels as steady and stable as gravity” beautifully capturing the somatic experience of support.

And everyone felt the truth of it -

Our beings remembered the web we know exists but which is often not acknowledged.
When we lift the veil.
And the truth sits there writ large.

The individualism myth serves no-one.

The myth of separateness robs us all of the steady, stable strength that Elle refers to.

The secrecy that gets created when we don’t acknowledge (for ourselves and to others) sets up this quiet confusion that “something is off but I don’t know what it is”.

I experience it as an inner twist - it uses up energy.

But when we take a moment to reflect and then (crucially) thank the band out loud…

we untwist and bring the energy back in

we create space for connection

we feel the deeper truth of our humanity

And we begin to dismantle the nonsense that keeps us separate and starved of our power

And you can not buy that beautiful power my love.

Let’s begin.

The path back from rampant individualism to the power of the collective begins with us remembering and saying these things out loud.

So you are invited to keep the veil lifted.

And share who/what has supported and influenced who you are today - in the comments below.

For those who step in and share, thanks for taking this invitation.

Much collective love

Cat x

“When I turn my attention towards it, this web of connection feels as steady and stable as gravity - Elle Bower Johnson

#collective #power #together #connection #individualism #influences #spaceholders

How has your festive season been?

This is such a particular time of year isn’t it?

I want to take a dive into something potent that exists in these in-between times that is really easy to miss and that can actually provide profound guidance for our lives.

Here are three in-between stories that guided me to what matters.

The Moon.

As I drove home yesterday from 10 continuous days of on the road festive time, I followed the moon rise - from her wispy appearance ahead of me on the A303 around 2pm to her full, round, luminous majesty shining brightly in the sky at 6pm.

And this morning I awoke to take part in a collective yoga nidra at the setting of this full moon and the rising of the golden sun. Thanks to Yoga Nidra Network.

A moment of reflection in the cycle of day to night to day.

And I remembered what really matters to me.
The collective and the ecosystem we exist within.

The Season.

As the winter wheel was turning, Karen De Souza and I finally birthed our collective workshop offering Within (for future dates / locations click the link).

On the shortest day of the year a collective of humans gathered with us to take part in sacred somatic ritual in Shoreham by Sea.

It was a practice of (activation and) reflection in the cycle of seasons

And we remembered what mattered to us.
The collective and our individual expression within it.

The Year.

As NYE approached a few days ago, even though a huge part of me wanted to just turn my back on the old year and get started with the new year, a quieter part of me knew I wanted to properly honour the ending of 2025.

So on 31st December I twice reflected on the year that had just been, once with a friend gazing at the sea in a ritual of closure. And once with another friend, glasses of bubbles in hand as we readied ourselves to head into the frosty night.

We recapitulated season to season, silver winter to green spring, yellow summer, orange, red autumn and back to wild winter. We moved like great birds surveying the undulating landscape of the year, landing on the moments of elation and the moments of devastation, reminding each other of the parts we had forgotten or diminished, pouring kindness into one another’s more painful memories - until what emerged was a story of the year. A series of seemingly straggled threads woven into a silken whole.

A moment of reflection in the cycle of the year

And I remembered what matters to me.
The collective and the importance of kindness.

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The in between times are a chance to remember

It can be easy for us to dismiss the conventions around these times or get competitive about the “best time” to reflect.

Of course, these moments are not just for a pre-prescribed hour or night and that we should find the time to reflect that makes the most sense to us, that feels right in our own eco-system.

But to dismiss them out completely robs us, the great forgetful souls that we are, an opportunity to remember.

And from that remembering move forward.

The potent piece here is that we move forward, gathered.

With more of ourselves in the mix.

With our whole.

And with the truth at our back.

And if we do this reflection in collective, we move forward knowing we are not alone, that others walk this path alongside us.

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My own remembering

I have experienced so many course corrections this year that had I not taken moments to reflect, I would still be hauling my bedraggled self through scenarios that were tangled and no longer aligned.

I would likely be overcommitting in a bid to hack my way through.

Instead of noticing, grieving and gathering myself once more.

So as I move into 2026 my creations and contributions will be in line with my rememberings.

Collective, kind, and eco-system lead.

Some in person, and some online.

My Website

If you are curious about those creations and collaborations, head to my website, but if you are not ready for the year to begin yet, take some time to honour that and, should you choose to reflect you can perhaps ask yourself.

What happened?

What did you learn?

Why does it matter to you?

Take good care of yourselves.

Love Cat x

Many moons ago someone asked me why I did bodywork/somatic work. And I replied without thinking (which, for me, is usually a sign that a deeper truth is being expressed) - “because it is peace work, really”.

I want to unpack this a lot more in the coming weeks but here’s the executive summary for now (because honestly I would rather you read just a bit to access something with your mind - and then go and breathe/move your body with it to see what happens).

Somatic work is not just ‘personal’ development.

It IS partly that, of course.

But these days, I am of the view that what we learn in personal development should lead to discoveries that we can EMBODY that OUT in the world, in our families, in our communities where it matters.

Where WE matter most.

And yes of course that’s the hard bit.

But what the fuck are we doing it for otherwise?
So we can sit and preach from a silk cushion?

I spoke a few weeks back about getting stuck in the ‘in and down’. Of doing all the inner reflection and deep excavation, but not cultivating enough energy to bring that out into the world.

There is an arc

In my coaching my hands-on work sessions, in mentoring, in the workshops I run, we are always oriented in good time towards bringing something THROUGH to be seen, witnessed, held by ourselves AND the collective.

The somatic work I know is about coming in and down, opening up and clearing the path, so that your unique frequency can come up and out and take it’s place, in the collective of others.

In and down.
Listening, connecting, feeling, tending.

Opening Up - breathing, letting energy, sounds, movement, emotions run through. Accessing the deeper layers, learning to receive.

Clearing The Path - Stripping away, questioning what you really need, becoming discerning, emptying out.

So that more of you can come forward.

But it’s not just for you to feel good about yourself

It’s not to create a self congratulatory circle of separates.

And it is not to create a homogeny where we all feel good because we all doing our best to fit in with the same version of ‘right/good/reasonable etc’ - god no, it is not that at all

It is rather to stand fully embodied in wild harmony.

Supporting, leading, speaking, dancing, weaving, reminding the collective to rest, beating a bass drum that shakes the earth, singing softly, sitting silently, weeping, sobbing, redfaced, yellowfaced, laughing, earthy, ethereal, elegant, messy, gritty, big white teeth bared, deep brown eyes wide, serenely smiling, awkward, shyly shuffling at the back but still here, wide legged, flat footed, limbless, big red hearts beating in a scrappy but oh so committed circle.

It is so we can do the hard things

One of the most powerful things I have experienced in my body, is being in complete disagreement with someone but still holding myself soft and open to them. Not in a patronising ‘I still love you even though you are wrong’ but in a ‘I love you and I am able to listen to you and do the miles to understand your position, even though it’s not mine”.

Everything happens from that place

When I am centred, and clear and OPEN, I am able to see the places we can meet.

The places we can connect.

Where both our needs can be expressed in the room - even if they can’t actually both be met then.

And where I am able to hold myself in the disappointment or sorrow or frustration or anger or repulsion or delight or urgency or boredom that comes up.

Presence (and within that a kind of peace)

Somatic work teaches us how to listen, sift, to separate but connect.

It teaches us nuance and precision of language, it can teach us how to transmit rather than preach.

It can teach us how to let ourselves feel, but not be hijacked by, the sheer range of things we feel when we are with others.

It teaches us what’s ours to hold and, crucially, how to let others hold theirs.

And it can teach us how to let things complete, how to honour and respect, how to end well.

It is peace work, and we do it in the body.

More on this to come…

And in the meantime I would love to hear your thoughts.

Much love

Cat xx

catmoyle.com

catmoyle.com/services/within

Becoming a therapeutic practitioner, coach, space-holder is often not simply a ‘career’ choice. It has more to it than something you simply decide from a menu of options.

People describe it as a calling, a purpose, a soul path, an act of service, dharma.

As such, to do this work well, to be in it for the long game, to run a sustainable (for you) business there are factors at play that you have to get intimately familiar with. Such as…

“Getting Worked to Hold The Work”

I want to share some reflections on how you will get right royally ‘worked’ by exactly that which you are being led to hold, coach, teach.

And how you have to learn how to be ok with that.

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The Simple Version

There is an energetic principle in space-holding that you can only hold that which you have the capacity and understanding to hold.

An aspect of this can be seen in people choosing to work with those whose stories they understand.

Autism / ADHD practitioners with their own neuro-divergence, trauma therapists who have learned how to function with cPTSD, women of the global majority coaching women of the global majority, co-dependency coaches who have done the hard yards of discovering who they are without a romantic other…

You get the picture. It is common - and often encouraged - in the coaching + wellness industry to head down this path.

Because you have been to a version of places your clients are now.

You have some sense of the territory even if you have not lived the same story.

ALERT - this is NOT the same as claiming you know exactly how they feel or trying to overlay your own experience on theirs - more on this and other boundary matters another time.

The Deeper Version.

Of course it doesn’t have to be as direct as men running men’s circles, or queer breath-workers holding spaces for the queer community. Although this ‘niching’ can help create an entry point for those you want to work with, there can be something much deeper at play here.

Those you work with or support, can feel in their system if you have the chops to hold something or not and if not, they will be less likely to bring it to your door.

It can be explained in part through the filter, of the nervous system co-regulation systems we hold as community creatures.

And it can be seen as an innate wisdom in all of us. A knowing.

“This person can hold me, this person can not.
This person can understand who I am beyond the story. This person can not.”

It can be felt when we sign up to work with a teacher or guide without having to read the reams and reams of marketing information or ‘investment’ section of the sales page. Or when clients come to us ‘seemingly’ out of the blue.

There is a resonance that exists. A frequency. An unseen force at play.

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And it can get sticky

Part of this is that - when you step forward to teach or hold something you feel called to, the likelihood is you will become aware that it is “working” you deeply.

This is happening as I write.
Some months back Karen De Souza and I decided to cohost one day somatic workshops.

As we worked through our thoughts and feelings around it we were both called to the title…

WITHIN

As soon as we landed on the title, we began to see it.

Things began to fall away (people, projects, commitments) as an invitation inwards.

The heavy rains arrived making it less appealing (for me at least) to be out.

I am writing this as my housemate requires me to stay upstairs for three hours whilst he has a meeting that absolutely can not be interrupted.

Within.

I discover an eye issue that requires me to sit with my eyes covered for periods at a time.

Within.

I keep missing the start time of group meditation / class meaning I have to go solo.

Within.

A work project unexpectedly comes to an end

Within.

It requires that we pay attention

Given the chance I will let my attention go where it prefers - up and out, often to others, to new things, to activity, adventure.

If I wasn’t paying attention, I might not notice these invitations but I have my eye on it now.

What is it about within that I resist?

How, in being with that resistance, can I understand how we navigate our return to the inner world?

What can I see about the slip roads, the avoidance tactics, the procrastination, the circling and the eventual surrender.

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And it requires surrender

If I am to guide others within, I have to surrender to the lessons I am currently getting.

That they are alchemised and eventually ready* to teach from within.

What I have observed over and over in this work is that you will get exactly what you need for your own growth.

Sometimes you will experience this comfortably within your range and at other times it will feel like you are at your edges.

But there is no expansion, no ability to hold more, without being willing to walk this path and surrender to what you are asked to be with.

“Don’t find your niche, find your centre” - Rebecca Mackay Miller (Bloc + Rose)

*Responsibility

I want to say here that it requires responsibility, that we are not always ready to teach or hold something “just because we have been through it” - but this is a BIG topic that I will dive into in a future post.

And it’s always worth it.

There is a part of me that wonders what I would have been asked to experience had I chosen a different profession. But for now, there is something about doing this work that keeps me curious, engaged and ever open to this magical life.

Much love

Cat x

What about you?

I would love to hear your thoughts and reflections, I am aware that we all run different patterns and filters and that this is by no means a universal truth - just my experience - that I offer up in service.

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Cat and Karen catmoyle.com/services/within

#somatics #somatictherapy #within #embodiment #spaceholding #spaceholders

And how it might look.

It’s been 5 days since a long slow goodbye to the oh-so-expansive 2025 Breathe Festival and I am sat with a sea view at dawn and taking some time to reflect on what was shared and, crucially, how what was shared informs what happens next.

For 4 hot August days on beautiful Dorset land, in the arms of the wonderful Leela Community and the Big Oak Tree - I joined a stellar team of breathwork facilitators to co-hold a Festival of Life.

The only UK breathwork festival of its kind, Breathe has been going for 7 years and you can feel the experience and wisdom it embodies as a result.

Each facilitator and assistant brought their powerful medicine up and out into the space.

And whilst my intention is to talk more about their work on IG over the coming months, for now I want to give some attention to the importance of the space before, after and in between the work.

The INTEGRATION

It’s importance

And how it may not look the way you think it might.

And how INTEGRATION is actually the bit that changes EVERYTHING.

In typical, full plate style. I had already committed to a bunch of things immediately after the festival. (I am still learning that commitments take time and energy and that I may not always have infinite supplies of both). But it meant - after a long afternoon of goodbyes and a swim and a walk and all the hugs - I went straight into unpacking and packing again and then working.

Whilst some of my new found friends took their soft shell selves to lay down in pastures, bob about in the sea, journal page after page, meditate, recalibrate gently, rest and be in the softness of a cocoon.

And it got me thinking of the difference of those two (not better, not worse) options.

Here’s what came through.
I would love to have bobbed and rested. I deeply appreciate the wonder of returning to the world slowly, mindfully, with the snow in the snow dome settled once more.

I have experienced that and it is gorgeous and wise.

AND (God, I love an AND), in returning to the world straight away, I have immediately been able to witness the impact of 4 days of breath in my bones on my ability to be in my life differently.

The work I did the day after Breathe was hot and physically demanding and fast paced and to a deadline, and I was able to regularly remember to bring the breath to stop the spin but keep the wheels turning.

The business conversations I had on Tuesday were disruptive to the status quo and required fast pivots and I was able to be with them and stay centred.

The Breathe gathering and the practices shared have permeated my cells.

Everything, life, feels so much more available.

My energy is up.

My system is open and receptive.

And the challenges of life feel less challenging.

I feel more capable and resilient.

It has been a beautiful reminder of the power of the breath really as a tool for life.

And I know that so soon because I have been up and out in my life the last 5 days

The INTEGRATION has been happening in the moment.

Not in the cocoon before the emergence into the world.

I know for myself that I can get so cosy in the cocoon that I don’t want to come out into the “real” world. But the truth for me is that I do this work SO I can engage fully with the “real” world and be an active part of shaping it.

And that requires us to be able to unearth and excavate and really BE with all the tender complex parts of ourselves (so so lovingly) and then to ACT from that place.

Integration for me is the practice of letting it all be part of the mix.

And that can be done laying solo in green pastures and not springing into action

AND it can be done out in the vibrant connected and yes complex world.

It can be done by allowing the full experience of what you have explored to be deeply felt.

AND It can be done by being IN your life with what you have unearthed.

It is a testing out, a merging, a pouring the viscous milk into the clear strained tea and tasting the blend

It can be transcendental and it can be very much not.

What I really want to say is these 2 things.

1. There are a thousand ways to integrate. It doesn’t need to look a certain way. It’s more important how it feels to you and your system and (as always) that you take good care of yourself in that.

2. And for me the purpose of any kind of breathwork or therapeutic intervention (in and down) is to embody the change and bring that forth into the world (up and out) when you are ready.

INTEGRATED WORK THAT INSPIRED ME A BREATHE

In this regard I was particularly inspired by the decolonisation work of Nicola of

https://www.instagram.com/grownasswomencollective/

The breaking cycles Intergenerational trauma work of Sugeewa and Hannah at TURN Breathwork

https://www.instagram.com/turnbreathwork/

The social change work of Amanda of Liminal Directions

Thank you for your time and attention, loves.

I wonder, what does integration look like for you?

Cat x

AND NOW FOR THAT CAVEAT

Some days after I wrote the above piece, something else came in to view.

I stand by what I said above but there are 2 important caveats.

1. I have quite well developed range to be able to hold several (sometimes conflicting things) in my system and not collapse. This has come from decades of doing this work, from my age, my general constitution, my astrology, my mind even and from many years practicing integrating, post expansion.

2. I also run a pattern of skimming the surface or avoiding the deeper thing. A sort of circling the plughole for longer than most. And a really good way of convinging myself I am not! And it’s possible that the above post had a little of the squirrelly avoidant pattern in the mix.

So then I wrote this follow up piece… on the squirrelly patterns of avoidance.

Maybe read that one too.

Much love

Cat x

With-In: To be WITH what is IN.

I have a feeling this might need to be a series of pieces because it’s such a big topic and a big part of my work - Settle in for a long one

Let’s begin exploring why we go within and how surprisingly hard it can be even for those committed to the work!

With-In: To be WITH what is IN.

To go within is simply (ha!) a return to the self.

Some time and energy spent on turning ones gaze inward

To listen.

To explore.

To unearth.

To remember.

To understand.

To accept

To recalibrate

And eventually perhaps to choose to take informed steps with this remembering.

Sneaky Patterns

I recently caught myself in a sneaky squirrelly pattern of avoiding working with something that I know is an issue for me.

This pattern of avoidance (that I didn’t even know I had deployed) was so squirrelly that it looked very much like wisdom and thoughtfulness and actually dealing with the issue - but really it was the cleverness of my mind doing a big old distract and divert.

I see this in the somatic work I do with others, on the table, in the circles, online.

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We know when something is calling our attention

An experience, a therapeutic practice, a programme, or just because we understand that it is time now.

For me on this occasion the call within was in attending the beautiful magical expansive Breathe: A Festival of Life gathering in August. Being in the facilitator team, feeling the community, being in the energetic work field, doing my work, alongside others doing their work cracked something open in me that invited my attention.

And then - the detail of what happens in this invitation is currently at the forefront for me as I prepare to co-host a series of somatic workshops on the south coast with Karen De Souza called… you guessed it… “With-In”*

And we may even have a strong willingness to go there.

So we just turn towards it right?

Well, no, not always, for multiple reasons actually, some of which are because the defence mechanisms are sophisticated beyond measure.

Here are some examples you might recognise.

- There may not genuinely be the time and space to tend to it.

This can sometimes happen in one to one sessions where the focus needs to be with the client. We may not have the space to allow our own process in that moment.

- With-In work takes time and energy and must be protected. We teach our Sacred Somatic Journeys students to carve out time after sessions to be with what has arisen for them and to allow it airtime as a key part of the work.

- That said, we can also make ourselves busy to avoid or - more common, because we are all so bloody busy anyway, turn to our existing overflowing to do list and suddenly go at it with a renewed vigour.

- A version of this is creating noise and drama where there was none. Beginning to over focus on something that really wasn’t a problem a week before.

- Another version is to suddenly get interested in a podcast or TV series or orator or teacher that we deep dive into that world for a while

- For those who are conditioned to serve. To caretake, for those for whom survival meant being helpful - such a good girl - to withdraw from the needs of others and turn the gaze inwards can be like trying to turn a tide.

- My own version of this is to start to proactively become the “helpful friend” getting involved in supporting them when I may not really have the capacity. It’s an avoidance.

- Returning to the self can come with fear, guilt, shame even

“What if I don’t find anything here”
“What if I find something I don’t like”
“What if I have to face that thing AGAIN”

- We can get very comfortable in the up and out and not feel much in the mood for the quiet, sometime dark spaces of introspection.

- It may asks us to feel things we are conditioned not to or things - things we may not yet have language for. It requires us to acknowledge the messiness and complexity of life when many of us really like to feel we have all our shit together.

- So we can talk ourselves out of its importance. We can become cynical about “all that naval gazing. We can think “we don’t need to do it anymore, or not like that, or that we have done enough”

This was part of my squirrelly avoidance in the last few weeks.

My mind somewhat convinced me that I didn’t really need to go there.

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And then what happens, when we keep avoiding

In my experience, energetics come into play here.

When we are trying to avoid going within - life may come along and sort of force it upon us.

Things will fall away.

People

Jobs

Activities will get cancelled

For those with wombs, A bleed will come

A dark moon

A health condition - I am currently required to literally cover my eyes for a particular tear duct treatment - 3 times a week of forced inwardness.

It gets to the point where there is a such a sort of fidgeting in the system.

A knowing that to put it off forever may have consequences.

And in the end it can be the smallest thing that nudges the door open.

When the fidgeting finally stops.

The other day I was walking and I felt the tendrils of autumn reaching into the summer haze. Lammas. The harvest, ripe plums, an amber leaf amongst the green and suddenly I was able to connect to it.

What I am avoiding is a loss, a grieving, an ending of something I have clung to internally for many years.

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And so I began

to go within, with intention.

And here is what I know about that.

1) We do not have to do it alone.

Often it is so much less gritty to do it with others / held by others (that have consented to fulfill that role)

2) We will need the tools we have acquired to let it move.

3) And the tools to hold it.

4) And the most love for the parts of ourself that ran the pattern in the first place and then resisted looking at it.

Self punishment has no place here. It will just apply further grip when really we are being invited to open, my love.

Go gently.

One final thing -

Not everyone is called to introspection. And whilst some wear it as a badge of honour it is important to remember that it is just one aspect of living a good life. There is no criticism here of those who choose never to reflect. Or of those who choose to park it a while and just be up and out.

We all are here to live life in a way that makes sense to us.

Much love

Cat x

And if you want to know more about my work - head to catmoyle.com

**Aside - it seems to be a phenomena that as soon as you decide to teach on something you - get worked by it (more on this another day) so you know Karen and I below are IN it ready to support you WITH it.

It's been a minute.

I’ve just had a good laugh at my last writings.

I said “I have been away, unravelling some things, but that I was very much back now”.

And then I wrote nothing for 3 months. Nada.

I laughed because I totally meant it when I said it. Classic.

And then life came in with other ideas. Classic.

What happened?

I could list all the things that came crashing (some of them literally) in. But then this might come across like a call for sympathy and it is not that.

And a wise woman recently reminded me that words are wishes and that the stories we choose to tell can become labyrinths that keep us lost - so all I will say is there have been bumps and unexpected turns in the road and I am fine, but it has kept me busy and sucked up a lot of space.

And it has offered a crucial opportunity to come in and down.

What is In and Down?

I talk about in and down ALL. THE. TIME in my work.

It is the shift of attention away from being up and out in the world, from others, away from the noise and needs and demands that pull on us. It is a return to a place closer to home, a turning of the senses inward, a (sometimes) quieter and less action orientated spot.

And dare I say towards something more truthful - not comfortable necessarily but more yours.

And let’s get the judgements out of the way shall we.

Yep, it's selfish to do this in some way (although often it changes quite quickly from that - more on this if you read on).

Yes, its a privilege to be able to do this without fear of attack

Yes, it can become indulgent

Yes, it is not the only place to put our attention

Yes it requires some time and space.

Yes, it’s not the same for everyone.

Yes, it requires a certain capacity or at least self awareness of one's capacity.

No, we can not always do it alone.

But if you can lovingly hold all of those judgements (diversions), you can tend to the in and down as a powerful part of a bigger cycle.

In and Down is part of something bigger

What I often see is that if we don’t consciously spend some time here, if we are always up and out, life may come in and pull us in and down anyway.

One of my chosen values is self responsibility, so I look at my recent life events through the lens of

“What is my life inviting me to be with right now?”

“What do I need to turn towards so that I can be present with what is - rather than what I would LIKE to be”?

This questioning is an act of in and down.

And this is where I have been, somewhat intensely, for the past few months.

And I for one can get verrryyyyy comfortable down there. In the deep reflection. In the mud. In the ‘away from other’ space.

Especially as a menopausal woman. Especially as someone who has spent 12 years in therapeutic service. Especially as someone for whom a certain aspect of their extroversion was a coping mechanism.

From In and Down to Up and Out

BUT, I have also observed that if we don’t continue to move through the energetic cycle of in and down to up and out, life will ALSO bump us in THAT direction.

A BIG part of doing the internal work is learning to let the energy then move through.

To let ourselves be taken back up and out.

To open up the channels and let the energy move

And then choose how to direct that energy.

To choose what we then share with the world.

And ultimately to act.

In this way the action is connected to a deeper truth, is fuelled by the energy stirred from the quiet place and, if we can wield it well can be straight to the point and effective.

What does the cycle of in and down and up and out feel like?
You may recognise it in the cycles of nature, tides of the sea, the seasons.

And you may feel it in your own breath.

Or the rhythm of your day from rest to action and back to rest

I feel very much like I am currently in an Up and Out phase.
Honouring that part.
Writing and speaking and teaching from what I discovered when I was in and down.

This cycle will be a key part of the Lazerbeams Ready! workshops I am facilitating at the next Breathe: A festival of life event in early August.

And the somatic workshops Karen De Souza and I are lining up in Shoreham by Sea for later this year (comment SEA to be sent the info about these as soon as it's ready).

If you can, take a moment to reflect where you might be in that cycle…

Sending much love to that place.

And see you soon.

Love, Cat

Sometimes there is so much going on in my system - so many ideas, thoughts, emotions, stories, distractions, projects, things to tend to, that I have found it impossible to catch just one thread to share here.

It feels like a tangled mess of wool and twine, all the colours and textures knotted in and around one another and some tired but determined part of my mind trying to make sense of it all.

I come to the internet for some inspiration and just end up more entwined in what other people say, and questions of do I agree, and should I say if I do or don’t.

All that happens from this place is that I gather up the tangled ball and stuff it away for another day. I don’t post. I don’t speak and my inner critic has a field day in there, like a frenzied cat with the tangled ball and all the silence.

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It is my view that the best teachers will not tell you where to start, which thread to pull, what to weave for others delight.

They will sit aside you reminding you that you already know.

Perhaps they will remind you that a little slowing down might help, a reminder to create some space with as much love as you have access to. Some space in which you can sit and deliberately be quiet and remember how to be with all the things that are going on in your mind, but not be taken down by them.

My mind is very clever. She will always find a reason or a justification for my actions. But my deeper knowing can not be fooled so easily. She has a strong, steady, clear access to the (oftentimes highly inconvenient) truth.

That some of what’s going on here is a fear of being judged for having and expressing a view. For having the audacity to come up and out with something that has been safely tucked away in my inner world.

Let’s start here shall we.
Gently pulling on this thread.
And see where it leads…

It’s good to be back

Love, Cat x

#somatics #sacred #sticky #patternbreaking #deepknowing #outofyourhead #intoyourbody

Photo credit <3 Zelihe Doda on Unsplash

The realm of thought, ideas and aspirations,

of spinning and scrolling,

of up and up

And faster and faster

can be oh so addictive that we forget the importance of our deep heavy density.

Nature knows as she returns all things to the earth to be integrated.

Wet, slow, cold winter. Thud, thud, into the mud.

There has to be a wise deep rooting before any rise.

It’s the nature of things here. The nature of range and harmony and being able to hold both and.

Rilke’s Beauty and Terror.

Luke can’t exist without Vader

The deep cavernous grief must be felt before the sky rocket love ship can launch once more.

It’s why I have a foot in the love and light crew and one firmly in the coven of shadow workers.

I used to spend much time and energy running between the two trying to find out how to fully fit in to either one. But now I have built enough understanding of myself and enough love for all parts that I can be in all.

Density Matters

One of my teachers lead a practice on density this week. Remembering the solidity and heaviness of our being as a path to presence. Often when we think of heaviness we may pull in ideas of stuckness or something utterly immoveable.

But in here there is a weight that can move mountains.

In here is the rock steadiness that these times call for.

Towards the end of last year I witnessed someone meet the consequence of living in the high vibes of love and light and aspiration and dream without tethering that to the slow solid sober responsibility of being in the world.

I catch myself there too sometimes - because it’s delightful to disconnect and float around in prismic possibility and plans. Cloud dancing. And it is necessary to be able to occupy these spaces and the freedom and inspiration they bring.

But there is also a very real need to have your feet on the ground.
To be connected to the earth and dirt of which we are a part.

To be in this world as well as of it.

I am currently working with practices that build power in these earthly, physical, visceral places. I am a beginner but I feel how necessary they are as my body moves firmly into a new age and my youthful spirit is no longer the most sustaining source of energy. I am not ready to share these yet - maybe it’s not my work to share ever actually - let’s see.

What I can share though is that being in person with people (and having much much less time online) helps me connect again to this solidity this density. And I see it in others whom I gather with. There is a thunk that happens in our system when we are with other nervous systems, in circle, in community.

It is as resourcing and inspiring as cloud surfing if not more so and it is entirely more sustainable. At least for this body.

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So the invitation is to look at who you want to be around that creates this solidity.

Where do you gather that creates rock steadiness.

What circles can you step into that will hold you and be held by your earthly magic.

If you feel called, I have the group offerings for you right now.

The Moon Retreat 2025.

Dates: 27th March to 30th March 2025.

Vibes: Together we will be using breath work, sound healing & energy healing to journey back ourselves, to allow more of who we truly are to be here now.

No experience necessary, you will be fully guided on this beautifully crafted retreat.

This retreat is for all women of all ages. (And there will be dancing to the best tunes)

Here is the link to find out more / book - https://www.lauraoseland.co.uk/the-moon-retreat

Sacred Somatic Journey - Learn the work

A 3 month in person journey for those ready to create powerful, transformational and sacred space.

Starts April 2025.

Book a call with me to find out more - https://cal.com/catmoyle/enquiry

Or read more here: https://www.lauraoseland.co.uk/journey-into-the-sacred-heart.

Much love to you.

May you feel strong and solid upon this earth.

Cat x

To be with all these things without collapsing or lashing out, or becoming rooted to the spot - paralyzed and unable to choose what to do next.

I hear many people say they are overwhelmed right now.

That there are too many things to deal with.

There are many things on top yes.

And it takes a certain power to be with that.

And a certain responsibility to build and take care of that power.

How you say?

I could give you a checklist of course, 10 hacks to build your power.
And it may help somewhat, for a while, superficially.
But it doesn’t work that way, not really.
It’s much more nuanced than that.

It’s not just a case of working through a list of practices.
It’s about how you approach the practices,
Its about how you approach anything actually.

It’s about a deep connection to self

Not just layering things on top of your already aching bones.

It requires a dismantling, loss, saying no, letting go of people pleasing, letting go of the need to fix, letting go of overworking, it requires quiet reverence, tenderness, deep wells of compassion for who you are and how you have been shaped by your life. It requires presence and patience. It is slow work, building power.

And it is not at all linear.

I am writing about it from a particular spot

I have just remembered once more what it takes. Having found myself collapsed under the weight of all the things and lovingly turning my attention back towards the importance of building my power.

One tiny heartbroken step at a time.

One tired breath at a time

Because this life asks it of us.

And it is our responsibility to respond

It’s not power over - very different - sorry Donald.
It is an internal power that is very very necessary to be fully in this world.

And it is needed now more than ever.

So here are some of the things I have found helpful (not a list of hacks but some points on the path)

Don’t go it alone - Trying to do this work alone is so hard - find teachers, groups, support, guides, find community.

Go slow - slower than you think, it’s very gradual, almost imperceptible sometimes, but stick with it.

Learn to be loving - this is so key. A gratitude practice yes but not just that, learn tender touch, softness in your heart, kind kind words internally and externally - when I am cruel to myself I lose access to my power - more on this in a future post.

Get in your body - move, dance, breath, squeeze, roll around, tap, beat, stamp your feet, get in your body, you can not build power with your mind

get in your body, get in your body, get in your body.

Stay Powerful my love,

Cat

x

Fire Image credit - Joshua Newton on Unsplash

I’m writing this on 4th Jan and I know 2025 has officially begun but can we give it a minute?

I am still saying goodbye to 2024.

A day is not enough to digest a whole year.

Transitions do not happen in an instant.

I need a lot of time to honour what has been.

I engage in a beautiful Unravel Your Year practice that I always split across different days.

One day to look back and then a break before setting aside some time to look forward.

I am still very much in the reflect and digest part of this process.

In these dark months.

In the belly of winter.

I am not advocating that everyone does this, but this slow approach suits me better.

This is because I like to move fast, be in the future, on to the next thing.
And oftentimes, I miss important lessons this way and repeat the same old stuff - then wonder why.

Or I gloss over things that were actually deeply important, robbing myself of the riches.

The only antidote to this for me is to slow down some.

And then to forget and have to remember again to slow down some more.

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So this afternoon I have been on my mat, in front of this sacred corner, reflecting on 2024.

2024 Reflections

It’s been a year of a lot of movement and the energy of being up and out.

The older I get the more I feel a desire to come in and down.

To connect with how I am feeling and to drop into my deeper wisdom and to allow this to guide me.

2024 has not been a year of that.

I have moved house / city and then been travelling back to my old one to take care of a friend.

I have spent more time with my Mum - a key reason for moving back from overseas who lives an hour away - more movement.

At the start of the year I was still working in London and Brighton despite not living in either of those places.

I accept all the responsibility for these choices but it is interesting to observe this pattern of always being in motion when my soul calls for something else.

I have experienced some financial compression whilst experimenting with a lot of ways to make money and settled on something that feels like it might work in 2025.

I have realised that I am attached to an idea that I must graft to make life work. And some part of me is a) good at and b) enjoys being in that energy. There is an aliveness to it but it is a kind of vapour, dancing in the top part of the flame rather than the hot glowing heart of things.

Whilst I am not rushing to intention set for 2025 I wonder if some part of this coming year would be best experienced slowly.

I live fast. But not always deep.

And actually the truth is that I run very deep.

But I haven’t always honoured that in 2024.

There have been moments though.

The one to one sessions I have run this year have all been incredibly special. The Moon Retreat is always absolutely dreamy and the year closed out with an incredible 4 day Sacred Somatic Immersion that honestly blew me open.

The depth of experience, the power and courage of those of you who come to this work and the big beautiful open hearts of the people I get to call colleagues are a beautiful deep part of my life.

May 2025 be full of such depth.

How was 2024 for you?

What words do you have to describe it?

Love

Cat x

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There is a hunger in me

A desire for a full life. I travel, I read, I connect, I learn, I absorb, I eat - quite a lot in fact.

In fact an old friends family nicknamed me “food” on account of the amount I ate as a guest. There is a power in this hunger, it moves me to action, it means I have gone out to meet life, to connect with it in lip smacking ways.

And there is a flip side to it of course. 

It can dictate and dominate and drain me. 

I want to rush through things, eat everything off the buffet but not take time to digest. 

In this sense my hunger can feed me but not satiate me.

And emptying is borderline terrifying for me. It taps into a deep seam of scarcity in my system.

What happens if I lean into that, what if I take a break from constantly feeding myself?

Earlier this month I took a week of not eating. In the literal sense. No food for 7 days bar some specific enzymes and warm water. No chewing, no sipping, no cooking, no inhaling the sweet smell of a well flavoured dish. Nada

I cleared out in other ways too.

Oil pulling

Dry skin brushing

Yoga nidra

Chanting and silence and then

a whole 24 hours of silence, no devices, no writing, no communication, no input, no output - more on that another time but how TF to people do 10 days of that?

Instead I was a witness to my habit of consuming. 

Alongside it. 

Breathing with it

Holding the hand of the part of me that wants to devour, to pull things toward her.

I sat one morning in the beautiful sunshine and immediately my mind went to ‘More’ 

- maybe I should walk across the fields, maybe I should lie down in the sunshine, maybe I should REALLY be OUT in it, commit fully to the sunshine. 

Get more IN me. So restless with it. 

My god. 

I had come outside because I found myself over consuming recordings of a mentoring programme I am in. Trying to get MORE in me when I hadn’t digested what I had just watched. Eating a starter and reaching a fork out to the main course.

Caught myself. Pressed stop. Came outside. 

Same story with the sun.

Wherever you go, there you are.

These patterns run so deep.

And then the temptation to collapse into self criticism.  And THIS is where we can really trip up.

How do you treat yourself when you catch yourself in the patterns you run.

How much love can you pour in here.

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It takes some mettle to hold oneself here. 

It requires some energy, some power and all the AWARENESS of our capacity.

And then the MOST self compassion for where we are at.

These past 18 months of moving country and beginning a life again in the UK, rebirthing a business (and honestly, getting a LOT of things wrong there) have been a relentless run from one task to the next, lead by the hunger good and bad. 

I am of course grateful I could take some time to slow down, to empty, to listen deeply and to hold myself lovingly with what I discovered in that place. For along with the lessons in hunger, there were moments of clear, clean energy running through me during that week.  The clearing out, reducing the internal noise, oh the noise, the steady daily recommitment to the cleanse and the loving practices gave me access to some clear unquestionable knowing deep in my body about what to do next.

And I would love that to be it, but I know that now the practice of continuing to reconnect to that place begins.

What patterns do you run that need a committed approach.

And how much love can you pour in here.

Cat x

#patterns #cleanse #fast #therapyforchange #somatics #compassion

Hi loves

It has been months since I opened a substack account and began loitering.

This sometimes happens in my spaces.

It’s not that I don’t have anything to say, it’s that it’s not clear enough yet to ask you to spend your precious golden attention wading around in the words trying to decipher what it’s about.

If I am really honest (and honesty is the point here), I actually detest bad writing, ill formed points, word salads, it all feels like noise for the sake of noise and the older I get the more quiet and space I desire.

And of course there is also in here a pattern of hiding, which I have my beady eye on.

But I am clear enough now to say I am in a period of death + rebirth.  Right on time for the season of death + rebirth but it wasn’t planned that way - for who could really plan such a thing.

What this looks like on the outside is 

• Selling up my life in sunny Malta and fully landing in the UK

• 4 years of riding the wild pony of perimenopause

• Wrapping up some of my offerings with no idea if they will continue in 2025

• Creating and then trashing new offerings that don’t feel like they are on the spot

• Creating an out of office that requests patience whilst I reply at the speed of my human.

• Cancelling shit

• Avoiding social media - not ideal for an partially online business but necessary for my soul right now.

• Committing to a mentoring programme with a teacher of mine because I know I will not navigate this rebirth well, alone.

What this feels like on the inside is 

• Discomfort as I unhook from what has been familiar for years

• Questions questions questions about what next as my system tries to find stability here

• The unholy trinity of Self doubt, Self pity, Self criticism

• Grief

• Deep deep trust that the rebirth will come as it has over and over before - my womans body knows this cycle well

• Deep gratitude for the years of somatic practices that allow me to stay afloat or resurface when the whole thing has taken me down

• A desire for rest 

• A desire for my hands on the land

• A desire for community 

Do you see?
It’s complicated.
There are many threads to sift through. It’s messy.
And it’s certainly nothing a 4 week programme or a top 10 list of hacks will help with.

Death / Rebirth / Change / A Life like this asks for more
It requires us to have deep wells of patience
It requires a clear mind to decipher all the threads
It requires so much self compassion it’ll make you cringe
It requires the ability to hold ourselves whilst we dismantle what came before
And it requires trust - my god this one is so hard
And creativity for the new
And you may have to do it over and over and over.

For the last 6 years my website and my work has been in service to overthinkers and more latterly space holders - because the world out there demands I have a niche - but in honesty my work has always been for everyone. And it has always been foundational. It’s about who you are at the deepest level.

It’s about creating the space to Unmask. Unpretend. Unguard yourself to get to the truth of who you are and let that guide you.

It is unearthing the deeper parts of you and letting them lead in whatever you choose to do/conquer/achieve. It is not about the end game at all actually. It’s about the opening.

It’s not an easy sell that one - it won’t necessarily make you a 6 / 7 figure what-not but it’s what I am here for and it’s time to be honest about that.

What that means for this space:

Writings in service to this
More foundational offerings and less playing the game
More commitment to community 

How does this land for you?
What response does your system have?
What questions come?

I want to hear.

Cat x

What’s coming up?
1st November - The Unseen
A 2 hour (in person) somatic circle under the dark moon, guiding you to whats under the surface - a breathwork special. Bristol, UK

I am considering taking this online later this year/next. Drop me UNSEEN in the comments if you are interested in that.

From 18th November - 3 Somatic Mentoring slots
Choose a one off burst of support or a commitment to 6 or 12 sessions.

And this is going to be really special
12th - 15th December, A Sacred Somatic Journey Immersion on Dartmoor, UK
4 days of profoundly deep release work in the body, working with your shadow, your ancestry, your soul purpose, your heart.
It’s a collaboration with my soul sister Laura Oseland and there are 4 places left.

.