HAKOMI: A mindful, somatic approach to self-exploration
Sometimes talking and thinking about something can only take us so far.
You may understand yourself quite well. You may even know why you respond in certain ways. And yet the same feelings, reactions or patterns continue to show up.
Hakomi offers another way of listening to ourselves.
It is a gentle, mindfulness-based and somatic approach that helps us slow down and become curious about what is happening beneath the surface — not only through thoughts and words, but through the body and our present-moment experience.
ENQUIRE ABOUT A SESSION →Do you recognize yourself here?
Perhaps...
- You keep encountering the same patterns in your life or relationships, even though you want things to be different.
- You sometimes have feelings or reactions you don't fully understand — becoming anxious, angry, overwhelmed, withdrawn or shutting down.
- You find yourself holding back from things you want or getting stuck in ways that don't entirely make sense to you.
- You struggle with closeness, trust, boundaries or expressing what you really need in relationships.
- You're hard on yourself or notice beliefs about yourself that seem difficult to shift.
- You understand a lot about yourself already, but insight hasn't necessarily changed what happens in the moment.
- You're going through a change, difficulty or period of uncertainty and want to understand more deeply what's happening for you.
Or perhaps nothing is particularly wrong.
You simply sense that there is more of yourself to know and you're curious about what you might discover by slowing down and listening differently.
Why Hakomi?
We can understand a great deal about ourselves and still find ourselves caught in familiar feelings, reactions or patterns.
That's because not everything shaping our experience is immediately available to conscious awareness. Beliefs, expectations and ways of responding can develop over time and become so familiar that we barely notice them.
Hakomi offers a way of becoming curious about what is happening beneath the surface.
Using mindfulness, we slow things down and pay attention to what emerges in the present moment — perhaps a thought or emotion, an image or memory, an impulse, a subtle response in the body, or something that happens between us.
Rather than analysing these experiences or deciding what they mean, we explore them together with curiosity.
In this way, things that have been operating quietly in the background can begin to become more visible — creating the possibility for greater awareness, choice and new ways of responding.
What becomes possible?
Hakomi isn't simply about understanding yourself better. As previously unconscious patterns become more visible, new possibilities can begin to emerge.
You may begin to:
- Recognise patterns more clearly and understand what has been shaping the way you think, feel and respond.
- Have more choice in how you respond, rather than automatically falling into familiar reactions.
- Experience greater ease with difficult feelings or parts of yourself that you may previously have struggled with.
- Find new ways of relating to other people, particularly where old patterns have kept repeating themselves.
- Feel more connected to yourself — your feelings, needs, preferences and inner experience.
- Discover that some of the beliefs or expectations you've carried about yourself, other people or life may not be the only possibilities.
- Feel freer to respond to life in ways that reflect who you are now, rather than being shaped quite so strongly by patterns developed in the past.
Sometimes the shift is significant. Sometimes it is subtle — a different response, a new understanding, or a little more space where previously there seemed to be none.
Ultimately, Hakomi can help create greater awareness, choice and freedom in how you experience yourself and engage with your life.
Hakomi Sessions
Hakomi sessions are offered individually.
Session length: 60 minutes
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $90AUD
Experience: No previous experience with Hakomi, mindfulness or somatic work is needed
What to bring: You don't need to know exactly what you want to explore — curiosity is enough
Commitment: You can begin with a single session and decide from there whether you'd like to continue.
About Satyam:
Satyam Veronica Chalmers is a Hakomi Graduate (completed all 3 levels of training - over 350 hours), ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and holds a Diploma of Professional Counselling.
For more than 25 years, she has worked as a coach, coach trainer and mindfulness teacher, supporting people to develop greater awareness of themselves and create meaningful change in their lives.
Her work is grounded in mindfulness, embodied awareness and relational presence, with a deep respect for each person's capacity to discover their own experience.
Curious About Experiencing Hakomi?
If something you've read here resonates, or you've been looking for a more embodied way of exploring your experience, you're warmly invited to get in touch. We can talk briefly about what you're looking for and whether a Hakomi session feels like the right place to begin.
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