The Bodyworker's Table

In bodywork, we often speak about resistance. We might feel it in the tissues beneath our hands, notice it in someone's movement or encounter it in the therapeutic relationship. But what are we actually experiencing when the body seems to resist?In this episode, Jamie and Kari explore the many ways the body responds to touch and why what we perceive as resistance may sometimes be an expression of protection, discomfort or a personal boundary.We discuss the difference between physical restriction and emotional protection, the importance of not assigning meaning too quickly and how our approach can change when we meet resistance with curiosity rather than an intention to overcome it.A conversation about touch, consent, discernment & the value of listening to what is present without needing to change it.

When no one is necessarily overseeing how you practise, what keeps you accountable?This week at The Bodyworker's Table, we're exploring self-governance in bodywork: what it means to practise with integrity, the ongoing role of training and mentorship and how we develop our own discernment without losing sight of our professional responsibilities.We also get into ethics, evolving standards of practice and the increasingly visible world of practitioner influencers.A conversation about becoming your own practitioner while remaining teachable, thoughtful and accountable to the people who place their trust in your hands.Because trusting yourself and questioning yourself don't have to be mutually exclusive.With Jamie & Kari of Healing Hands Training.

What happens when you don’t know what you’re feeling?In this episode, we talk about one of the most universal experiences in bodywork: uncertainty.We explore how the language of sensation develops over time, what it means to perceive something subtle without necessarily knowing what it means, dynamic stillness, intuition versus projection and how experience can make us more comfortable with the unknown rather than more certain of everything.We also talk about the pressure practitioners can put on themselves to know... to identify, interpret and explain what’s happening beneath their hands. And what becomes possible when we let some of that go.And in the spirit of the conversation, we leave in our own uncertainty and mistakes. Including Jamie realizing, in real time, that she has been confidently calling the “therapeutic pulse” by the wrong name for years (turns out, practicing for a long time doesn’t mean knowing everything). Maybe that’s part of the point.And somehow we end up discovering that in another life, Jamie would like to be a professional longboarder and Kari would be a forensic pathologist. Naturally.So pull up a chair and join us at The Bodyworker’s Table.

What is really happening beneath our hands during a Craniosacral Therapy session?In this episode, we go back to the foundations of the work and unpack what can be surprisingly difficult to explain: how something so subtle can also be deeply anatomical and precise.We talk about the anatomy and physiology behind Craniosacral Therapy, fascia and connective tissue, light touch, palpation, symmetry, amplitude and stillness and why this work extends far beyond the cranium and sacrum.We also explore the less tangible side of practice: learning to perceive subtle changes, developing trust in what you feel beneath your hands, staying neutral when you're not entirely sure what you're feeling, and allowing the body’s own processes to guide the work.Craniosacral Therapy can look like very little is happening from the outside. This conversation is about just how much we're actually listening to.And somehow... by the end, Kari is discussing her belief that she can levitate and telling us about the time she participated in “table turning.”As one does.Pull up a chair and join us at The Bodyworker’s Table.

What do we wish we'd known when we were just beginning our practices?In this episode, we're looking back at our early years as practitioners... the things we took far too seriously, the lessons we had to learn the hard way, and the worries that have changed (or disappeared entirely) with experience.We talk perfectionism and confidence, learning to hold boundaries, finding the clients we're best suited to work with, becoming comfortable saying no and what we'd tell our younger practitioner selves now.Mostly, it's a conversation about allowing yourself to be in the process of becoming without needing to have it all figured out!And, appropriately, we end with a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously (things get a bit weird from there).Pull up a chair and join us at The Bodyworker's Table.

What does it really mean to "hold space"?In this episode, we're exploring one of the most talked about — and often least defined — parts of being a practitioner.We discuss how our understanding of holding space has evolved over the years, what neutrality actually looks like in practice and how to care deeply for clients without taking responsibility for their emotions or healing.We also share stories from our own experience about emotional releases, boundaries, learning to recognize when we've taken on too much and the subtle shift from needing to fix to simply being present.Pull up a chair and join us at The Bodyworker's Table.

Some sessions stay with us long after they've ended.In this episode, we're reflecting on the clients who have shaped us over the years and the lessons they taught us that no training ever could.We talk about trust, boundaries, responsibility, humility and what it means to hold space without taking ownership of another person's healing. We also explore how our clients continue to shape us, reminding us that this work is as much about our own growth as it is about supporting someone else's.If you're a bodyworker, therapist, or someone who spends your days sitting with other human beings, we think you'll find something familiar in this conversation.Pull up a chair and join us at The Bodyworker's Table.

In this episode of The Bodyworker's Table, we're exploring some of the myths, misconceptions and oversimplifications surrounding bodywork and the healing world.We talk about why certain phrases make us pause, how social media has shaped the way somatic work is portrayed and where nuance can get lost in the pursuit of simple answers.From common misconceptions about craniosacral therapy to influencer trends, "somatic protein powder," and the importance of experience, trust, and discernment... this conversation is thoughtful, honest and full of laughs.Because healing is rarely as simple as a catchy phrase — and maybe that's what makes it so meaningful.Pull up a chair and join us at The Bodyworker's Table.

How do we actually decide what to do in a session?In this episode of The Bodyworker’s Table, we explore the art (and sometimes uncertainty!) of decision-making as practitioners.We talk about how our choices in a session are shaped by anatomy, intuition, experience, curiosity and the relationship we build with the person in front of us.We share how our practices have evolved, the mistakes that have taught us the most and the moments where we’ve had to learn to trust ourselves in the unknown.Because the truth is: even after years of practice, we’re all still learning.Pull up a chair and join us for another real conversation on bodywork, relationship, nervous systems and the human experience.

What makes a session "good"?Is it a dramatic release? Big emotions? Immediate change? Or could it be something much quieter?In this episode, we explore how our understanding of a "good session" has evolved over the years, both as practitioners and as people. We talk about presence, practitioner ego, the pressure to create results and what happens when we stop trying to lead every session and begin listening more deeply.We hope this conversation offers a different perspective on what meaningful therapeutic work can look like.We'd love to hear what resonates with you.