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How does your body hold your story?

Together, we explore the patterns your system built to protect you. By paying attention to what your body already knows and understanding your responses, those old strategies begin to loosen. You start responding from the present moment, not from what once overwhelmed you.

Let’s move your story.

Let’s connect

For people who carry a lot and function well, until one day the body starts speaking a different language.

Meet your practitioner

When the mind understands but the body stays stuck.

For several years I managed supply chains for international companies. I know functioning under pressure from the inside. I came to this work when understanding wasn’t enough. My body held what my mind could not shift. Somatic and systemic practice helped me return to myself, and now I hold that space for others.

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For years, I tried to understand my patterns intellectually. During a period of depression and anxiety, I could name every pattern, the behaviours and their origins. Yet my body didn’t follow. It stayed tense, overwhelmed, and unable to shift.

Learning to work with my body changed the trajectory of my life. Through somatic methods and systemic perspectives, I learned to recognise ingrained patterns, soften protective behaviours, and reparent the parts of myself that lacked guidance. With steady support, I began to understand regulation as something felt, not analysed.

As I moved through this process, I realised I could hold space for others with the same curiosity, steadiness, and respect that had supported me. This led me to train in systemic somatic therapy (non clinical) and as a Holistic Mental Health Coach. Since then, I have continued expanding my skills and working with people who want to understand themselves on a deeper, embodied level: people who want to inhabit themselves more fully and find clearer direction.

Portrait of Alma Akaya in a purple top, looking to the side in warm light
Alma AkayaSomatic & Systemic Practitioner

Disclaimer: This practice is non clinical. I do not provide psychotherapy or diagnosis.

Let’s take a closer look

Where systemic insight meets somatic depth.

My work brings together body based practices and relational awareness with grounded emotional insight. I offer a steady space for you to explore your patterns, shift your responses, and reconnect with your inner organisation. We can look at old patterns in a safe and embodied way. We return to feelings or moments that affected us deeply, and help the body respond in a new way. Coming back to them with support allows your physical sensations to change and settle, instead of repeating the old reaction.

There is no one size fits all solution, however. Think of this approach as a starting point. While I draw on both somatic and systemic methods, there is always room for creativity and exploration. As a counsellor, I adapt to you and your needs.

Two hands in warm light against a dark background, one palm open, the other reaching towards it

Why somatic?

The body often carries two things at once: the weight of what happened and the wisdom of what wanted to happen but could not. Somatic practice invites us to listen to both, like the urge to cry, push away, or reach out. When these reactions were not possible or stay unfinished, they can show up later as tension, overwhelm, or shutdown.

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Through breath, movement and body awareness, somatic practice helps the nervous system release old patterns and learn new, safer experiences. Instead of trying to “think your way” out of reactions, you give the body a felt sense of support and choice. This is what creates real, lasting shifts which your whole body can not just understand but experience viscerally.

Clothes and socks left in a loose circle on the wooden floor of a dance dome

Why systemic?

Systemic work looks at people in connection with others: family, partners, friends, and the environments we grow up in. Many of our habits and reactions make sense when we understand where they came from. Often, a pattern that feels difficult today started as a way to stay safe or connected in the past.

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Our behaviour and the way we allow ourselves to be hurt reflect what is already within us. Awareness of this enables us to recognise ourselves in others and to make encounters more loving. Learning to respond towards others with care is also a practice of self care and opens the way to reconciled, clear relationships.

In systemic coaching, we explore these patterns gently so you can see them more clearly and choose new ways of responding. It’s about understanding how your experiences shaped you and how you can relate to yourself and to others with more clarity, confidence, and care.

How a session works

A tender movement through three stages.

Every person’s process is different, and each body has its own pace and rhythm. Our practice invites a kind of self exploration that unfolds gently, in layers. What often emerges is a natural movement through three simple, interconnected steps.

  1. Regulate

    Steady the system.

    You will learn how to create more safety in your system. With somatic tools and gentle nervous system practices, you learn to meet sensations without shutting down or overriding yourself. As your body feels safer, it becomes easier to stay present and choose how you want to move forward at your own pace.

  2. Release

    Move what’s stuck.

    When you feel ready, we explore what has been held in your body and in past relational dynamics. This is not about forcing anything or analysing your story. You can meet emotions, impulses, and unfinished reactions gently and with support. You decide how deep you want to go, and your body sets the rhythm. Whatever moves, moves because it’s ready.

  3. Repattern

    Reshape your habits.

    As space opens, you can sense what was needed, what feels right in that moment, and what direction you want to take. This lets your system reorganise gradually and naturally, in ways that support you rather than overwhelm you. You begin to practise different ways of responding inside yourself and in relationship with others.

Choose your session format

How I can help you thrive.

Each path starts with a simple check in. We use this time to see if the approach resonates with you, if the timing feels right, and if our connection supports the kind of work you want to do. Once we’re clear on that, you decide which format feels most aligned and how slowly or deeply you’d like to begin.

Book your free intro call

Clarity

Single session

  • 60 to 90 minutes
  • Online, in Berlin or seasonally on Salt Spring Island
  • Sliding scale available

from 120 CAD

A gentle, body based session to regulate and reconnect, tap into your body’s knowledge and focus on what matters most. Whether it’s an emotional crisis, a question for yourself or something you can’t quite grasp yet.

Deep Dive

Three sessions

  • Three sessions of 90 minutes
  • Online, in Berlin or seasonally on Salt Spring Island
  • Sequential support

330 CAD

A series of focused, body based sessions to regulate, release, and reorient. We clarify what you want to shift, notice how your body responds, and close with simple practices to carry you between sessions.

A Season of Change

Mentorship

  • 3 to 6 months of support
  • Weekly or biweekly sessions of 90 minutes
  • Online, in Berlin or seasonally on Salt Spring Island

from 660 CAD

Long term support for those wanting consistent space for regulation, exploration, and repatterning. We move through cycles of clarity, release, and integration, guided by your pace and capacity.

Small Brave Things

Group circle

  • 5 circles, once a month
  • In person in Berlin

90 CAD per circle

Small brave steps are easier together. Once a month, a small and confidential circle meets to practise, to share what is moving, and to try new ways of responding, in the body and in relationship. For people who sense that something wants to change, who enjoy learning with others and are open to exercises that go beyond talking. Best suited if you already have some experience with body based or group work.

FAQ

Your questions. Answered.

Is this kind of work right for me?

This approach is for anyone curious about understanding their patterns, regulating their nervous system, and navigating life with more clarity and self awareness. You don’t need a crisis to benefit, just a willingness to explore at your own pace.

What can I expect from the first session?

Your first session is a low pressure space to get to know each other. We talk about what brings you here, what you hope to shift, and how your system responds in daily life. You can ask anything and decide if the work feels like a good fit.

Do you offer both online and in person sessions?

Yes. I work online, in person in Berlin, and seasonally on Salt Spring Island. In person sessions offer more exploration of somatic methods, while online sessions create more accessibility if you prefer working from your own space. Both formats are grounded, paced, and guided by what feels safe for you.

What does “systemic” mean?

Systemic work looks at how your experiences, especially in relationships and environments, have shaped your patterns. Instead of focusing only on the individual, it explores how habits or reactions once served a purpose, often to stay safe or connected. Understanding these dynamics helps you choose new ways of relating to yourself and others.

What if I don’t know what to talk about?

That’s completely normal. You don’t need a plan. Sometimes the most meaningful moments come from simply showing up, noticing what happens in your body right now and exploring that together.

Is everything I share kept private?

Yes. Confidentiality is essential. What you share stays between us, with only the standard legal exceptions that we will discuss in your first session.

How often should I come to sessions?

This varies. Some people come weekly for stability, others biweekly or whenever they feel the need for support. You choose what’s best for you. There is no fixed program or pressure.

What is the benefit of group sessions?

Group work can offer a powerful sense of connection, shared insight, and collective regulation. It’s well suited for people who feel comfortable sharing, supporting others, and engaging in practices like family constellations or gentle physical support (with consent). Group sessions are always confidential and held in person only.

Can this help with tension, overwhelm, or recurring patterns?

It can support you in understanding your nervous system, recognising your patterns, and responding differently. This is non clinical work and not psychotherapy. It does not replace medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, but it can complement your personal development.

Do I need any somatic experience or special skills?

Not for individual sessions. You learn everything step by step. Your body sets the rhythm, and you choose what feels doable at each moment. For Small Brave Things, some experience with body based or group work is helpful.

Your new beginning

Ready to move your story?

If this work speaks to you, book a first session and begin exploring how your body can shift old patterns in real time.

Book a free call

Or write to me directly: hi@tendermovements.com