Beginning with the Body

Healing from the Bottom Up

I like being a beginner. A “noob” as my Roblox playing tweenager calls it. Something about the fresh start, the clean slate, that first day of class feeling. Not because mistakes haven’t occurred yet, but because I’m fascinated with the unknown, the types of mistakes (aka learning) that will unfold as I grow, stumble and make my way.

Unfortunately, most people shirk at anything where they expect struggle, conflict, embarrassment, or judgment. They want to be ready experts. Many years ago, I had awful experiences as a beginner in learning geometry and singing (different teachers) because the people teaching me had forgotten the wonder of what it was like to not know. They skipped steps. They took my mistakes personally. They sighed a lot. They said things like, “I’m not sure how to help you.” Their responses convinced my mind and body that I was simply not made for certain things, like math and singing, if I could not do them well from the beginning.

As a teacher of 30 years, I know what beginners need. They need a warm smile, an environment where mistakes are invited and expected. They need to have fun, even while they struggle and work hard. That’s why I love working with beginners. My empathetic body remembers and wants to protect others as I guide and give a little push. “You can do it.” I’ve seen so many dramatic examples. One student Daisy comes to mind. In my introductory composition course, she was crumpled by self doubt and no outside support, barely able to finish that first essay. She continued to improve, earned an A, struggled and worked through many other obstacles. Eventually, she went on to study quantum physics. She had to stop listening to “experts” and those who told her that her mind and body were not capable.

Whether I’m teaching a novel or how to breathe deeply, I love guiding people to trust their minds, bodies, and creative intuition. To go inside—and feel calm with their thoughts, emotional states, health, and relationships—this is my sweet sauce.

Many of us who respond well to somatic (body based) practices like Breathwork, meditation, sound healing, yoga, and Gateless writing, were at one point made to disassociate from our bodies in order to survive. Thankfully, I no longer deal with

• panic attacks

• insomnia

• passing out

• migraines

• ulcers

• cystic acne

• emotional cul de sacs

• negative patterns in relationships

And, one of the best parts about being on a path with healing modalities at my fingertips is that I am not afraid to look silly or cringey. I am a GenXer after all. I can finally say that I trust my body to lead the way, and being a beginner means that the world is always new, interesting and way more fun.

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February 21-25, 2025, Montezuma, Costa Rica

Come be a beginner with me at Camino Adentro, The Way Inside, A Somatic Wellness Retreat near my home in Costa Rica, where we will go inward through Breath, Yoga, Gateless Writing and Resting in nature.

Join us for five days and four nights at the gorgeous Aves Resort and Retreat Center where you will be deeply nurtured with daily yoga, Breathwork, Gateless writing, and sound healing. (No prior experience is needed.) For those who want to release more privately, you will have a 1:1 Brainspotting session. Each day you will be overlooking the ocean, listening to the sounds of macaws and monkeys, deeply relaxing by the pool or getting a spa treatment. The perfect mix of transformational work, nature, rest, and community.

For one more week, I’m offering a discounted rate $200 off (use the code BREATH at check out) for my Substack followers before I publish the retreat on social media and start advertising. We already filled a few spots this week, so put down a deposit if you are feeling the call or reach out if you have more questions.

“If the Angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her, not by your tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning: to be a beginner.”

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Your Guide Inside,

Kimberly 💜