Ontological Coaching
Language
Language
Emotions
Emotions
Somatics
Somatics
Ontological Coaching - A Way of Being
Ontology is the study of “Way of Being”, in particular the investigation of the nature of human existence. We exist, each one of us unique and different, interacting with the world through our belief systems, our interpretations, our preferences, our traits. We each bring our own preunderstanding, our existing frames of meaning, to every situation we encounter. We somehow have this existence, and we take it as given without potentially much contemplation of how or why we interact with life and the world in the way that we do.
No doubt some of these ways serve us, but perhaps others not as much. These can be habits, perceptions, belief systems, mannerisms, communication style, moods, body postures and general ways of being. There are a multitude of happenings that go on around us daily. This stimulus influences our nervous system. How it affects us can explain how we are in the world and what reflects back at us. How we are is how the world is. The same situation can affect two different people completely differently. What is that uniqueness in makeup and hence effect on ourselves, and is it serving me or not?
This work aims to demystify this uniqueness we carry, how it is formed, and how it forms us, keeps us trapped in a certain way of being. How can we exist in a more natural way of being, in tune with our surroundings and the flow of life, a more authentic self? This work increases awareness of the humanness and beingness we are for a more balanced authentic self.
We’re always oriented to the world by what we care about, engaging in “concernful activity” to address what matters most to us. Our concerns drive everything, yet we rarely articulate what they actually are. Understanding what’s at stake for you—what’s missing that’s important, what’s not being taken care of that matters—can be profoundly revealing.
There is context AND there is way of being. The context changes and one day our way of being can serve us whilst another we are unable to understand why our historical toolkits are not serving a new situation. Why is something having this unintended effect on me? The key can be in what you are saying to yourself, feeling within yourself, and bodily reactions you may be having in your way of being. Why do those exist and what is all this pointing to, internally? Why is there a movement away from something and in some other instances, a movement towards? How can I be completely okay in a wider array of situations and my way of being serving me more fully?
Awareness around our habitual ways of being allows us to drop an entanglement around our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions about ourselves, those around us, and the world we reside in. This leads to choice and freedom in our actions. Action with clarity and in accordance with a more authentic self.
Once realized, we see how we live through our personal veils, a form of perception, a perception-based reality. We become the effect of our own belief system. With self-reflection, we are more able to see this and, in that process, we drop more of our stories, definitions, and judgments and come closer to our natural selves. With self-reflection, everything is included because we increase our awareness of what is actually going on inside. The natural outcome is greater clarity on the “outside,” the perceived external. At some stage, this boundary becomes less and less clear.
“I've come to recognize the profound importance of how we use language, how we hold our emotions, and how we embody our way of being in the world.”
The Three Domains of Being
Human existence unfolds in three interconnected domains: Language, Emotions, and Body. What takes place in our lives occurs within these domains, and the dynamic interplay between them shapes how we perceive and behave in the world.
Language doesn’t just describe reality—it generates reality. How we speak, what we say, and importantly what we don’t say, creates our world. I listen for your underlying concerns, your core assessments about life, the types of conversations you engage in. Every issue is underpinned by something that matters to you deeply, though we rarely articulate what our true concerns are.
Emotions and Moods are not just fleeting feelings—they’re subtle, enduring influences that continually shape our perception and behavior. Moods reveal our orientation to life and what we care about. We’re always in some mood, and learning to be the master of our moods becomes a continual practice.
The Body is where the embodiment of change actually takes place. Our somatic experience isn’t separate from our thoughts and emotions—it’s where they live and express themselves. With body awareness, we can shift our Way of Being. Our nervous system is a storehouse of our lives, memories, emotions, and reactions. We are not separate from our bodies, and just as we have belief systems in our minds, these are captured in our bodies as well. With self-releasing, we release our self-made knots—both head knots (thought complications) and bodily knots. We end up living more in the same location as our body: the present moment. This brings forth a simpler, more peaceful, clearer and freer reality.
The Journey to Authentic Living
This work aims at promoting self-releasing through wisdom and presence. Self-releasing results in peace, love, and harmony with all aspects of myself and the world around me. Freedom from a habitual self and hence freedom to act in accordance with an authentic way of living. We highlight the definitions we hold and how they got there to decipher our human way of living. We then reverse it to come closer to our natural being-ness by dropping so many of the definitions we once held so dear.
We see how we live in a perception-led world, and how there are two sides to every coin. This wisdom leads to increasing awareness, and this increasing awareness leads to increased presence. A reinforcing loop of letting go. Presence leads to increased awareness which again leads to presence. In presence is choice, clarity, freedom. Presence is key. This is human flourishing—as we understand the human and become the being in Human Being.