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Leigh Garlick || A Holistic Integrative Approach

@my.ssence

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Counsellor (ASCHP) & Breathwork Practitioner
꩜ Individual & Child Therapy
꩜ Breathwork, Meditation, & Reiki
꩜ Nature Based Therapy

POSTS STORIES REELS

When life moves fast, the body often carries what we haven’t had the space to process.

Conscious breathwork invites you to reconnect with your body’s natural intelligence by supporting nervous system regulation, emotional release, and deep restoration.

If it feels right, let’s slow down and create space to release together 🌬️

Images lovingly captured by @between_us_storytelling 💛

#consciousbreath #bodybasedhealing #capetown #somatictherapy by @my.ssence

A weekend of gently returning - to presence, to safety, to gratitude, to the quiet remembering of our worth.

Anchoring into the simple, powerful truth: I am here. I am safe.

And, softly, I am beloved.

So honoured to have facilitated and held space with the meaningful @notibutwe 💛💛

#traumasurvivor #nervoussystemhealing #communitysupport by @my.ssence

Your breath is a direct pathway to your nervous system.

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Through conscious breathwork and meditation, we invite the body to shift into more of a balanced, regulated state.   The breath directly influences the autonomic nervous system, helping shift the body from states of stress and activation into rest, repair, and restoration.

These sessions can support the release of stored tension while cultivating calm, clarity, and a deeper connection to yourself.

If it feels right, let’s breathe together 🩵

Images captured by dear @jasminn_paps

#breathwork #consciousconnectedbreathwork #fyp by @my.ssence

If my toes are covered in sand during our sessions, this is why… 🍃

A few quiet moments in nature before stepping into the therapy space support me in arriving grounded, present, and resourced - so I can fully hold space for the work we do together.

#capetowncounsellor #nervoussystemhealing #nature #natureismytherapy by @my.ssence

What becomes possible when you feel truly held, just as you are?

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A space for you.
A space for your process.
Nothing is expected of you here.

My door is open whenever you’re ready 💛

Image captured by the lovely @jasminn_paps

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#capetown #fyp #therapist #selfcompassion by @my.ssence

Healing is the dance between activation and rest, between contraction and release - the gentle remembering that both belong.

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We can’t stop the waves - of emotion, energy, or life itself. But, we can learn to dance with them.
 To move with our nervous system instead of against it.

To build capacity instead of forcing calm.

We can learn to stay present through each rise and fall.

To notice when our body tightens, when our breath shortens, and to meet those moments with curiosity rather than control.

Because the goal isn’t to feel peaceful all the time - it’s to trust our ability to return, again and again, to the rhythm beneath it all.

Healing is the dance between activation and rest, between contraction and release -  the gentle remembering that both belong.

Can you notice the rhythm of your own body today - its rise and fall, its ebb and flow?

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📹 - @jasminn_paps

#somatictherapy #nervoussystemhealing #capetowncounsellor #capetownwellness by @my.ssence

Life can feel very full - full of beauty, fear, and pain.

Orienting back to the present moment can help remind the body that it is here. That it is safe.

For those of us who can access that sense of safety right now, it’s important to hold awareness that this is not everyone’s reality - to meet that awareness with deep gratitude, while sending love, strength, and a gentle kiss on the wind to those whose lived experience may look different from our own 🫂

#nervousystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #somatictherapy #somatichealing by @my.ssence

A love letter to @bodhikhaya and @luminabreathwork 💌

Last week I had the honour of stepping into the most holding, expansive space - the Lumina breathwork guide training.
 To be held by this land, by my breath, and by this group of women felt like a warm, tight squeeze on a hard day.

@oliviamoonwellness, what a gift it is to learn alongside you.
 Thank you for guiding us back to the power of our breath again and again -  for stretching us, for witnessing us, and for holding such a steady, grounded container for this training.

I confronted my fears, stretched my capacity, and let my breath reach places words can’t quite touch.

I’ve returned home softened, expanded, and so deeply grateful ❣️

Thank you, thank you, thank you! by @my.ssence

How is your body asking to move today?

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Trauma can linger in the nervous system, in held breath, in tight muscles, in the places that never fully let go.

Dance can give the body a way - through rhythm, breath, and movement, the body can release what words cannot.

Tension can soften, stuck energy can begin to flow, and we can gently begin to return to a sense of safety and aliveness.

How dance can support release:

✺ Completing stress cycles - trauma can often leave the body “stuck” in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze. Gentle movement can support the release of lingering tension for the nervous system to shift back into a balanced, more regulated state.

✺ Rhythmic regulation - steady, repetitive movement can help engage the parasympathetic nervous system, supporting the body in moving toward a calmer, more balanced state.

✺ Non-verbal expression - when we experience trauma, areas of the brain involved in language can become less active, making it difficult for us to find words. Dance can offer another language for the body to express and release what it might hold.

✺ Reconnection with breath - moving with awareness of breath can help regulate the nervous system and bring us gently back into the present.

✺ Choice and creativity - exploring movement in ways that feel safe can rebuild a sense of agency and self-trust, which trauma can often impact.

How is your body asking to move today?

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#somatictherapy #nervoussystemhealing #capetowncounsellor #explorepage✨ by @my.ssence

What wants to be expressed through you today? 🎨

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When words fall short - colour, shape, and texture can hold what the body remembers.

Creating through art allows what longs to be expressed to take form.

Through every brushstroke, every mark, we let the raw, the messy, the tender parts of ourselves be seen.

Healing arrives not in the flawless, but in the honesty of expression.

What wants to be expressed through you today?

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#artashealing #creativehealing #healingthroughart #arttherapyjournal #expressiveartstherapy #creativity #expression by @my.ssence

Behind every bracelet from @notibutwe is a story of empowerment, healing, and hope ✨

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Not I But We is a justice enterprise rooted in compassion and empowerment, creating opportunities for survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence to rebuild their lives.

The bracelet in this video - the calm bracelet - is more than just jewellery; it’s a gentle guide to grounding.

Each bracelet is beaded with intention, serving as a reminder to pause and return to the senses by noticing: ꩜ 5 things you can see ꩜ 4 things you can touch ꩜ 3 things you can hear ꩜ 2 things you can smell ꩜ 1 thing you can taste

A simple practice - anchoring us in the here and now. I wear my calm bracelet often and share this sensory grounding practice with my clients too.

💛 Learn more about Not I But We’s meaningful initiatives, explore their beautiful creations, and make donations at notibutwe.com 💛

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#healingtogether #traumainformed #survivor #supportlocal #notibutwe by @my.ssence

“The nervous system, at a pre-conscious level, is always asking: ‘Am I safe?’ The breath is one of the most powerful ways to send an answer.” – Dr. Stephen Porges

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I am reminded time and time again that breath is not just a function - it is a guide.
 Through conscious breathing, we can anchor into the body and soften the mind.

Breath invites awareness of what is present and can offer the nervous system signals of safety.

Each inhale and exhale are an invitation back to connection - with the body, with others, and with the world around us.

A heartfelt thank you to @oliviamoonwellness at @luminabreathwork for holding such a spacious, supportive container for us to expand on our awareness of the power of breath 💛🌬️

#breathworkpractice #nervoussystemregulation #polyvagaltheory #mindbodyconnection #traumainformedhealing #breathismedicine #embodiedhealing #safeandconnected #therapistlife #healingthroughbreath #mindfulbreathing #somatictherapy by @my.ssence