Exhale
A somatic evening
Come and settle your own system for an evening. You're welcome, and so is anyone you'd like to bring.
Why this might be worth your evening
Life piles up, and most of us are carrying more than we let on. The people around us tend to feel it too.
Good support costs real money right now, and it isn't always easy to reach for. So here's a chance to pick up a handful of practices you can use at home, on the evenings when things get tight, without needing anyone else in the room.
How the evening runs
Most of the ninety minutes is hands-on practice. No experience with any of this is needed, since everything's guided step by step. I'll take you through a few simple ways of working with the breath and the body that quiet the system and build a bit of capacity over time. You'll feel them as we go, which is how this work actually lands.
The last stretch is open for questions. Ask about the practices, about how any of it works, or about anything that comes up while we're in it.
A note on what this is. Exhale is a practical skills evening, not a group therapy or counselling session. On the night I'm there to guide the practices, and I'm not stepping into a therapist or counsellor role with anyone. We spend the time learning simple ways to settle the nervous system, and you're welcome to share as much or as little as you like. If something tender surfaces, that's a good sign to take it to your own therapist or a professional you trust.
What you take home
You'll leave with:
- A few practices simple enough for an ordinary weeknight, with no equipment needed
- A felt sense of what settling actually feels like from the inside
- Something you can share with the people you care about
- A little more room to steady yourself when the pressure climbs
What this kind of work is
This is somatic work, which just means working with the body rather than only talking things through. When life gets overwhelming, a lot of it lands in the body as tension, or as a sense of being stuck on high alert. The practices we'll do speak to that directly, giving your body simple ways to come back down. Nothing here is complicated, and you don't need to understand the theory for it to help.
Learning to feel safe
A lot of people quietly carry the sense that they don't feel safe in other people's presence, and some can't remember a time they ever really did. That makes complete sense, given what our nervous systems learn to expect. None of it is a flaw in you.
These evenings are a place to begin orienting towards safety, in yourself first and then with the people around you. Nothing forced, just small and repeatable ways of showing your body that this moment is okay.
Three evenings, one session
Same session each time, so come to whichever week suits. Each one starts at 6:30pm, and it's $5 a person, taken at sign-up online or on the night in person.
One evening is plenty. You're welcome at more than one if you'd like to sit with it again.
A bit about me
I'm Rudi. I started out as a technology consultant with Accenture and an operational excellence consultant at Deloitte, then moved into leadership development, after seeing it was the one skill missing in me and in the colleagues around me who held positions of authority. Later I trained in Somatic Experiencing, and I'm now a teaching assistant on those trainings, having studied under some of the leading teachers in the work.
These days I run two practices. I'm founder and principal consultant at Vertical Development Consulting, a leadership development and executive coaching practice, where I coach and facilitate, helping leaders and their teams move from strategy to execution. Alongside that I'm a somatic therapy practitioner through rudidoku.com.au. Underneath both, the aim is to build the nervous system's capacity, the kind that lets you steady yourself when things get hard.
More than anything, I care about helping people feel safe within themselves, safe enough to trust their own sense of what's true and live from it. When someone finds that footing, they tend to create the same safety for the people around them. I love sharing that in a relaxed setting like this one.
There's more on my background over here if you'd like it.
A few things you might be wondering
Will I have to share or speak in front of everyone?
No. You can take part quietly the whole way through. There's time for questions at the end if you want it, and nothing's required of you.
Is there any hands-on or touch work?
There's no hands-on or touch work. Everything is self-led, working with your own breath and body, and nobody gets touched.
Will the session be recorded?
No. Nothing's recorded, so you can settle in without wondering where it might end up afterwards.
What if I get emotional during a practice?
That's welcome and completely normal with this kind of work. I'll guide you in simple ways to steady yourself, and you can pause or step back any time. Nothing here asks you to push past your own edge.
Some of us will know each other. Does what comes up stay private?
Yes. I'll ask everyone to keep what's shared in the room, and you stay in charge of how much you bring. Whatever happens on the night stays there.
What should I bring or set up?
Not much. Wear something comfortable you can move and rest in. If you're coming to an in-person night, bring a yoga mat when you have one and I'll have a few spares. For the online evening, a quiet spot where you can sit or lie down undisturbed is all you need.
Pick your evening
Sign up for the online evening through the button below. For either of the in-person Melbourne nights, send me a message and I'll sort the details with you. And do pass this on to anyone you think would enjoy it.
Sign up for the online eveningFor the Melbourne evenings, or any questions, email rudi@rudidoku.com.au