S3E10: Bringing body work into the room | Dr Stephanie Minchin

Do you want concrete ways to bring the body into your therapy room without losing clinical rigour?

In this episode, Dr Stephanie Minchin (The Yoga Psychologist) lays out a clear, usable approach to integrating body work with talking therapy. We cover how to notice and use nonverbal data, why “embodiment” isn’t optional for clinicians, and simple practices you can introduce safely—no mats, no incense, just clinically sound, consent-led interventions. We also talk about pacing, consent, and how to avoid performative “somatic add-ons.”

Highlights include:

• 02:10 Why the body isn’t optional: the 90% nonverbal problem
• 05:00 Quick wins: noticing breath, posture, micro-shifts (no yoga poses required)
• 08:15 Pacing and consent: how to invite, not impose
• 12:20 Therapist embodiment: doing your own work so clients don’t carry it
• 16:05 Using the body in CBT: making the “missing quarter” explicit in formulation
• 19:30 Language for the room: “Would it be okay to check what your ribs are doing?”
• 23:10 Working with disconnection: repetition, misunderstanding, repair
• 27:40 Safety first: red flags, grounding, and when not to proceed
• 31:00 Case vignettes: micro-interventions that shift the session
• 35:20 Integrating, not bolting on: making body work part of supervision and CPD

Guest Information:

Dr Stephanie Minchin is a clinical psychologist and yoga-informed therapist known as The Yoga Psychologist. Her work sits at the intersection of evidence-based therapy and bodywork, helping clinicians move beyond “head-only” practice. She teaches practical, consent-led ways to use breath, posture and nonverbal cues in session, and champions therapist embodiment as core CPD, not an optional extra.

Embodied Entrepreneur Circle - monthly membership - a scared sanctuary for therapists, coaches, yogis who centre their self care at the heart of their business

https://www.houseofyogapsychology.com/embodied-entrepreneur-circle

Embodied Entrepreneur Mentorship - 6 months - for aspiring professionals who work in the field of psychology and/or yoga, and want to navigate their professional identity, discover their inner leader, build confidence, create purpose and passion and build dharma-based businesses

https://www.houseofyogapsychology.com/embodied-entrepreneur

INTEGRATE course - for therapists and yogis who want to learn the framework of Yoga Psychology to deepen their understanding and expand their knowledge and broaden their skills set of mind body approaches to become more integrative practitioners - self-led programme; 6 modules, online

https://www.houseofyogapsychology.com/integrate

other self-led programmes on my website (3 day, 5 day packages)

https://www.houseofyogapsychology.com/self-practice

Instagram: @theyogapsychologist @houseofyogapsychology

https://www.houseofyogapsychology.com/

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SUPERVISOR PLATFORM

Supervisor Platform is an online directory designed for therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and other mental health professionals to connect with qualified clinical supervisors. It makes it easy for practitioners to browse, compare, and contact supervisors based on their expertise, approach, and availability, while giving supervisors a professional space to showcase their services.

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Disclaimer: The Mastering therapy podcast and the information provided by Dr Natalie Stott (Dclinpsych, HPCP reg), is solely intended for informational and educational purposes and should only be used by qualified professionals. 

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