Philippa Richards is a Remedial Massage Therapist, Somatic Therapist, Yoga teacher and Women's embodiment coach from Bellingen, NSW, Australia with over 13 years experience in the field. In this interview, we get to know Philippa - what inspires her practice and her unique holistic therapeutic approach. With a passion for integrating mind and body and supporting women to thrive, Philippa is dedicated to uplifting disempowered women and offering healing through her services.
Q- Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to become a Women's Embodiment Coach and Somatic Massage Therapist?
Philippa - "Thinking back on my life's journey it has always revolved around the body, movement and the feminine. I was naturally guided into these spaces of feminine expression and explored the world of erotic dance in my younger years before entering motherhood.
Before motherhood during and after I focused on a journey of healing and self-discovery which included learning and partaking in a variety of experiences and modalities such as Remedial massage/bodywork, SomaChi yoga, working with plant medicines, Internal Body Tracking (somatic focused therapy), ritualist and ceremonial training, energy healing, facilitating and supporting women's circles such as Red Tent Bellingen, Feminine embodiment dance circle, and partaking in Feminine Wilde training.
I also want to add my more direct experiences outside of training such as the transformational path of motherhood, all my mistakes and blunders that created an embodied wisdom and all my successes during my own souls development has been fundamental in my journey and weaves in an authentic approach through my work.
All these experiences have felt like an unfolding into my authentic expression, gifts and what I'm here to share. Ultimately that extends out into my work, a belief and trust that everyone is coming home, to themselves, in their body."
Q - Can you elaborate on your approach to somatic massage therapy and its benefits for overall well-being?
Philippa - "I like to approach my sessions in a very collaborative way with each client to allow them to gain the self-awareness of their own internal world. I'm essentially along-side them exploring their internal landscape and creating a safe space for them to be with the process, emotions and energetics that may arise in the sessions. I'm also attuning my perceptive skills to become aware of the subtler dimensions of the session and what is showing up for them.
The benefits are numerous but the one that is at the forefront is the the sense of wholeness that integrates after each session. I still get blown away by the subtle, and sometimes big shifts that take place when you reclaim parts of yourself back to wholeness."
pPhillipa works with women to help them feel more comfortable in their fully expressed and embodied selves.
Q - Are there specific areas or challenges that you specialize in when working with women?
Philippa - "I think the biggest drive and passion that fuels working with women is the reclamation of the lost feminine. My natural focus is on re-wilding and reclaiming the feminine expression and feminine psyche that has been oppressed, suppressed, dominated and distorted throughout the years. I work with women currently, however the feminine psyche resides in us all and is an expression of the anima itself so I hope to bring this work to men also one day."
Q - What can clients expect from a session with you, both in terms of coaching and somatic massage?
Philippa - "It's funny as Somatic Therapy is so non-linear in nature! I always remind my clients to let go of any expectation of what the process may look like, however to answer you question, what can be expected is to feel met and to also walk out having met deeper parts of yourself. In terms of massage, which is much more physical, my clients can expect to walk out more pain free and a sense of more freedom within their bodies."
Q - In somatic massage therapy, how do you customize sessions to address specific concerns or areas of tension for your clients?
Philippa - "There is usually a dialogue that takes place beforehand so I can get an idea of what is happening for them physically, energetically and/or emotionally. When we are in the session itself I am in a deeper sense of awareness and attunement with my client and often feel guided intuitively with a deep listening from my body to theirs. This particular approach is innately holistic.
Q - How do you help clients strengthen the mind-body connection through your coaching and massage sessions?
Philippa - "The mind/body connection mostly happens in the somatic focused therapy, this is due to working within a spectrum of fields such as the emotional body, physical body, energetic body as well as the psyche. A natural integration and closeness happens when ones consciousness is guided down into the body through the felt experience and transverses through the subconscious of their inner landscape. A mind/body connection can definitely occur in massage also through touch and pressure applied to the clients body, bringing their awareness into those spaces."
Q - In your opinion, how does the integration of coaching and somatic massage contribute to a holistic approach to well-being?
Philippa - "I believe we are living in an exciting era where the intelligence of the body is becoming more recognised which ultimately makes us feel a strong sense of belonging, after all, our first home is our bodies. This again is a reflection of the importance of reclaiming the feminine, our innate eros and connection to our earth mother. The more integrated into our own bodies we become, the more we can touch on this place of coming home. The more we all arrive home into our bodies the more connected we will feel to ourselves, each other and all life around us. How can we find a deeper sense of well-being then that!"
Phillipa working in her Bellingen Studio
Q - Do you offer classes in the community? Where can people find the classes you offer?
Philippa - "I'm currently offering a feminine embodiment dance and authentic movement circle with a sister, Carmela every month/6 weeks at a location in Bellingen. This circle is usually advertised on my Instagram page 'Innertempleembodiment'.
I'm also co-facilitating and supporting the Red Tent Bellingen which can be found on the our FaceBook page "Red Tent Bellingen."
Q - Are there specific offerings or projects you are excited about implementing in the future?
Philippa - "I'm always dreaming of new ways to share my work, but the thing I am focusing on in the future is to create an immersive retreat where there is an opportunity to take a deeper dive into this body of work."
Q- How can individuals interested in your services connect with you?
Philippa - "Please feel free to reach out to me directly on 0466872126. Follow my instagram for up-coming events and offerings 'innertempleembodiment'.
If you are interested in experiencing a 1:1 session with me, please follow the link to the website to make an online booking through Bellingen Wellness"