Coach as Instrument: Resting in Every Moment

This Week's Attunement 

"Real rest feels like every cell is thanking you for taking care of you. It's calm, not full of checklists and chores. It's simple: not multitasking; not fixing broken things."
 — Jennifer Williamson

I've been preparing to travel from the US to Canada for the past 24 hours (heading to the TED conference in Vancouver BC). It's been like preparing for a marathon. Buying and packing clothes that are appropriate head to toe (not just chest up). Remembering how to pack, where my frequent flyer numbers are, what credits I have, how to download boarding passes and where to keep them, what the COVID restrictions are for travel into another country and back to the US, and how to follow them and so much more.

Finally, this morning and called an Uber to head to the airport. When I finally sat down in the car, I realized just how tense my entire body was and for the first time in a couple of days, my whole body relaxed. The future (at least until I got to the airport) was out of my hands. And what I know is true is that I could have rested in every moment of the last 24 hours as well.

Why am I sharing this?

We coaches can work so hard to "make something happen" in a coaching session. And I believe that in all of our effort to "make something happen" so we can "demonstrate value" to our clients, we can get in the way of what's already happening. When our clients show up for coaching, something is already happening within them; something is wanting to emerge. It's just that they are often not conscious of it. Our work as coaches is often to simply rest in the moment and be present with what's already unfolding or wanting to unfold for the client. We can see this in their language, metaphors, hand gestures, and focus. When we stop formulating our questions, figuring out where to go next, and instead rest in the moment, allowing it to be what it is, we can notice what's already happening with and for the client.