Laura Bartram (Somatic Coach)

If the last few years have left you permanently braced — shoulders up, jaw tight, sleep patchy — Laura Bartram’s corner of the weekend is built for exactly that.

Laura is a somatic coach who works with the body first: somatic practices, meditation, breathwork and mindful eating. “Somatic” simply means “of the body,” and it’s the thread running through everything she does.

Working from the body up

Most of us try to think our way out of stress. Somatic work goes the other way — it starts with what the body is doing and uses that as the way in. The logic is straightforward: your nervous system doesn’t respond to a good argument, it responds to signals of safety — slower breathing, a longer exhale, a bit of grounding through the feet. Change those, and the racing thoughts often settle on their own rather than being talked down.

Breath, stillness, and the table

The pieces fit together. Breathwork gives you a direct handle on the nervous system — the fastest lever most people have. Meditation trains the attention to notice where it’s wandered before it spirals. And mindful eating brings that same attention to the table, which is often where a busy day quietly falls apart. None of it asks you to overhaul your life; it’s about small, repeatable resets.

Something to try before you come

Here’s the single most reliable one, and it takes thirty seconds. Wherever you are, make your out-breath longer than your in-breath — in for a count of four, out for a count of six or more. That’s it. A long exhale is one of the few switches you have direct access to that tells the body to stand down; it’s doing on purpose what a sigh does by accident. Do it three or four times next time you feel wound up, and notice what shifts. It’s the ground Laura’s whole approach is built on.

Laura brings her somatic coaching to the Mind Body Spirit & Wellness Weekend, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026 at Stockport Masonic Guildhall — one of over 70 readers, healers and practitioners across the two days. Everything across the weekend is included with entry.