Laura Bartram (Somatic Coach)

Laura Bartram works across a few connected areas: somatic practices, meditation, breathwork and mindful nutrition. What they have in common is attention to the body, using breath, movement, stillness and food as ways of noticing how you actually feel rather than pushing past it. She’ll be at the Guildhall across the weekend in September.

What these practices are

Somatic simply means “of the body”. Somatic work and breathwork both start from the idea that a lot of what we carry, tension, stress, the sense of being wound up, shows up physically before we can put words to it. Meditation and mindful eating come at the same thing from a different direction: slowing down enough to pay attention to what’s in front of you, whether that’s your breath or your lunch.

What to expect

None of this asks for special skill or fitness. The point is gentle attention, not performance. You’re invited to notice how you’re breathing, where you’re holding tension, and what happens when you slow down. People often describe feeling calmer and more settled afterwards, though everyone responds differently and that’s normal.

Who it suits

It tends to suit anyone who lives in their head and forgets they have a body until it complains, or who wants a way to unwind that doesn’t involve a screen. You don’t need any experience to take part.

Something to try this week

Before your next meal, pause for three slow breaths and actually look at the food first. Then eat the first few mouthfuls slowly, without your phone. It’s a small way to bring the “mindful” into mindful nutrition, and it costs nothing.

Laura Bartram is one of over 70 readers, healers and stallholders at the Mind Body Spirit & Wellness Weekend, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026, at Stockport Masonic Guildhall. Her sessions, like every session across the weekend, are included with entry.

Search: Rosemary Douglas Tickets — or book at rosemarydouglas.com/tickets