By understanding the defences we built in childhood, we open to who we’ve always been.
InBalance: Living Beyond Our Defences
in-person
This course starts on the 6th May ‘25 and runs for 7 sessions, finishing on the 28th July ‘25.
Who are you really?
Let’s first answer this question with who you are not..
You are not your stress, anxiety, overwhelm- These are defended states
You are not your illness, pain, or suffering- This is your past communicating with you
You are not your thoughts, opinions or beliefs- These have been conditioned into you by others
You are not your job title or the roles you play as parent, spouse or family member
If you are not these things, then who are you?
You were born with a perfect human essence and developing wisdom
You are of a greater intelligence that is in you and there to guide you through every moment of your life
You are a unique configuration of energy & body that will never be repeated in this lifetime, in this form and your purpose is to explore all that you have experienced to guide you to the realisation that..
‘You are perfect as you are’
So what gets in the way?
We all emerge from childhood with defences—coping strategies we developed to feel safe, accepted, and loved.
To gain approval from our caregivers, we often felt we needed to suppress our authentic selves and so we built emotional walls.
What we often think of as our ‘personality’ is, in many cases, a set of protective behaviours formed in response to unmet needs, hurt, or rejection.
Deep down, many of us carry the belief that something is wrong with us, and we spend our lives trying to hide or compensate for these perceived flaws.
Booking Options:
BONUS GIFT FOR FREE!!!: When you attend InBalance: Living Beyond Your Defences you receive the accompanying Course Workbook as a free gift.
Course Dates
This course starts on the 6th May (Tues due to bank holiday) 2025 at 730pm and takes place every other Monday week for 7 sessions.
19th May, 2nd June, 16th June, 30th June, 14th July, 28th July
Price
£120 for 7 sessions
Why Join ‘Living Beyond Our Defences’
Understanding how we defend ourselves against being hurt, gives us the freedom to live beyond defences- to embody who we are meant to be.
This 7 sessions embodied course is a journey of self-discovery—beneath the layers of who you think you are, lies who you truly are.
Through scientific knowledge, breathwork, movement, and self-love practices, we will explore how the coping strategies we formed in childhood shaped the way we relate to ourselves and the world.
In this course, you will:
Learn your primary defence structure, developed in response to early life experiences. (Based on the research by Willheim Riech, psychoanalyst)
Learn how your habitual patterns of behaviour are not your personality—but adaptive strategies you can choose to release.
See clearly how stress, anxiety & illness are created through outdated protection mechanisms.
Explore how to meet these parts with compassion, and begin to let go of what we no longer need.
Discover the four characters of the brain (research by neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor) and learn that you already know who you truly are.
Uncover your inner guidance system that is always with you and knows your purpose and true self
Access the nervous system using breathwork, bioenergetics and somatic movement to release our held patterns of behaviour that keep us locked in who we think we are to rediscover who we truly are.
This course blends scientific research and embodied practices to help you step into greater freedom, wholeness, and authenticity in every aspect of your life.
Class Highlights:
(Full session breakdown below)
You will learn:
Effective Breathing: Learn breathing techniques to release control and surrender to who you are without the defences.
Somatic Awareness: Cultivate a deep connection with your body and mind, essential for living a life InBalance.
Conscious Movement: Engage in somatic and bioenergetic movements to release physical tension and release emotional stress.
Class Structure:
Fortnightly Sessions: Starting May 6th 2025, our classes meet every two weeks so you can have time to deepen your knowledge and ensure ongoing support and progress. Morning & evening classes available.
Accessible Techniques: Each session is designed to fit seamlessly into your busy life, providing practical tools and exercises you can use immediately.
Free Accompanying Workbook: Each session includes a summary along with all the exercises and techniques, so you can easily continue your practice at home.
Key information
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Location
In-person classes in Chelmsford will be held at:
The InBalance Studio
St John’s Road
CM2 9PD (full address upon booking)
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Class Times
Course begins 6th May 2025
You can choose from 2 times, both recur on a fortnightly basis:
Option one: 9.30-10.45am
OR
Option 2: 7.30-8.45pm
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Pricing
£120 for the 7 × 75 mins sessions
Free gift: Accompanying workbook
Booking Options:
BONUS GIFT FOR FREE!!!: When you attend InBalance: Living Beyond Your Defences you receive the accompanying Course Workbook as a free gift.
Course Dates
This course starts on the 6th May (Tues due to bank holiday) 2025 at 730pm and takes place every other Monday week for 7 sessions.
19th May, 2nd June, 16th June, 30th June, 14th July, 28th July
Price
£120 for 7 sessions
7-Session Overview
Each session introduces foundational practices designed to become part of your everyday life as well as the topics listed below.
Breathing: Learn how to breathe to calm the nervous system or energize it to support emotional release.
Somatic awareness: Learn how to listen to the signals from your body.
Somatic Movement & Bioenergetics. Whether you're new to movement or more experienced, these moves are designed to help identify and release physical tension, while building awareness of the connection between bodily sensations, emotions, and past stress or trauma—so you can begin to process and release what’s been held.
Tantric Self-Love Practices: Gentle, meditative touch and breath-based practices that deepen your connection to your body, awaken your senses, and cultivate self-acceptance. These techniques invite you to experience yourself with presence, compassion, and reverence—reclaiming your wholeness from within.
In each session, we focus on a different topic:
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Take a test to identify your character type. In this session we will understand the purpose and benefit of knowing our defence type and how this relates to our behaviour and everyday life experience.
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The Leaver character type develops in the third trimester of pregnancy and the first year of life. This individual tends to disconnect emotionally as a protective response, often withdrawing from others to avoid perceived rejection or abandonment.
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Formed in the early stages of life, the Oral character type develops when emotional nourishment is lacking. Individuals with this type often seek external validation and reassurance, feeling an ongoing need for nurturing.
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The Endurer character type forms as a result of childhood emotional neglect or hardship. These individuals learn to suppress their own needs and endure discomfort in silence, often out of fear of causing conflict.
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Developing in response to early demands for perfection or control, the Rigid character type becomes fixated on order and structure. They may suppress emotional expression in favour of logic and control, striving to maintain discipline and meet expectations.
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In this session, we'll explore the four character types from a neuroscience perspective, to understand how they influence thinking, behaviour, and emotional processing.
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Learn how to listen to your inner wisdom and use this to guide you through your life. This wisdom always keeps you connected and on the right path.
Booking Options:
BONUS GIFT FOR FREE!!!: When you attend InBalance: Living Beyond Your Defences you receive the accompanying Course Workbook as a free gift.
Course Dates
This course starts on the 6th May (Tues due to bank holiday) 2025 at 730pm and takes place every other Monday week for 7 sessions.
19th May, 2nd June, 16th June, 30th June, 14th July, 28th July
Price
£120 for 7 sessions
Supporting Resources:
Free Workbook: Receive this gift when you attend Living Beyond Your Defences. This workbook contains the key scientific points in each class, the breathwork that we learned and the meditation to help you effortlessly integrate the new teachings and insights into your life.
“Lauren’s Breathwork class is truly like a moment of stillness we all need in our busy lives.
Her calming nature transcends into the room with an authentic passion for all of us to understand the fundamentals of breath and how it is at the very core of us and to acquire simple techniques to help us in any situation.
I always feel like I’ve attended a mini-retreat and feel so relaxed after.
It’s so different from any other class as it focuses on the breath and when we explore the somatic movement section we are still using the relaxed breath so it is so powerful.
I was in a stressful situation recently and I could hear Lauren’s voice in my head telling me to slow down my breath and relax my stomach. It was amazing, it completely removed my nervousness in 5 minutes so I am truly grateful for this wonderful teaching thank you 🙏.”
~ Mary