Embodied Acceptance

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Embodied Acceptance I help women recover from body shame and increase their well-being through mindful movement & body aw Compassionate Movement For Body Love. But we need help.

I help women access their physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being through mindful movement and body-awareness. I work as a guide and collaborator to release stuck patterns and feelings, recover from body shame, and develop a more loving relationship with ourselves. You’ve come to the right place if:
*You love moving but don’t particularly enjoy regimented exercise
*You want a HAES®-aligned movement experience where you feel truly accepted and comfortable
*You would like to reconnect to joy, freedom, playfulness and pleasure inherent in movement
*You want to move your body but worry you’re out of shape, don’t have the “right” body, are too old, or feel too uncoordinated
*You’re tired of struggling with shame and are looking to accept your body
*You want to explore your emotions with intuition, flow, and curiosity, rather than through analysis and logic

What I believe in
I believe in the body as our greatest teacher. I believe the body has information that our mind has walled off, that all of our life experiences accumulate to create our physical and emotional ecosystem, and we must address them all if we want to transform the system. We are built to survive, and I celebrate that. But often, what we need to survive does not serve us to thrive. We need our body to tell us what it feels, desires, and wants to release. The mind cannot do this work because it doesn’t hold that material. The body holds our past, and it is up to the body to release and transform it. When a person is met with radical acceptance through a compassionate, open, non-judgmental presence, they feel safe enough to become vulnerable and meet their authentic self. This is where the healing process can begin. I believe we can heal in an infinite number of ways: through sensual movement, playful invention, and communal connection. I believe in release, compassion, acceptance, honesty, and the body as the brain. I believe in listening, in being at the service of healing others, in the power of community. How I do this
As a therapist and healer my job is not to analyze, give advice or direct the client, but rather to make space for them to connect with the story their own body has to tell. I know that my clients are the best experts on their life. We use the body, and movement, as the map to the treasure chest of our feelings, needs, and memories. Joyful movement allows for freedom from shame, develops feelings of respect for our bodies, and generates momentum towards a deeper happiness and sense of peace. I provide an inclusive space for people to move without worrying about their shape, size, fitness level or experience. I create a love and acceptance-filled environment where respect, compassion, generosity, and delight are central to everything we do. About Odelia
Odelia has trained across multiple Somatics platforms including Bartenieff Fundamentals, Laban Movement Analysis, Body-Mind Centering™ (BMC), Yoga, and more. She has a BA in Psychology from The Open University, and was certified as a Doula by DONA (Doulas of North America) in 2003. She subsequently was certified as a Structural Yoga instructor through the Stone Center in 2004. In 2005, She graduated from the Leven Institute with dual certifications in Shake Your Soul™ and SomaSoul™and was certified as a Somatic Movement Therapist through ISMETA. She later became a teacher in Re-evaluation Counseling (RC), and has been counseling and teaching co-counseling privately and in groups since then. She started her Somatic and Movement Education Company, Movement Bliss, in 2013, offering classes and workshops, both live and virtual to hundreds of women. Recently, Odelia embarked on training in Intuitive Eating, and will soon be an IE practitioner. Her work focuses on self-acceptance, inclusion, compassion, and joy, and is HAES™-aligned.

I had a small misunderstanding recently with someone I’m seeing.We’d talked about getting together later that evening. H...
10/19/2026

I had a small misunderstanding recently with someone I’m seeing.

We’d talked about getting together later that evening. He wasn’t sure what time he’d be finished, so he said he’d keep me posted.

Hours went by without a word. It was getting late, and I assumed our plans had fallen through.

Then I got a message: “I’m on my way.”

Except I wasn’t home.

It turned out we’d understood our conversation differently. He thought we had plans. I thought we’d confirm first.

Neither of us had done anything terrible. Just a misunderstanding.

But afterward, I realized that instead of assuming he wasn’t coming, I could have checked in.

So the next day, rather than waiting to see whether he was upset, I reached out.

I apologized for our missed connection, acknowledged my part, explained what had happened on my side, and invited him to share his experience.

And it got me thinking.

What if we didn’t always wait for the person who was hurt to initiate repair?

Telling someone they’ve hurt us can be vulnerable. We don’t know whether they’ll listen, become defensive, or dismiss our experience.

But when we recognize that we may have contributed to a rupture, we can choose to go first.

Not by taking responsibility for everything or assuming we know how the other person feels.

But by saying:

“I’ve been thinking about what happened. I can see my part in it, and I’d really like to know how it was for you.”

Imagine being on the receiving end of that invitation.

You don’t have to convince someone that your experience matters. They’re already showing you that it does.

Initiating repair doesn’t guarantee the other person will engage, but it creates an opening.

And that’s how emotional safety grows.

Not because we never misunderstand or disappoint each other, but because we learn that we don’t have to find our way back alone.

💬 Have you ever had someone initiate repair before you even had to ask?

10/16/2026

I’ve become much more interested in how someone handles discomfort than in how much chemistry we have.

Don’t get me wrong. Chemistry matters to me. A lot.

But chemistry doesn’t tell me whether I’ll be able to feel emotionally safe with someone.

What happens when I tell them something they did hurt me?

What happens when we misunderstand each other?

What happens when I express a need that might be inconvenient for them?

Can they stay curious about my experience, even when it’s difficult to hear?

Can they acknowledge their part without immediately turning the conversation into a defense of their intentions?

And can I do the same for them?

I’ve learned that feeling safe with someone isn’t just about how they treat me when everything is going well.

It’s also about what happens when things get messy.

I’m not expecting anyone to get it right every time. I certainly don’t.

But I do want to know that we’re both willing to learn how to find our way back to each other.

Because for me, that’s where trust really begins to grow.

💬 I’m curious: Have you ever learned something important about a relationship from the way someone responded when you brought up something difficult?

There was a moment in my Zumba class this week that stayed with me.I caught myself closing my eyes and ignoring the mirr...
10/15/2026

There was a moment in my Zumba class this week that stayed with me.

I caught myself closing my eyes and ignoring the mirror, not because I don’t want to see my body, but because I want to feel it.

When I stop tracking how I look, my body opens.

I move in ways that feel sensual, expressive, alive.

I’m not performing. I’m experiencing.

And even though my body doesn’t fit the thin ideal, in those moments, I truly don’t care.

Because I’m inside my pleasure.

This is exactly what happens in s*x.

When you’re thinking about how you look, your stomach, your thighs, how you sound, you leave your body and go into your head.

This is called spectatoring.

And it’s one of the biggest contributors to:

• Low desire

• Difficulty feeling pleasure

• Disconnection during s*x

Because pleasure requires presence.

And presence requires feeling safe in your body.

But most of us were taught the opposite.

Through diet culture, fatphobia, and unrealistic beauty standards, we learned to judge our bodies instead of live in them.

So in s*x, we perform instead of feel.

Here’s the truth:

✨ Pleasure is your birthright, now, not later.

Not when your body changes.

Not when you “fix” something.

Now.

The shift isn’t about loving how you look.

It’s about reconnecting to how you feel.

That’s the work I do with my clients:

Moving from self-consciousness to embodiment.

From performance to pleasure.

💜 What helps you get out of your head and back into your body?

Have we created a dating culture in which leaving has become easier than repairing?I’ve been thinking about this lately,...
10/12/2026

Have we created a dating culture in which leaving has become easier than repairing?

I’ve been thinking about this lately, not only as a relationship coach, but as someone who is dating.

Those first moments of rupture in early dating can feel incredibly vulnerable.

You barely know each other. There aren’t years of trust holding you together. Someone gets hurt or something gets misunderstood, and suddenly there’s a question:

Are we going to talk about this, or is one of us going to disappear?

And I can feel the temptation in myself too.

To protect myself.
To make assumptions.
To pull away before I can be hurt.

Repair asks something harder of me.

To stay curious.
To own my part.
To risk saying what’s happening for me.
To make room for the other person’s experience.

Technology has made it easy to find connection, but also easy to leave it. When something gets uncomfortable, we can simply stop responding.

I wonder what happens to our capacity for relationship when disengaging becomes easier than working things out.

Because if we stay in relationship long enough, rupture is inevitable.

We will misunderstand each other.
We will disappoint each other.
We will hurt each other.

But rupture doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with the relationship.

Perhaps the more interesting information is what happens next.

Do we disappear?
Do we become defensive?
Do we punish or withdraw?

Or can we tolerate enough discomfort to become curious about each other again?

Of course, not every relationship should be repaired. Sometimes leaving is exactly the right choice, especially when staying isn’t safe.

But discomfort and danger are not the same thing.

In a dating culture where another possibility is always a swipe away, I wonder what we miss when we don’t stay in the conversation a little longer.

The capacity to repair isn’t evidence that a relationship is failing. It may be one of the things that makes a relationship possible in the first place.

When dating gets uncomfortable, do you move toward the conversation or away from it?

“Yeah, but you do it too…” 👀One of the fastest ways to derail connection in a conflict?When your partner shares a hurt…a...
10/07/2026

“Yeah, but you do it too…” 👀

One of the fastest ways to derail connection in a conflict?

When your partner shares a hurt…
and you respond with your own.

“Yeah, but you do that too.”

Or you bring up something they did.

Suddenly, it’s no longer about repair.
It becomes a quiet competition over who’s more wrong.

No one feels heard.
Nothing gets resolved.

I had a moment like this recently.

My partner told me that when he asked me a sensitive question, I shut him down.

And he was right. I did. I was triggered.

But inside I felt this wave of:
“You do this all the time.”

And I had to pause.

Because I knew if I said that, we’d lose the thread completely.

So instead, I stayed with his experience.
I let it land.
And I owned my part.

Not because it was “fair.”

But because that moment needed something else.

It needed him to feel heard.

Here’s the shift:

👉 Stay with one person’s experience at a time.

Even if your point is valid.
Even if you have your own hurt.

Timing matters.

When someone feels fully received, they’re much more able to hear you in return.

That’s how you move from power struggle → connection.

This is the kind of micro-moment that changes relationships.

In my work as a Somatica-trained s*x & relationship coach, I help people stay open in triggering moments and turn conflict into deeper intimacy.

💬 Be honest: when someone tells you they’re hurt, do you ever immediately start thinking about what they’ve done too?

What helps you resist the urge to say, “Yeah, but…”? 👇

Do you find yourself doing everything you can to avoid conflict in your meaningful relationships?There are so many reaso...
10/05/2026

Do you find yourself doing everything you can to avoid conflict in your meaningful relationships?

There are so many reasons that can make sense.

Maybe anger didn’t feel safe in your family growing up.

Maybe you learned that being easy, agreeable, or undemanding was the best way to stay connected.

Maybe someone being upset with you feels like a threat that they might leave.

Maybe past attempts to address problems have only led to defensiveness, escalation, or more hurt.

Or maybe you simply never learned how to have conflict in a way that actually leads somewhere.

I used to avoid conflict as much as I possibly could.

And honestly, I can still find myself doing it when I sense that I can’t bring myself fully into a connection.

But something has changed for me.

I no longer believe avoiding conflict is what keeps a relationship safe.

These days, whether or not I can work through an issue with someone I’m seeing has become an early indicator of the potential longevity of that relationship, and whether this is a person I can feel safe with.

I pay attention to what happens when something goes wrong.

Can they stay with me when something is uncomfortable?

Can they hear my experience without immediately defending themselves?

Can they tell me theirs?

Are they willing to try something different when what we’re doing isn’t working?

And can we find our way back to each other afterward?

I’m not looking for relationships without conflict anymore.

I’m looking for relationships where conflict doesn’t mean we lose each other.

Because knowing that we can find our way through something together is a big part of what allows me to feel safe and cared for in a relationship.

What about you?

When conflict shows up with someone you care about, what’s your first instinct: move toward it, shut down, get defensive, or try to make it go away?

Tell me in the comments. I’m curious. 👇

Conflict itself isn’t necessarily what destroys connection.It’s what happens when hurt goes unrepaired, again and again....
10/01/2026

Conflict itself isn’t necessarily what destroys connection.
It’s what happens when hurt goes unrepaired, again and again.
⠀
When we don’t know how to repair, hurt can accumulate into resentment, guardedness, distance, and disconnection.
⠀
And many of us were simply never taught how to come back together after something has gone wrong.
⠀
That’s why Lara and I created The Art of Fighting Well: How to Navigate Conflict in a Way That Deepens Trust and Connection.
⠀
In this live, experiential workshop, we’ll explore and practice how to:
⠀
✨ Recognize the protective responses that show up during conflict
✨ Stay connected when you’re hurt, angry, overwhelmed, or activated
✨ Communicate what’s underneath the conflict
✨ Understand the impact you’ve had on another person
✨ Move through rupture without getting stuck in blame or who was right
✨ Create the conditions for genuine repair and reconnection
⠀
Because repair isn’t about deciding who was right.
⠀
It’s about slowing down enough to ask:
⠀
What happened?
What was impacted?
What is needed now?
What might help restore connection?
⠀
And when we learn how to do that, conflict doesn’t have to move us further apart. The way we repair can actually deepen a relationship.
⠀
This workshop isn’t only for couples. These skills matter in romantic relationships, friendships, families, work relationships, creative collaborations, and communities.
⠀
Come with someone or come on your own.
⠀
Link in bio to reserve your spot.
⠀

Consent doesn’t end after “yes.”When people think about consent, they often picture a single moment.A question.An answer...
09/30/2026

Consent doesn’t end after “yes.”

When people think about consent, they often picture a single moment.

A question.
An answer.
A green light.

But healthy s*xual experiences rarely work that way.

Desire isn’t static. Comfort isn’t static. Arousal isn’t static.

What feels exciting at one moment can feel like too much a few minutes later. And something that doesn’t feel right at the beginning may become exactly what someone wants once trust, connection, and arousal have had time to build.

That’s why consent isn’t just about getting permission. It’s about staying connected.

Some people appreciate verbal check-ins throughout intimacy.
Others find too many questions interrupt their arousal and would rather their partner stay present, pay attention, and check in verbally when something feels uncertain.

Neither approach is inherently better.

The important part is knowing what works for you and your partner, and remembering that either person can slow down, stop, or change their mind at any time.

The deeper skill isn’t simply knowing when to ask.

It’s learning how to stay connected.

Can you notice when your partner’s breathing deepens?
When they lean in?
When their body softens?

Can you also notice when they tense up…
Pull away…
Hold their breath…
Or become less responsive?

Words are an important part of consent.
Body language is too.

One doesn’t replace the other. The goal is to become skilled at listening to both.

Sometimes the most caring thing you can do is keep going.
Sometimes it’s slowing down.
And sometimes it’s simply asking,
“How does this feel?”

Consent isn’t a hurdle to clear before the fun begins.

It’s an ongoing conversation.
A practice of paying attention.
A dance of staying present with another human being.

Ironically, it’s often this kind of presence that creates the safety needed for desire to deepen.

If you’d like to build more confidence navigating intimacy, communicating your desires and boundaries, or creating deeper connection in your relationships, I’d love to help.

Send me a DM or book a free discovery call through the link in my bio.

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Tenafly, NJ

Telephone

+12015607872

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