testimonials & FAqs
quynza somatics
- B.obruni
I longed for a politicized, spirit-aware skilled and intuitive qtbipoc somatic practitioner to accompany me on the journey back to myself. Diana is the practitioner I longed for. their embodied approach and inquiries allows me to be with my nuances, complexities, and contradictions in felt ways, in ways that disrupt and queer linear time and create openings to the memories and wisdom stored in my body and spirit. I can feel the ways I am a shapeshifting, and the ways I am cultivating deeper relationships with myself, my beloveds and others. Diana reminds me how the toxic settler colonial white supremacist systems inform and benefit from betraying myself. sometimes simple questions they ask me feel like a complete paradigm shift. my coaching experience feels like a tender invitation and exploration into the nuances of my interiority and my embodied memory and longings.
"their embodied approach and inquiries allows me to be with my nuances, complexities, and contradictions… in ways that disrupt and queer linear time and create openings to the memories and wisdom stored in my body and spirit"
State Shift: A Somatic Practice Group for Trans Folks
Participant
This group was transformative. D invites you to learn and practice skills for self-regulation, attuning to your body, and expressing your needs in a way that centers consent and safety. I can't speak highly enough of them as a facilitator and this group.
"This group was transformative."
Paulina Mendez, LCSWA, LCASA
Therapist, Alegria Counseling
Working with Diana for somatic coaching has been deeply healing. Before beginning, I often felt disconnected from my body and unsure how to slow down. Their grounded presence created a rare space to pause and truly notice, something our society rarely makes room for. Tracking sensations in my body with a non-judgmental guide has been powerful and surprisingly informative; there’s so much happening beneath the surface that I hadn’t been aware of. Having a supportive space to practice this has shifted my everyday life, helping me tune in, regulate, and move with more awareness. I’m so grateful for Diana’s care, and I wholeheartedly recommend their work to anyone seeking deeper connection and healing through the body.
"Their grounded presence created a rare space to pause and truly notice"
State Shift: A Somatic Practice Group for Trans Folks
Participant
I was moved by Diana's authenticity. I could tell that they've really thought about and worked with each of the practices they were inviting us to participate in. The focus on consent and the consistent reminders to listen to our bodies, while offering different ways to participate, made it feel like a safer place to explore and engage, and also to just observe. Being in an all-trans affinity space also made a HUGE difference in knowing that there was going to be a baseline understanding and connection with the other folks there. I very much appreciate how Diana modeled attending to our own needs throughout.
"The focus on consent and the consistent reminders to listen to our bodies… made it feel like a safer place to explore and engage, and also to just observe."
Bianca Torres-Gragg
Therapist, Semillas Counseling & Consulting
Sitting with and being guided by Diana in a somatic session is potent. Their tracking, witnessing, and reflections were offered with a softness that allowed me to deepen into my experience more and more, minute by minute. I walked away feeling and knowing that what transpired in that time was different than anything I’ve experienced before. I now have awareness of parts of myself that I had become severed from. Diana is inviting and curious in their sessions. As a therapist, parent and community organizer, I cannot recommend sessions with Diana enough. We hold so much, and Diana is ready to support and offer practical and insightful tools for what arises.
"As a therapist, parent and community organizer, I cannot recommend sessions with Diana enough."
Somatic Walk: A Workshop on Movement and Attention
Participant
The activities that Diana offered us were very well thought out, fun, and meaningful. The talks were also super inspiring, as were the techniques that were shared. They helped me notice things we usually overlook and reminded me how important it is to be present.
"…they helped me notice things we usually overlook and reminded me how important it is to be present."
Somatic Walk: A Workshop on Movement and Attention
Participant
This workshop was very important to me for several reasons. On one hand, like Diana, I’m also a neurodivergent person. Meeting and connecting with professionals, other leaders, and community members who fall into that same 'category' helps a lot. I also loved the exercises. I loved the playfulness. I hope to apply the practical advice and invitations that Diana offered us for managing stress and being present in my everyday life.
"I loved the playfulness."
Cata Noreña
Coaching Client
As someone who struggles to find therapy that works I find in Diana a space that feels safe, welcoming, supported, and warm. A place I always want to come back to when I’m doubting myself. I have a hard time opening up to therapists but Diana always gets me to feel comfortable, to go deep and to really self reflect. I love that I can find my own answers through their active, free of judgment, and very supportive listening. Diana has the best questions and movements to get me to see the areas where I need to work on and a diverse background that can empathize with my lived experiences. I highly recommend Diana’s services. I always feel lighter, more relaxed, and, in many ways, empowered. I’m grateful to have this amazing resource available to me.
I love that I can find my own answers through their active, free of judgment, and very supportive listening.
The gifts of somatics ask for repetition, and we transform through embodying new practices over time. It is through reps that our learning deepens. It is through reps that our patterns shift. It is through reps that new ways of being and relating take root. We begin by noticing what feels good and delightful to expand our capacity to also be with what feels hard and uncomfortable.
Somatic coaching sessions with Diana offer an opportunity to slow down and notice what comes up. These sessions center a gentle noticing of our experience. As we notice more we also become aware of choice, and we develop greater agency in our responses to the world and our own internal experiences. You may be invited to engage in specific practices, but everything offered in this space is an invitation where the no's and the maybe's are as celebrated as the yes's. Diana's somatic support is deeply grounded in consent practices, where the client leads the work and we move at the speed of trust. Because we are all embedded within systems of oppression, their impact will be named and addressed directly in this politicized space.
Collective liberation requires deep community building, and community building is hard work! A somatic practice can help us to become aware of and shift patterns of being, relating, and responding that were shaped by oppressive paradigms. By undoing our conditioning, a somatic practice can also help us make room for more intentional choices that are in alignment with our values and our long-term visions of liberation. Think, for example, about how you navigate conflict. What if a somatic practice could help you remain present and responsive in moments of tension or conflict so that these situations could become generative opportunities for deeper connection, intimacy, and collaboration? By helping us slow down, a somatic practice can also offer us greater agency and choice about how we show up for our lives, our relationships, our liberation.
Burnout prevention and recovery is more than just learning tools for self-regulation and rest--it is about lifestyle change. You can take as many vacations and restorative retreats as you'd like, and burnout will continue to come knock at your door if your life is not built sustainably. A somatic practice that teaches you to notice and respond to your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs can be a guide in building a sustainable, generative life. When we are attuned to our needs and our capacity we can make decisions about our life that are better informed and intentional about self-responsiveness, and that prioritize the kind of community and world building we long for.
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We will get a chance to meet virtually, or at my office near downtown Asheville, so you can ask any questions you might have.
Reach out for a free 15-20 minute initial consultation!
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