The Embodied Mind – An Introduction To Somatics

The course is an invitation to focus on our experience of our bodies with the overall aim of deepening our relationship to our whole selves, body and mind. We'll work with some simple exercises from drawn from my experience of the somatic disciplines of the Feldenkrais Method, Body Mind Centering, the work of Elsa Gindler, Authentic Movement and Post-Modern Dance.

Some of the exercises will involve exploring movements, some will involve hands-on work and some will involve observing each other's movements. There will also be time to reflect on your experiences both alone and with others and space to explore any questions that might arise as a group.

The movement material will be suitable for all body shapes and types. An important premise of my work is that you work with what feels comfortable, pleasurable and easy to do, that way you can remain relaxed and therefore open to sensing what it is that you are actually doing.

Somatics: “Soma” is simply a Greek word for the living body. Somatics was a term first introduced by Tomas Hanna when he founded The Somatics Magazine - Journal Of The Bodily Arts And Sciences in 1976.

The word “somatics” is used to designate a way of working with the body where the body is experienced from within rather than objectified form from without. The implication is that when the body is experienced from within then the body and mind are not separated but experienced as a whole.

The growing field of somatics is vast and spans many areas of study such as health, education, performing arts, psychology and philosophy. There is a wide spectrum of different disciplines that can be said to be somatic in approach. From the Western tradition, for example, the Alexander Technique, Rosen Therapy, Rolfing, Classical Osteopathy, Eutony, and Reichian Therapy as well as many Eastern disciplines such as Chi Gung, Aikido, some forms of yoga and meditation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Education
• Approach to Teaching
• Performing Arts
• Applied somatics