Somatic practice is a body-oriented approach that can be used to strengthen bodily awareness, clear blockages in the subtle body and physiology. It can also be a great tool for correcting inefficient developmental and alignment patterns. The effects of this practice are excellent for improving overall bodily functioning on a daily basis. Somatic movement and bodywork can often include an educational component from an experiential approach. This practice not only builds bodily intelligence, connection and awareness but it promotes a healthy way of moving through the world.
This practice is inclusive to all ages, abilities, genders, from infants to older adults and folks with disability. If you have a new injury, past injury, emotional blockage or a curiosity to learn, all are welcome. Somatic practice is a great way to manage things like gender dysphoria, complex trauma, anxiety or general stress that has been locked or stored in the body and its tissues. This practice of sinking into the body invites us to find a home within ourselves so that we can find more connection to ourselves and other people in our lives. It helps us to be more present in the here and now, similar to meditation.
Somatic attention is also essential for interrupting and changing feedback loops in the body. It is great for regulating the nervous system which can aid in healing trauma, balancing behavioural and emotional processes. With a sensitive and gentle approach I will energetically track what is happening in the client’s body and WHERE it is happening through movement, breath, voice, consensual touch and dialogue. I will observe patterns of internal movement by looking at the basic systems of the body (endocrine, fluid, fascial, ligamentous, muscular, nervous, organs, skeletal, and senses) .
There are three core pillars of this practice that I emphasize:
- Safety - We practice in not judging ourselves or others & practice exploring bodily sensations & soft observation or experimentation
- Non-Violence - Nothing should hurt or cause pain, all movements should be soft and at your own speed and your own interpretation
- Slow - This is a mindful practice, staying with the body attention requires us to slow down so we can unlock & discover bodily wisdom that is often missed when we are moving fast or without awareness.
Two basic elements to a session would include:
- somatic education, learning from the inside through a kinesthetic sense of self.
- working directly with skilled touch to facilitate and allow change of dysregulation in body tissues, organs and structures.
A series of bodywork or somatic movement sessions are helpful in cases of:
- Chronic pain
- Digestive issues
- physical injury / recovery
- Postural imbalances
- Anxiety, depression, mood imbalances or disorders
- Gender dysphoria
- Relational/developmental trauma
- Emotional, physical or sexual abuse
- Birth trauma
- Consciousness around dissociative tendencies
- A desire to get in touch with the felt sense/intuition
I base my practices off of my studies in Body-Mind Centering©, developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Body-Mind Centering© is an integrated and embodied approach to movement, the body and consciousness. It is a creative process in which embodiment of the material is explored in the context of self-discovery and openness. Each person is both the student and the subject matter and the underlying goal is to discover the ease that underlies transformation. Find out more at https://www.bodymindcentering.com. Other practices that inform my work include Authentic Movement, Somatic Experiencing©, trauma-informed movement, yoga, pilates, functional movement, Thomas Hanna Somatics, and Alexander Technique.
*Please note, I am not a therapist and this work does not substitute a psychotherapy or counselling session. I will refer out where necessary to aid in further support for all my clients.
