Mindful Movement

Rooted in somatic principles from multiple lineages, class offers ways into the body that develop connection and curiosity. The goal is to help you drop in to the wisdom of your own body and encourage you to move in ways that support more ease and alignment.

I draw from the wisdom of various somatic practices including Hatha Yoga, Barteneiff Fundamental Movement Patterns, Contact Improvisation, Transformative Touch Somatic Therapy, Feldenkrais Method, Klein Technique and Body-Mind Centering. Class is gentle, inquisitive and constructive. It is intended for all bodies.

In class you will lie on the ground, you may roll on the ground, you will stand, you will fold, you will feel into and move from specific joint/bone articulation, you will sit, you may crawl, you may even slither. You will probably engage in guided touch to develop kinesthetic awareness and learn how to attune to another body. You will move in ways the body was conceived to move. Some call it Natural Movement. Some call it Vertebrate Patterns of Movement. Some call it Developmental and Fundamental. It’s human movement that is healthy and fun.

:: Some Core Principles ::

Weight needs to drop to find the rebound up

The body’s evolutionary design has integrity

We can (re)learn alot by (re)membering how we developed and moved in-utero through learning to walk

Body has creature intelligence that precedes mentation

Getting your pelvis underneath you in “neutral” alignment is essential for a supported spine

Organization and Freedom support one another

“During somatic awareness, one’s physical sensations may be accompanied by thoughts and emotions, hence, somatic awareness is a psychophysical experience. Somatic movement experiences explicitly teach knowing how to perceive the body, how to stay aware during daily activities and how to make connections to derive meaning and purpose from these sensations.”

— Martha Eddy in Mindful Movement: The Evolution of the Somatic Arts and Conscious Action