Category: Somatic

Embodied Movement: A Practice for Emotional Healing

June 10, 2024

Embodied movement is about more than just physical exercise; it’s a holistic approach that integrates the mind and body. This practice encourages you to move in ways that feel natural and nourishing, promoting a deep connection with your body’s innate wisdom.

Unlike traditional workouts focused on goals and outcomes, embodied movement emphasizes presence and awareness. Activities like yoga, dance, tai chi, and mindful walking invite you to listen to your body’s signals and move intuitively. This mindful approach helps reduce stress, improve mental clarity, and enhance emotional well-being.

In her book, Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time, Laura Khoudari suggests frequent reflection and mindfulness while engaging in an embodied movement practice. It’s not just about moving but being mindfully aware of the interoceptive aspect of the process. By focusing on how movements feel rather than how they look, you can connect to your body’s innate wisdom and healing.

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Cultivating Body Trust: A Journey of Radical Self-Love

May 27, 2024

In a world inundated with diet culture and fat phobia, reclaiming body trust can feel like a radical act of self-love. Reconnecting with your body means recognizing it as your ally, not an adversary. Hilary Kinavy and Dana Sturtevant’s book, Reclaiming Body Trust: Break Free from a Culture of Body Perfection, Disordered Eating & Other Traumas, outlines the foundations of Body Trust, including working the edges of your comfort zone, finding community, observing with kindness and curiosity, embracing imperfection, and honoring your resources. These principles help you return to your body, your home.

Similar to a meditation practice where getting distracted and losing focus is common, cultivating and healing body trust comes from repeatedly returning to these foundations, no matter how often you stray from the path. It’s about acknowledging that straying is part of the process and that each return strengthens your connection with your body.

Reclaiming body trust is a personal and ongoing journey. Be patient with yourself and celebrate small victories. Your body is wise and resilient. Trust it, collaborate with it—it’s your lifelong companion.

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What is Somatic Ecotherapy?

May 9, 2024

Somatic Ecotherapy tunes into the inner wisdom of the body and senses and involves integrating the outdoors and the natural world as a mechanism of healing and transformation.Being outdoors has many benefits including stress reduction, relaxation, improved mood, a greater sense of peace and increased self-confidence. Somatic Ecotherapy helps create a sense of stability, grounding and connection, and can help contain and transform difficult and powerful emotions and experiences.

Through practices such as mindfulness, breathwork, and body awareness, Somatic Ecotherapy encourages individuals to listen to the subtle messages of their bodies and tap into their innate wisdom. This process not only helps in managing stress and anxiety but also cultivates a deep sense of presence and self-acceptance. By embracing the outdoors as a sacred space for healing and transformation, Somatic Ecotherapy offers a holistic approach to well-being that addresses the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. It is a gentle yet powerful modality that honors the resilience and healing potential that lies within each of us.

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The Magic of Breathwork

April 29, 2024

Breathwork is an essential practice that can have numerous benefits for both the mind and body. By focusing on our breath, we can improve our overall well-being by reducing stress, increasing mental clarity, and promoting relaxation. Incorporating breathwork into our daily routine can help us cultivate a sense of calm and balance in our lives. Whether through a simple pause to notice your inhale and exhale, deep breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga, taking the time to connect with our breath can have a profound impact on our physical and emotional health.

So, remember to take a moment each day to breathe deeply and mindfully, and experience the transformative power of breathwork.

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Reclaiming You: The Value of Rest

April 8, 2024

In a fast-paced world where hustle and grind are often glorified, the value of rest is often overlooked. Rest is not merely the absence of work; it is a crucial component of overall well-being and productivity. Taking time to rest allows our bodies and minds to recharge, rejuvenate, and refocus. It is a time to relax, reflect, and restore balance in our lives.

When we prioritize rest, we give ourselves care and love. Rest is not a sign of weakness but a sign of wisdom and strength. It is a way to honor our bodies and minds, recognizing that they need time to recuperate in order to function at their best. By allowing ourselves to rest, we can prevent burnout, reduce stress, and improve our overall health and happiness.

Whether it’s taking a nap, spending time in a hobby, or simply doing nothing at all, give yourself permission to rest guilt-free. Remember, rest is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Let’s make time for rest and experience the benefits it brings to our well-being.

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Somatic Experiencing®: Healing Trauma and Stress

April 1, 2024

Recognizing how past traumas and stress affect the body can be a valuable resource in resolving the symptoms of stress and trauma. One of the core tenants of somatic-oriented work is that the body possesses its own wisdom and can lead us towards healing if we listen to it.

Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a technique that assists individuals in addressing and releasing stored trauma in the body. By focusing on bodily sensations and physical experiences, SE aims to regulate the nervous system and restore a sense of safety and equilibrium. SE commonly includes methods like body scanning, where individuals tune into different body parts to identify tension, and grounding exercises to foster connection and presence in the moment.

Incorporating somatic healing into daily life can be a powerful practice. Simple activities such as mindful breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or gentle stretching can help individuals maintain a connection with their bodies and enhance a feeling of calmness and well-being. By integrating somatic practices into your routine, you can develop a deeper understanding of your body and emotions, promoting resilience and self-care.

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A Somatic-Oriented Approach to Healing

February 19, 2024

A somatic-oriented approach is a powerful tool for self-discovery and personal growth. By listening to the body, we can uncover deep-seated emotions and beliefs that may be influencing our thoughts and behaviors. Observing body sensations allows us to connect with ourselves on a visceral level, gaining insight into our innermost experiences.

Befriending the body’s autonomic state is a practice of acceptance and compassion towards our physical responses, fostering a sense of harmony and peace within ourselves. Understanding our unique story, including past experiences and traumas, can help us make sense of our present reality and pave the way for healing and transformation.

As we learn to listen and understand, it often leads to looking at the relationships around you. Moving towards or away from connection is a crucial aspect of somatic-oriented work, as it allows us to explore our relational patterns and preferences, guiding us towards more fulfilling and authentic connections with ourselves and others.

Embarking on a somatic-oriented journey is an invitation to cultivate self-awareness and deepen our understanding of both ourselves and the world around us. It is a path of discovery, growth, and connection that can lead to profound insights, lasting change, and maybe even a little fun.

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