Access to somatic exploration
Since establishing my practice, and especially since the outbreak of COVID-19, I have been wrestling with how to facilitate access to body-based practices. While I only have the capacity to work 1:1 with a limited number of ongoing clients, I’ve been interested in coming up with an offering that would be informed by the guiding principles and tools of my individual sessions, yet be in a format that would be sustainably and meaningfully accessible to more people.
After 6 months of brainstorming, creating, and revising, with the support and input of fellow somatic practitioners, former clients, and friends, I put together an audio series of 5 guided somatic practices, plus an introductory overview, which I’ve entitled: Nurturing an Embodied Relationship with Ourselves: A Series of Guided Somatic Practices on Audio.
How does this series facilitate access to somatic exploration?
⭐ reduced pricing options on a sliding scale; Black and/or Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+ folks are invited to access the audio series for free
⭐ no previous experience with somatics is necessary, nor is a current relationship with a practitioner
⭐ a renewable resource for ongoing experiential practice and skill-building for beginners and/or those more familiar with a somatic approach to self-inquiry
⭐ portable and convenient listening options (via a podcast app and/or course platform)
⭐ welcoming of all bodies, with an emphasis on choice, ease, and adapting what’s offered to work for you
How does this series provide a supportive container for cultivating embodied self-awareness?
💜 my showing up in these recordings as a practitioner as I would in a 1:1 session, by offering a warm and relational presence characterized by curiosity, compassion, and care
💜 offering a framework of somatic inquiry as a gradual, quiet, and non-linear process of deep listening to your body in its own language, in which there’s no wrong or right, and no need to strive, force, achieve, or fix
💜 structuring the flow of each recording to gradually shift attention from external points of reference (e.g. how you're making contact with surfaces around you) to internal points of reference (e.g. noticing the flow of your breath in your body), then moving into a different core thematic exploration, and closing with a guided transition back to your surroundings
💜 clear and step-by-step guidance while offering options for engagement
💜 emphasizing gentleness, curiosity, and compassion towards yourself and what you’re experiencing, including disconnection, uncertainty, or resistance
💜 a focus on exploring and discovering sources of pleasure, nourishment, comfort, and dignity within your own body
💜 moving at an intentionally spacious pace with periods of silence to pause, reflect on, and integrate your experiential awareness with the support of open-ended questions
