I have loved talking about the Somatic Spiral these last 12 weeks and I’m aware of how much my own understanding deepens as I write and teach. The 5 pillars have always been there but the imagery for The Spiral actually arrived through my writing to you - so thank you!
The Somatic Immersion begins the first week of October and I hope you are as excited as I am. I’ll be opening registration soon. In the meantime, I’d like to take you somewhere…
I'm often asked what I do, which inevitably leads to the yoga versus yoga therapy question. It's not a simple answer — there are countless schools of yoga therapy, each with their own flavor, and then there's my particular way of practicing that draws from more than my yoga therapy training. Here’s the “official” definition plus a more nuanced and honest one featuring Mary Oliver …
Read MoreI’m often asked to clarify the difference between yoga and yoga therapy and truthfully, I have a hard time answering the question. The official definition developed by the International Association of Yoga Therapy is: Yoga therapy may be defined as the application of Yogic principles to a particular person with the objective of achieving a particular spiritual, psychological, or physiological goal. But there’s a much more nuanced definition and that is, to go inside yourself…
Read MoreThe transition from summer to fall is a great time to try something new. Consider deep imagery — the 5th pillar in the somatic spiral. In my opinion, deep imagery doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Imagination is often linked to make-believe and seen largely as a creative pursuit. But that’s just one aspect. Your imagination is also a pathway for healing and transformation.
Read MoreThis week, we're drawing from our interoceptive deep listening practice in order to deepen our somatic parts work exploration. But before I jump in - a little personal sharing. For those of you who don't know my backstory, I was raised in Chicago and have lived out west my entire adult life. The west captured my soul when I was only 21 years old on a 4-week post-college graduation road trip. At the time I was driving a totaled Honda Accord with red tape across the back bumper…
Read MoreMy oldest daughter is in Spain not too far from the wildfires and while I “understand” that she is safe and sound, my body is tensing and resisting that knowledge. It’s been helpful to pay closer attention to those physical sensations and notice how when I override them, I can wind up defaulting to the mind, letting stories take over that are not based on truth. I’m reminded that one of the best ways to lower anxiety is to practice interoception; the skill of paying attention to the sensations in your body. We're back to deep listening — spiraling deeper this time.
Read MoreLast week we returned to pillar #1, nervous system regulation and this week we are revisiting pillar #2, self-compassion. Again, we're not starting over, we're spiraling outward, building on what we've learned and adding more layers. And there are so many layers of self-compassion.
Read MoreWe're heading back to pillar #1: nervous system regulation. We're not starting over, we're spiraling. The spiral — one of nature's primary patterns — optimizes growth, strength and energy efficiency. Think sunflowers, mollusk shells and pinecones. Their growth is constant and seamless - they never outgrow the shape of their home and within the spiral, organisms don't need to destroy old structures in order to expand. This is how the pillars feel to me.
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