In America, by mid century influences from Eastern healing practices furthered the burgeoning of the field of somatics,
and the range of somatic disciplines expanded to include, Tai Chi, Aikido, and Yoga. Today, there are many schools and
programs that are essentially somatic in orientation. These include the work of many movement therapists and reflective
practitioners such as Mary Whitehouse, Bonnie Bainbredge Cohen, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Joseph H. Pilates. Today
the list continues to grow including Ashton-Patterning, Rubenfeld Synergy, Trager, Body-Mind Centering and many others.
and the range of somatic disciplines expanded to include, Tai Chi, Aikido, and Yoga. Today, there are many schools and
programs that are essentially somatic in orientation. These include the work of many movement therapists and reflective
practitioners such as Mary Whitehouse, Bonnie Bainbredge Cohen, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Joseph H. Pilates. Today
the list continues to grow including Ashton-Patterning, Rubenfeld Synergy, Trager, Body-Mind Centering and many others.
Early practitioners questioned accepted notions of the body and
healing looking for better options. They developed approaches
that not only included but honored what was essentially the
missing link of authentic embodiment ~ the full experience of the
self as a living body. Thomas Hanna, the man who coined the
term, identified somatic elements as energy, movement,
sensation, consciousness and body wisdom.
healing looking for better options. They developed approaches
that not only included but honored what was essentially the
missing link of authentic embodiment ~ the full experience of the
self as a living body. Thomas Hanna, the man who coined the
term, identified somatic elements as energy, movement,
sensation, consciousness and body wisdom.
New ways of working with the body began around the turn of the
century in Europe and America.These included the sensory
awareness work of Elsa Gindler and Charlotte Selver, Delsartes
integrative rhythm and movement, Laban's holistic approach and
spiritual orientation toward movement awareness, the German
Gymnastik of Mensensdieck and Kallmeyer, and the Alexander
Technique of Frederick Matthias Alexander amongst many others.
century in Europe and America.These included the sensory
awareness work of Elsa Gindler and Charlotte Selver, Delsartes
integrative rhythm and movement, Laban's holistic approach and
spiritual orientation toward movement awareness, the German
Gymnastik of Mensensdieck and Kallmeyer, and the Alexander
Technique of Frederick Matthias Alexander amongst many others.
Somatics refer to a group of body disciplines that privilege inner
subjective knowing and intuitive experience of the body. The first
pioneers of somatic practices shared a common concern for the
distinctions they found between the essential aliveness of felt
bodily experience and the not so vital and even robotics of some
conventional approaches toward exercise, gymnastics and dance.
subjective knowing and intuitive experience of the body. The first
pioneers of somatic practices shared a common concern for the
distinctions they found between the essential aliveness of felt
bodily experience and the not so vital and even robotics of some
conventional approaches toward exercise, gymnastics and dance.
SomaMoves is a contemporary integrative approach in company with an ever expanding group of body mindful
practices exploring qualities and sensations of communal movement awareness good for our whole selves:
bodies, minds, hearts, souls, and spirits.
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| What is Somatics? |
feel how you move & move how you feel . . .
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Somatics
