Music credit: Clouderr; Downstairs
In my one-to-one somatic movement classes I combine principles from Vipassana meditation, dance movement improvisation education and guided imagery. The theoretical framework incorporates elements from my ongoing doctoral research embodied, posthumanist and ecofeminist thinking and critical approaches to mental health. Classes offer entry points into cultivating an awareness of the felt-sense, or sensations on the skin and the body as a way to listen to the inner self. By applying these principles to a movement practice, we can both generate and enhance sensations in the body in order to allow the body to speak through the movement. Once we fine tune this deep listening through presence and care we can then explore moving from impulse, generating sequences and mark-making to materialise embodied knowledge.
Every practice is unique to the relationship and embodied subjectivity of the person I move with. Whilst the somatic, embodied, dance movement improvisation practices I draw from are the same, the application and configuration of the practices may vary according to the needs and particular situated entanglements of the person. I also regularly run group eco-somatic movement workshops which offer a glimpse into these classes.
Three main elements we may work with in one-to-one somatic movement classes are:
- Embodying emotions using somatic and dance movement improvisation which may or may not include a movement sequence. We work with the felt-sense to facilitate a practice of tracing stories in the body.
- Communicating emotions through repetitive gesture, a movement sequence and/or working with rhythm. While I facilitate the process I may include witnessing exercises, mirroring or improvising with you.
- Articulating the somatic experiencing into words which may take the form of storytelling, creative writing or drawing and talking.
- These classes last 60 min, are available as one-to-one sessions or as part of group workshops, at events in-person or online.