About Somatics
Many of us have a cognitive understanding of what gets in the way of living into our longings: for healthier relationships to ourselves and others, for a fuller expression of ourselves in our work, for playing our role in the work of social change.
But often these insights haven’t led to lasting changes in our actions and habits, especially when the intensity is high and the pressure is on.
Somatics offers a pathway toward transformation where we can more consistently align our actions with our values. We practice in order to root these new ways of being/responding deeply in our bodies so that we can access them even under pressure.
I practice a form of politicized or social justice-oriented somatics, which holds that personal healing cannot be disconnected from the work of social change. By integrating personal and collective transformation, we not only support our own recovery but also create preventative healing for future generations.
Lineage
The experience of being “embodied” — that is, inhabiting our whole selves — is as old as human beings. But many of the social conditions we live within, especially capitalism and white supremacy, have conditioned us away from listening to and living inside our bodies. And in response, many people have developed methods of returning to the wisdom of the body.
My somatics practice falls within the lineage of generative somatics and the Strozzi Institute for Somatics. Many people and teachings contributed to the foundations of this lineage. This living lineage document seeks to grapple with the contradictions inside this lineage and acknowledge that this process is ongoing.
I have had many teachers and mentors in this work, beginning with Mwalisa Thomas-Adeyemo, and including Elizabeth Ross, Staci Haines, Erika Lyla, Brandon Sturdivant, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Wendy Haines, B Stepp, Ream, and Prentis Hemphill. I also continue to learn from fellow somatics practitioners and the many people I have had the honor to practice with.