Birth days should be daily.  Meaning that every day should have a birthing – of awareness, connection – some extravagant synaptic cake and candles.

There should be no day in which we do not birth new ideas, passions, hopes, appreciations – as many as possible. My theory is that as we age, there should be more birthing, that our neural plasticity and sensual pleasure should expand in juiciness and glory.

Birthing doesn’t have to be labor.  It can be spontaneous, playful, magical.  Here is one way to find something new:

Following the body (15 minutes)

• Find a quiet place to lie down on your right or left side.  (Lying on the side makes it easier to move than if you are on your back.)
• Close your eyes and let your mind settle into the body, noticing the position of the limbs, chest, head, hips.
• From that stillness, invite the body to move.  Maybe the movement is a small tapping of a finger, or wiggling your nose.  Maybe you shift your body to another position.  Perhaps the movement is more stillness or movement that is full and expansive.
• The challenge is to wait to be moved, rather than letting the mind think of what to do next.  Let your mind observe the movement without judging or directing.
• After 10 minutes, open the eyes and notice how you bring the outside in and the inside out.  Move into your day and notice if and how your movement stays with you.

The field of somatics is about connecting consciousness and body – going deep into a sensing and feeling relationship with the body.  Because our intelligence is celllular – present in all of the 6 trillion cells of the body –  bringing ourselves into a mindful, breathing relationship with all of those cells is  a lovely way to begin.

Here is one way to do that.

Breathe in on three counts and out on five counts.  I find this to be a relaxing and comfortable rhythm.

Imagine “migrating” the breath from one body part to another.  Begin with the lowest floating ribs – both the front ribs and the back ribs.

Migrate the breath to another place in the body – perhaps the sternum – I find that the xyphoid process – the small bone at the lower end of the sternum is a nice way to connect to the diaphragm.

Migrate the breath somewhere you don’t usually feel your breathing – perhaps your upper arms or your face.

Continue to migrate the breath playfully and gently from one place to another, noticing any differences you feel as you take this breathing journey through the body.

Be soft and curious with your attention.  You can use this as a little meditation break throughout your day.  Even breathing into just one place as a way of centering your awareness can be delicious and restorative.

Enjoy!

For more information about somatic movement or to make an appointment click here.

People often ask what is the difference between a somatic movement therapist and a physical therapist.  Physical therapy is focused on the treatment of injury.  Somatic practioners are focused on an integrative approach to movement and the self.  This is from ISMETA, the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association:

The field of somatics has developed over the last century through a process of inquiry into how consciousness inhabits the living body. The term is derived from the word “somatic” (Greek “somatikos”, soma: “living, aware, bodily person”) which means pertaining to the body, experienced and regulated from within. According to Thomas Hanna, who first coined the phrase, “somatics” is the study of self from the perspective of one’s lived experience, encompassing the dimensions of body, psyche, and spirit.

The field of Somatic Movement Education and Therapy represents a variety of approaches to the process of awakening awareness of the human body, or soma, in movement. Registered practitioners guide individuals and groups into inner experiences of their bodies, deepening the clients’ understanding of themselves in motion. This transformational learning process can include sound, breath, touch and imagery in addition to movement.

In my practice I focus on helping clients make connections between their inner experience and outer expression.  Using specific expressive strategies I help them connect to their bodies in an ongoing practice of awareness and expansion through their movement.

So what does a movement therapy session look like?  Often I will begin with a simple eyes-closed practice of alternating movement and stillness.  Any kind of movement – from walking to more complex patterns – there is no judgement about the kind or amount of movement.  From there, we may add an image or explore movement with specific parts of the body.  Drawing, writing and touch may be part of the work – no session is ever the same.  For more information, click here.