Moving Consciously: Somatic Transformations through Dance, Yoga, and Touch

Broadly, somatics is a field of study and practice concerned with holistic body-centered approaches to assist people in experiencing and transforming the self through awareness relative to the living world, the environment, and others.

what is self-learning? Simply put, it is learning from personal experience. Self-learning is a multilayered and cyclical process that ebbs and flows in context with specific learning environments. Somatic experiences invite discovery and problem solving, and this self-awareness

I also know that I am doing this for love of the activity—or stated more objectively—for autotelic reasons internal to the process. Somatic studies emphasize autotelic purposes—doing something for its own sake, as in yoga and Zen where all work is seen as equal. In these perspectives as in somatic processes, we work not toward a particular end, but

I assist students in learning methods of clearing, breathing, and tuning in to the moment at hand. My

Moving into silence fosters resilience, clear thinking, and increases one’s capacity for compassionate listening. The latter has assisted my teaching and helped me understand the importance of not leaving anyone out—and in mindfulness terms—not ever giving up on a student. Being transparent about my own stumbling seems to help.

Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy, which made process the leading ontological concern. He held the metaphysical position that sequentially structured sequences of successive stages or phases are essential aspects of everything that exists.

Stern’s term affect attunement describes interpersonal exchanges between infants and mothers in which the mother matches the dynamics of her infant’s movements and vocalizations (as in fig. 8). Stern points out that the dynamics are qualitatively matched in a kinetic-affective sense.

This implies that you can observe a feeling in yourself, but not in another person. You can, however, observe emotions in both others and yourself. Perhaps we read emotion by the nature of the movement we observe in others, and interpret emotion or make meaning of others’ movements from our own experienced understandings.

Martha Eddy states, “When the dancing is approached from a holistic perspective, which involves experiential inquiry inclusive of physical awareness, cognitive reflection, and insights from feelings, the dancing is somatic.”