In a world where we are increasingly encouraged to divorce our bodies and minds, Eugene Gendlin's work on focusing and felt sensing offers a powerful antidote. These practices not only facilitate the reconnection of body and mind but also serve as transformative tools for communication. For folx who have been oppressed, these practices are particularly valuable, as they provide a means to speak from a place of authenticity and empowerment. By embracing these techniques, individuals can unlock their true selves, paving the way for healing, personal growth, and societal change.
Read MoreJoin the Global Yoga Therapy Day Celebration: Whether you are new to yoga therapy or a seasoned practitioner, Global Yoga Therapy Day provides a wonderful opportunity to explore this transformative modality and its countless benefits. Seek out local events, workshops, and online resources to deepen your understanding of yoga therapy and somatic psychology.
Read MoreBrother Thay, as he was known, asked us to use all our senses when eating the tangerine, to let each bite hit the tongue and to notice the juice washing over it – the acidity, the sweetness, the tinge of sourness. He said, “Each time you look at a tangerine, you can see deeply into it. You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it’s wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy.” There is true and pure happiness in each and every tangerine if you just be with it.
Read MoreSeeking out the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco for my doctoral degree was important and has tremendously helped shape my practice today. Started by Haridas Chaudhuri, student of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, this institute offered a lens into ways to address and help the whole person, not merely the mental aspect of the lived experience. Studying in India deepened my understanding of how art, music, body movement, and states of consciousness are as much an integral part of the practice of psychology as much as are the id, ego, superego, transference and countertransference. It was easy to see the archetypes personified before my eyes as I saw 50 foot statutes of Ganesha and Saturn.
Read MoreBecause bodies don’t come with instruction manuals, how the heck are you supposed to know what yours wants?!? Simple: You ask. It may seem like a foreign concept to talk to your body, but the body is ready and waiting for you to talk with it, to consult it. After all, it is an integral part of you. And, it is already communicating with you, even if you aren’t sure how to interpret its messages. Listening to the body, from the inside, and learning what it needs and wants is a skill that takes practice.
Read MoreThere aren’t a lot of spaces for traditionally gendered men to experience body movement. Athletics is one of them. This is more so for the players and less so for the spectators. The spectators often experience quite the opposite of athleticism with a high probability of sitting to watch the game and an increase in using substances, such as alcohol.
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