Somatic Primer Podcast

Livia Kohn is an emeritus professor of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University, specializing in studies of Daoism. She graduated from Bonn University, Germany, in 1980. She then spent six years at Kyoto University in Japan, before she joined Boston University as Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies in 1988.  She is a long term practitioner of Taiji qua and medittiaton. Her specialty is the study of the Daoism and Chinese long life practices. She has written and edited 35 books and over 100 articles.She retired from active teaching in 2006 but continues to write books, serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies, and manages Three Pines Press, the Western voice of Daoism . She leads Daoist qigong and Core Health workshops worldwide, and is the lead organizer of a series of major international conferences on Daoism: In this episode we discussHer background in DaoismHistory of Daoyin, Tai Chi and QigongThe Shaolin templeBuddhist influences on DaoismWestern Somatics and Chinese healing practices   Three Pines Press link https://threepinespress.comIf you enjoyed the show please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Please visit https://somaticprimer.com Thanks for listening!Support the show

Jeffrey Hopkins is Professor Emeritus of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia where he taught Tibetan Buddhist Studies and Tibetan language for thirty-two years from 1973. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1963, trained for five years at firewood acres Buddhist Monastery  in New Jersey with Geshe wangyal. He received a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. He served as His Holiness the Dalai Lama's chief interpreter for ten years. He Founded the largest academic program of Tibetan buddhist studies at the University of Virginia. He served as Director of the Center for South Asian Studies for twelve years. He has published thirty-nine books in a total of twenty-two languages, as well as twenty-three articles.His most prominent books are the trilogy Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism; Reflections on Reality: The Three Natures and Non-Natures in the Mind-Only School; and Absorption in No External World: 170 Issues in Mind-Only Buddhism.In this episode we discussDr. Hopkins upbringing and background in buddhismHis travels and early meditations of sky gazingLiving at Freewood acres and studying with Geshe WangyalLiving and studying in IndiaMeeting H.H. Dalai LamaTonglen and compassion meditation If you enjoyed the show please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Those of you interested in studying with me or taking private somatic lessons please visit  https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/Support the show

This is Part Two of my interview with Dr. Bennett. In this episode we discuss:Hanna Somatics & Tai ChiHanna Somatics & Feldenkrais MethodForceful & gentle application of SomaticsImportance of a daily practiceand much more...If you'd like to find out more about Brad's work and read his article "The Somatic Work of of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi & Kinesiology" please visit his website at https://www.westeastsomatics.comYou can find out more about me and my classes at https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/If you enjoy the episode please consider giving us five stars on the Apple Podcast App. Thanks for listening.Support the show

BRADFORD C. BENNETT, PHDDr. Bennett’s  formal somatic education began in 1985 when he began studying Tai Chi with Hubert H. Lui. For the next ten years Mr. Lui helped Dr. Bennett become both more relaxed and more biomechanically sound in movement.  He continued to explore methodologies to improve neuromuscular control and studied with several teachers including; Yochanon Rywerant, Ruthy Alon, Llana Rubenfeld, Charlotte Selver, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Dean Juhan, Gaby Yaron, and Giora Pinkas. Following a knee injury a Feldenkrais teacher referred him to Thomas Hanna. One session with Dr. Hanna convinced Dr. Bennett that Dr. Hanna was doing something quite unique and in 1990 he participated in Dr. Hanna’s first and only training in what he called Hanna Somatic Education. Dr. Bennett later became a Charter Member of the Association for Hanna Somatic Education®. In 1993 Dr. Bennett left his position at as a Senior Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center to focus on somatic education. He was soon recruited to teach at Sonoma State University and then San Francisco State University in the Dept. of Kinesiology. During these studies Dr. Bennett continued studying with H. H. Lui, combining his insights from the Western “somatic education” with his Tai Chi practice. In this episode we discuss:His background in SomaticsMeeting Thomas HannaHanna Somatic Training CourseSimilarities of Somatics & Tai chi ChuanIf you'd like to find out more about Brad's work and read his article "The Somatic Work of of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi & Kinesiology" https://www.westeastsomatics.comSupport the show

Dr. Patricia Huston, MD, CCFP, MPH has a dual academic appointment at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and the School of Epidemiology and Public Health.  She has worked as a family physician, a public health physician and a scientific editor.  She has attended meetings at the World Health Organization as an Expert Advisor, been on multiple national and international committees, and was the President of the international Council of Science Editors. She has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, on topics such as the care of the elderly, preventive cardiology, research and publication ethics, and the social determinants of health. Her most recent research interests are the health benefits of Tai Chi and the emerging science on fascia.Dr. Huston's latest article, A Sedentary and Unhealthy Lifestyle Fuels Chronic Disease Progression by Changing Interstitial Cell Behaviour: A Network Analysishttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.904107/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Physiology&id=904107In this episode we discussDr. Huston's background in medicineHer practice and  interest in Vipassana meditationPublic Health Policy & EducationInflammation & the microenvironment of fasciaTreating inflammation with stillness practicesThe many benefits of Tai Chi ChuanRemember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. For information on our classes please visit https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/ where you will find links to all our courses. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. Thank you for listening.Support the show

Tom Waldron is a manual therapist, pilates instructor, Franklin Method Educator and specialist in exercise rehab. He sees and works with clients in both London and Portsmouth, UK. Tom has helped rehabilitate with top athletes from injury in fields such as golf, running and students from the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet School. He also teaches nationally and internationally for educational companies in the health and fitness industry. Teaching biomechanical assessments for Biomechanics Education to other educators and embodied anatomy/function with the Franklin Method.In this episode we discuss:Toms background in movement and movement educationWhat is the Franklin MethodVisualization as a vehicle for movement and changeFranklin method and Embodiment Somatic Experiencing and anatomyAuthentic teachingI was not familiar wit the Franklin Method so I was delighted to sit down with Tom to learn more. Tom is a passionate teacher with an interesting perspective on movement. To find out more about his work please visit https://www.tomwaldronmovementtherapy.co.uk. If you enjoy this episode please give us a Five star review on Apple Podcasts as it allows us to reach more listeners. Thanks.I hope you enjoy the episode. Support the show

Alexander Berzin began his study of Buddhism in 1962 at Rutgers and then Princeton University, and received his PhD in 1972 from Harvard University.Inspired by the process through which Buddhism was transmitted from one Asian civilization to another his focus has been on bridging traditional Buddhist and modern Western cultures.Dr. Berzin was resident in India for 29 years, first as a Fulbright Scholar and then with the Translation Bureau, which he helped to found, at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives in Dharamsala. While in India, he furthered his studies with masters from all four Tibetan Buddhist traditions; however, his main teachers have been His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, and Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Practicing under their supervision, he completed the major meditation retreats of the Gelug tradition.For nine years, he was the principal interpreter for Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, accompanying him on his foreign tours and training under him to be a Buddhist teacher.  He has served as occasional interpreter for H.H. the Dalai Lama and has organized several international projects for him. Dr. Berzin has published 17 books, including Taking the Kalachakra Initiation, and The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra. At the end of 1998, Dr. Berzin returned to the West and created the “Berzin Archives”. There, with the encouragement of H. H. the Dalai Lama, he set out to make this material freely available to the world on the Internet, in as many languages as possible.In this episode Dr. Berzin shares:How he first was introduced to BuddhismHis days at UniversityHis first trip and traveled in India and NepalCore ideas of Buddhist philosophy Buddhism is a living traditionHow to approach dharma studyThis was a very special episode. We are very fortune to have Dr. Berzin on the show and share his fantastic journey and teachings with us. I hope you enjoy the show.To find out more please visit https://studybuddhism.com If you enjoy the program please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Thanks!Support the show

Sam F.S. Chin is the co-founder of the art, and the current gate keeper of the I Liq Chuan / Zhong Xin Dao system.Master Sam Chin grew up in Malaysia and trained martial arts since childhood with his father. He lived at the Chuang Yen Monastery in New York for the 10 years studying many different styles of Buddhism. In the ten years of working and teaching at the Chuang Yen Monastery, Master Sam Chin was profoundly influenced by Buddhist meditation and in particular meditation  on  mindfulness and awareness. Combining mindfulness and awareness with the traditional martial art his father had taught him Master Chin developed what would become I Liq Chuan.I Liq Chuan is the art of cultivating consciousness based on Tai Chi and Chan (Zen) principles of non-assertion, non-resistance, harmony of yin and yang, oneness and the present moment.Sam Chin:https://iliqchuan.com/If you'd like to know more about Somatic Primer please visit: https://somaticprimer.comPlease give us a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the episodes. Support the show

Scott Park Phillips teaches traditional Chinese Martial Arts in a non-traditional way. His goal is to access the original intent of the creators of Chinese Internal Martial Arts to get at the core of their inspiration. He is the author of two books: Possible Origins, Chinese Martial Arts, Theater and Religion, And, Tai Chi, Baguazhang and The Golden Elixir, Internal Martial Arts Before the Boxer Uprising. He lives in Boulder, Colorado and has been teaching for over 30 years.At the age ten Scott Park Phillips began studying the traditional opera style of Northern Shaolin with Bing Gong a noted disciple of Kuo Lien-ying, one of the first teachers of Chinese Martial Arts in the West. He was a disciple of the late Daoist master Liu Ming who transmitted the Orthodox Daoist methods of the Golden Elixir (Jindan), Non-conceptual Meditation (Zuowang), Daoyin (emptying and transforming), and Dreaming. Scott first studied improvisational theater at age fifteen with the legendary Keith Johnstone. In his twenties, performing modern Dance, Scott was drawn to apprentice in the exquisite high arts of North Indian Dance with Pandit Chitresh Das, and Congolese Dance with Malonga Casquelourd. Living in San Francisco during the height of the ethnic dance explosion, he danced with masters of traditions from all over the world.In this Episode we discuss:History of DaoyinHistory of Wester SomaticsTheater & The Martial Arts in ChinaRitual in Traditional Chinese Martial ArtsThe Golden ElixirPedagogy in Traditional Chinese ArtsSupport the show

Holly Sweeney-Hillman, a certified Alexander Technique teacher and biomechanics expert, shares her insights on movement and healing. She discusses the transformative power of the Alexander Technique in addressing chronic movement issues and the fascinating role of fascia in Tai Chi. Holly elaborates on the mind-body connection often overlooked in Western practices and how Tai Chi fosters mindful movement, balance, and recovery. Listeners will appreciate her unique perspective on integrating various movement arts to enhance overall health and well-being.