Somatic Primer Podcast

Lawrence Gold is a Hanna Somatic Educator. Initially Lawrence begin studying physical therapy before being drawn to the work of Ida Rolf following an injury. Impressed with the structural integration he was taught he wanted to find out more and eventually began studying Rolfing with Emmet Hutchins, Ida Rolf's first appointed teacher.He was part of the first and only Hanna Somatic Education Training Course taught by Thomas Hanna. Having completed the course he was asked to continue on as an instructor on the Hanna Somatic Education Training course in Novato California. In this episode we discuss:How he discovered somaticsIda Rolf's structural integrationPandiculation The first Hanna Somatic Education Training Course and his Experience on itThe etymology and meaning of SomaticsTetraseed awareness practiceTension pattersLawrence  has created an advanced handbook of practice for professional practitioners and continues to develop the technique.Links:Lawrence Gold's Website: http://somatics.comPandiculation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUHwNbR7qYYThomas Hanna's "Clinical Somatic Education" article: https://somatics.com/hannart.htmSupport the show

Ryan is a Feldenkrais teacher from Texas now living in Mexico. He’s been studying and teaching the method since the early 2000’s. He is a long time meditation practitioner having studied with Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Vietnamese monk who founded Plum Village.  Ryan uses Feldenkrais as a way to develop awareness. He uses the sensory motor learning process as a way help students organize their physical movements to discover their own ease and freedom.  In this episode we discuss:How he discovered FeldenkraisHis background in meditationHis time as an academicThe importance of embodiment Pros and cons of certification programsThe similarities of various somatic modalities You can visit Ryan's website ryannagy.com where he publishes his Feldenkrais lessons and an insightful blog about the work and history of the method.Support the show

On this episode I had the pleasure to discuss the Alexander Technique with Jeando Masoero. Jeando is a master teacher and translator of F.M. Alexander's work, having translated all of Alexander's books into French. While working on these translations Jeando discovered that Alexander had studied and was a teacher of the Delsarte Method of Movement which is remarkably similar to Alexander's early approach to his Technique. Realizing this connection Jeando focused on this early work and created his own version of the Alexander Technique the Initial Alexander Technique. His special interests are:1.teaching Conscious Control of the postural mechanism,2.studying self-speech (instructions or orders) as a means to develop the executive functions and the higher mental functions,3.experimenting how using a conception (a psycho-mechanical representation) can change the use of the self. If you’d like to find about Jeando you can visit https://www.initial-alexandertechnique.org In this episode we discussWhy his method is challenging for new practitioners How habits play a role in the use of the selfA new way of moving through directing the bonesCreating experiments to discover new movementsHow the hyoid bone affects breathing and the use of the thoraxRemember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Jeando  on our website somaticprimer.com. Thank you!Support the show

Georges Dreyfus is  Professor of Religion at Williams College, Massachusetts. His focus is in the fields of Tibetology and Buddology, with a particular interest in Indian Buddhist philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cognitive processes. At the age of 20, Dreyfus left his native home of Switzerland and backpacked across Eastern Europe through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. He traveled to Dharamsala where he first encountered Tibetan Buddhism. Captivated by its philosophy, he entered a monastery and began the studies that lasted for 15 years. In 1985 he would be the first Westerner to receive the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest available within the Tibetan scholastic tradition.He is author of several books including, The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, and Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations.Dr. Dreyfus and Bryson discuss:His journey from Switzerland to IndiaHow he came to be a Buddhist monkThe daily life of a Buddhist monkThe Philosophy of Conscious in BuddhismMeeting the Dalai LamaThe Path of Meditation vs. ScholarshipTibetan Debating Systemand much more...Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. Thank you for listening!Support the show

This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Tim Cartmell. Tim  has over 30 years of experience in martial arts including Kung Fu San Su, Xing Yi Quan , Ba Gua Zhang, Tai Ji Quan, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Tim is the author of the best selling book "Effortless Combat Throws," and "Passing the Guard." He is the translator of the several books including  "The Method of Chinese Wrestling" and "Chin Na Fa: Traditional Chinese Submission Grappling."  He teaches full time in Huntington Beach CA, where he has combined the stand-up fighting of Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taijiquan with the ground work of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to create his Shen Wu curriculum.Tim and Bryson discuss:History and development of health concepts and traditional marital arts in ChinaTim's studies in China Biomechanics in the martial arts and the similarities to Western Somatic practicesTraditional approaches to teaching and studying different disciplinesThe interconnectedness of meditation and somatic practices Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Tim at http://www.shenwu.com/index.html. Thank you for listening!Support the show

Eleanor Criswell is emeritus professor of psychology and former chair of the psychology department, Sonoma State University. Founding director of the Humanistic Psychology Institute, she is editor of Somatics Magazine, the magazine-journal of the mind-body arts and sciences, and director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training. Her books include Biofeedback and Somatics: Toward Personal Evolution, How Yoga Works: An Introduction to Somatic Yoga, and she is editor of Cram's Introduction to Surface Electromyography. She is past president and board member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, president of the Somatics Society.  She is the originator of Somatic Yoga and Equine Hanna Somatics. Her research interests include biofeedback/neurofeedback, psychophysiology, yoga, mind-body practices, somatics, and meditation.To find out more about Dr. Criswell's work please visit, somaticsed.comDr. Criswell and Bryson discuss:The life of Thomas HannaHanna's introduction to the Feldenkrais Method and working with MosheHow he developed Somatic EducationDr. Criswell's interest in EmbodimentWhat is Somatic AwarenessHow to live an embodied lifeSupport the show

This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Alfons Grabher.Alfons Grabher is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner from Vienna, Austria. His Youtube channel "Improving ability” ranked #1 on Feedspot’s Top 20 Feldenkrais Youtube Channels in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. He is author of several books including "My Feldenkrais Book”, a workbook with movement lessons.Alfons and Bryson discuss:How Alfons discovered the Feldenkrais TechniqueAdvantages & Disadvantages of online learningMethodology of the TechniqueInternal focus during the practiceExperiences on the Training CourseSpontaneity & CuriositySupport the show

This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Vivien Schapera. Vivien is an Alexander Technique teacher and teacher trainer.  In 1993, Vivien and her husband, Neil, founded Alexander Technique of Cincinnati, a school for training Alexander Teachers, and in 1999, Vivien founded FourWinds Academy for the Healing Arts & Sciences. Vivien teaches workshops in all her subjects from coast to coast in the USA, in London, UK, and in Cape Town, South Africa.Vivien and Bryson discussGrowing up in South AfricaHow she discovered the Alexander Technique Her fascinating journey from Cape Town, to London, and finally building her school for training Alexander Teachers in Cincinnati, Ohio.Key ideas of the technique, such as the "Means - Whereby" and her insights into these practicesHow the Alexander Technique compares to other somatic practicesand much more.Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Vivien at schapera.com and on our website somaticprimer.com. Thank you!Support the show