The Embodiment Coaching Podcast

Yoga teacher and podcaster Shannon joins the show to chat girls nights out, children and practice, prenatal yoga, pregnancy, birth trauma, pelvic health, Victorian attitudes, pelvic floors, mula banda, incontinence, the power of community, competition in yoga, 8 limbs of yoga, community vs cult, boundaries, limits of expertise, eating disorders, podcasting, training design (we geek out quite a lot on this one), online vs face to face training, imposter syndrome, wisdom vs knowledge, group vs one to one teaching, yoga and marketing, sales tips, Tad Hargraves, Julia Chanteray, Biz Chix and Seth Godin. We had a lot of fun with this one and there's many practical tips if you run a bodymind business. https://www.shannoncrow.com/

Mike Lousada joins us to chat sexual repression, cultural aspects of this, body shame, sexual energy, different schools of bodywork, psychosynthesis, Western vs Eastern approaches, "armouring", 1970s vs modern approaches, loving presence, sexology, the medical model in sex, the upper limits of human sexual potential, the cult of ecstasy and other traps in tantra, making sexual work accessible to "normal" people, Britain vs California, modern gender politics, patriarchy, masculine and feminine, speaking from pain, working with his wife Louise Mazanti, cultural contexts, why embodiment matters and the deep ethics of sexuality. This one is both deep and straight-forward. http://www.mazantilousada.com https://www.mikelousada.com

Yoga teacher Gernot Huber joins me to discuss mindbody integration and a balance between "hard" and "soft" yoga. We talk intellectuals beginnings, yoga to strengthen the mindbody link, teacher over style, finding balance in yoga to make it more beneficial, individually adapted practice, form vs feeling, how you do it, listening deeply vs listening to ego, yoga to deepen neurotic patterns, goal orientation, replicating the primary mistake of striving culture, the "how" of yoga - journey not destination, ambition vs presence, yin and yang balance, why keeping challenging poses in yoga practice is a good idea, honouring your boundaries, striving in yin poses, self care and if you use a block or a blanket, asking for what you want, Feldenkrais and finding equilibrium after swings to extremity and savouring. http://yogamindyogabody.com

Martial arts teacher Roy Dean joins me today to discuss combat sports and personal growth. We talk about early training in Japan as a teenager, why he started martial arts, how training morphs from self defence to personal growth, martial arts categories, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, ranges, MMA and the UFC, how it's not like the movies, the reality choice point, how different martial arts build different personal growth aspects, evolution and devolution of martial arts, self discovery and expression, how to maximise the personal growth benefits of martial arts, intentionality and reflection, mixing with different types of people, tribalism, social media and relearning to read! https://www.roydean.tv/

Biodanza teacher Julia Hope Brightwell joins us today. We talk about the trap of trying to transcend the body with spirituality, seroc, butoh, 5Rhythms what Biodanza is and what a class looks like, life force, connection, sexual energy and sexual repression, creativity, the South American feel, how we lose our life force, self control, the pleasure principle, Emotional Guidance System and getting the message of emotions, feedback and reciprocity, new age dangers in dance, being careful of our weaknesses as teachers, why we don't like certain kinds of music, working on own vs pairs and groups, masculine and feminine energy, relational and environmental aspects of embodiment, how to know if you're embodied, embodying your soul, people pleasing, becoming boring and archetypes and mythology. https://www.joysofdance.co.uk https://www.biodanzaassociation.uk/ http://www.dancebiodanza.co.uk/

Skinner Releasing dance teacher Polly Hudson joins me to discuss her art. We talk life in a dance conservatoire, somatic practices in dance and acting and the advantages of using this approach, being available and compelling through embodiment, embodiment becoming implicit, the use of language in teaching, the birth of Skinner Releasing, the purpose of the art, the difficulties of form, Siobhan Davis studio and Charley Morrissey, training in SR globally, why various forms take root in different countries, dance and boundaries/ethics, putting one's ego aside when dancing, the exhaustion of holding space, art projects, slow movement, gardening as embodied art, the slow movement generally, workaholism, the currency and status of space and the breath as companion. A pleasant British walk through the gardens of embodiment! https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/acting/further-info/tutor-list/polly-hudson http://www.pollyhudson.com https://pollyhudsonblog.wordpress.com/

Creator of Ancestral Movement Simon Thakur joins me to talk monkeys, martial arts and humans. We chat Asian martial arts, the Indian spiritual look, the pros and cons of the life of a traveling student, evolutionary theory, Flow states in nature, primate movement, movement from other stages of our evolution, why we should reclaim our evolutionary movement, the limitations of movement, movement in tribal dance, doggy style, healing the disconnect from nature, the dangers of idealising tribal cultures and pretending you're other animals, the healing properties of movement, how to choose a practice as a mature mover, having integrity as an embodiment trainer and opening up of worlds by humbling oneself. An amble through evolution. http://ancestralmovement.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/954751214582008/

Trauma expert David Berceli joins me to discuss TRE - Trauma / Tension releasing Exercise - and his experiences with this work across many domains. A real authority in this now popular field and a bloody nice bloke! https://traumaprevention.com/

Trauma sensitive yoga teacher Sarah joins me form Vancouver to discuss her start in yoga as a sick teen and how a sexual assault led to an interest in the trauma informed approach to yoga. We look at the benefits of yoga for traumatised people, positive social aspects of yoga, self care how yoga isn't trauma sensitive, opt out vs opt in, consent card, agency, the importance of relationship, tips for teachers of all kinds, what trauma responses look like, our "scope of practice", our motivation for teaching, staying embodied with technology, quick win trauma tips, making yoga accessible for conservatives and being able to stay in the conversation. https://doyogawithme.bandcamp.com/album/yoga-classes-with-sarah-holmes-de-castro http://www.finebalanceyoga.ca/portfolio/sarah http://www.traumasensitiveyoga.com/ http://www.yogaoutreach.com/

Lizzie joins us to discuss being a sick child, having a liver transplant, Rolfing, relationships with pain, body dialogue, types of bodywork, functional vs structural vs political approaches, what yoga really is, inculturation, embodied narrative, "ego", US vs UK bodies, embodied climate and norms, relationship to illness, what illness can teach us, gratitude and the importance of nature connection. Some new ground here. http://freeliz.com/