Somatic Movement
The term "somatics" was coined by Thomas Hanna in 1976, but somatic practices have existed before the word. The field of somatic approaches to life is rich and varied, each pioneer tapping into something essential about the living body and what it is to be human. Thomas Hanna used the word soma to describe the constantly changing entity of senses and actions that make up our experience of being, often quoted as:
"the body as perceived from within by first-person perception."
In circles where the word soma is not so familiar, I often user the term mind-body to refer to a similar understanding that what we experience as "ourselves" is a multi-dimensional comination of different seen and unseen forces from within, as well as from our environment.
It is this foundation of soma that informs my Somatic Self-Care classes which conflate a variety of energetic and somatic practices and approaches, as well as the Clinical Somatics classes I teach in the lineage of Thomas Hanna.
Live Classes
Somatic Self-Care
Somatic Self-Care is Gigi's signature class, held at Flowstate Studio in the Blue Mountains. It focuses on process oriented, self-attuned movement that cultivates aliveness to the moment, nervous system resilience and a lens of curiosity and appreciation towards the body.
Practices are drawn from the rich field of somatic perspectives, including Qi-Gong, Yoga, Feldenkreis and Clinical Somatics to name a few. Whilst the class integrates many styles of body-based practice in one container, the container for the practice remains consistent, anchored to a strong base in nervous system awareness and attuning to "the body as experienced from within" (Hanna, 2004). The class is also guided by Emerson & Hopper's principles of trauma-informed practice – connecting safely to the present moment, encouraging choice, empowering self-led self-care and creating rhythms that foster resonance in our experience of being (Emerson & Hopper, 2012).
Physically, classes are gentle and invite you to move in a way that's appropriate for you in that moment. Gigi wants these classes to feel accessible and welcoming and to offer equal opportunity for deep presence and introspection as they do exploration, expression and play. If you have any questions or wish to discuss your participation, you are invited to reach out on gigicoachingandcreation@gmail.com.
Clinical Somatic Education
Clinical Somatic Education is a neuro-muscular re-education method that teaches the brain to release chronic tension patterns through small, micro-movements called pandiculations. This reverses what Thomas Hanna named sensory motor amnesia, whereby the brain loses conscious control over movement patterns because they have become so habituated. Due to the habitual use of this pattern, it has become set as a default shape or response in the body and the brain loses capacity to change or relax it at conscious will, leading to experiences of chronic tension and loss of mobility.
Through the slowness, presence and coordination required to perform pandiculations, we reweave the brains connection to the parts of the body being activated and released. Rather than stopping at the habitual level of tension we are used to and thinking that we are relaxed, we can learn that there is a wider range of relaxation available for us to expand into if we listen to the subtlety of the body. We discover muscles and movements we have lost awareness of – or perhaps never had conscious awareness of and in doing so, drip-feed new sensory data to the brain. With this new awareness and understanding of its own terrain, the body-mind learns its full range of potential, changing our experience of soma (body-mind) overtime.
Physically, classes take place on the floor without demonstration, so as to re-orient the participant's awareness towards their subjective experience and to encourage our awareness of subtlety. Even if a movement is not visible to the external eye, it is effective in re-awakening the brains awareness of that part of the body and re-weaving our connection to it and its movement functions. If for whatever reason a movement isn't physically comfortable for you, movements can also be imagined to re-write the movement pathway the brain has conscious access to.
There are many people who can benefit from this method and this class. Whether you're an athlete wanting to improve performance, recovering from an injury and seeking to reconnect to movement in a restorative way or wanting to invest in greater ease and mobility for life, there is something in this method for you. Clinical Somatics works at the level of the nervous system, so it is also supportive to people wishing to support holistic health, self-awareness and mindfulness in daily living.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss your participation, you are invited to reach out on gigicoachingandcreation@gmail.com.
UPCOMING CLASSES & EVENTS
No upcoming events
Somatic Movement Online Experiences
Default
OfferingTree