Stepping into 2022...

Watercolor by Charlene Frayne, 2019 (my mom)

Dear Friends,

If you are reading this, you may have had some experience with the guiding principles and the philosophy that is the foundation of somatic movement. I use "movement" to describe any sensations we are aware of. These sensations could be physical; they may appear as thoughts or mental sensations; or emotional sensations or feelings. This moment of being present for our first-person somatic perspective is a gift. This ability to self-sense internally and to learn something about ourselves through this sensing is a gift.

This gift is the freedom that Thomas Hanna wrote about when he asked "Can a human being ever be truly free? Must we always rely on others for our freedom? What does that freedom or lack of freedom look like?" These questions took him on a journey of self-exploration. He became really good at sensing. He realized that we all had amazing innate qualities that let us cultivate more ease... more freedom. These include:

Our ability to self-sense from our own 1st person somatic perspective. "Who am I from the inside-out?"
Our ability to self-adjust and self-regulate based on what we are sensing. "Does this move me towards ease or towards tension."
Our ability to self-actualize. " I can be the best version of myself in the present moment."

Based on what we are sensing, in any given moment we have the option to move towards constriction or to move towards openness. This is how we step into 2022. Consciously. Let's practice together.