Lineage

It’s important to acknowledge where this work comes from and how I found it. As much as I bring my own energy and curiosity to this work, Somatics is not new and I did not create it.

The fact that we even have a field known as Somatics is evidence of a rupture. Something along the way has happened to our relationships with ourselves, our bodies, each other and the earth. Colonization, capitalism and the extractive relationship we have with bodies and the earth have had huge impacts on these relationships. My curiosity about this leads me back to the body, to our wildness and true natures.

There are many cultures that may be closer to living in a more embodied way. They do not need certification from an institute to tell them what they already know and have passed on to next generations. But for me, my culture did not nurture an embodied relationship with myself or the earth. I sought out this work when the way I was living and working no longer felt sustainable.

I found Somatics initially through a friend and Somatics practitioner that had studied in California with Strozzi Institute and Generative Somatics Practitioners , and she introduced me to the work of Peter Levine. From there, I completed the Somatic Experiencing certification and later went on to become a Certified Feminine Embodiment Coach with the School of Embodied Arts.

I’d like to acknowledge my mentors Sage Hayes from The Somatic Experiencing Training Institute and Jenna Ward, Michelle Lynn, Kate Leiper and Siohban Barnes from the School Of Embodied Arts for their guidance, wisdom and support. I’d like to express deep gratitude to Luisa Muhr my Family Constellations facilitator and mentor from FCNY for her incredible capacity and curiosity for healing work.

I have also taken multiple courses with the Strozzi Institute and Liz Koch. I continue to learn about Embodiment and Somatics through the teachings of Prentis Hemphill, Kimberly Ann Johnson, Resmaa Menakem, adrienne maree brown, Staci Haines, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Josh Schrei and a tonne of folks, too many to name, that will never know me or my work but to whom I am eternally grateful.

I continue to be humbled in my exploration of this work and it is for me, ever evolving.