Somatic awareness is the ability to perceive and recognize physical sensations within the body. Being more embodied through somatic awareness means learning the many languages of the body: sensations, movement patterns, unconscious habits, tensions, body symptoms, moods, dreams images, and symbols. This deeper connection between mind and body is a powerful tool for collaborating with and modulating our nervous systems.

Our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is a network of nerves throughout our bodies that control unconscious processes like breathing and heart beating and works on our behalf to keep us alive and safe.

The sympathetic nervous system activates body processes (sometimes referred to as the “flight or fight" function), and the parasympathetic deactivates or lowers them (with the more extreme reaction referred to as Dorsal Vagal “shutdown” or “freeze”).

Having a balance of both is key to our body's well-being and our ability to regulate our emotions. Sometimes the information our nervous system uses to determine what is needed is based on historical data (past experiences) and we need to intervene with new information from the present moment.

Being able to determine the current state of our nervous system (somatic awareness) is key to choosing to move into the Ventral Vagal state (through embodiment and breath practices for example) where we have more resources, vision, and enough grounding to play, explore, and create.

Bridging our inner landscape with knowledge of our uniquely formed sensory systems generates powerful access to our own creative content and inspiration. Our workshops combine playful thought explorations and depth processes with embodiment and breath practices.

Participants learn how to nurture creative habits and increase communication between the conscious and unconscious. Building more access to our creative selves and inner landscapes of knowledge encourages more aliveness in our daily lives and stokes the embers of meaningful and edifying artistic expressions in any form.