The Embodiment Podcast

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, self care how yoga isn’t trauma sensitive, what trauma responses look like, staying embodied with technology, quick win trauma tips, and being able to stay in the conversation. http://www.finebalanceyoga.ca/portfolio/sarah http://www.traumasensitiveyoga.

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/

Contact dance teacher Arye joins me from Tel Aviv. We discuss what can be researched within contact dance, being a contact pioneer in Israel, Judaism and contact, dancing across international borders, “deep embodiment”, judo vs dance vs somatics, gestalt therapy, getting the message from the body, how we’re always dancing, the elusive obvious, circumcision, subtle body shame and how we as teachers are just reminders of the obvious magic. A slow winding beautiful conversation.  https://youtu.be/P5Kmn

Highly experienced and innovative yoga teacher John Stirk joins me to talk yoga in the 70s, Vanda Scaravelli, osteopathy, form vs somatic yoga, skin and sensuality in yoga, how skin on the whole body helps us stretch, the mind and emotions in yoga, trust, presence, unfinished sentences, the somatic nature of love, primal movement, LSD, “undoing” the spine, free movement, RD Laing, the breath pause and treating the body with respect. Wise words.  http://johnstirk.com/

Sexuality workshop leader Ruby May joins us to chat burlesque, sexological bodywork, where to start with sexuality work, Togetherness, Explore and Angsbacka festivals, Berlin kink, open space, sex geeks, compartmentalising sex, Eros, trans issues, feminine leadership, hormone cycles, activism, eco-sexuality, Genia Pauli Haddon, "bitches and bastards", and putting people in boxes. A well lubed slide through some potentially controversial topics.  https://www.authentic-eros.com/ http://www.alchemy-eros.com

Jane joins me for a fun romp through how trauma shows up in everyday life. We cover aerobics, finding belonging, fascia, drama triangles, trauma in daily life, nervous system regulation, “trauma" vs “stress", complex trauma, survivorship, relationships, boundaries, stages of trauma recovery, subtly in trauma symptoms, pleasure, play, windows of tolerance, exercise and trauma, money and trauma, advice for parents, failure and clowning. http://www.janeclapp.com https://www.instagram.com/janetheclapp/

Founder of The Minded Institute Heather joins me for some yoga science geekery. She describes her own path from having mental health issues, though academia to teaching mindfulness and meditation. She overviews the research on yoga, what is actually useful in chanting “Om”, Stephen Porges, picking a yoga style, integration into healthcare, prisons and corporates, monks in The House of Lords, and using science as skilful means. https://themindedinstitute.com https://yogainhealthcarealliance.com

Peter Appel joins us form Finland to discuss his journey from pain and yoga to free movement, mindbody vs bodymind, the criticality of relaxation, the importance of pleasure, Finnish slowness and silence, the dangers and benefits of sports, linguistic diversity and history, environmental destruction and connection, the beauties and dangers of science, addiction and turning the senses in. A deep, emotional episode. https://www.movingness.com https://www.bodymindlove.com/ https://youtu.be/ATrMGLCVfNc

Men’s work Facilitator Eivind joins me to discuss masculinity. We go over his experience of realising he couldn’t meditate out of manliness, rites of passage and the phallic intrusion, Jungian archetypes, balancing warrior and lover, and king and magician, the “master key”, the power of stories, blessings of the king, gender in Scandinavia, the domesticated male, manliness and dangerous, what mature women are like, gender wars, Reclaim Your Inner Throne and trusting the body. https://www.inner-thro

Eric Paskel joins me to explain why yoga ISN’T bullshit. We discuss researching misery, addiction, relationships, rock and roll, how to torture yourself, the narcissism of changing the world, getting your head out of your arse, 12-step groups, what happened to yoga, LA, seeing through success, Vedanta, being a teacher, being or service vs being selfish, the nature of love, his guru and how to start small on the spiritual path. https://ericpaskel.com http://electricsoul.yoga https://www.vedantaworld.org

A practical guide to marketing and selling embodiment and embodied arts of all kinds. Here I cover mindset, sales funnels and the basics that anyone working in this field needs to know to run a successful business. 

Leila joins me to discuss her dance beginnings, the difference between embodied and regular anatomy, the benefits of an embodied approach to anatomy, body systems and how to use them, "heart hugs", the importance of the psoas muscle, trauma, anatomical awareness, self vs other focus, yoga therapy, the organ system, koshas, phantom limb pain, empowerment through yoga, learning the hard way, and meditation.Lots of experiential content and playful flow in this one.  https://leilastuart.com/

Mindfulness elder and pioneer Joel Levey is on today to share his experience. We discuss how practice shows, the benefits of neurofeedback and biofeedback, motivation for practice, how it is to be silent for a year, telepathy, conscious relationship vs monasticism, ethical issues in applied mindfulness, VUCA and what’s being demanded in the connected modern world. He finishes with a practice for all of us. http://www.wisdomatwork.com/MindfulnessPioneers/ http://www.wisdomatwork.com/UKLearningExpedition/

Somatic coach and leadership facilitator Gonzalo Cordova joins me today. We talk despair, Mexican culture, the observer that we are, ontological coaching, the great split from the body, the language of the body, intuition, translating embodiment to corporates, emotions in coaching, where emotions come from, emotions vs moods, Zuzana Bloch and Alba emoting, breath as central to emotions, what works with clients, indigenous wisdom and body image. http://gonzalocordova.com/ http://newfieldcommunity.com/

Yoga teacher, bodyworker and creative artist Amanda Brown joins me from Cornwall. We talk fancy vs church-hall yoga, the power of community, lineage and post lineage yoga, Iyengar yoga strictness, practice monogamy and integration, motherhood and yoga, age-related practice, kinesiology, cranio-sacral therapy, humans as a series of gestures and class embodiment and posh privilege. http://www.groundofbeing.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/compassionatembodiment/ https://www.facebook.com/13LoomsProject/