SomaNews – October 2015
Living with Somatic Agility
"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
―Nicholas Black Elk
As I slow down and open to the aliveness, I feel my body blending with the All and the Everything, the Great Mystery.
My senses are being used not through my mind (thinking about what it felt like), but actually feeling the world around me — the song of a bird, the wind at my face, the smell of jasmine, an apple picked fresh from the tree.
Stepping from place to place over Mother Earth, I find endless opportunities to feel, sense, smell, and taste life in its natural state. I feel open, alive and deeply connected with everything.
But how do I keep my connection to the All and the Everything when the winds of adversity blow the door shut?
And in my day-to-day busy life, how do I keep the door open? Even though I’ve practiced for more than 20 years developing and shaping a body that has the strength to hold the door open, sometimes I’ve inadvertently allowed it to shut.
For example, as I get wrapped into the responsibilities of life, step by step I gather sticky notes left by the “to-do guardian.” Take care of the garden, take care of my teeth, take care of my home, take care of the bills. I begin to get ungrounded, unattentive. And the next thing I know, the door is shutting.
I think about those living in the city, constantly hurrying to meet their daily responsibilities. Maybe they’re running late. With ramped up energy, they head for the door of the train but can’t get through the crowd in time. The door shuts, and the forward-moving energy needs to go somewhere. Some will react in resignation and close down. Others will try to defy physics and crash into the door, believing it will open from pure force or intention.
Living consciously with energy
With what I call Somatic Agility™, we have the ability to live consciously with energy in motion.
We can choose to move through our daily lives with deep awareness of our connection to the All.
We have choice to make appropriate moves at appropriate times. We can develop the resilience to get up off the ground when we get knocked down.
With somatic agility, we choose our responses. We can choose not to stay triggered. We can choose whether or not to outwardly express how we feel.
Somatic Agility Practices
This holistic, conscious approach takes practice. Here are some ways that can help you develop somatic agility.
Attention: Being in the present
Where you focus your attention is vitally important. So being in the present moment is the best practice to be in. Easier said than done, I know. But when we breathe, feel our bodies, notice our feet on the ground, this helps to bring us back to the moment — to come back to the center of our awakened life.
Compassion: An understanding that we are all human
Open your heart. Feel your heart, and imagine your heart beating against your ribs front and back. When we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, and parts of the brain linked to caring for others and empathy light up. We can also make the choice of opening to self-compassion.
Community: Being with like-minded beings who support one another
Reflect on what you have now. When was the last time you sat face to face with another human being? When asked how you are, do you open to a conversation about what is happening in your life?
Somatic Work for Couples
Along with my work with individuals, I also partner with my husband, Mark Mooney, to work with couples to help their strengthen relationships. To give you a taste of this powerful work using somatics, we are happy to extend an offer for a complimentary 1-hour session via telephone or at our home office in Petaluma.
In our work together with you, we take a look at what's working and not working in your relationship conversations, habits and behaviors. From these insights, we can focus on ways to redesign and refine your relationship into your vision of what is possible.
Areas to address may include:
- Creating more connection, intimacy, and fun in your relationship
- Laying the ground and practices for a thriving, long-term partnership
- Developing new habits and patterns
Interested? Please contact us at madelinewade@comcast.net or mark@ecosomatic.com. We'd love to explore working with you.
