A couple of days ago, in a workshop I was teaching about Freeze response, someone asked me this brilliant question: “What is your opinion on movement in this context of trauma work“?

My answer was: It is non-negotiable. 

Life happens in motion. The way you move is the way you move through life. Movement is what separates trauma from health. And health happens in tidal motion.

In fact, I believe movement should be a much bigger piece of any kind of transformational work and definitely in somatic coaching. And I am NOT talking about prescriptive top-down exercises here.

Because your Body was designed to move. 

Priority #1 of your brain is survival. 

Priority #2 of your brain is movement.

It is that simple. We cannot repattern our mindset or trauma without involving the moving Body.

And yet, why does it often feel so hard to “just move your body“?

Well, the answer to this would be – layers upon layers of collective and individual oppression glued in place by shame of our muchness. And some other Stuff of course…

I feel you. I get it. 

Typically, when we are guided through a movement practice, we hear a lot of instructions about how to “do” a move with little to no mention of how to be intrigued by it.

We hear about “right” and “wrong” without being invited to understand how context-dependent “optimal” choices are.

Most often, we are trying to “stretch” or “engage” specific spots, to get rid of the tension, performing what we think things “should” look like, imitating someone else, doubting ourselves, or tuning out entirely. 

The practice of movement is a practice of deep listening. A practice of reorienting from familiar pain to unfamiliar choice and support. A practice of attention and awareness.

So, here I want to share with you some exploration invitations.

Do a simple-enough movement. Like, for example, standing and swaying from left to right. And play with some Attentional Anchors – the things you pay attention to help keep you IN your experience:

• The way you’re interacting with the ground
• The music (or the environmental soundtrack like birds, wind, people walking by)
• Following the movement and sensations in specific areas of the body
• Following the movement and sensations in the whole body- as a whole
• Sensing the body in a larger context, your immediate environment, larger Nature
• Breath and how your breath shapeshifts as you move

In the Bodyverse, we practice movement to de-domesticate, un-shame, listen to and love on our Bodies big time. 

Try this practice with attention anchors and report back. I am so here for your experience!