Somatic Primer Podcast: Recent Episodes

Somatic Primer

The Somatic Primer Podcast promotes a cross discipline of somatic dialogues that strive to discover the common threads that run through them all. The Somatic Primer Podcast is a forum for interdisciplinary dialogues for people that would like to present their research, sciences, traditions, and philosophies, to a wider audience with the purpose of sharing their specific ideas within the larger somatic community.

On today’s episode I once again had the pleasure to speak to Dr. Shin Lin.

Shin Lin, PhD, is a world-renowned expert on Tai Chi and a 12th generation heir of Chen Style Tai Chi designated by Grandmaster Chen Zheng-Lei of China’s Chen Family Village, where Tai Chi originated.

He is a longtime chair of biophysics at Johns Hopkins and professor of biological sciences and biomedical engineering at UCI, where his Laboratory for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research applies modern biophysical technologies to study the benefits of Tai Chi/Qigong on mind-body functions and body energy measured as heat, light and electricity. The result of his studies, are used to formulate models to explain the beneficial effects of these practices on health and healing at the cellular, and molecular levels.

You can checkout his research @ Department of Cell Biology

Please visit Somatic Primer:
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For upcoming live courses: Vidyamethod.com
Our Online Learning Platform @ Somatic Primer on Patreon

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On today’s episode I had the pleasure to speak with Dr Ortwin Lüers. Dr. Lüers is a psychotherapist and an expert in the internal martial art of Wu Ji Chuan. As a psychiatrist he specializes in treating post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic stress.

In 1984, he began studying Buddhism with Tibetan meditation master Ven. Lama Chime Rinpoche and the following year he began his study of Wu Ji Chuan. In 1990 he was accepted as a disciple by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong. He trained extensively with the Grandmaster until his passing in 2001.

You can find out more about Dr. Ortwin Lüers on his website https://wuchidao.de

https://www.yanshougong.org

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Gavin Kilty has been a full-time translator for the Institute of Tibetan Classics since 2001. Before that he lived in Dharamsala, India, for fourteen years, where he spent eight years training in the traditional Geluk monastic curriculum through the medium of class and debate at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. He has also taught Tibetan language courses in India, Nepal, and elsewhere, and is a translation reviewer for the organization 84000, Translating the Words of the Buddha. He received the 2017 Shantarakshita Award from Tsadra Foundation for his translation of A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages. Other published translations are The Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s Stages of the Path, Volume 1 (2022), The Life of My Teacher (2017), Mirror of Beryl (2010), Ornament of Stainless Light (2004), and The Splendor of an Autumn Moon (2001).

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Graham Scarr is a biologist and retired osteopath with interest in structural biology. Scarr’s interest in biotensegrity started after reading articles by Stephen Levin, an orthopedic surgeon who recognized the importance of biotensegrity to living organisms. A life-long interest in natural geometry and a thorough grounding in anatomy have enabled him to work with Stephen Levin and develop new models that are progressing our understanding of the structure-function relationship in biology and the human body in particular.

He has published several peer-reviewed articles and his book biotensegrity, the structural basis of life.

His website http://www.tensegrityinbiology.co.uk/publications/

To learn more about Biotensegrity visit https://www.youtube.com/@smlbtarchive

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On today’s episode I had the pleasure to speak with buddhist teacher and long term retreatant Paula Chichester

Paula became interested in the Tibetan Buddhism in the 1970's when she met Lama Thubten Yeshe. She embarked on a 40 year journey of study spending nearly a decade in solitary retreats.

Paula now helps run braeview hermitage in the shetland islands in Scotland as a retreat space. Paula also teaches and shares her experiences from her time in long retreats. To find our more about Paula and her work you can visit:

https://braveview.org/paula-chichester/

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on Youtube or at our website somaticprimer.com. Or at our online learning platform on Patreon.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode.

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Born in 1962, Malcolm Smith was raised in Western Massachusetts. Captivated by the sound of Tibetan ritual music in 1984, he began his study of the Dharma. He met his first formal teacher, H. H. Sakya Trizin, in 1989. He studied Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan language under the guidance of Khenpo Migmar Tseten for the next five years at Sakya Institute for Buddhist Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1990 Malcolm travelled to Nepal to receive lamdré from the late H. H. Sakya Dagchen.

He received his first Dzogchen teachings from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in 1992. In 1993 he met his second Dzogchen teacher, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, receiving important transmissions. During this year he entered a three-year solitary retreat. In 1998 he met H. H. Penor Rinpoche and received the complete empowerments of the mahayoga section of the Nyingma Kama as well as teachings on the Namchö preliminary practices. In 2001, he met his third Dzogchen teacher, the late Kunzang Dechen Lingpa, from whom he received the Nyinthig Yazhi in its entirety, as well as the formal Ngakpa empowerment in 2004. He met his fourth Dzogchen teacher, H. H. Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, in 2001, from whom he received the entire transmission of the Gongpa Zangthal in 2010, as well other transmissions. He received the transmission of the Seventeen Tantras from Khenpo Tenzin Thinley in 2012 and again from Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche in 2022. Since 2018, he has been studying under Khenchen Namdrol Tsering of Namdrol Ling MonasteryIn addition, Malcolm has received Sakya, Kagyü, and Nyingma teaching cycles from many other lamas.

Malcolm Smith was awarded the title of acarya by Khenpo Migmar Tseten of Sakya Institute in 2004. In 2008 Malcolm was granted the title of lama by Lama Ngawang Tsultrim, abbot of Dhongag Tharling. In 2009 Malcolm graduated from Shang Shung Institute of America as a doctor of Tibetan medicine, completing an internship in Xining, in the Amdo province of northeast Tibet.

Since 1992 Malcolm Smith has worked on a wide variety of texts for Sakya, Drikung Kagyü, and Nyingma groups, as well as medical and astrological texts.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show. If you would like to support the show with a monthly donation please visit our website somaticprimer.com, or at our online learning platform onPatreon.

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Welcome to the somatic primer podcast im your host Bryson Newell. This is a bi-weekly podcast where I invite guests on to discuss embodiment, Somatics, and meditation.

I’d like to invite listeners to our online learning platform at somatic primer on patreon. There you can find weekly taiji and somatic classes as well as articles and extended content.

On today’s episode I had the pleasure to speak with Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya. Prajwal is a teacher of a Vajrayana Buddhist lineage in Nepal and a ritual master both of the Charya Nritya dance tradition. Prajwal began his training in Charya Nritya at eight years old. With the survival of this sacred ritual dance threatened by modernization, Prajwal has dedicated his life to bringing this unique Buddhist heritage from the temples of Nepal to the world. Prajwal has preformed several world tours with beginning and advanced students. He founded Dance Mandal: Foundation for Sacred Buddhist Arts of Nepal to preserve these traditions. Prajwal Vajracharya is now based in Portland, Oregon where he continues to teach and preform.

To find our more about Prajwal's please visit: Dance Mandala

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show. If you would like to support the show with a monthly donation please visit our website somaticprimer.com, or at our online learning platform onPatreon.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode.

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On today’s episode I once again had the pleasure to speak with Tibetan Doctor Nashalla Gwyn Nyida.

Dr. Nashalla began the study of Tibetan Medicine in 1999 and treating in 2004. She is the director of the Nyinda Clinic of Tibetan Medicine & Holistic Healing Clinic in Boulder, Colorado.

This is my second in a series of interviews with Dr. Nashalla about the tibetan concept of the subtle body. If you haven’t heard our first interview please go back and listen to season four episode 6. There we cover the first part of the subtle body, the channels. In this second interview we discuss wind or lung energy. This second interview is part one of two due to the technicality of the topic. The first part of the interview is the setup for understanding wind or lung energy and the second part is the more technical description as to what that exactly is. I will post the second part of this interview next.

To find our more about Dr. Nashalla please visit her website: https://www.holistic-health.org/

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on Youtube or at our website somaticprimer.com. Or at our online learning platform on Patreon.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode!

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On today’s episode I once again had the pleasure to speak with Tibetan Doctor Nashalla Gwyn Nyida.

Dr. Nashalla began the study of Tibetan Medicine in 1999 and treating in 2004. She is the director of the Nyinda Clinic of Tibetan Medicine & Holistic Healing Clinic in Boulder, Colorado.

This is my second in a series of interviews with Dr. Nashalla about the tibetan concept of the subtle body. If you haven’t heard our first interview please go back and listen to season four episode 6. There we cover the first part of the subtle body, the channels. In this second interview we discuss wind or lung energy. This second interview is part one of two due to the technicality of the topic. The first part of the interview is the setup for understanding wind or lung energy and the second part is the more technical description as to what that exactly is. I will post the second part of this interview next.

To find our more about Dr. Nashalla please visit her website: https://www.holistic-health.org/

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on Youtube or at our website somaticprimer.com. Or at our online learning platform on Patreon.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode!

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On today’s episode I had the pleasure to speak with Alexander Teacher Penelope Easten

Penelope has been teaching the Alexander Technique since 1989. She also trained in Reiki, nutrition, and craniosacral therapy. Her book “Twelve Fundamentals of Integrated Movement” offers a theoretical framework of how integrated movement occurs.

In this episode we discuss her studies with Margaret Goldie, an original student of F.M Alexander, and what made Miss Goldie such an impressive teacher. We also discuss how Iain McGilchrist's work on the Left & Right brain hemispheres pertains to the Alexander Technique an much more

Penelope has a Book Study Club starting in May for her book Twelve Fundamentals of Integrated Movement. Find out more at her website: https://alexandertechniqueinfo.org

To find our more about Somatic Primer please visit us at:
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https://Vidyamethod.com
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Brad Kearns is a New York Times bestselling author, former national champion and world-ranked professional triathlete.

Brad is the host of the B Rad podcast and he has written twenty books on diet, health, peak performance, and ancestral living. His newest book Born to Walk, he coauthored with Mark Sisson. It’s an aggressive takedown of the running boom and an important recalibration of our modern approach to total body fitness and longevity.

To find out more about Brad, Listen to his podcast and purchase his book please visit:
https://bradkearns.com

To discover more about us at Somatic Primer please visit:
To find our more about Somatic Primer please visit us at:
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https://Vidyamethod.com
Our Online Learning Platform Somatic Primer on Patreon

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

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On today’s episode I had the pleasure to speak to Dr. Shin Lin.

Shin Lin, PhD, is a world-renowned expert on Tai Chi and a 12th generation heir of Chen Style Tai Chi designated by Grandmaster Chen Zheng-Lei of China’s Chen Family Village, where Tai Chi originated.

He is a longtime chair of biophysics at Johns Hopkins and professor of biological sciences and biomedical engineering at UCI, where his Laboratory for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research applies modern biophysical technologies to study the benefits of Tai Chi/Qigong on mind-body functions and body energy measured as heat, light and electricity. The result of his studies, are used to formulate models to explain the beneficial effects of these practices on health and healing at the cellular, and molecular levels.

Please visit Somatic Primer:
You can visit at our website: Somaticprimer.com
For upcoming live courses: Vidyamethod.com
Our Online Learning Platform @ Somatic Primer on Patreon

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

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Mark helps individuals and organizations improve their performance and well-being through the mind-body connection. He has trained in martial arts, mindfulness, and various somatic disciplines. Mark has also taught and consulted in over 50 countries, including working with the UN and humanitarian projects in war zones.

Mark has written several best-selling books - Embodiment: Moving Beyond Mindfulness; and has trained many embodiment coaches. He also hosts The Embodiment Coaching Podcast which is a weekly podcast for everyone who is interested in Embodiment and the body. The podcast contains in-depth explorations of embodiment topics with expert guests from around the globe.

Links to Marks Channel and Webistes:

www.embodimentunlimited.com

The Embodiment Channel
The Embodiment Podcast

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on Youtube or at our website somaticprimer.com. Or at our online learning platform on Patreon.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode.

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Dr. Nashalla Gwyn Nyinda, Menpa TMD, MA Acu, LMT began the study of Tibetan Medicine in 1999 and treating with permission in 2004. With a foundation in multiple Asian healing systems she was encouraged by her root teacher, Very Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche to continue her Tibetan medical studies in India at the Chagpori Institute Clinic.

Her published work on Tibetan healing modalities and Buddhism can be found on Academia or Research Gate websites. She founded the Sowa Birthing Method ™ to help reduce medical interventions and Postpartum Depression for new and expectant mothers. She is the director of the Nyinda Clinic of Tibetan Medicine & Holistic Healing Clinic in Boulder, Colorado USA and the president of Chagpori US,

https://www.holistic-health.org/

To find our more about Somatic Primer please visit us at:
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https://Vidyamethod.com
Our Online Learning Platform Somatic Primer on Patreon

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

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Joseph Houseal is founder and director of Core of Culture, a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding intangible world heritage with an emphasis on endangered dance and movement traditions in the healing, meditation, and martial arts. After a decades-long international career as a dancer, choreographer, and director, including work as artistic director for singer Chaka Khan, Houseal began working with ancient Asian dance traditions and has spent the past 25 years working in cultural preservation of sacred dance traditions in the Himalayas and beyond. His work has been shown in 14 museums worldwide and is part of 5 permanent museum collections. The Bhutan Dance Collection is the most widely accessed collection within the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library, for more than 11 years. A contributor to Ballet Review in New York, for 34 years, Houseal writes a monthly column for Buddhistdoor Global. His book, Buddhist Dances, Movement & Mind, will be published by Motilal Banarsidass, in 2025.

Discover Joseph's work here:

https://coreofculture.org/

https://www.buddhistdoor.net/column/ancient-dances/

To find our more about Somatic Primer please visit us at:
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https://Vidyamethod.com
Our Online Learning Platform Somatic Primer on Patreon

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

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Naomi Worth is a scholar and practitioner of yoga and Tibetan Buddhism. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and helped found the Contemplative Sciences Center.

Naomi tells us about her time in Mysore studying Ashtanga yoga and her travels to Dharmsala to study with the Tibetan Buddhist community. She also shares her retreat experiences in the practice of Tibetan Yoga at Namdroling.

She has written several papers on these topics including, The Body as a Vehicle to Enlightenment: A Brief History of Physical Practices in Haṭha Yoga and Tibetan Buddhist Tantra

She is currently teaching high school in New York City.

quantumyouth.org
Naomi’s website
Naomi’s publications on Academia.edu

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C.P. Ong is a 20th-generation Chen Family Taijiquan lineage disciple of both Chen Xiaowang and Chen Zhenglei. He has also studied extensively with Zhu Tiancai.

He first began his Taiji studies in 1972 learning the Guang Ping Yang Style from Master Y.C. Chiang in Berkeley, CA. He is also a student of vipassana (insight) meditation and has attended several intensive meditation retreats in Buddhist monasteries in Yangon, Myanmar. He is the author of Taijiquan—Cultivating Inner Strength. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from U.C. Berkeley in 1973 and is currently the executive Vice-President, USA Wushu-Kungfu Association.

C.P. Ong's Website

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C.P. Ong is a 20th-generation Chen Family Taijiquan lineage disciple of both Chen Xiaowang and Chen Zhenglei. He has also studied extensively with Zhu Tiancai.

He first began his Taiji studies in 1972 learning the Guang Ping Yang Style from Master Y.C. Chiang in Berkeley, CA. He is also a student of vipassana (insight) meditation and has attended several intensive meditation retreats in Buddhist monasteries in Yangon, Myanmar. He is the author of Taijiquan—Cultivating Inner Strength. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from U.C. Berkeley in 1973 and is currently the executive Vice-President, USA Wushu-Kungfu Association.

C.P. Ong's Website

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On today’s episode I had the pleasure to speak to Dr. Shin Lin.

Dr Lin is Professor Emeritus, Developmental & Cell Biology
School of Biological Sciences. He is also a Chen Tai Chi linage holder and lifetime practitioner.

In his Laboratory Dr LIn studies changes in physiological functions and bioenergy levels associated with the ancient mind-body practices of Qigong and Tai Chi.

The result of his studies, are used to formulate models to explain the beneficial effects of these practices on health and healing at the cellular, and molecular levels.

Please visit Somatic Primer:
You can visit at our website: Somaticprimer.com
For upcoming live courses: Vidyamethod.com
Our Online Learning Platform @ Somatic Primer on Patreon

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

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Don Hanlon Johnson is a professor at CIIS in San Francisco and the founder of the first graduate degree program in Somatics. He is the author of a body of literature on the intersections among bodily experience, the natural world, spirituality, social justice, and health.

Don Hanlon Johnson began his training with Dr. Ida Rolf and joined Thomas Hanna as a contributing editor of his journal Somatics,

To find out more about his work please visit https://donhanlonjohnson.com.

To find out more about my work or take lessons please visit http://somaticprimer.com

Please visit our online learning platform on Patreon at Somatic Primer.

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Wasentha Young is a lifelong practitioner of Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation. She is a founding board member of the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors. Wasentha was a student of Grandmaster William CC Chen. Master Young received formal training in Buddhist and Taoist meditation respectfully from Trungpa Rinpoche and Gia-Fu Feng in addition to achieving a masters degree in Transpersonal Studies.

To visit her school please visit: https://peacefuldragonschool.com/instructors/

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Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Jean-Louis Rodrigue is a movement director, acting coach, and senior teacher of the Alexander Technique. For over 40 years, he has worked professionally in Los Angeles and New York in theatre, film, television, and digital media; his unique approach to character movement and improving the levels of performance has brought international recognition.

Click here to get a copy of his new book on the Alexander Technique: Back to the Body

To Find our more about Jean-Louis and his work please visit:
https://alexandertechworks.com/about-alexander-techworks/

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Yogi Sivadas was born into the traditional Ayurvedic and Yoga practices of Kerala. As a teenager, he left home to continue his quest for deeper knowledge, traveling throughout India and the neighboring countries.

After more than twelve years of exploring throughout India gaining spiritual wisdom he founded the Kailash Tribal School of Yoga and Holistic Healing at Mcleodganj in 2000. Through the Kailash Tribal School of Yoga and Holistic Healing he fulfills his passion for globally sharing his knowledge and his holistic approach to life.

More about Yogi Sivadas: Kailash School

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show. If you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

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Alexandra holds a BFA/Dance (University of MI), MFA/Dance (University of WI at Milwaukee), and CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) in Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals (LIMS). She is on faculty at Princeton University, Rutgers University, and The Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies, and guest teaches nationally and internationally.

To find out more about Alexandra please visit: https://www.alexandrabellerdances.org/free-resources

After the podcast please visit our online learning platform on Patreon. We have weekly taiji and somatic classes there as well as articles and extended content from the podcast.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on our website Somaticprimer.com.

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This Week's Episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast: Ven. Robina Courtin

Ordained since the late 1970s, Ven. Robina has worked full time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s FPMT. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom.

https://robinacourtin.com

For Buddhist Studies & Meditation please visit our website www.vidyamethod.com

After the podcast please visit our online learning platform on Patreon. We have weekly taiji and somatic classes there as well as articles and extended content from the podcast.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on our website Somaticprimer.com.

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On this episode I had the pleasure to speak with taiji teacher Robert Chuckrow. He has studied (Taiji), (Qigong),under masters such as Cheng Man-ch’ing, William C.C. Chen, Elaine Summers. He has written four books on T’ai Chi: The Tai Chi Book, Tai Chi Walking, Tai Chi Dynamics, and Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments.

https://www.chuckrowtaichi.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@dsfgnk4/videos

I’d like to let listeners know that I have new courses beginning in September for Buddhist Studies, Somatics and Taiji. If you're interested in our live courses you can visit our website Vidyamethod.com to find our full lists of upcoming classes

After the podcast please visit our online learning platform on Patreon. We have weekly taiji and somatic classes there as well as articles and extended content from the podcast.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us on Youtube or at our website Somaticprimer.com.

As always thank you for listening.

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Sam F.S. Chin is the co-founder of the art I Liq Chuan / Zhong Xin Dao system.

Master Sam Chin was profoundly influenced by Buddhist meditation. Combining mindfulness and awareness with the traditional martial art his father had taught him Master Chin developed what would become I Liq Chuan.

I Liq Chuan is the art of cultivating consciousness based on Tai Chi and Chan (Zen) principles of non-assertion, non-resistance, harmony of yin and yang, oneness and the present moment.

Sam Chin:
https://iliqchuan.com/

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Lama Losang (Dr. David Bole)is a fully ordained monk, he completed his traditional three-year retreat in 2004. In addition to being a Karma Kagyü lineage holder, Lama Losang is also an acupuncture physician, a Tai Chi teacher, and holds a Ph.D. in Psychology. He teaches wellness and Buddhism around the country.
Lama Losang (Dr. David Bole), Ph.D., is the Director of the Traditional Acupuncture Center, a holistic health care facility, and resident teaching Lama for the Gainesville Karma Thegsum Choling, a Buddhist meditation and training center.

For more information about Lama Losang please visit: https://www.ktcgainesville.org

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show. If you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us at our Patreon, on Youtube or at our website somaticprimer.com.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode!

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Cyndi Lee began teaching meditation 30 years ago with the blessing of her root guru, the great Tibetan master, Gelek Rinpoche.

Cyndi is known for integrating yoga asana and Tibetan Buddhism. From 1998-2012, she founded and ran the renowned OM yoga Center. OM yoga Center was the first NYC studio to offer Buddhist meditation classes.

Cyndi is the author of several books including: Yoga Body Buddha Mind. She is also a regular contributor to Yoga Journal & Lion’s Roar.

To find out more about Cyndi please visit https://www.cyndilee.com

I have new courses beginning in September for both Buddhist Studies and Taiji. Please go to Somaticprimer.Com or Vidyamethod.com to find out more.

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

You can visit us at our Patreon, on Youtube.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode.

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My guest this week is Embodiment teacher Will Johnson. Will Johnson has been a Buddhist practitioner and Rolfer for more than forty years. He and his wife live in Costa Rica, where they have created the Hollow Bamboo Retreat Center. Will has written several books including Breathing Through the Whole Body: The Buddha’s Instructions on Integrating Mind, Body, and Breath.

To find out more about Will visit https://www.embodiment.net

Please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe. You can visit us at our Patreon, on Youtube or at our website somaticprimer.com.

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James Nestor is an author and journalist His book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was an international bestseller. James is currently hosting breathing workshops and he is working on a new book.

To find out more about James please visit https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/

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Don't forget to follow us on Patreon & Youtube

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In this weeks episode, I had the pleasure to sit down with Matteo Pistono

Matteo Pistono is a writer, meditation teacher, and conscious breathing guide. His new book Breathe How You Want to Feel: Your Breathing Tool Kit for Better Health.

Matteo has authored numerous books including Meditation: Coming To Know Your Mind, Fearless in Tibet and In The Shadow of the Buddha. He teaches conscious breathing and meditation to individuals and groups in-person as well as online.

https://www.matteopistono.com

I have a few new openings for those of you interested in learning about and practicing Somatics, Tai Chi, Qigong, or meditation. Please go to Somaticprimer.com to inquire and I’ll be in touch.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode!

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In this weeks episode, I had a conversation with Tsering Dorje. Tsering studied Buddhism in both monastic and academic settings for the past twenty years. He translates ancient Hatha and Vajrayana texts. His focus is on the body-oriented yogas in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

Tsering has a Newsletter on substack where he posts his translations. Below is the link to his substack if you’d like to find out more.

https://tsering.substack.com

I have a few new openings for those of you interested in learning about and practicing the embodied arts of Somatics, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation.
Please go to Somaticprimer.com to inquire and I’ll be in touch.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation.
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In this week's episode, I had a conversation with my friend and breath coach Mike Maher. Mike is a breath work instructor, and researcher.

Mike is the founder of YouTube’s Number One Breathwork channel –TAKE A DEEP BREATH, and the host of the Breathwork Podcast ,The Breathcast.

Mike trains people online with his popular breath-work program Functional Breathing Essentials and he’s just started a group breathing practice as well.

Mike's website & Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@TAKEADEEPBREATH
https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation. Please like and subscribe.

Somaticprimer.com
Patreon
Youtube

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode.

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In this weeks episode, I had the pleasure to speak with Michael Sheehy.

Michael Sheehy is a meditation researcher and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a Research Assistant Professor and Director of Research at the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia.

Michael studied extensively in Asia, including three years training in a Buddhist monastery in the nomadic Golok region of far eastern Tibet and more than twelve years conducting fieldwork to preserve rare manuscripts with monastic communities across the Tibetan plateau. His research on Tibetan lucid dreaming practices was featured in National Geographic.

His forthcoming book is on the history and philosophy of the Jonang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His current book project weaves practices of attention, imagination, and embodiment from Tibetan meditation manuals with contemporary discourses on mind, body, culture, and ecology.

You can find out more about Michael and his work on his website https://michaelrsheehy.com

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if you are not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and don’t to forget to like and subscribe.

Discover more about us and our ongoing courses at Somaticprimer.com & Vidyamethod.com

As always thank you for listening and enjoy the episode

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Willa Baker has a doctorate from Harvard University. She is the Founder and director of The Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA, and its retreat center in the mountains of, NH. She is a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Tibetan Buddhist Kagyu lineage . Willa lived as a monastic for twelve years and has also completed two three-year retreats.

Willa is author of several books including The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom

Find our more about Lama Willa:
https://naturaldharma.org
Rewilding the Soul: Finding Refuge in an Earth Based Lineage

The Wakeful Body (Online Course)

Explore our Classes:
https://somaticprimer.com/

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Drew Leder a professor of Western and Eastern Philosophy at Loyola University Maryland. Dr. Leder's work focuses on the embodied experience. He asks us to reconsider the Cartesian mind-body dualism that underlies much of contemporary Western medicine, and proposes a more holistic, yet rigorous, alternative.

He has written several books on these topics including The Absent Body, and his latest book The Healing Body: Creative Responses to Illness, Aging, and Affliction

Find out more at https://www.drewleder.com/

https://somaticprimer.com/
https://vidyamethod.com/

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In this weeks episode, I speak with Joseph Alter. Joseph S. Alter is the Director of the Asian Studies Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the editor of The Journal of Asian Studies (2021 – 2025). His research is on environmental health, the globalization of Asian medical knowledge and the cultural history of Yoga’s development in India.

In the discussion professor Alter made references to Geoffrey Samuel & Livia Koan both of whom have been guests on the show. To hear there episodes follow the links below.

Episode 6 & 7 Season Two: Geoffrey Samuel Phd: Embodiment & Tibetan Buddhism

Episode 18 Season One: Livia Kohn, Ph.D: Daoyin, Daoism, & Somatics

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if youre not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and please subscribe.

For classes & private lessons go to
somaticprimer.com
vidyamethod.com

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**My guest today, is Veronica Rottman. Veronica has a somatics and dance background. She studied Somatic Experiencing with Peter Levine as well as Somatic Attachment Therapy. Her passion is in Birth Work where she teaches a speciality Yoga for the pelvic floor, + prenatal/postnatal yoga)

Listeners can find about more about her and her work at Waking Womb where she teaches classes and workshops.

To find our more about the Podcast visit Somatic Primer For Meditation & Somatic Embodiment Classes please visit Vidya Method Thank for listening and I hope you enjoy the episode.**

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Welcome to season 3 of the Somatic Primer Podcast. In this week's episode, I speak with Stuart Olson. Stuart is the founder, of Sanctuary of Tao. he is an author and translator of over thirty works on Taoist Philosophy, Taijiquan, Qigong, and Taoist internal practices.

We discuss his translation of the Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic: The Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity, and Immortality. The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic teaches that one can attain immortality through the cultivation of the three treasures of jing (sexual and physical energy), qi (breath and vital energy), and shen (spirit and mental energy).

Find our more about Stuart Olson https://www.valleyspiritarts.com/

Follow us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=63954666

For this weeks extended episode Stuart tells us about his time doing a bowing pilgrimage that lasted for two and a half years. If you're interested in his journey with that practice then head on over to the patron to listen.

https://somaticprimer.com/
https://vidyamethod.com/

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Georges Dreyfus is Professor of Religion at Williams College, Massachusetts. His focus is in the fields of Indian Buddhist philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cognitive processes.

At the age of 20, Dreyfus left his native home of Switzerland and backpacked across Eastern Europe through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. He traveled to Dharamsala where he first encountered Tibetan Buddhism. Captivated by its philosophy, he entered a monastery and began the studies that lasted for 15 years. In 1985 he would be the first Westerner to receive the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest available within the Tibetan scholastic tradition.

He is author of several books including, The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, and Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations.

Dr. Dreyfus and Bryson discuss:

His journey from Switzerland to India
How he came to be a Buddhist monk
The daily life of a Buddhist monk
The Philosophy of Conscious in Buddhism
Meeting the Dalai Lama
The Path of Meditation vs. Scholarship
Tibetan Debating System
and much more...

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In this episode, I speak with Dr. James Mallinson about his time living in India living with the sadhus, meeting his guru, and his pioneering research on the history of yoga.

Dr. James Mallinson is is a professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford. He was previously a Reader in Indology and Yoga Studies at SOAS University of London. His research focuses on the history and current traditional practice of yoga.

He co-authored with Mark Singleton the Haṭha Yoga Project, a five-year six-person research project on the history of Hatha Yoga.

James spent many years living in India with the Sadhus and at the 2013 Kumbh Mela was awarded the title of Mahant. His ordination as a Mahant, is the first time a westerner had received this honor. It was documented in a BBC film entitled West Meets East.
Watch here: East Meets West

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Again, I want to thank listeners who support the podcast, we really couldn't do it without your support. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the show.

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My guest today is Rick Olderman. Rick is a sports and orthopedic physical therapist, Hanna somatic practitioner and author. Rick has spent years developing his approach for treating chronic pain. Rick has written a series of books called “Fixing you” and his most recent book "Solving the Pain Puzzle" to help people with chronic pain and injuries. Rick is also is the host of the podcast Talk about Pain.

Rick's Podcast, Talk about Pain Podcast
https://rickolderman.com/

Type in "talk25" for a 20% discount for listeners of the Somatic Primer Podcast.

Please consider giving us a five star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts

We hope you enjoy the episode!

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In this episode Tim Cartmell returns to discuss his book Xing Yi Nei Gong: Xing Yi Health Maintenance and Internal Strength Development. Tim explains the basic principals of Nei Gong and how to apply them. We discuss the similarities of Nei Gong, the Alexander Technique and how these ideas can benefit people in athletics and daily life.

Application for Somatic Restructuring Lessons https://somaticprimer.com/contact/

Tim Cartmell Episode #4 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1927632/10239868

If you enjoyed the episode please consider giving us a five star rating in Apple Podcasts. Thank you!

Support the Show https://www.buzzsprout.com/1927632/supporters/new

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Jason Birch is a scholar of medieval Hatha yoga and a founding member of SOAS's Centre for Yoga Studies

Jason is a senior research fellow for the ‘Light on Hatha Yoga’ project. He is well known for his important paper on the meaning of haṭha in early Haṭhayoga, which has reshaped our understanding of the origins of this term by locating it within Buddhist literature.

He is the co-founder of the open-access platform for yoga research The Luminescent, and a founding member of the peer-reviewed Journal of Yoga Studies. The Luminescent is an independent collaborative hub for scholars, researchers, teachers and practitioners of Yoga.

https://www.theluminescent.org/

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Professor of Anthropology, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford
Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford

Elisabeth Hsu's research contributes to the fields of medical anthropology and ethnobotany; language and text critical studies; and the history of science, technology and medicine in China and beyond. It concerns Chinese medicine, and East Asian and traditional and pre-twentieth century medicines more generally; the transmission of knowledge and practice; body and personhood; treatment modalities and their efficaciousness; pulse diagnosis; touch, pain, feelings and affect, cognition and emotions, and sensory experience.

What the Visualisation of Efficacious Movement (Shi 勢) Tells Us about the Composition of the Yijin Jing 易筋經 (Canon for Supple Sinews)

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Alex Scrimgeour is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist based in London, UK. He has over twenty years experience as a practitioner of qigong and meditation. He Received a BSc. in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Diploma in Tuina (Chinese Massage Therapy) from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine.

Alex completed clinical internships in Vietnam's largest teaching hospital, the Institute of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City. He understudied with renowned Dien Chan (Facial Reflexology) expert Tran Dung Thang in HCMC.

Alex recently published a book "Facial Reflexology for Emotional Well-being" about the history and practice of Vietnamese Dien Chan and its Chinese analogs.

To find out more about Alex please visit https://www.alexscrimgeour.com/

If you would like to support the Somatic Primer Podcast please visit https://www.somaticprimer.com

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Esther Gokhale studied biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and, later, acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong crusade to vanquish back pain. Her studies at the Aplomb® Institute in Paris and years of research in Brazil, India, Portugal and elsewhere led her to develop the Gokhale Method, a unique, systematic approach to help people find their bodies’ way back to pain-free living. Gokhale's book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into ten languages.

Find out more @ https://gokhalemethod.com/

For our classes Somaticprimer.com & Vidyamethod.com

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Bryson Newell is the host of The Somatic Primer Podcast. The platform is a continuing education program that uses his experience in meditation and the somatic arts as the basis for the show. The show explores various approaches and understanding of the body-mind complex.

Bryson has studied and taught various systems of meditation, Neigong, and Somatics. Additionally he completed retreats for the Tibetan Buddhist practices of the Drikung Kagyu Ngondro and The Five Fold Path of Mahamudra. His practices and teachings focus on the inner principles inherent in these systems.

He created Somatic Restructuring to clearly define the “means whereby” of Somatics so practitioners can develop systematically through their own efforts. His Somatic Restructuring lessons are internal somatic education classes that teach people how to find freedom through conscious internal movement principles.

He has written several articles including his most recent one "Filling the Mind with Sky"
https://www.ultraphysical.us/p/filling-the-mind-with-sky

You can find out more about him at https://vidyamethod.com

https://substack.com/@brysonnewell?utm_source=edit-profile-page

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Shifu Yan Lei was born in 1973 to a traditional family in the Xin Jiang province of China. He began his martial arts life at the age of fourteen when he travelled to the other side of China to train in the Shaolin Temple in Henan province.

His Master, the Shaolin Abbot, Shi Yong Xin gave him the name Lei – meaning thunder – and he became a 34th generation fighting disciple. When he was eighteen he travelled to different Kung Fu schools to learn additional Kung Fu and Qigong skills from famous masters.

He was invited to the West to teach authentic Shaolin martial arts.and to teach at the Shaolin Temple in the UK. Shifu Yan Lei is the author of Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout For Longevity, and the new book, Instant Fitness: The Shaolin Kung Fu Workout. He teaches private classes and seminars around the world. He also plays a martial artist in the feature film The Turtle And The Sea which won Best Local Picture at the Birmingham Film Festival.

Find our more about Shifu Yan Lei https://www.shifuyanlei.co.uk

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John Loupos, is the owner of the Jade Forest Kung Fu/ Tai Chi training facility and the Pain and Mobility Clinic in Ma. He has been studying martial arts since 1966. His martial arts training includes; Okinawan Karate and Praying Mantis styles of Kung Fu, As well as Yang style Tai Chi, Ba Gua,and qigong practices. He is a Certified Hanna Somatic Educator and a member of the Board of Directors for the Association for Hanna Somatic Education. John has written several books on Tai Chi Chuan and on Somatics. His most recent book was The Sustainable You—Somatics & the Myth of Aging. He is currently working on a next book exploring the relationship between Somatics, Neurophysiology, and Tai Chi Chuan.

Find out more about John at https://jfkungfu.com

Introduction to Buddhism & Meditation course please visit https://somaticprimer.com

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Conor Heffernan is professor of Physical Culture and Sport studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on health and body cultures in Ireland, Europe and Indian bodybuilders in the early 20th century.

Outside of academia, Conor is a regular contributor to health and fitness websites as well as his own history of fitness website Physical Culture Study.

Books: The History of Physical Culture in Ireland
Website: physicalculturestudy.com

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you did, please subscribe. For Somatic Restructuring lessons and other classes please visit somaticprimer.com

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David Robert Loy is a retired professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the San bo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is one of the founding members of the new Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado.

Davids essays and books have been translated into many languages. His articles appear regularly in the pages of major journals and Buddhist magazines including Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, and Buddhadharma,

He lectures nationally and internationally focusing primarily on the encounter between Buddhism and modernity and eco dharma.

Presently he is offering talks and workshops on latest book Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis”

Friday morning David leads an online meditation followed by a dharma talk starting at 8:00am Colorado [mountain] time. It’s free and everyone is welcome.

David's websitehttps://www.davidloy.org
Ecodharma Retreats please visit http://www.rockymountainecodharmaretreat.org/

For Somatic Restructuring lessons please visit https://somaticprimer.com

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Dr. Wendi Weimar is a biomechanics professor and the Director of the Sport Biomechanics Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University.
Dr. Weimar's research is focused on the function of the lower extremity with specific interest in gait dynamics. She has worked with professional athletes, and Olympians. She consults with collegiate and several professional sports teams in the United States.

Her Biomechanics Laboratory provides movement analyses speed and agility camps as well as pre-season preparation camps. These camps focus on the development of body control, understanding the role of vertical and horizontal forces and understanding the role of the position of the center of gravity with regard to foot position.

Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show and if youre not already then please consider supporting the show with a monthly donation and please subscribe!

For more information please visit http://somaticprimer.com

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Frank Zane has won all of bodybuilding’s major titles including Mr. Olympia (3 Times), Mr. Universe (3 Times), Mr. World and Mr America. Frank is one of the leading experts on bodybuilding and active aging. He has been named as one of the “Top 10 Legends of Bodybuilding” and also was awarded “The Best Physique of All Time” by Muscle and Fitness Magazine.

Frank is considered by many to be an exemplar of aesthetics and physical proportion in the history of the sport. He has been inducted into both the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame and the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame. He is one of only three people in the history of professional bodybuilding ever defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger.

To find out more about Frank Zane please visit, https://frankzane.com

To Resister for our Buddhism & Meditation course please visit, https://somaticprimer.com

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We hope you enjoy the show.

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James Earls is a writer, lecturer, and bodyworker, specializing in Myofascial Release and Structural Integration. He specializes in blending movement with manual therapy creating a new functional approach to bodywork.

James’ first started practicing bodywork over 25 years ago. He has studied with Thomas Myers, Art Riggs, and Gary Gray. James worked alongside Tom Myers to co-author “Fascial Release for Structural Balance”

James’ blend of movement and fascial understanding led to the publication of his well-received “Born to Walk”, an introduction to the interconnected mechanics of the body, and the more recent book 'Understanding the Human Foot'.

Find our more about James Earls https://www.borntomove.com/

Introduction to Buddhism & Meditation somaticprimer.com

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Thomas Kasulis is a professor emeritus of comparative studies and University Distinguished Scholar at The Ohio State University, Kasulis has taught and lectured around the world, having established himself as a foremost interpreter of Japanese thought and culture.

He has written numerous books and scholarly articles on Japanese religious thought and western philosophy, including Zen Action/Zen Person, described in the “Times Literary Supplement” as “one of the most clear and perceptive accounts of Zen available.”

He co-edited a three-volume series comparing Asian and Western ideas of self in different cultural arenas: Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice, Self as Person in Asian Theory and Practice, and Self as Image in Asian Theory and Practice.

The Body: By Yasuo Yuasa https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-Body

For Somatic Restructuring lessons please visit somaticprimer.com

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Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming (楊俊敏博士) has a M.S. in Physics from Tamkang College in Taipei Xian and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He started his Gongfu (Kung Fu) training at the age of fifteen under the Shaolin White Crane (Bai He) Master Cheng, Gin Gsao (曾金灶). In thirteen years of study (1961-1974) under Master Cheng, Dr. Yang became an expert in the White Crane style of Chinese martial arts. With the same master he also studied White Crane Qin Na (or Chin Na), Tui Na and Dian Xue massages, and herbal treatment.

At the age of sixteen, Dr. Yang began the study of Taijiquan (Yang Style) under Master Kao, Tao (高濤). Dr. Yang's tai chi can be traced back to the Yang family through Master Kao's teacher Yue, Huanzhi (樂奐之), an indoor disciple of Yang, Chengfu (楊澄甫). After learning from Master Kao, Dr. Yang continued his study and research of Taijiquan with Master Li, Mao-Ching (李茂清) and training partner Mr. Wilson Chen in Taipei. Master Li learned his Taijiquan from the well-known Master Han, Ching-Tang, and Mr. Chen learned his Taijiquan from Master Chang, Xiang-San.

In 1982, he established Yang’s Martial Arts Association (YMAA) in Boston, MA. YMAA has since grown into a network of 30 schools in over 15 countries. Dr. Yang has traveled the world teaching at seminars and training camps.

Since 2005, Dr. Yang has resided in northern California where he trained a group of disciples in a multi-year comprehensive training program. Today, he continues to author books and teach seminars online and around the world.

https://yangjwingming.com

http://somaticprimer.com

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Conor Heffernan is professor of Physical Culture and Sport studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on health and body cultures in Ireland, Europe and Indian bodybuilders in the early 20th century.

Conor is currently working on a book detailing the rise of Indian club swinging in the nineteenth century and its global spread. Outside of academia, Conor is a regular contributor to health and fitness websites as well as his own history of fitness website Physical Culture Study.

Books: The History of Physical Culture in Ireland
Website: physicalculturestudy.com

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you did, please subscribe. For Somatic Fascia Restructuring lessons and other classes please visit somaticprimer.com

Support the show

David Anderson is the Director of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute at San Francisco State University. He is Formerly a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at SF State. His research centers on understanding how motor skills are acquired, how to promote the development of motor skills, and how motor activity influences psychological functioning.

David is an Active Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology. He is a passionate advocate for the importance of physical activity in optimal motor and psychological development and is committed to promoting efforts to improve early child care, education and health.

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Leigh Ankrum CNMT, CSST is a Functional Bodywork practitioner and teacher. In 2016 she founded the Ankrum Institute in Tulsa Oklahoma.

After decades of training around the world in various modalities , she used her experience to create one comprehensive, system. She integrates Osteopathic Manipulation, Lymphatic Massage, Visceral Manipulation, Myofascial Release (Rolfing), Neuro-Muscular Therapy, and Craniosacral Therapy.

Leigh opened The ankurm Institute as a way for Ankrum to share her decades of education and experience, training new bodywork practitioners for a new future of healthcare. Ankrum tells students that the coming future is integrative. She believes in and practices a new way of looking at bodywork.

To find our more the Ankrum Institute please visit https://www.ankruminstitute.com

Don't forget to subscribe & like the show. Thanks for listening!

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Geoffrey Samuel is Emeritus Professor in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He is former joint editor of the journal Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity and director of the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) International Research Network. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of religion in Tibetan societies, the historical development and contemporary practice of technologies of consciousness, the relationship between consciousness, body and materiality, particularly in relation to healing, as well as the history of meditation, yoga and tantra in India and Tibet and other Asian medical, health and yogic practices.

Books:
Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body
Edited By Geoffrey Samuel, Jay Johnston
The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century.
Tantric Revisionings: New Understandings of Tibetan Buddhism and Indian Religion.
Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body

For Somatic lessons & to support the show please visit somaticprimer.com
Thanks for listening!

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Geoffrey Samuel is Professor in the School of Religious and Theological Studies at Cardiff University. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of religion in Tibetan societies, the historical development and contemporary practice of technologies of consciousness, the relationship between consciousness, body and materiality, particularly in relation to healing, as well as the history of meditation, yoga and tantra in India and Tibet and other Asian medical, health and yogic practices.

Books:
The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century.
Tantric Revisionings: New Understandings of Tibetan Buddhism and Indian Religion.

He is joint editor of the journal Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity and he has also recently established the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) International Research Network.

For Somatic lessons & to support the show please visit somaticprimer.com
Thanks for listening!

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Kelly Lynch is a former professional dancer and physical theatre artist based out of Montreal (1991-2005). Kelly Jean Lynch (formerly Mullan) is presently a PhD student in Dance Studies at York University. Her Master thesis is from Skidmore College, The Art and Science of Somatics: Theory, History and Scientific Foundations, has been downloaded over 6,000 times. Kelly’s research has also focused on somatic education lineages of women practitioners from the late 19th century with a focus on the aesthetic dance performer Genevieve Stebbins. Kelly has publications in Currents: The Journal of Body–MindCentering Association; the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices; Feminist Modernist Studies; Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy: An International Journal for Theory, Research and Practice and a chapter on physical culture inMindful Movement: The Evolution of the Somatic Arts and Conscious Action.

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David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT is an Allied Health Member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He serves as the Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at UPMC’s Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a Board Certified Structural Integrator, Anatomy Trains Structural Integrator, Frederick Stretch Therapist, Fascial Fitness Trainer, and Visceral Manipulation.

David is the author of the international best seller Fascia: What it is and Why it Matters, now in its 2nd edition. His follow up book, Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications was nominated for a 2021 British Medical Association award. David sits on the Executive Committee of The International Consortium on Manual Therapies.

He host the podcast BodyTalk with David Lesondak https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bodytalk-with-david-lesondak/id1557630659
You can find out more about David at https://www.davidlesondak.com/

Support the Somatic Primer https://somaticprimer.com

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Nick Matiasz is the Scientific Program Director for the Center for Contemplative Research in North America.

Nick received his Ph.D. in medical informatics from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied causal reasoning in neuroscience. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Tufts University, where he performed interdisciplinary research in psychology and computer science. He has also worked in the Department of Neurology Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

He is currently an Electrical Engineering Associate in Strategic Initiatives at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where he supports efforts related to renewable energy. He worked as part of a team that supported the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study (LA100), a landmark study that identified pathways for achieving 100% renewable energy in Los Angeles.

Please visit, https://centerforcontemplativeresearch.org

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Roger Jahnke, O.M.D. is a doctor of Classical Chinese Medicine with thirty years of clinical practice. He is the Founder and Director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, and serves as a consultant to hospitals, social service agencies, and corporations in Complementary and Integrative Medicine.
He has authored several books including The Healer Within and his most recent book, The Healing Promise of Qi. In 2005, Dr. Jahnke was appointed to co-convene a "National Expert Meeting on Qigong and Tai Chi" in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the National Blueprint for Active Aging.

To find out more about Dr. Jahnke, please visit www.FeeltheQi.com, there you can find his books and programs.

To Support The Somatic Primer Podcast Please Visit www.somaticprimer.com

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Susan Lowell de Solórzano shares her understanding of biotensegrity as developed over years of direct study with the concept's originator, Stephen M. Levin, MD, and makes biotensegrity accessible through experiential activities and exercises.

Susan Lowell de Solórzano has an MA, Human Development & Education with a focus on kinesthetic learning, she is certified as a Level III T'ai Chi instructor by the American T'ai Chi & Qi Gong Association, and is a certified FlexAware teacher. Since 2012 she has been an associate of Dr Stephen M Levin, originator of the theory of biotensegrity. Susan is a co-founder and Head Organizer, DC BIG (Washington, DC Biotensegrity Interest Group; est. 2012) and co-founder of the Stephen M Levin Biotensegrity Archive.

Ling to her book: Everything Moves: How Biotensegrity Informs Human Movement
https://uk.singingdragon.com/collections/author-susan-lowell-de-sol-rzano-pid-300255

If you liked the episode we'd really appreaciate your support. Please visit our webpage for classes and/or donations. Thanks! https://somaticprimer.com

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Jeando is a master Alexander teacher and historian. He translated all of Alexanders books into French. While working on these translations Jeando discovered that Alexander had studied the Delsarte method. Jeando focused on this early work and created his own version of the Alexander Technique called the Initial Alexander Technique.

In this episode we discuss:
What is the Alexander Technique
Why the Alexander technique is not somatic
The origins of the technique
FM Alexander & the Delsarte technique
Identity or ethos in movement

If you’d like to find about Jeando and his work you can visit his website initial-alexandertechnique.com where he publishes an insightful blog about the work and history of the method. For classes & private lessons with me please visit somaticprimer.com

Support the show

Paulina Assaf, is a pain reprocessing therapist. Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a system of psychological techniques that retrains the brain to interpret and respond to signals from the body properly, subsequently breaking the cycle of chronic pain. Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is an evidence-based approach for treating chronic pain. Rooted in neuroscience, PRT aims to rewire neural pathways in the brain in order to deactivate pain.

Paulina earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California, pursuing a specialty in Social Change and Innovation. In her clinical practice, Paulina utilizes pain reprocessing therapy and mindfulness techniques to help patients understand their own mind-body connection in order to deactivate fear signals, and subsequently pain signals, in the brain. Paulina also serves as the operations lead at the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, aiming to build a comprehensive network of certified practitioners to treat the millions who suffer from neuroplastic pain.

In this episode we discuss:
What is pain repressing therapy
What is neuroplactic pain
How mindfulness and education play a unique role in the process
What does it mean to feel safe in our body
Who can benefit from Pain Reprocessing Therapy
And much more

If you’d like to find out more Somatic Primer please visit somaticprimer.com. To learn about pain reprocessing therapy you can go to and Paulina's work please visit https://www.painreprocessingtherapy.com Thank you for listening!

Paulie Zink began studying yoga and martial arts as a teenager. While he was in college, he met a gung-fu master from Hong Kong named Cho Chat Ling. Master Cho taught him the Taoist arts of yoga and Chi Kung as a foundation for his martial arts training. Master Cho taught Paulie three distinct Kung-fu styles collectively called Tai Shing Pek Kwar ( Monkey kung fu).

For seven years Paulie Zink continued his daily intensive level of study with his master while he simultaneously developed his own art of Yin yoga. After ten years Master Cho declared Paulie to be his own master and his training ended. Paulie is the only westerner to be traditionally trained in the art of Tai Shing Pek Kwar in a direct Chinese lineage from the arts’ originators.

Paulie entered in the solo “Empty Hands” and “Weapons” divisions of approximately one hundred martial arts tournaments from local to regional to national levels. He won the Grand Championship in all of them, often in both divisions. Master Zink’s tournament career culminated with him winning the Grand Championship at the Long Beach International Karate Championships three consecutive years. Master Zink has been inducted into three Martial Arts Halls of Fame. Master Zink has co-authored two books on Monkey Kung-fu.

As the founder of Yin yoga, he continues to evolve his Taoist art by adding postures, variations, and insights. Through many years of study, practice, and teaching he has developed the ancient Taoist tradition into his own distinctive and dynamic style.

In this episode we discuss

His early training with Master Cho

Developing and teaching Yin Yoga

His philosophy of movement and teaching

Studying animal movement as a form of training

And much more

To connect with me please visit http://somaticprimer.com.
To find out more about Paulie please visit https://www.pauliezink.com. I've provided links below to Paulie's live competition where he preforms the money gong fu form. It's truly unbelievable to watch him move and I think it will give listeners an understanding of his movement philosophy as we discussed in the interview. Thanks for listing and I hope you enjoy the episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvw1y26yFc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2NCQJqDJuI&list=PL4fGB-EUUulGArDXktmZXXtzi8fd0UJIj&index=3

Don Hanlon Johnson is a professor at CIIS in San Francisco and the founder of the first graduate degree program in Somatics. He is the author of a body of literature on the intersections among bodily experience, the natural world, spirituality, social justice, and health.

After studying and practicing the work of Ida Rolf, he founded the first masters degree program in Somatic Psychology. He was a professor in that program for some 30 years. He currently is teaching in newly launched Somatics emphasis in the doctoral program of Integral and Transpersonal Psychologies.

In this episode we discuss:
Importance of somatics
Divisions among somatic disciplines
The unfortunate Disembodiement of western academics
His relationship with Thomas Hanna and creating the somatic journal
Somatics and ethics
Somatics and consciousness
& much more...

To find our more about his work please visit https://donhanlonjohnson.com. If you'd like to find our more about my work or take lessons please visit http://somaticprimer.com. Please enjoy the show.

Des Lawton has been a practising martial artist for over thirty years. He was a close student of Master Joseph Bell who is a direct lineage descendant of Master Wang Jiu Mei.

Des is now the Principal Instructor of the San Bao Martial Arts School . He teaches Taiji and Taijiquan classes in and around the Glasgow area and has developed a diploma course in Healing Qigong. He teachies both for Community Education projects and within resource groups for people with learning difficulties and special needs.

In this episode we discuss:
His background in the healing arts
What is qi and why it matters
We try to define some of the esoteric language in the internal arts
How to approach and learn the internal arts

You can find out more about des and take his online classes at https://sanbaoschool.co.uk

Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama & the people of Tibet. A close friend of the Dalai Lama’s for over 50 years, he is a leading world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, passionate activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, skilled translator of Buddhist texts, and inspiring writer of popular Buddhist books.

He met the H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1962. After learning Tibetan and studying Buddhism he decided to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk and was the first Westerner to be ordained by the Dalai Lama. After living as a monk for several years He returned to Harvard to finish his PhD.

In this episode we discuss:
His time as a monk in India
Meeting the Dalai Lama
Somatic Practices in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Yoga
Environmental issues and how modern society is disconnected from nature
And much more

Vajra Yoga Course begins October 22, - January 28, at Menla Retreat Center https://thusmenla.org/p/vajra-yoga-fall-immersion-online-only

Sam Cutler is an Honors Graduate in Contemporary History and a qualified teacher from the University of Cambridge .

Cutler worked for Blackhill Enterprises as stage manager and master of ceremonies on a series of 1960s gigs in the U.K. and Europe with such artists, as Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, and The Rolling Stones. In 1969, he acted as master of ceremonies at the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park London. Following the Hyde Park show, Cutler was asked to be the personal road manager to The Rolling Stones during their 1969 Tour of America

Following that tour Cutler was befriended by Jerry Garcia and so stayed in the U.S. and was subsequently hired by the Grateful Dead as their tour manager and agent. Cutler organized the Grateful Dead's appearances at a number of memorable events including: the 1970 Festival Express Tour of Canada, The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen and the 1972 European Tour of the Grateful Dead, the results of which can be heard on the Dead's triple live album Europe '72. Throughout his rock and roll career, Cutler was around and was agent for some of the largest rock and roll shows in history

Sam wrote a book commenertaing his time with the stones and the dead titled “You Can't Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and other reprobates. Sam now lives a more contemplative life in Australia practicing dharma.

In this Episode we discuss:

Sams early interest in Buddhism
Metta and non-violence
His daily Buddhist practice
The Grateful Dead's interest in Buddhism
Kindness as a daily practice

For more information & upcoming courses please visit https://somaticprimer.com Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.

Livia Kohn is an emeritus professor of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University, specializing in studies of Daoism. She graduated from Bonn University, Germany, in 1980. She then spent six years at Kyoto University in Japan, before she joined Boston University as Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies in 1988. She is a long term practitioner of Taiji qua and medittiaton. Her specialty is the study of the Daoism and Chinese long life practices. She has written and edited 35 books and over 100 articles.

She retired from active teaching in 2006 but continues to write books, serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies, and manages Three Pines Press, the Western voice of Daoism . She leads Daoist qigong and Core Health workshops worldwide, and is the lead organizer of a series of major international conferences on Daoism:

In this episode we discuss

Her background in Daoism
History of Daoyin, Tai Chi and Qigong
The Shaolin temple
Buddhist influences on Daoism
Western Somatics and Chinese healing practices

Dr. Kohn will be teaching "Daoist Psychology and Life Dynamics" at Eastover Eco retreat center in Lennox Massaschutes OCT 07, 2022 - OCT 09, 2022. For more information please visit http://www.eastover.com/workshop/livia-kohn-daoist-psychology-and-life-dynamics.html Three Pines Press link https://threepinespress.com

If you enjoyed the show please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Please visit https://somaticprimer.com Thanks for listening!

Jeffrey Hopkins is Professor Emeritus of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia where he taught Tibetan Buddhist Studies and Tibetan language for thirty-two years from 1973. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1963, trained for five years at firewood acres Buddhist Monastery in New Jersey with Geshe wangyal. He received a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. He served as His Holiness the Dalai Lama's chief interpreter for ten years.

He Founded the largest academic program of Tibetan buddhist studies at the University of Virginia. He served as Director of the Center for South Asian Studies for twelve years. He has published thirty-nine books in a total of twenty-two languages, as well as twenty-three articles.

His most prominent books are the trilogy Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism; Reflections on Reality: The Three Natures and Non-Natures in the Mind-Only School; and Absorption in No External World: 170 Issues in Mind-Only Buddhism.

In this episode we discuss

Dr. Hopkins upbringing and background in buddhism
His travels and early meditations of sky gazing
Living at Freewood acres and studying with Geshe Wangyal
Living and studying in India
Meeting H.H. Dalai Lama
Tonglen and compassion meditation

If you enjoyed the show please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Those of you interested in studying with me or taking private somatic lessons please visit https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/

This is Part Two of my interview with Dr. Bennett.

In this episode we discuss:

Hanna Somatics & Tai Chi
Hanna Somatics & Feldenkrais Method
Forceful & gentle application of Somatics
Importance of a daily practice
and much more...

If you'd like to find out more about Brad's work and read his article "The Somatic Work of of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi & Kinesiology" please visit his website at https://www.westeastsomatics.com

You can find out more about me and my classes at https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/

If you enjoy the episode please consider giving us five stars on the Apple Podcast App. Thanks for listening.

BRADFORD C. BENNETT, PHD
Dr. Bennett’s formal somatic education began in 1985 when he began studying Tai Chi with Hubert H. Lui. For the next ten years Mr. Lui helped Dr. Bennett become both more relaxed and more biomechanically sound in movement. Shortly after beginning Tai Chi Dr. Bennett injured his left knee playing basketball and explored the methods of Moshe Feldenkrais and Milton Trager to aid in his healing. By 1987 he had become a Certified Trager Practitioner. He continued to explore methodologies to improve neuromuscular control and studied with several teachers including; Yochanon Rywerant, Ruthy Alon, Llana Rubenfeld, Charlotte Selver, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Dean Juhan, Gaby Yaron, and Giora Pinkas. As his knee continued to bother him a Feldenkrais teacher referred him to Thomas Hanna. One session with Dr. Hanna convinced Dr. Bennett that Dr. Hanna was doing something quite unique and in 1990 he participated in Dr. Hanna’s first and only training in what he called Hanna Somatic Education. Dr. Bennett later became a Charter Member of the Association for Hanna Somatic Education®.

In 1993 Dr. Bennett left his position at as a Senior Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center to focus on somatic education. He was soon recruited to teach at Sonoma State University and then San Francisco State University in the Dept. of Kinesiology. During these studies Dr. Bennett continued studying with H. H. Lui, combining his insights from the Western “somatic education” with his Tai Chi practice.

In this episode we discuss:

Hist background in Somatics
Meeting Thomas Hanna
Hanna Somatic Training Course
Similarities of Somatics & Tai chi Chuan

If you'd like to find out more about Brad's work and read his article "The Somatic Work of of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi & Kinesiology" https://www.westeastsomatics.com

Dr. Patricia Huston, MD, CCFP, MPH has a dual academic appointment at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and the School of Epidemiology and Public Health. She has worked as a family physician, a public health physician and a scientific editor. She has attended meetings at the World Health Organization as an Expert Advisor, been on multiple national and international committees, and was the President of the international Council of Science Editors. She has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, on topics such as the care of the elderly, preventive cardiology, research and publication ethics, and the social determinants of health. Her most recent research interests are the health benefits of Tai Chi and the emerging science on fascia.

Dr. Huston's latest article, A Sedentary and Unhealthy Lifestyle Fuels Chronic Disease Progression by Changing Interstitial Cell Behaviour: A Network Analysis

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.904107/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Physiology&id=904107

In this episode we discuss

Dr. Huston's background in medicine
Her practice and interest in Vipassana meditation
Public Health Policy & Education
Inflammation & the microenvironment of fascia
Treating inflammation with stillness practices
The many benefits of Tai Chi Chuan

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. For information on our classes please visit https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/ where you will find links to all our courses. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. Thank you for listening.

Tom Waldron is a manual therapist, pilates instructor, Franklin Method Educator and specialist in exercise rehab. He sees and works with clients in both London and Portsmouth, UK.

Tom has helped rehabilitate with top athletes from injury in fields such as golf, running and students from the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet School. He also teaches nationally and internationally for educational companies in the health and fitness industry. Teaching biomechanical assessments for Biomechanics Education to other educators and embodied anatomy/function with the Franklin Method.

In this episode we discuss:

Toms background in movement and movement education
What is the Franklin Method
Visualization as a vehicle for movement and change
Franklin method and Embodiment
Somatic Experiencing and anatomy
Authentic teaching

I was not familiar wit the Franklin Method so I was delighted to sit down with Tom to learn more. Tom is a passionate teacher with an interesting perspective on movement. To find out more about his work please visit https://www.tomwaldronmovementtherapy.co.uk. If you enjoy this episode please give us a Five star review on Apple Podcasts as it allows us to reach more listeners. Thanks.
I hope you enjoy the episode.

Alexander Berzin began his study of Buddhism in 1962 at Rutgers and then Princeton University, and received his PhD in 1972 from Harvard University.Inspired by the process through which Buddhism was transmitted from one Asian civilization to another his focus has been on bridging traditional Buddhist and modern Western cultures.

Dr. Berzin was resident in India for 29 years, first as a Fulbright Scholar and then with the Translation Bureau, which he helped to found, at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives in Dharamsala. While in India, he furthered his studies with masters from all four Tibetan Buddhist traditions; however, his main teachers have been His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, and Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Practicing under their supervision, he completed the major meditation retreats of the Gelug tradition.

For nine years, he was the principal interpreter for Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, accompanying him on his foreign tours and training under him to be a Buddhist teacher. He has served as occasional interpreter for H.H. the Dalai Lama and has organized several international projects for him.

Dr. Berzin has published 17 books, including Taking the Kalachakra Initiation, and The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra. At the end of 1998, Dr. Berzin returned to the West and created the “Berzin Archives”. There, with the encouragement of H. H. the Dalai Lama, he set out to make this material freely available to the world on the Internet, in as many languages as possible.

In this episode Dr. Berzin shares:

How he first was introduced to Buddhism
His days at University
His first trip and traveled in India and Nepal
Core ideas of Buddhist philosophy
Buddhism is a living tradition
How to approach dharma study

This was a very special episode. We are very fortune to have Dr. Berzin on the show and share his fantastic journey and teachings with us. I hope you enjoy the show.

To find out more please visit https://studybuddhism.com
If you enjoy the program please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Thanks!

Sam Chin is the founder and President of Chin Family I Liq Chuan Association

Master Sam Chin grew up in Malaysia and trained martial arts since childhood with his father.
Master Chin migrated to California from Malaysia in 1991. One year later, he was advised to go to the Chuang Yen Monastery in New York where he would live for the next 10 years studying many different styles of Buddhism.

In the ten years of working and teaching at the Chuang Yen Monastery, Master Sam Chin was profoundly influenced by Buddhist meditation and in particular meditation on mindfulness and awareness. Combining mindfulness and awareness with the traditional martial art his father had taught him Master Chin developed what would become I Liq Chuan.

I Liq Chuan is the art of cultivating consciousness based on Tai Chi and Chan (Zen) principles of non-assertion, non-resistance, harmony of yin and yang, oneness and the present moment.

Master Chin has more than 30 schools that teach his method worldwide. He is an emeritus professor and has written several books. To find out more please visit https://iliqchuan.com/grand-master-sam-fs-chin/

In this episode we discuss

His background
Living at the monastery
Mind and awareness
The internal principals of I liq Chuan
The importance of sharing what you have learned

This was an informative episode about the philosophy and application of I Liq Chuan. Master Chin is a gifted and insightful teacher as well as generous and compassionate person. It was a true honer to get to speak with him.

If you'd like to know more about Somatic Primer please visit https://somaticprimer.com
Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the episodes. Thanks.

Scott Park Phillips teaches traditional Chinese Martial Arts in a non-traditional way. His goal is to access the original intent of the creators of Chinese Internal Martial Arts to get at the core of their inspiration. He is the author of two books: Possible Origins, Chinese Martial Arts, Theater and Religion, And, Tai Chi, Baguazhang and The Golden Elixir, Internal Martial Arts Before the Boxer Uprising. He lives in Boulder, Colorado and has been teaching for over 30 years.

At the age ten Scott Park Phillips began studying the traditional opera style of Northern Shaolin with Bing Gong a noted disciple of Kuo Lien-ying, one of the first teachers of Chinese Martial Arts in the West. He was a disciple of the late Daoist master Liu Ming who transmitted the Orthodox Daoist methods of the Golden Elixir (Jindan), Non-conceptual Meditation (Zuowang), Daoyin (emptying and transforming), and Dreaming.

Scott first studied improvisational theater at age fifteen with the legendary Keith Johnstone. In his twenties, performing modern Dance, Scott was drawn to apprentice in the exquisite high arts of North Indian Dance with Pandit Chitresh Das, and Congolese Dance with Malonga Casquelourd. Living in San Francisco during the height of the ethnic dance explosion, he danced with masters of traditions from all over the world.

In this Episode we discuss:

History of Daoyin
History of Wester Somatics
Theater & The Martial Arts in China
Ritual in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts
The Golden Elixir
Pedagogy in Traditional Chinese Arts

Scott is teaching a workshop listeners to the podcast might be interested in: Exploring the Origins of Chinese Internal Martial ArtsJUN 27, 2022 - JUL 01, 2022The Golden Elixir in Movement, Meditation, Daoyin, Dance, Theater and Games . It is at Eastover Estates in Massachusetts. Scott also teaches monthly Meditations and Daodejing studies online. Information is at https://scottparkphillips.substack.com/

HOLLY SWEENEY-HILLMAN is a TTM faculty, Anatomy and Biomechanics, academic coordinator and Co-Director of the Teachers Academy USA. Holly has a degree in dance and graphic arts from The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA and a Masters degree in orthopedic biomechanics from New York University. She is a certified Alexander Technique teacher and practicing CranioSacral therapist.

She has written numerous articles on the biomechanics of tai chi for the International Journal of Tai Chi Chuan. In addition to tai chi, she practices the movement arts of horse riding and recurve bow archery. She was inducted in 2015 as a direct disciple of Grandmaster Yang Jun, receiving the name Yang Yahui. She currently resides and teaches tai chi in New Jersey.

In this episode we discuss:

Her background in dance and biomechanics
Alexander Technique and the nervous system
Tai Chi Chuan and fascia
Salutogenesis & how to cultivate it through movement
Fibroblasts & fascia healing
How different types of movements affects fascia differently

To learn more about Holly please visit https://taichistrong.com.

Lawrence Gold is a Hanna Somatic Educator. Initially Lawrence begin studying physical therapy before being drawn to the work of Ida Rolf following an injury. Impressed with the structural integration he was taught he wanted to find out more and eventually began studying Rolfing with Emmet Hutchins, Ida Rolf's first appointed teacher.

He was part of the first and only Hanna Somatic Education Training Course taught by Thomas Hanna. Having completed the course he was asked to continue on as an instructor on the Hanna Somatic Education Training course in Novato California.

In this episode we discuss:

How he discovered somatics
Ida Rolf's structural integration
Pandiculation
The first Hanna Somatic Education Training Course and his Experience on it
The etymology and meaning of Somatics
Tetraseed awareness practice
Tension patters

Lawrence has created an advanced handbook of practice for professional practitioners and continues to develop the technique.
Links:
Lawrence Gold's Website: http://somatics.com
Pandiculation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUHwNbR7qYY
Thomas Hanna's "Clinical Somatic Education" article: https://somatics.com/hannart.htm

Ryan is a Feldenkrais teacher from Houston Texas. He’s been studying and teaching the method since the early 2000’s. He is a long time meditation practitioner having studied with Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Vietnamese monk who founded Plum Village. Ryan uses Feldenkrais as a way to develop awareness. He uses the sensory motor learning process as a way help students organize their physical movements to discover their own ease and freedom.

In this episode we discuss:

How he discovered Feldenkrais
His background in meditation
His time as an academic
The importance of embodiment
Pros and cons of certification programs
The similarities of various somatic modalities

If you’d like to find about Ryan you can visit his website ryannagy.com where he publishes his Feldenkrais lessons and an insightful blog about the work and history of the method.

On this episode I had the pleasure to discuss the Alexander Technique with Jeando Masoero. Jeando is a master teacher and translator of F.M. Alexander's work, having translated all of Alexander's books into French. While working on these translations Jeando discovered that Alexander had studied and was a teacher of the Delsarte Method of Movement which is remarkably similar to Alexander's early approach to his Technique. Realizing this connection Jeando focused on this early work and created his own version of the Alexander Technique the Initial Alexander Technique.

His special interests are:
1.teaching Conscious Control of the postural mechanism,
2.studying self-speech (instructions or orders) as a means to develop the executive functions and the higher mental functions,
3.experimenting how using a conception (a psycho-mechanical representation) can change the use of the self.

If you’d like to find about Jeando you can visit https://www.initial-alexandertechnique.org

In this episode we discuss

Why his method is challenging for new practitioners
How habits play a role in the use of the self
A new way of moving through directing the bones
Creating experiments to discover new movements
How the hyoid bone affects breathing and the use of the thorax

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Jeando on our website somaticprimer.com. Thank you!

Georges Dreyfus is Professor of Religion at Williams College, Massachusetts. His focus is in the fields of Tibetology and Buddology, with a particular interest in Indian Buddhist philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cognitive processes.

At the age of 20, Dreyfus left his native home of Switzerland and backpacked across Eastern Europe through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. He traveled to Dharamsala where he first encountered Tibetan Buddhism. Captivated by its philosophy, he entered a monastery and began the studies that lasted for 15 years. In 1985 he would be the first Westerner to receive the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest available within the Tibetan scholastic tradition.

He is author of several books including, The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, and Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations.

Dr. Dreyfus and Bryson discuss:

His journey from Switzerland to India
How he came to be a Buddhist monk
The daily life of a Buddhist monk
The Philosophy of Conscious in Buddhism
Meeting the Dalai Lama
The Path of Meditation vs. Scholarship
Tibetan Debating System
and much more...

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. Thank you for listening!

This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Tim Cartmell. Tim has over 30 years of experience in martial arts including Kung Fu San Su, Xing Yi Quan , Ba Gua Zhang, Tai Ji Quan, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Tim is the author of the best selling book "Effortless Combat Throws," and "Passing the Guard." He is the translator of the several books including "The Method of Chinese Wrestling" and "Chin Na Fa: Traditional Chinese Submission Grappling."

He teaches full time in Huntington Beach CA, where he has combined the stand-up fighting of Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taijiquan with the ground work of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to create his Shen Wu curriculum.

Tim and Bryson discuss:

History and development of health concepts and traditional marital arts in China
Tim's studies in China
Biomechanics in the martial arts and the similarities to Western Somatic practices
Traditional approaches to teaching and studying different disciplines
The interconnectedness of meditation and somatic practices

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Tim at http://www.shenwu.com/index.html. Thank you for listening!

Eleanor Criswell is emeritus professor of psychology and former chair of the psychology department, Sonoma State University. Founding director of the Humanistic Psychology Institute, she is editor of Somatics Magazine, the magazine-journal of the mind-body arts and sciences, and director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training. Her books include Biofeedback and Somatics: Toward Personal Evolution, How Yoga Works: An Introduction to Somatic Yoga, and she is editor of Cram's Introduction to Surface Electromyography. She is past president and board member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, president of the Somatics Society. She is the originator of Somatic Yoga and Equine Hanna Somatics. Her research interests include biofeedback/neurofeedback, psychophysiology, yoga, mind-body practices, somatics, and meditation.

To find out more about Dr. Criswell's work please visit, somaticsed.com

Dr. Criswell and Bryson discuss:

The life of Thomas Hanna
Hanna's introduction to the Feldenkrais Method and working with Moshe
How he developed Somatic Education
Dr. Criswell's interest in Embodiment
What is Somatic Awareness
How to live an embodied life

This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Alfons Grabher.

Alfons Grabher is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner from Vienna, Austria. His Youtube channel "Improving ability” ranked #1 on Feedspot’s Top 20 Feldenkrais Youtube Channels in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. He is author of several books including "My Feldenkrais Book”, a workbook with movement lessons.

Alfons and Bryson discuss:

How Alfons discovered the Feldenkrais Technique
Advantages & Disadvantages of online learning
Methodology of the Technique
Internal focus during the practice
Experiences on the Training Course
Spontaneity & Curiosity

This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Vivien Schapera. Vivien is an Alexander Technique teacher and teacher trainer. In 1993, Vivien and her husband, Neil, founded Alexander Technique of Cincinnati, a school for training Alexander Teachers, and in 1999, Vivien founded FourWinds Academy for the Healing Arts & Sciences. Vivien teaches workshops in all her subjects from coast to coast in the USA, in London, UK, and in Cape Town, South Africa.

Vivien and Bryson discuss

Growing up in South Africa
How she discovered the Alexander Technique
Her fascinating journey from Cape Town, to London, and finally building her school for training Alexander Teachers in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Key ideas of the technique, such as the "Means - Whereby" and her insights into these practices
How the Alexander Technique compares to other somatic practices
and much more.

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Vivien at schapera.com and on our website somaticprimer.com. Thank you!