How to Approach Somatic Practice (II)
This is the second of a series of posts containing some advice on approaching somatic practice. Read the first post here.
These ideas are foundations that support our continued unfolding, and our experience of our selves. They are valid no matter where we find ourselves, from the very beginning of our journey into the world of somatics, to our ongoing explorations of the territory years later.
Again, and again
Repeat things as many times as you need to. Every time you do something, it is different, because you are different. So in this sense, there is no real repetition.
Sometimes things will be repeated in a practice—elements that are foundational, or the same idea expressed in different ways. This is so that each individual has a chance to absorb what means something, or sparks something, in them. So if you don't understand something the first time it is presented, wait, and see if there are different ways into that experience that you can try. You never know what will click.
Spiraling
The journey is a spiral, no backwards or forwards or upwards or downwards. Going on brings us into the past and into the future, all at once. There are no levels, stages, grades. Only where you are now, and where you are going.
Inward and Outward
Somatic practices take us deep inside, and deep outside. It is an ongoing cycling, connecting the ends and the parts of us into a whole. Give what you explore time to resonate, settle and express itself, both internally and externally.
It can be very helpful to draw, write, doodle, or use another equivalent tool to integrate your deep-inside experience after a practice. Automatic writing is a favourite of mine for this purpose.
Together
Sometimes we need help—to process, to see our way through murky waters, to feel safe and supported. Reach out to those you trust to ask for, and receive, what you need.