Ayurveda • Somatic Yoga • Contact
Going into organic movement is letting the body lead in whichever way by surrendering control. The mind is quieted as much as possible which lets the body react and move in a more fluid and instinctual manner. Somatic educator Mary Ann Foster explains:
“The premise of organic movement is that the body knows the best pathway through which to release tension. Organic movement is a moving meditation that teaches us how to release tension and relax during movement, as well as restore motion to tight areas.”
A certain amount of trust is needed to let go of the tight grip the mind has over how we move. Letting the body lead unlocks a different kind of intelligence, hidden behind the ‘armor’ we hold (often for good reason). We are rightly protective in this uncertain terrain of life and much of the tightness the body holds on to serves this protective function.
In organic movement, we are practicing the ‘felt sense’ which is a physical experience rather than a mental one. As stated in trauma specialist Peter Levine’s book Waking the Tiger, tuning into the felt sense is a time to “let the body speak its mind”.
When tuning into the felt sense with organic movement, the mind yields to bodily responses. Levine states that “it’s like watching the scenery, or in this case, sensing the scenery.” There are no rules to this type of practice. The body can move through jerky gestures or in small imperceptable ways. It is similar to how we move in sleep as the subconscious takes hold.
No obvious outward movement is necessary at all and one can connect to the internal pulsating movements of the heart, the expansion and contraction of the lungs and the churning of the intestines. Letting the breath be spontaneous and free of conscious control is a liberating feeling and from there other movements can follow.
With practice, these movements connect us to the primal instinctive space that the body holds, giving the mind a much needed break from managing the key role of keeping us safe. It can also be described as a ‘homecoming’ to a place of feeling rather than thinking and opening up to being moved by the impulses that stem from the center of our inner world.
Sources
Foster, M. A. (2007). Somatic Patterning: How to improve posture and movement and ease pain. Educational Movement Systems Press.
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma: The innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences. North Atlantic Books.
Lowen, A. (2012). The Voice of the Body. Simon and Schuster.