Body, Depression and Anxiety

Life can be overwhelming. It can be hard to stay connected to body centred practices when we are feeling depressed and anxious.  But our body is still there, providing a constancy that can support us in difficult times, if we only know how to connect with it. In this 15 minute podcast, Matthew describes the…

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10 Minute Embodiment Meditation

Matthew guides you through a simple scan that you can put into any part of your day.  It will help ground you, and reorient you to your busy world. From the Embodiment Project at www.SomaticsInstitute.com

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Under The Surface Of Tension

We are constantly bouncing off tension.  It’s habits seem to subvert our best attempts to functionality in the world.  Whether it is posture, movement or social expression, our tension is a constant presence in life. This podcast explores how tension is the surface of a whole world of sensory experience. And how, as we explore…

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Dominant and Subjugated Body Stories

An excerpt from Week Three of the Embodiment Project, which focuses on movement.  How do the habits of our movement express the dominant stories of ourselves and our culture.  How do we meet with the less heard, or subjugated, stories that show up so often in our tensions and discomforts in a way that admits…

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The Subversive Nature of Healing Practices

From the Embodiment Project, a talk from Week Two: Surfaces.  How do somatic practices challenge us to find our unique path to this moment…and challenge the quiet training to only notice what is permitted? Find out more at the Embodiment Project https://somaticsinstitute.com/product/the-embodiment-project-online

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Week Three: Principles and Practice

Embodiment Seminar: An introduction to Week Three of the Embodiment Project.  Basic principles, and some very specific examples of how you can bring these practices into your life.  Great for dropping into the experience of an Embodiment Project class.

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Disorganization and the Pace of Life

From the Embodiment Seminars: How does a David Abram story about a chance meeting an Aboriginal Australian help us connect more fully to the surfaces in our life?  How do surfaces help us locate ourselves and support inner organization?  A short exploration of interesting questions…and some practices to help ground them in everyday life.

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Embodiment Seminars: The “I” and the “It”

How do with engage with the dislocated and disavowed parts of our inner being? In an exploration of what Martin Buber called the I/Thou relationship, this seminar excerpt starts at the beginning – where we face the truth of our experience and, by not trying to fix it, find a pathway to reconciliation, in the…

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Week One Meditation: Notice Yourself

The nine weeks of the Embodiment Project are a journey into the application of somatic practices in everyday life.  Week One focuses on the simple practice of just noticing what’s there.  Or maybe not so simple!  Matthew van der Giessen introduces a 30 minute meditation that guides your into meeting with yourself just as you…

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Noticing Practice with a Beanbag

A sensory based exploration of your inner world in under 10 minutes.  You can do this practice seated, anywhere  in your life.  With the added benefit of an exploration of pelvis, spine and head by the simple addition of weight.  You can use a bag of peas, beans or rice right off your grocery shelf.…

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Embodiment Meditation Podcast

A practice that has become a favourite in the Embodiment Project community. A simple sensory practice to use any time you have about 15 minutes in your day.  It will help you reconnect with your body…and yourself.

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Sensations and Movement

This is an excerpt from Class Three of the Embodiment Project, a nine week on line course that distills the wisdom of somatic pioneers into simple practices for everyday life.  You can find out more at The Embodiment Project.

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Anatomy and Expression

An essential part of my work in Somatics is understanding the biological landscape of the body.  Recently, I had an opportunity to chat about how biology and experience interact with each other with Leslie Sanderson and Louise Amuir at the wonderful Haven retreat Centre on Gabriola Island in British Columbia.  Here are some of the…

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This Is How It Begins

Sometimes our early life experiences can show the shape of how our life will unfold.  Two stories, and their influence on my clinical work, and what they have to tell us about how we might engage with the world more fully.

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Introduction to Somatics

Beginning in the 1800’s, Western somatic practices have flowered into a rich array of modalities. But it wasn’t until a small group of philosophers brought the insights of phenomenology that the eccentric tribe of practices began to understand their underlying connectedness, and relate to each other as a community. Meet the pioneers that have changed the field of body centred practices.

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