Show Notes
here we get to know the internal workings of our body, and how they all connect through our muscles, ligaments and fascia.
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:00:10 Welcome to Tran somatics. So as Just take a seat or lie down on your back, take a deep breath.
Speaker 1 00:00:32 This practice was developed on the sovereign land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations. I acknowledge that I am a beneficiary of the ongoing violence. First nations people experience under the colonial project known as Australia. I pay my respect to their elders past present and emerging and stand behind them in their fight for justice and self determination. The series is about fostering a deeper and stronger relationship without our own bodies. And I acknowledge that black and Brown people in particular experience, explicit violence against their bodies, which far too often results in unjust imprisonment and death. While we all have our own struggles, I believe that none of us can be free until we all are free. Therefore, I advocate for first nations and in particular black and Brown trans people and in particular trans women to always be at the forefront of our work. I extend my gratitude and allegiance to old black and Brown trans people and pay my respect to our siblings. Taken from us too soon, may live forever in our work and culture and rest in power. And in peace, I invite all listeners, but especially those of us who are white and white passing. And those of us who are uninvited guests on this land, whichever lens you're on to take a moment now to reflect on what you have recently done in support of black and Brown people. And what acts of support you will do next
Speaker 0 00:02:49 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:03:00 Of this practice is to offer another approach to dysphoria in our community. So often our knee jerk reaction to dysphoria is to remove ourselves as far from our body, as we possibly can. We does associate many of the suggested solutions to dysphoria are focused on changing our bodies to fit who we are. And while they are important aspects of our identities, we also know that they won't make dysphoria disappear altogether. I hope that this practice can address what I think is the core issue of dysphoria. Struggling to find a home in our bodies. I want to offer something Plus learn how to sink into our bodies. Instead of trying to flip it. Trans somatics has the following intentions. First safety we're practicing and not judging ourselves or our bodies. We're practicing in exploring bodily sensations. We're practicing and soft observation and experimentation. Second nonviolence, nothing in this practice should hurt. All the movements should be soft and at your own speed and to your own interpretation. And third slow we're practicing in mindfulness. The practice of sinking into our bodies requires moving away from our busy daily minds. When we let our mind and body sink, we can unlock and explore bodily wisdom, which we may otherwise not be able to access.
Speaker 1 00:05:09 It is important to note that this means that when you may not know what information will be unlocked, and this brings us back to the first intention safety. If you ever reach a point that is uncomfortable for you, please stop. You may choose to just be still for a moment, pause this recording, or even walk away from it all together. And if you would like to talk to me about it, I'm always here. You can find out how to reach me in the description. I want to emphasize that this practice involves observing without judgment. We want to explore our bodies just to understand this part of ourselves. We want to observe with kindness and with patients, This practice is called trend somatics trends because it's for our community and somatics a term coined by Thomas Hanna, meaning the body as experienced from within. Please remember that every direction is just a suggestion. There are no expectations for what you should achieve. And most of the movements are subtle and internal and deeply individual to each body. So listen to your body and remember that, you know it better than anyone else. In this episode, our focus is on the size. We will be lying on our backs and I recommend having a carpet, a mat, or a blanket between you and the floor. And you may also want a small towel or a pillow to rest your head on.
Speaker 1 00:07:14 Begin by lying on your back. Your arms resting either side of your body and your legs bent so that your feet are standing around hip width apart and your knees, uh, up. And if you like place a small pillow or a towel under your head, try to position your shoulder blades as close to the ground as possible by lifting your pelvis slightly, you can elongate your spine so that it's hugging the flow beneath you. Now focus on your breath, feel your belly and your rib cage, expanding with each inhale and feel your body settle deeper into the ground with each exhale, Surrender your body to gravity, let it feel heavy and sink
Speaker 0 00:08:30 And let your breasts deepen.
Speaker 1 00:08:42 Bringing your attention to the top of your head. Since the shape of your skull, feel where it touches the ground. Feel where your hair follicles skin, Bill, the shape of your forehead for your eyelids and your nurse. And you achieve Let your awareness travel down your neck and your collarbones. Again, feeling the space between your body and on the floor. Let your attention drifts towards your ribs and how they move with each breath, To the movements of your lungs and your heart. Let your attention go to your arms, laying against the ground. Feel your bones and your muscles relaxing.
Speaker 0 00:09:57 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:10:01 All the way down to your fingertips. Notice your belly growing and shrinking with each breath and feel your pelvis. Connecting with the floor, Travel through your thighs, through your shin. Feel your skin against the floor all the way down to your toes. Let your attention sweep back up through your body. Take another deep breath in. I let your whole body breathe out as one. Now with your knees bent experiment with slowly stretching out one leg to lie on the ground. Alternate between legs, bringing one up to a pen position while the other lays flat, kind of like you're treading water or riding a bicycle. Alternate slowly really experience all the small sensations that come together with this movement. Feel the stretch across your skin. Feel your muscles engaging Place one or maybe two hands on your stomach and feel how it tenses and relaxes, but each movement. And just experience that sensation
Speaker 0 00:12:11 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:12:21 And keeping your attention with your abdomen area. Bring both of your legs back to the bent position and with your right hand, reach towards your right heel. Keeping your left hand on your abdomen since the stretch in your muscles with this movement, Enlighten your left hand, sweep out and up towards your head. And again, just notice the feelings in your body, in this position with these movements, with this breath, And then bring your lunch 10 back down and relax your body back into a centered session, And then reaching down with your left and towards your left heel, your right hand on your stomach. Feel that light stretch before sweeping to the right and up and out towards your head. And then coming back down to the center, Bring your right hand back to your heel and repeat the movements. Your left hand, sweeping out and up towards your head back down
Speaker 0 00:14:25 And the other side <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:14:36 And then bringing everything back to center. Lay both hands flat underneath your bottom with your palms facing down and just gently lift your pelvis again, bringing your attention to your abdomen. Fill your muscles stretch from your sip, burns up to your diaphragm and slowly come back down to the floor and bring your pelvis lifted again, feeling the stretch from his sip bones to your diaphragm, breathing into your belly and come back down. And one more gentle lift for the pelvis, feeling the stretch and the connection between your sit bones, the diaphragm feeling that breath coming back down, and now with your heightened Darwin's severe abdomen, lay both hands back on your belly, your knees still bent and take some deep, deep inhales, bright into your belly and exhale again, a T and hell into the belly and exhale, and now breathing into the ribcage, letting your abdomens stretch and contract with each deep inhale and exhale, begin breathing into the rib cage, letting it expand hands on the abdomen and exhale. Now with both hands on top of each other, still on your abdomen, just gently rub in a circular motion, feeling the bongs between your hands and your belly and focus on massaging that warps into your body, bringing your whole concentration to the simple movement. Enjoy a moment being present with yourself.
