Cultivating Connections: a deepening practice of embodiment.
As a Registered Master Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator (MSME/T), my work is tied to a rich, global lineage. This year, my path took me to Benicàssim, Spain, to practice alongside international somatic colleagues, my formative teachers, and the living elders of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). Gathering in this dedicated field allows us to sharpen our clinical tools, ensuring that the nervous system regulation we bring back to our local communities is grounded in the highest global standards of embodiment. It was a professional milestone for me, a special time and a deep return to the roots of embodiment.
The following are my thoughts from my own practice at Benicàssim waking each morning with connection on the sand with my body, and with others. Somatic practices are held in connection and community, and are shared and important experiences.
Sunrise
Potential in the horizontal space…
Here I stand at the start of a new day
My feet on the softest sand, warm and inviting
Sinking deep into the earth
Standing as part of a circle of connection
With others who feel the same way
The space within this very special field is normally immense, traversing continents and multiple timezones
And yet here we are connected, together, an incredible resonance and power in this smaller space between us
The energy of the space
And the environment
The gentleness of the waves
The intensity of the rising sun
And the possibility in this moment of further connection.
In nurturing connection and community, cultivating relationships with depth, that have meaning.
And cultivate in ourselves a sense of integration, a life with meaning and expression.
Our humanity is not a solo journey but a collective one
And even though the space then disperses and we return to being continents and timezones apart
The spaces we create for each other are the anchors in time, space and every moving and changing waters.
Human beings, not doings, wired for connection.
Where can you cultivate and deepen connections with you, your body, and your community?
In wellness, Sarah xx
Collective Co-regulation: The Power of the Ventral Vagal State
In Polyvagal Theory, a "ventral pivot" is the moment our nervous system shifts out of defensive survival (fight, flight, or freeze) and steps into safety, connection, and social engagement. What my time at the ISMETA conference in Benicàssim reinforced is that somatic practices are not a solo journey. When women gather in a shared physical space or a dedicated virtual circle, our nervous systems naturally co-regulate. We heal in community.
Experience the Power of Collective Connection
Our humanity is a collective journey, not a solo trek through stress. If you are ready to move out of the lonely doing state and step into a safe space of supported being, I invite you to join us:
Experience true nervous system co-regulation in my weekly Virtual Somatic Pilates Classes.
Join a deeply restorative community at an upcoming Somatic Movement Retreat in Shropshire.
Work with me closely via 1:1 Somatic Therapy Sessions in Shrewsbury, Birmingham, or Virtually.
Connection of movement and breath with the sea. Somatic practices are ones of deep connection with ourselves, with others and with our environment.
Somatic movement education relies heavily on community, safe environments, and deep physical connection to help calm the nervous system. In deep practice with global somatic professionals at the International ISMETA Conference in Benicàssim, Spain. (Image courtesy of ISMETA Archive)