Somatics (from the Greek soma, or “body”) encompass the study of the body as we experience it from within. Our bodies arise from the intelligent principles of life, made manifest. Our bodies move us through our lives and hold the stories that have “in-formed” us. Within our anatomy and our physiology, there lives an inalienable instinct toward health and wholeness. In the somatic therapy and education field, it is presence – with and in the body – that becomes the gateway to greater relationship with our total selves; with others; and with the world.

When we listen to our bodies by tracking feeling, sensation, and impulse – in stillness and in movement, through breath and pulse, by touch and sensory awareness – the deep living wisdom from which we are formed can be tapped into for holistic health and cultural regeneration.

Ash guides clients in body-based creative and contemplative practices that support grounded, energized presence in one’s own life. Through these embodied inquiries, somatic therapy cultivates skills for anxiety reduction, mindfulness, energy renewal, awareness of posture and increased freedom of movement, as well as emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and cognitive and behavioral change. Ash assists clients to develop a deeply rewarding sense of home within their bodies, as the ground of being and the primary expressive medium of the soul.

For information on the field of Somatic Movement Therapy and Education, visit http://www.ismeta.org.