I found the benefits of somatic movement in my 50's.  My early career was as a commercial lawyer, I enjoyed what I did and worked hard, progressing up the corporate ladder as I went until I was managing large teams in high-pressure environments.  In my mid-40s I concluded that I needed a change and that change would improve both my physical and mental health.  

So I took a huge and scary leap and became a carer for children and young people with complex and sometimes very challenging behaviour.  It has been very rewarding but far from easy at times. As part of the work I did to consider the impact of trauma (on myself as much as those I cared for), I read "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel Van Der Kolk and became fascinated by the connection between our body, mind and nervous system.  This led me to study the work of Thomas Hanna (who developed the idea of Somatics in the 1970's) and then the "Pain Relief Secret" by Sarah Warren. 

I studied somatic movements for my own health, not only to improve my mental wellbeing, but, as I have several chronic health conditions that cause long-term pain, I found the somatic movements helpful, and surprisingly, not only helped my pain and mental health but also helped my sleep significantly! Seeing how powerful this approach was, I studied Anatomy and Physiology and Clinical Somatics to enable me to teach somatic movement to other people and share the benefits of this little-known but significant approach.

I have always found yoga a little intimidating and I'm probably not what you imagine as a movement teacher - hopefully that will reassure you and make you feel more at ease! Don't worry, probably a bit like many of you who are reading this, I am not particularly comfortable in Lycra,  I am certainly nowhere near a size 4 and I don't have perfect flexibility.  None of that matters with somatic movement, and I hope I get a chance to show you how it can help you.

Claire