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"The major problems of the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way man thinks." – Gregory Bateson

“Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.” -Rollo May

“To stop your mind does not mean to stop the activities of the mind. It means your mind pervades your whole body." – Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Master

Somatic Movement Skills Lab Series

Winter Series: January 17 & 31, February 14 & 28, & March 14, 2021
9-noon Pacific Time

"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."

- from "Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Over the past 20 years, I have curated a template of simple, accessible, and effective somatic practices for tending and befriending the soma – the body of nature. These practices have arisen out of what I have identified as the five somatic technologies indigenous to all bodies - breath, vocalization, contact, movement and stillness.

The investigation of these natural technologies offer us the ability to renovate, cultivate and refine our somatic foundations as a way to inhabit more fully our presence and power. Just like technologies invented by humans, these somatic technologies can extend and amplify our evolutionary capacities and capabilities as human animals seeking to be fully born.

In this 5 session series, we will explore, discuss and apply these five somatic technologies to our personal practice and to our work as somatic movement educators, therapists, coaches and guides. This lab is for committed learners, whether for personal or professional practice.

Each session, while related to the larger topic of movement, will have a distinct focus and a repertoire of specific practices:

#1 Breath - January 17

#2 Contact - January 31

#3 Stillness - February 14

#4 Vocalization - February 28

#5 Integration - March 14

Each session is recorded for playback.

For continuity in-between sessions, I will provide selected readings from my manuscript and related writings from others, as well as offer prompts for embodied practice and reflective writing.

Participants can augment this concentrated learning experience with simultaneous enrollment in the 1 hour, 2x/week Thinking Body, Sensing Mind series to soak in the experience, and/or with individual online sessions.

To apply:

1) send a statement of intention along with a summary of your experience in the somatic, expressive and/or contemplative arts to naturebeingart@gmail.com

2) Pay What You Are Able Sliding Scale: $175-500

Payment is through Paypal, Transferwise, or with a check to: Jamie McHugh, PO Box 250, Albion, CA 95410


Jamie McHugh

For more information about the five somatic technologies, view this video HERE