Gyrating and Undulating Our Way Toward Resilience

I was struck by the article "Being Shaken" in the Fall edition of Tricycle, a magazine about Buddhist teachings. The author, Edward Brown, describes how he was unable to stop his body from shaking when he first began meditating. Fortunately, with the support of a compassionate teacher, he was able to hold steady and just witness his experience without fear, judgment or an impulse to shut it down. Eventually, he discovered that the shaking was related to severe childhood trauma that his body was attempting to release. It is encouraging that the world is beginning to realize that these experiences are not to be altered or suppressed. If you witness them from the relative safety of the here-and-now, with non-judgment, curiosity and equanimity, the body will complete the release and return to calm.

In his book In An Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, Dr. Peter Levine, creator of the trauma-healing method Somatic Experiencing®, describes this process as holding "the potential for catalyzing authentic transformation." He goes on to say:

"What do all of these involuntary shakes and shivers have in common? Why do we quake when frightened or tremble in anger? Why do we quiver at sexual climax? And what might be the physiological function of trembling in spiritual awe? What is the commonality of all these shivers and shakes, quivers and quakes? And what do they have to do with transforming trauma, regulating stress and living life to the fullest? These gyrations and undulations are ways that our nervous system "shakes off" the last rousing experience and grounds us in the readiness for the next encounter with danger, lust and life. They are mechanisms that help restore our equilibrium after we have been threatened or highly aroused. Indeed, such physiological reactions are at the core of self-regulation and resilience."



It is no coincidence that we have expressions in our language such as "I'm shaking off the whole event." Now, if we could only do what we say, we would experience the unbelievable bliss of dropping back into our selves. Let us shake the shackles of our past experiences and return to life with a clearer lens so we can see things as they truly are, not as we've been conditioned to see them.

The Embodied Mind: Toward a More Accurate Understanding of Consciousness and the Mind-Body Connection

I grew up thinking. I was going to say, I grew up thinking that thinking was my identity, but I may as well stop at "I grew up thinking..." I certainly remember valuing thinking over feeling, and becoming excited when I first heard Descarte's assertion, "I think, therefore I am." I was my thoughts. What I thought, I was. I had no objectivity or distance from my thoughts. If I thought I was worthless, I was worthless. I drank at the altar of knowledge. I consumed information (and admittedly, I still do) as if it provided oxygen and nutrients, not even questioning why I did it. It gave me a sense of self. I was a thinking, knowing being. 

Nothing wrong with that, except that it's only part of the picture. I rejected emotions and sought to numb them. I became a floating head, unaware of the information and resources my body sensations and human emotions held. My body became the object of my thinking, and what I thought about it was that it was too big and too uncomfortable. Of course, sensations and emotions live in the body, and mine were uncomfortable. So my floating head calculated calories, tallied up weights and clothing sizes, and mercilessly scrutinized photographs in an attempt to further disown my Self, with all of its complexities. Spiritually, I sought to dissociate rather than connect ever since I experienced the nondual realm at age thirteen after mantra meditation. Meditation became a vehicle for escaping the world rather than being more effective in the world. It didn't work, so I contemplated suicide for most of the fifteen years since I turned fifteen and until I turned thirty.

Eventually, as the only way to heal from an eating disorder and complex PTSD, I had to re-embody. My body gradually became an ally, the source of intuitive wisdom, the vehicle with which to process emotions, and further, an altar to the Divine. I became enamored with embodiment sciences and methodologies (yoga, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, body-oriented psychotherapy, and craniosacral therapy among others). Each of these modalities contributed, one by one, step by step, to my integrating into a fully embodied individual whose Soul, body and mind functioned coherently.

Only in the last couple of centuries has Western science begun questioning man's inner being, mental processes, motivations and potential. Yoga, on the other hand, developed an immense philosophy of mind and consciousness based on internal experiences. The yogis established that the powers (or shaktis) inherent in the entire universe reside within us, and that the gateway to those experiences is our own body-mind with its various levels of perception. Well into the 21st century, more of the world is joining the ancient yogic understanding and the early pioneers of body psychotherapy. Somatic practices are becoming increasingly mainstream, and their effectiveness is being validated by neuroscience and social research. I recall the glee I experienced when I first read Antonio Damasio's Descarte's Error, in which he proposes a theory of "somatic markers" and stipulates that our reasoning stems from emotions, which themselves stem from sensory input from the body. We cannot reason, then, without emotional and sensory awareness. Or, we are reasoning, but if we do not understand what emotions and sensations are informing our behaviors, we are acting unconsciously.

Recently I came across an article in the Buddhist magazine Tricycle. It featured an interview with embodied cognition philosopher Evan Thompson, who first published The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience in 1992. The book is being published in a second edition in 2015. My guess is that twenty-plus years ago the book was way ahead of its time. Apparently, we are now culturally more ready for its message. In the article, Thompson, who is a professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, states that "cognition is a form of embodied action. Cognition is an expression of our bodily agency." Thinking that the mind is inside the head, he advocates, "is like saying that flight is inside the wings of a bird." Instead, he believes, "the mind is relational. It's a way of being in relation to the world. The mind exists at the level of embodied being in the world."

Let me close with this paragraph from his article, "consciousness-in the sense of sentience, or felt awareness-is biological: consciousness is a life-regulation process of the whole body in which the brain is embedded. In the case of human consciousness, the context is also psychological and social. So even if we suppose that the brain is necessary for consciousness, it doesn't follow that consciousness is in the brain."

Beat the Holiday Blues with Yoga on December 14

Are the pressures of life getting you down this holiday season? Have you lost your enthusiasm? Do you feel shut down, stagnant or lethargic? When stress overwhelms us, the body’s natural response is to conserve energy and become shut down. When oxygen-carbon dioxide levels go off balance, access to the brain’s higher functioning becomes impaired and our thinking begins to cloud. In fact, scientists are beginning to recognize that depression might be a result of high corticotrophine releasing factor (CFR) -- basically too much of the stress hormone cortisol circulating in the body. 

Come join me at an enlightening workshop on Sunday, December 14 at Daily Offering Yoga on 6901 Biscayne Boulevard. You will learn skills to regain your innate capacity for joy, health and wellbeing. Through experiential techniques, you will learn to tap into your inner wisdom to restore your nervous system into its natural state of rhythmic coherence. You can beat the holiday blues by skillfully using mindful awareness, breath and movement! I will guide you through asana, pranayama, visualization, and meditation practices that will help you gather, harness and intelligently redistribute your energy to restore your enthusiasm for life. Cost: $30; space is limited so please register soon to reserve your spot!

Yoga for Anxiety: Ancient Wisdom for Stressful Times

Join us on November 23rd for this anxiety reduction workshop. Do you feel constantly stressed and unable to rest? While stress is a fact of life, it does not have to rob you of your capacity for joy, health and wellbeing. In this workshop you will learn to tap into the wisdom of your higher consciousness and allow it to guide your mind and your body so you can live a life of equilibrium, contentment, health and wholeness regardless of ever-changing external circumstances. Learn techniques to stop the cycle of chronic stress and rebalance your nervous system into its natural state of rhythmic coherence. Blending the ancient wisdom of yoga and modern neuroscience, somatic psychotherapist and yoga teacher Inge Sengelmann will explain the survival role of anxiety and how to evolve beyond it through the skillful use of awareness. She will guide you through asana, pranayama, visualization, relaxation, meditation and writing practices that will help you re-balance your physiology and create opportunities for long-lasting shifts.

As a mind-body psychotherapist, I bridge the latest developments in the field of affective neuroscience with the ancient wisdom of yoga and mindfulness to accelerate change. My philosophical approach integrates techniques that engage both the body and the mind, enabling you to transform unhealthy patterns into energy for aliveness and growth. I am a devoted student of ParaYoga Master Teacher Rod Stryker, and have been initiated into the ancient Tantric lineage of Sri Vidya. ParaYoga is a living link to the ancient sciences of Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda. For more information about me visit my website. 

Cost: $50; space is limited to 18 participants so please register soon to reserve your spot on Sunday, November 23rd at 1:00 p.m. at Daily Offering Yoga, 6901 Biscayne Boulevard. 

Tantric Meditation Series at Unity on the Bay

Tantric Meditation Series at Unity on the Bay begins this Saturday, November 8th at 3:30 p.m. with a meditation designed to Awaken the Light in the Heart. Tantra is the science and techniques that accelerate transformation and help the practitioner to create a life that is better, richer and more complete. Its focus is on providing the correct approach and specific techniques whose spontaneous effect causes an individual to grow, become stronger and more capable by undoing all obstacles to freedom in the fastest way possible. Tantric Meditation uses a variety of techniques to not only enhance your meditation experience, but more importantly, to generate positive changes in your day to day life as a result of a disciplined meditation practice. This series will offer four powerful guided meditations for you to experience and learn to practice on your own. Inge Sengelmann, LCSW, SEP, RYT is a somatic psychotherapist and Tantric Hatha Yoga teacher initiated in the Himalayan lineage of Sri Vidya. She embodies what she teaches and is passionate about teaching others how to access their inner resources through personal embodiment and creative choice.

Sessions will take place on the following Saturdays, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. at the Cameron House located at Unity on the Bay, 411 NE 21st Street: November 8, 15, 22 and December 14th.

Nov. 8 - Awakening the Light in the Light in the Heart.
Nov. 15 - OM Kriya Meditation.
Nov. 22 - Opening the Third Eye Meditation.
Dec. 14 - Laya Yoga Chakra Clearing Meditation.

Cost is $20/session or you can pay $60 for all four classes at your first session to save $5 per session.

What is Conscious Embodiment and Why Should You Care?

The dictionary defines embodiment as: The act of embodying or the state of being embodied. A new personification of a familiar idea. A concrete representation of an otherwise nebulous concept. Giving concrete form to an abstract concept. I define it as the act of being aware of consciousness inhabiting your body and your mind, and also being beyond your body and your mind. Moreover, it is the act of being conscious of the moment-to-moment responses and psycho-physiological processes informing your thoughts, feelings and behaviors so you can make more informed choices as to how to think, feel and act. I am convinced that learning to live as conscious embodied beings, we can experience greater health and well being as well as be more empowered to consciously create the life we desire. 

In this blog, I will explore theories and scientific evidence related to consciousness and embodiment, leading edge somatic therapies, embodied spirituality, as well as timeless wisdom from the ancient sciences of Yoga, Tantra and the Vedas. I will also attempt to convey skills you can use to enhance your own personal conscious embodiment process. Personal experience dictates my desire to learn and to teach more on this subject, for I have healed from multiple trauma-based mental and physical health disorders and live vibrant, fulfilled and joyous life as a result of the skillful application of mindful awareness, self-inquiry and embodiment. I hope you will follow my blog and I will do my best to post frequently and intelligently to keep it interesting.