My Journey
Yoga has provided respite for me and healed my back injury. In 2009, I was diagnosed with disc degenerative disease. In 2015, after 200 hours of yoga teacher training course and daily practice, my xray scan reported that the disc spaces retain normal height and no significant degenerative changes were identified. Yoga appealed to me not in the sense of achieving challenging poses but rather it touched me on a deeper and more therapeutic and meditative level as I always find harmony and balance in the practice. This is not to say that I don't have injuries from my own practice. I do have pain from certain poses and that led me to search for answers. Why does my back always hurt in backbends? Why do my shoulders, neck and arms hurt when I practise shoulder stand and head stand? These pains always remind me that alignment is key to a safe practice.
In recent years, I explored moving and stretching through the different body systems such as our bones, organs and fluids. That addressed some of my pain points. Even my concept of core strength shifts from holding in the spine and contracting my muscles to freeing of my spine by finding support in the contents of my body. As I also have digestive issues, freeing of the spine releases the surrounding nervous system and gradually, I find more sensations within my digestive system and am able to feel satiety so that I do not overeat.
I found a breakthrough in my chronic back stiffness when I explored my organ system, more specifically my kidneys. The fascia was pulled in towards my kidneys so I experienced a release diagonally from my opposite shoulder and hips, as well as a relief to my one-sided headache. I didn't know about fascia then but just felt something that connected my shoulder, head and hips to my kidney was released.
At the same time, I came across Body-Mind Centering (BMC) Center in Australia and it was offering somatic movement education courses on ligaments and fascia as well as endocrine in-person. Although I did pre-recorded courses on these topics with the founder of BMC before, I felt that I still couldn't grasp these subjects fully. So I went to the BMC Center in Australia and I'm so glad that I did! I can finally validate my internal processes with a teacher and put words to inner experiences.
Somatic Movement Education and Embodiment
Somatic movement education is a process of embodiment that demands the practitioner and teacher to respond to and follow the courses of nature within the body and in relation to others who are practising together. In this manner, the work itself is a natural process of continual evolvement. Embodiment is being conscious of what is happening in the body - as a whole, a body tissue or a single cell. Somatic Movement Education provides extensive hands-on embodiment practice and techniques as well as in-depth theory that gives language for the sensations and experiences in our body.
Ligamentous and Fascial Systems
Ligaments join bone to bone, organ to organ, and organ to bone. Fascia is a membrane that wraps around organs, muscles, and runs underneath our skin. Ligaments and fascia are connective tissues. Through the embodiment of my ligaments and fascia, I released constricted ligaments which brought my bones back into alignment which in turn equalised joint spaces so that the bones move in equidistant from each other instead of compressing towards one another. This process nourishes and rehabilitates the joints by improving circulation to the equilised joint spaces. At the same time, the ligaments reintegrate into the fascia planes and muscles are returned to their optimum condition to move the bones in the most efficient manner. As a result, our movements become precise and whole-istic rather than move as isolated parts.
Endocrine System
Through the embodiment of my endocrine system, I experienced the various crystalline psychophysical states of different glandular systems as well as the tensions and chaos held within the glands. In an experimental exploration, I intuitively titrate the chaos in the glandular systems while finding support in the less chaotic glands. Ease, flow and strength emerges through my posture, movements and life. The effects from the embodiment of our grandular system can last from seconds or minutes to weeks and even months. Hence, we would want to have a sound and robust grounding practice to accompany the exploration and embodiment process of our endocrine system. I find that going slow is also key to finding the delicate balance between what the body can handle in the moment and overstimulating the system.
My personal experience of ageing is a process of inflammation build up in our body as well as our body fluid drying up - bone marrow drying up (osteoporosis, anemia, anxiety), cerebral spinal fluid drying up (central nervous system, spine and brain related issues, sleep and focus problems, immune problems), joint fluid drying up (joint pain and immobility), inter-organ fluid diminishing (idiopathic pain and symptoms), etc. When I applied the embodiment process and somatic movement education to my yoga practice, movements and life, there is openness, fluidity and receptivity in my relation to myself and also with others in the world.
Check out my latest offering on Somatic Movement Education Workshops here.
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