The Visioning Body

One of my favorite things about teaching and learning somatic practices for living well and on purpose, is the transformational affect this learning has on those around us and our communities.

The more I respect my body’s subtle signals as the guiding light of my every day experience and the way I structure my time and life, the more others around me do too, and the more I am in turn supported by their presence of being.

This happens in simple and direct ways:
We relax more into our chairs, delight more in the food we are savoring, breathe more fully, connect more deeply…

We also affect each other through inspiration:
We inspire each other to see beyond what we know to be possible in life and work.  We imagine and show each other that we can create livelihood, community, timing structures, etc. that support our full potential as human beings.

The truth is, every time you deepen more into your body and allow your callings to speak in and through you, you are creating an opening in the world and transforming not only your life but also the lives of those around you. And when someone in your community deepens into their body wisdom, they are creating more ground for you to live into your right life as well.

In just a couple of weeks on July 25th, I will be offering a workshop at my dear teacher Mary Abrams’ studio in NYC!  I hope you can join us for Becoming Your Dreams: A playful and embodied approach to life visioning.

On the Philly side of life, we are enrolling now for The Visioning Body’s fall group training for creative visionaries.  Click here to sign up for a consultation before our upcoming Early Bird Discount on July 31st! 

It would be a joy to work with you personally in either of these contexts. If you can’t join us, please consider sending someone you know so that they can make strides in their own life and be a more embodied and inspirational presence in yours!

In gratitude for our revolutionary community of learners,

Lee

This Thursday, December 18, I will join with radical healers and wellness professionals from across North America and beyond to donate funds raised from our services to the Black Lives Matter Ferguson Bail and Support Fund. 

This month, I want to invite an intention of Enjoyment over Perfection.

To me, “Perfect” feels like a static, frozen object that we’ve been told is going to bring us satisfaction and everything we need.

Enjoyment, on the other hand, inherently opens us to being present with what is evolving all around and inside us.

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with a group of incredible Somatic Educators and Therapists at the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA) annual board meeting.  I so enjoyed being with this group as a new board member, and I was deeply touched by getting a feeling for the ever-evolving nature of the organization, and of each board member’s career.  Not one of us has “arrived” at a perfect, golden state — We are each co-creating our lives and work with community, our bodies, the world, and our evolving profession.

Stay tuned on Facebook this month for more notes on enjoying and evolving, and click here for ways to get involved in The Visioning Body’s offerings this fall!

Cheers!
Lee

I’m feeling inspired to reach out with an affirmation and some opportunities for this fall season!

1) It is vital and necessary to connect with what it is you really want, and to follow that energy into the way you live, work, and create.

It’s necessary for your enjoyment and wellbeing… It’s necessary for your communities… It is necessary for the world.

I want to see you living according to what’s true and important for you, and getting to create the life you are wanting.

We’ve been away a while, as you can see, but the time has come to share these resources live again!

Enjoy these archived and upcoming blog posts!

I’ve been thinking a lot about fear lately.  How to deal with the reality that when we take on something new, or even catch a glimpse of it, it can be really scary.  (YES, I get scared on a regular basis as part of the process of creating new ideas and projects.  I am not immune!)

This is a natural process that occurs all the time for the passionate and inspired people… SO, I wanted to share  a little Four-Step Process I use for Tending Fear and Anxiety through Somatic awareness.  If this draws your attention, be sure to also check out Somatic Wellbeing for Visionaries and Leaders! (Early Bird August 25th)

1) Acknowledge the feeling of fear or anxiety.
2) Get curious about the sensations, impulses, and movements underlying the emotion.
3) Stay curious, and notice how the sensations evolve.
4) Ask your body, “What do I need right now?” and just notice any responses that follow in thought, feeling, sensation, or image.

We’ll be learning processes like these and so much more about how your body can support inspired and grounded living in the world in our upcoming fall program, Somatic Wellbeing For Visionaries and Leaders.

If you are looking support as you develop and manifest your visions in life, and you want to deepen your relationship to your body as a guide, this program might be for you!  Slots are filling up, but you can still sign up for a Complimentary Intro Call HERE to discuss whether this program is for you.

Honoring  the full range of your feelings and passions!
~Lee

As the moon is just showing it’s tiniest slice of glow after waning, I’m reflecting on our own human cycles of waxing and waning: activation and rest, planning and riding the waves of our last plans, excitement for (or worry about) something new and enjoyment of what we have right now.

This Spring, I’ve been noticing a lot about the need to create honored practices around the waning phases in particular… There is so much to be excited about, to plan and to do, but if you don’t make space for some times to rest, enjoy, and ride your current wave, sometimes what happens is a forced waning.  You might get sick, burnt out, or utterly exhausted.  Not fun!

I’m reminded of an art teacher in high school, who said, “Some days, you just have to clean your brushes.”  I think he meant literally, but I took it metaphorically too.

I also want to share this songby Deb Talan as inspiration to support nourished periods of waning.  As she sings,“Don’t push so hard against the world… Come on, come on, lay it down.  The best made plans are your open hands.”

I am, as always, very happy to work with you to create sustainable ways of dreaming, acting, resting, and enjoying that serve you best!  Practices for supporting our waxing and waning are nuanced and varied for each person, so contact me if you would like to talk more about your specific situation.

Warmly,
Lee

Last week, after a very busy week, I came down with a knock-you-out-in-bed can’t-look-at-a-computer-screen cold on Monday, so.…  I gave myself permission to not post something for our SlowVolution Monday :/.  I was sad to miss it but it’s just what made sense!

Let’s face it- It can sometimes be hard to give ourselves permission to slow down.  But it is nonetheless SO important!  It’s not your fault if you get sick, of course (I might have picked up a cold anyway), but slowing down can definitely help your nervous system to handle everything you to and encounter with more resilience.

So, I thought it’d be good to stir up some conversation about what you do, could, or would like to give yourself permission to do in order to follow YOUR body’s timing.

Post your thoughts here!