Tag Archives: mental-health

Announcing The Lotus Flower Summer Embodiment Journal

Now Available on Amazon

Companion Activity:

Lotus Flower Embodiment Action Cards

Awareness. Intention. Alignment. Growth.

A mindful journal to plan, reflect, and align with your highest self. The Lotus Flower Summer Weekly Embodiment Actions Journal is designed to support this journey.

Like the lotus flower, growth often emerges through challenge. Each page of this journal is an invitation to slow down, notice what matters, and take intentional steps toward the life you wish to create.

Inside these pages, you will find space to:

  • Set meaningful intentions
  • Track habits and progress
  • Reflect on emotions and experiences
  • Practice gratitude
  • Strengthen self-awareness
  • Align your actions with your values

This journal has been created through 26 years of experience integrating somatic awareness as support for understanding and increasing clarity in behaviour through movement, communication and listening. The cognitive behaviour and somatic behaviours are intertwined and this author practitioner and mentor has recognized a lack of balance and understanding between the two. Mainstream guided pattern focus in education has mainly been on cognitive function and not on somatic experience. Therefore, the somatic reactions can be out of control without the skills to keep impulse control in check. This is demonstrated through a lack of body connections to how the skeleton functions at the core patterns and in the inner processing of information due to limited filters of understanding. The guided patterns in this journal support the integration of balancing the interrelationships between the body and mind responses.

Below you will find two more somatic oriented activates that engage the mind through guided patterns. One is meditation and the other through sound.

Connect to learn more about Lotus Flower Embodiment Learning Series that integrates functional movement and mindfulness for converting out of balance reactions into conscious responses.


Listen to Meditation to support Lotus Flower Embodiment Series:

Listen to Music Playlist to support Lotus Flower Embodiment Series:

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Copyright 2014 โ€“ 2026 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

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Recognizing a gap between a somatic newborn and a cognitive societies social conditioning

by Renee Lindstrom, founder Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning

Invert hierarchy titles: safety top, self-actualization bottom

This blog article below was written on this author’s personal website http://www.reneelindstrom.com recently. It is from a perspective of a somatic empath that carries the ability to identify the authentic somatic experience and the cognitive conceptualization that those not in their somatic experience believe it is. No judgement, simply a gap this author is bringing focus to. You can read this article by clicking the article link below or listen on You tube at link below it. I hope this content will be of interest in those sincerely interested in actively going beyond what they think they know from societies conditioning in accepting the stories attached to their mental, emotional and physical states of being. The first step to breaking free of acceptance to labels, assessments, and moral judgements, etc., is having clarity on the separation that supports it.

Below are two earlier articles from this authors personal web site on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from an interesting perspective that may be interesting to read after digesting and integrating this perspective from a somatic empath. Understanding this first stage will support how society is perhaps being misguided by this lack of clarity by those who are seeking to meet their needs without compassion and empathy for others.

If you would like to connectย to learn moreย about educational opportunities, coaching, mentoring , consulting or functional integrations

Podcast

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Balancing Somatic Awareness & Cognitive Intellectualization while observing 3 Posture Transitions through the felt senses

Woman in black tank top and gray leggings moving from lying on stomach to seated to standing position
A woman demonstrates a sequence of recovery poses from lying down to standing up during a workout.

1. Standing

2. Sitting

3. Prone

Here are some reflections of this Feldenkrais Practitioner prior to a Breath Workshop held in April, ’26 to center and ground prior to leading a group through a specific guided patterns of movement. .

The focus of attention in the verbal guided patterns to go beyond the busy mind of thinking into an expanded awareness of the somatic experience

The process of observing the guided pattern suggestions is another focus of attention for balancing the somatic experience with cognitive conceptual function. This focus in this pattern leads with somatic experiences to redirect cognitive functional focus of attention. In the process of this focused pattern, the mind can enter a state not unlike a mindfulness meditation. In this mindfulness like state the cognition can expand beyond beliefs, opinions, evaluative thinking and social conditioning into a field that cultivates deeper awareness.

The guided micromovements focus on the body’s structural design for potential movement beginning with the core – the skeleton.

Why? The natural design of the bodies ability to transition through postural shifts is through the bone pressure using the force of gravity. Original movement transitions are not through muscle and soft tissue lifting the bone and bearing the weight of the bone matter. That only creates constraints, pain and limited function. Organizing the skeletal bones to transition through flexibility and expanded range of motion increases ease and effortlessness in functionality.

Micromovements through the perspective of skeletal function is its own separate type of workout from what is currently focused on, and this focus can be far more challenging than the current mainstream focus is aware of

Imagine repeating changing patterns of micromovements toning the muscles through available functional transitions that release the few muscles that have become the primary motivation for controlling movement. New muscle patterns are created as habitual holding is released through the tonification and dormant muscles are activated, while the organization in the brains is expanding through conscious awareness.

These guided patterns go beyond the conceptualization of cognitive intellectualization that has locked movement into patterns that eventually create diminishing capacity through its limited understanding. Beliefs, opinions and evaluative expressions lock down the brains functional capacity. This is expressed through a lack of flexibility in all qualities of function; mentally, emotionally and physically.

This suggests that these guided patterns for integrating movement through a focus that taps into conscious awareness that balances both the somatic experience and cognitive function can give all aspects of functional experiences a workout from perceptions, mobility to brain function. Ihe focus is completely on expansion and identifying limitation whether it is through thinking, emotional and physical patterns.

This fantastic connection in this process is that it is through organic functional movement, the brains focus of attention and mindfulness. Imagine a fitness workout that is actually a pattern for learning and going beyond what we know into a expanded reality that reduces fear, pain, effort and suffering into ease, flexibility, groundedness and agility.

Learning focus here is through the bones and not socially conditioned thinking patterns that come through titles, names, labels, trends and images of right and wrong beliefs. Current examples are the bastardization of the cultural practices of yoga and tai chi where cognitively designed exercises have been turned into chair yoga and chair tai chi. These are exercises packaged as a concept and they lack the somatic awareness component of the source philosophy. It’s the development of a marketing strategy for creating an image that taps into the focus of attention of society’s ego concepts of self image. Are they beneficial for becoming active. Yes, however they are examples of misleading advertising that is associated with the mindfulness and expanded consciousness of the traditional philosophies.


The above is an evolution of deeper understanding of social conditioning and the lack of balance between somatic experiencing and cognitive conceptualization that is developing from the focus of attention and observations of the practitioner of functional integration.

It is an example of reflection for tapping into and grounding thought patterns for organizing a focus on balancing the mind to guide patterns that will open students consciousness and not reflect boxed in cognitive concepts. Pausing to organize thoughts to set them aside to guide others into mindfulness is an important part of this practitioners process. I hope you enjoy the content.


Body Mindfulness – Core Body Functional Breathingย Audio

New Release


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Copyright 2014 โ€“ 2026 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

Feldenkraisยฎ, Feldenkrais Methodยฎ, Awareness Through Movementยฎ, and Functional Integrationยฎ, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guildยฎ of North America

Body Mindfulness TMJ Jaw Release Audio

by Renee Lindstrom, founder, Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning

Launching TMJ – Jaw Release #1 – Side to Side

TMJ Jaw Release Guided Pattern Audio #1/3

These guided patterns are from Feldenkrais workshop that Renee has held since 2007. The feedback after each workshop has been positive with appreciation expressed. Here is a recent comment from a ’26 workshop.

I always appreciate my sessions with you and the learning. The focus on the tongue, back of throat and head hinging as part of the jaw release has really made a difference. Some of what you shared was new for me so it is taking me awhile to get the hang of it but Iโ€™ve been exploring those movements further at home and itโ€™s been good. J

These somatic patterns are called Awareness through Movement Lessons and this workshop series is the integration of of moving parts that enhance ease in the jaw function. The patterns cutivate awareness of the joint movement through micro movements that increase efficiency.

A student may become consciously aware of the individual parts inside their mouth and in their facial features, neck, and further down the torso. It is a wonderful way to find a deeper inner peacefulness, and experience the calming influence of mindfulness.

These lesson contribute to:

  • Reducing jaw and neck pain
  • Headache support through pain reduction
  • Increased jaw function
  • Lessen scienty, tension and stress
  • Improve Jaw Function
  • Enhance sleep and relaxation

Read more on the benefits of Somatic Body Mindfulness and research of Feldenkrais below


How to purchase and enjoy TJM Jaw Release – Side to Side


TMJ – Jaw Release Side to Side #1of 3

Explore the anatomy of the jaw using guided patterns and mindful exploration for cultivating awareness through the felt senses and the skeleton.

Use QR Code to Purchase or go below

#2 and #3 Coming this March ’26


Learn More about Body Mindfulness

Some of the conditions that SBM guided patterns that Renee has observed improve are:

  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Artheritis
  • Back and Neck Pain
  • Loss of Balance
  • Bell’s Palsy
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Shallow Breathing
  • Chronic Pain
  • Eating Disorders
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Lack of Flexibility
  • Hip, Knee and Ankle Joint Pain
  • Injuries
  • Insomnia
  • Pulled Muscles
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinsons
  • Locked Shoulders
  • Stroke
  • TMJ

Some of the Benefits that Research has shown are:

  • Improved:
    • proprioception
    • coordination and ease of movement
    • posture and stability
    • well-being
    • feeling of confidence
    • breathing
  • Decreased
    • pain
    • spasm

Research Evidence:

  • Improves:
    • body awareness:  Multiple sclerosis, pain, stroke, able-bodied  
    •  mobility
    •  stability
    •  coordination
    •  ease of movement
    •  posture
    •  balance confidence
    •  mood
    •  breathing
    •  well-being and quality of life
    •  sleep
    •  self efficacy and health locus of control
    •  self image
    •  greater recruitment of the affected part of the motor cortex  (stroke)
  • Reduces, decreases:
    • decreased pain
    • fatigue
    • anxiety and stress
    • medical costs

To learn more about this Research on the Benefits of Feldenkrais, go to the link in the description box and tap the link

Introduction: Grounding thru Body Mindfulness

Benefits:

  • reduce and reverse aging
  • increasing flexibility and resilience
  • develop body awareness
  • reduce body tension, pain, anxiety and effort
  • increase relaxation and windows of emotional tolerance and self-connection
  • improve sleep and sleep sounder
  • increase body functions, cognition and emotional responses of calm, mindfulness and joy

Exploring the body anatomy through the felt senses increases inner awareness โ€‹ and trust. This โ€‹body exploration is a different type of strength training. The difference โ€‹is theโ€‹ focus of attention on the body, mind and felt senses through guided patterns designed to expand conscious awareness of the body function. The strength of feeling oneโ€‹’s body through moving joints and bones deepens awareness of physical connections โ€‹as โ€‹postures change, like in the shifting transitions from sitting to standing and back to sitting. Movement is a series of shifting postures. The functioning healthy body is not stationary, nor poses. It is designed for a continuous flow of integrative movement patterns.


Feedback On Body Mindfulness Introduction

“I am excited!!! This is great! It is like you are there with me step by step. It’s what all of us are looking for, real Feldenkrais support” S
That was great, Renee! You have such a calm and lovely voice. I’m happy to add this to my calming strategies. Thank you. H
I really like this sort of thing and would welcome further โ€œinstallmentsโ€ in the series and/or a revised version of this one. I liked the pace at which you spoke, not too rushed and left enough time to do the exploration of the particular area of the body to which you were drawing attention.
I liked that you offered options re leg position (straight out or with bolster under knees) but wondered whether one position or the other is preferable. Or is it just that one would notice different things, depending on how the legs are positioned?”   K


Connect for Lifestyle Coaching and Learning Needs


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Copyright 2014 โ€“ 2026 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

Feldenkraisยฎ, Feldenkrais Methodยฎ, Awareness Through Movementยฎ, and Functional Integrationยฎ, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guildยฎ of North America

Support our Educational Legacy Project: visit these retailers

Inside Awareness Legacy Project for balancing transition in early childhood somatic learning to conceptualized intellectualized learning

While continuing to expand the Learning Centerโ€™s objectives for continued consulting, teaching, coaching and mentoring Mindful Lifestyle choices through education, a new goal was announced in late 2025 for creating a legacy impact through education for balancing the two learning streams of consciousness.


One way you can support this legacy project is by visiting and shopping at one or more of these creators. Each one of these online marketers offer products that align with the lifestyle area learning opportunities offered by Inside Awareness.

Affiliate Partnerships with Inside Awareness

Richters Herbs

Seeds, Plants, Herbs & Essential Oils

Click to learn more

Crystal Herbs

Flower Essences

Click to learn more

Energy Muse

Crystals, Accessories & Frequency Generator

Click to learn more

Wishgarden Herbs

Plant Tinctures

Click to learn more

Grooni

Grounding Mats, Sheets, Shoes & Far Infrared Tech

Click to learn more

Janet Howard New York

Fashion: Contemporary & Elegant

Click to learn more

Herbal RX

BeddingHerbal Infused & more

Click to learn more


Please support the Educational Legacy Project at Inside Awareness


Remember, the only place to donate is on the Inside Awareness website – www.insideawareness.com under the legacy tab. This website will demonstrate years of work in blog posts and pages to confirm its authenticity. Authenticity can further be explored at http://www.reneelindstrom.com.



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Copyright 2014 โ€“ 2026 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

Feldenkraisยฎ, Feldenkrais Methodยฎ, Awareness Through Movementยฎ, and Functional Integrationยฎ, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guildยฎ of North

Supporting Legacy Project by following and liking Inside Awareness Youtube channels

Here are the YouTube channels for Inside Awareness with playlists you can like and subscribe to if you are interested in supporting the Legacy Project of Inside Awareness. Each playlist has individual videos you can listen to, like and support. This objective is to monetize the channels and playlists to help finance this legacy.

Renee also has a podcast with interesting topics. For example, one that is relevant and has been discussed in mainstream media recently is on the incorrect use of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The label of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs isn’t used, yet the points made in the article are the same. It identifies and demonstrates the inverted use of this pyramid to block and stop people from moving forward in their lives. This is currently playing out in the global experience that encourages us to develop the consciousness we need to change these behaviours, or at the very least call them out as we recognize them.

This Legacy project educational focus aligns with organic somatic learning in early childhood and can transition these early learning patterns to counterbalance socially conditioned ones. There are many lifestyle benefits to this objective, like aging well.

Channels:




Remember, the only place to donate is on the Inside Awareness website – www.insideawareness.com under the legacy tab. This website will demonstrate years of work in blog posts and pages to confirm its authenticity. Authenticity can further be explored at http://www.reneelindstrom.com.


Here are the playlists on YouTube channel for Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning – Click individual pics to link to plalist


Here are the playlists on YouTube channel for Somatic Influencer


Here are some examples of podcasts on Renee’s YouTube channel


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Copyright 2014 โ€“ 2026 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

Feldenkraisยฎ, Feldenkrais Methodยฎ, Awareness Through Movementยฎ, and Functional Integrationยฎ, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guildยฎ of North

Somatic Body Mindfulness Audios

by Renee Lindstrom, founder, Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning

Launching Somatic Body Mindfulness Series on Audio Video

Guided Somatic Patterns for Centering

Listen on Youtube audio – Authors Voice

Cultivating Awareness & Grounding through Body Mindfulness

Somatic Body Mindfulness is a series of guided movement patterns based upon the Feldenkraisยฎ Method of Somatic Education through the perspective of Renee Lindstrom, GCFP ’07 . Renee has been teaching Lifestyle Models in the community since the mid-nineties, which has expanded her perspective, clarity and understanding of learning and aging.

These Somatic Body Mindfulness audio videos will align body, mind and emotions. These patterns will calm the nervous system and increase inner peace. With an increase in the felt sense of inner quiet, there is an increase of clarity in the felt sense movement patterns in the shifting body parts as they transition postures. This mindful connection to the movement and physical response in transition increases conscious awareness and organically integrates the pattern into movement behaviours.ย ย 

Somatic Body Mindful guided patterns reduce tension, stress, anxiety, fear, frustration and anger and increase inner calm, peace and relaxation. SBM guided patterns support an increase in the range of motion and can reduce constraints that restrict movement.

The positive mental and physical functional outcomes of these SBM guided patterns increase clarity, focus, inner calm, mindfulness, stability and physical balance. These patterns will create a balanced alignment between the mental, emotional and physical functions. This alignment improves flexibility and spontaneity. The positive emotional outcomes are an increase of inner peacefulness, contentment, groundedness, connection and belonging.

Some of the conditions that SBM guided patterns that Renee has observed improve are:

  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Artheritis
  • Back and Neck Pain
  • Loss of Balance
  • Bell’s Palsy
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Shallow Breathing
  • Chronic Pain
  • Eating Disorders
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Lack of Flexibility
  • Hip, Knee and Ankle Joint Pain
  • Injuries
  • Insomnia
  • Pulled Muscles
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinsons
  • Locked Shoulders
  • Stroke
  • TMJ

Some of the Benefits that Research has shown are:

  • Improved:
    • proprioception
    • coordination and ease of movement
    • posture and stability
    • well-being
    • feeling of confidence
    • breathing
  • Decreased
    • pain
    • spasm

Research Evidence:

  • Improves:
    • body awareness: ย Multiple sclerosis, pain, stroke, able-bodied ย 
    • ย mobility
    • ย stability
    • ย coordination
    • ย ease of movement
    • ย posture
    • ย balance confidence
    • ย mood
    • ย breathing
    • ย well-being and quality of life
    • ย sleep
    • ย self efficacy and health locus of control
    • ย self image
    • ย greater recruitment of the affected part of the motor cortex ย (stroke)
  • Reduces, decreases:
    • decreased pain
    • fatigue
    • anxiety and stress
    • medical costs

To learn more about this Research on the Benefits of Feldenkrais, go to the link in the description box and tap the link


How to purchase and enjoy this introduction to a grounding and centering somatic experience:


Introduction: Grounding thru Body Mindfulness

Experience Somatic Body Mindfulness by aligning felt sense observation and anatomy

Introduction to the anatomy using guided patterns and mindful exploration for cultivating awareness through the felt senses and the skeleton.

Use QR Code to Purchase or go below

Benefits:

  • reduce and reverse aging
  • increasing flexibility and resilience
  • develop body awareness
  • reduce body tension, pain, anxiety and effort
  • increase relaxation and windows of emotional tolerance and self-connection
  • improve sleep and sleep sounder
  • increase body functions, cognition and emotional responses of calm, mindfulness and joy

Exploring the body anatomy through the felt senses increases inner awareness โ€‹ and trust. This โ€‹body exploration is a different type of strength training. The difference โ€‹is theโ€‹ focus of attention on the body, mind and felt senses through guided patterns designed to expand conscious awareness of the body function. The strength of feeling oneโ€‹’s body through moving joints and bones deepens awareness of physical connections โ€‹as โ€‹postures change, like in the shifting transitions from sitting to standing and back to sitting. Movement is a series of shifting postures. The functioning healthy body is not stationary, nor poses. It is designed for a continuous flow of integrative movement patterns.


Feedback On Body Mindfulness Introduction

“I am excited!!! This is great! It is like you are there with me step by step. It’s what all of us are looking for, real Feldenkrais support” S
That was great, Renee! You have such a calm and lovely voice. I’m happy to add this to my calming strategies. Thank you. H
I really like this sort of thing and would welcome further โ€œinstallmentsโ€ in the series and/or a revised version of this one. I liked the pace at which you spoke, not too rushed and left enough time to do the exploration of the particular area of the body to which you were drawing attention.
I liked that you offered options re leg position (straight out or with bolster under knees) but wondered whether one position or the other is preferable. Or is it just that one would notice different things, depending on how the legs are positioned?”   K



Connect for Lifestyle Coaching and Learning Needs


Follow Socials:


Copyright 2014 โ€“ 2026 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

Feldenkraisยฎ, Feldenkrais Methodยฎ, Awareness Through Movementยฎ, and Functional Integrationยฎ,ย are registered service marks of theย Feldenkrais Guildยฎ of North America