Tag Archives: Mindfulness

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 Core Body Functional Breathing Audio

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

Functional Breathing Patterns sensed with somatic awareness

Often when observing the breath patterns of an individuals I will see that there is a lack of skeletal movements in their patterns of expansion and contraction in the moving parts that could be recruited for fuller body supported whole movement for drawing in air and expelling it.

The body parts I refer to are the bones and joints that create flexibility, balance, expansion and contraction, and counterbalance.

Shown here in this slideshow.

  • Posterior view of thoracic vertebrae with ribs and scapulae
  • Rear view of human rib cage with scapulae and spine bones
  • Human skeleton front view showing skull, rib cage, spine, arms, and pelvis bones
  • Anterior view of a human skeleton showing skull, rib cage, spine, pelvis, arms, and legs
  • Clearly include and define knee joints

The above slideshow demonstrates the moving parts of the skeleton that supports whole breath through core functional skeletal movement patterns.The focus of attention in these guided patterns is movement where the muscles, ligaments and soft tissue are spontaneously moving in response to the skeletal micromovements. These micromovements with a skeletal focus treats the muscle and soft tissue as partners that follow and hold the bones in alignment. This focus is on core bone strength and the resilience of the muscles that are not resistant to functional movement patterns. Muscle strength is separate from bone strength, yet often in cognitive intellectualization does not include the understanding of the bone movement in functional postural transitions.

The patterns in The Mindfulness Body Breath workshop and Audios focus attention on education of whole function through postural transitions to enhance and improve natural rhythms of breathing. The guided patterns balance the somatic experience with the cognitive conceptualizations for increasing mindfulness through function.

More on Body Mindfulness Audio plus added bonus below: Free Intro to expanding somatic sensing in video embedded down below

These guided patterns are from Feldenkrais workshop that Renee has held since 2007. The feedback after each workshop has been positive with appreciation expressed.

Core Body Functional Breathing Audio

The Audio for Core Body Functional Breathing will guide you through patterns of movement to explore breathing with the focus on micromovements to release bones held in rigid patterns to encourage fuller intake and expulsion of breath and that is a natural function and not forced through concepts. These guided patterns generate a conscious felt sense connection to contraction and expansion through movement. This increase in awareness can support consciously releasing the constraints to blocking the resilience through the patterns of opposites that initiate contraction and expansion through bone movement that is needed for organic fuller breath patterns.

Included in this audio lesson offer is an intro and outro for the intent to learn how to engage the sensory awareness using the five senses in harmony and partnership with cognitive function. It is this practitioners experience that integration and development of new neural pathways do not develop through thinking that is dependant on beliefs, opinions and evaluative thinking. Neural pathways are developed on new actions that engage growth through novelty, exploration and discovery.

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


How to purchase and enjoy – Core Body Functional Breathing Audio


How can you move a body part through function when you don’t know what it is somatically or the ability to different it from your body mass?

Intro to how to use your senses of sight (visions) and sound to differentiate felt senses of individual body parts.

In this short video Renee introduces the potential of expanding the felt sense of the bones inside through vision and imagination. Using pictures of the bone parts through the sensory perception of sight and sound the listener can focus on integrating this knowledge into their somatic sensory perception that can create a connection to the bone through the sensory ability to feel them independently through *function.

*function – postural transitions such as lying to sitting and then to standing


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

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: 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

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.ย 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?” ย  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,ย are registered service marks of theย 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


Follow Socials:


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

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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.



Follow Socials:

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

Mindfulness through the Somatic Senses

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

Identifying balance in the two streams of consciousness & there are available doable living patterns. It is a choice.

ย In the above post, Renee, founder of Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning, explains the origins of the seed intention at the core of the lifestyle learning programs. Since 1990, she has actively pursued clarity on the duality she was witnessing in people’s behaviour with themselves and others, and the influences of it in the environment and community. This behaviour has crossed all hierarchies and social conditioning. It expressed itself equally through opposing forces, for example, advocacy for environmental causes. The force of aggression was equal in the entitlement displayed on both sides of the table.

A choice to respond to life through the somatic sensory awareness while balancing thoughtful and mindful attention

In the personal post linked above, she shares a personal journey resulting from a year of transitioning through losses that triggered an activation in her stream of consciousness focus. Prior to that year of losses, there had been a heartbreak event called broken-heartedness in the Buddhist Teachings of the Shambhala Center. There is a heart opening in this state of being that is tender and soft. Combined with the shift into heightened levels of somatic sensory awareness and perception, there was an experience of expanded consciousness beyond the limitations of a socially conditioned and educated left-brain experience. She eventually identified this experience as the state of mindfulness one finds in a committed sitting meditation. The difference is that it was an active living experience, and not an organized practice of achievement. It was an obvious experience that could be defined as different than those around her. The shift into this somatic led state felt like spontaneous combustion was a four-year transitional period of little combustions leading up to the major eruption. The fifth year was dedicated to stepping back to fully immerse in the potential for understanding and finding answers. The answers didn’t come in a year, and it took years of commitment to tap into and explore patterns that could cultivate the awareness that was being sought out. This even meant entering educational programs where the mentors described themselves as having achieved what she was longing to learn, only to somatically discover they had not yet achieved it. The choice was always based upon the model of doable patterns that was being taught and integrated from someone else’s innovative teaching origins. The balance between the left brain and right brain had not been achieved yet, and they themselves didn’t know it. Why? They hadn’t experienced it yet. You can only know something when you have experienced it. This meant they were never offering their own system. It was only borrowed patterns where they assumed authority over with a sense of ownership. Even with many of these programs focused on somatic awareness and mindfulness, they did not recognize anything outside their closed perspectives. The only way she could know this is that for two years, she was in this creative connected state of being without any loss of her developed left-brain experience. The difference was that the left brain did not dominate in this experience and instead, collaborated.

They say all things happen for a reason, and now in hindsight, it may be fortunate that she experienced a mother’s emotional and mental absence, or abandonment, as a child. The basic physical needs were met, yet it lacked loving kindness. For her, it resulted in a continued state of early somatic learning that wasn’t corrupted by a shift in focus that didn’t encourage the same somatic awareness through the five senses. By corrupted, Renee is suggesting this means attention shifted to critical thinking and institutionalized learning.

Insight & recognition of the value in somatic sensory led mindfulness awareness for the aging process

Those early challenges now provide insight and recognition of their value. The clarity is a benefit for understanding the differences in socially conditioned behaviours. As a somatic empath experiencing the maturing students and their aged logical and analytical processors now, Renee finds they have difficult transitions into retirement and old age. They have long lost their connection to early somatic senses and continue trying to navigate through their focus of attention placed on outside strategies to fix their physical, mental and emotional functional losses. In their disconnection from engaging with their felt senses, she recognizes the loss in their abilities, mentally, emotionally and physically, for supporting themselves. They lack trust in their mental and physical abilities to support themselves. Without a connection to their five senses, they do not trust themselves and are fearful of their own bodies. As a practitioner who engages them in learning to connect through their five senses, Renee observes a shift in their levels of confidence and fear where their trust in themselves increases.

Learning gap in education is creating inner combat between critical thinking consciousness & felt sense consciousness

When a child enters into an adult-generated learning model, it becomes the dominant educational conditioning pattern, and the loss of connection to the five senses begins. The aging process lacks the conscious awareness of the five senses. At some point in early learning, the child is redirected from their inherent spontaneous early learning patterns using the five senses and into a focused structure of organized learning. Renee stresses that this is a significant challenge in the aging process. It also shows up as a challenge in processing emotions and throughout childhood development. If a lifetime is lived with no self-directed learning choices in behaviour, reactions will be childlike with no logic. When acting out it will be through the trigger of the somatic senses without control of it. The gap in learning from the adult-designed educational patterns is eliminating the maturation that comes from processing through the five senses and understanding how to process them. Instead of processing them through the stream of consciousness that is activated, those children are being spoken at from another stream of consciousness. effectively forcing the felt senses to be stymied and judged from a perspective of right and wrong thinking. Imagine for a moment having one stream of consciousness in conflict with the other within one’s operating system. Our education is setting individuals up to do battle within themselves, critical thinking versus somatic felt senses. Incredible!

Anger tantrums at 55, 65, 75, 85, 92……

Imagine being sixty-five and still reacting from the age of five somatically while in reaction. Imagine feeling so out of control at 65 and not being able to differentiate feeling reactions. This is serious at sixty-five, as one is considerably stronger physically than at five. If not outer aggression, consider the inner fear, panic and anger. By sixty five the smallest event will trigger survival. Remember, the logical left brain doesn’t feel emotions, and it is not spontaneous.

Perceiving through the five senses and using the left brain with more efficiency for cultivating mindfulness & awareness in the present moment

From a living experience and a focus as a somatic functional integration practitioner, Renee considers how a baby is born with the ability to learn somatically through the five senses and no verbal input. A baby has all the tools they need to begin shifting their weight to physically roll over, get up and function through walking, thinking and talking. There is a name in Buddhist Meditation that is called “Beginners mind.” This name is a pattern of someone starting a mindfulness meditation. This meditation is for engaging somatically in the environment while focusing the left brain abilities to calm down and become quiet enough to follow the somatic sensing. This pattern is not maintained by Western culture, and the pattern is reversed. The mind controls the somatic experience

Summary

Renee has recognized two streams of consciousness. She once differentiated it as left-brain and right-brain dominance. Expanding her programs to include the somatic five senses has increased her willingness to begin to articulate the two streams of confidence she observes. This ability to engage from the origins of the five senses first, as in early childhood, while harnessing cognitive function to follow the sensory input, versus leading from socially conditioned learned patterns, has been a game-changer in student abilities. This suggests increased mindfulness and empathic states of being are valuable qualities for supporting students through physical, mental and emotional constraints that are limiting. These limiting experiences often translate into pain, anger, sadness and an inability to support themselves. The student will have to choose which side of the fence they are going to lead with. There are three choices, believe it or not.

  1. Perceive through socially conditioned critical thinking.
  2. Perceive through the five senses, sight, sound, taste, smell and touch, in the filter of power and control of critical thinking.
  3. Perceive through the five senses, sight, sound, taste, smell and touch and harness the thinking function beyond trained critical thinking, for balance and collaboration that creates living mindfulness.

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