Item descriptionSomatics — derived from the Greek word soma, meaning the living body — is a broad term for practices that explore the body from the inside out, prioritising direct felt experience over external observation or instruction. The term was coined by educator Thomas Hanna in the 1970s to bring together a range of body-based methodologies under one name.

It is important to acknowledge, however, that body-based practices oriented towards self-knowledge, healing and embodied wisdom are not a Western invention. Dance, yoga, tai chi and many other body-based practices can be traced back to ancient indigenous peoples, birthed within ancestral cultures and offering connection to body, community and the living world. The formalisation of somatics as a Western field has been critiqued for extracting and repackaging knowledge from non-white body-mind traditions without adequate acknowledgement of those origins.

In my own work, I try to hold this history honestly. The embodied anatomy I teach draws primarily on Western scientific and phenomenological traditions — the work of practitioners like Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, the somatic movement lineage, and experiential anatomy as developed in Western educational contexts. At the same time, I weave in myth, meaning-making and a deep respect for the body as a living landscape that carries far more than anatomy — it carries story, ancestry and culture.

I am one practitioner working from a particular location within a complex and evolving field. I offer this work with humility, ongoing curiosity, and a commitment to acknowledging the breadth and depth of the traditions that have shaped our collective understanding of the body.

Somatic movement education is a body-centred approach to learning that prioritises internal sensation, self-awareness and embodied experience over external instruction or performance. Rather than telling the body what to do, somatic education invites you to listen to what your body already knows. It draws on fields including experiential anatomy, developmental movement, neuroscience and movement arts to support a deeper, more nuanced relationship with your own body.

Embodied anatomy — sometimes called experiential anatomy — is the practice of exploring your body's structures and systems from the inside out. Rather than studying anatomy from diagrams or textbooks, you use movement, imagery, touch and somatic enquiry to sense and explore your bones, organs, fluids and fascial system directly. It's anatomy as lived experience rather than academic subject.

Yoga is rooted in Samkhya philosophy — an embodied philosophical tradition whose deeper purpose is the understanding of the nature of the self. Asana, breath and awareness practices are pathways within that larger philosophical framework.

Somatic movement education has a different orientation. While my work weaves in philosophical and mythological threads — and embodied anatomy can certainly open into questions of meaning and self-understanding — it is not a philosophy in the same sense. Its primary focus is the direct, experiential exploration of the body's structures, systems and movement patterns from the inside out.

The two practices are deeply complementary. Many yoga teachers find that somatic study enriches their teaching considerably, bringing greater anatomical nuance, systemic awareness and embodied depth to a practice that is already philosophically rich. Rather than replacing yoga's philosophical framework, somatic movement education offers a different lens — one rooted in lived anatomical experience rather than philosophical tradition.

Authentic Movement is a contemplative movement practice developed by Mary Starks Whitehouse in which a mover follows inner impulses to move — or be still — while a witness holds attentive, non-judgmental presence. It supports deepened body awareness, self-knowledge and creative expression, and has roots in Jungian psychology, dance therapy and somatic practice.

I have been exploring the conversation between body, mind and self for more than 35 years — first through the practice of yoga, then deepening into experiential anatomy, developmental movement and Authentic Movement. I am the founder of Barefoot Body Training and the author of Bodyscapes, forthcoming from North Atlantic Books in Autumn 2026. I work with yoga teachers, somatic coaches, therapists and movement professionals internationally.

My workshops and courses are designed for yoga teachers, somatic movement educators, somatic coaches, body-based therapists, and curious movement practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of embodied anatomy. Some participants come with decades of professional experience; others are newer to somatic work. What matters most is genuine curiosity and a willingness to slow down and pay attention.

I am based in the UK and work internationally. My Body Labs and Embodied Anatomy Series are delivered entirely online, making them accessible to participants worldwide. My Immersions are offered in hybrid format — both in-person and online — so international participants can join remotely. I also take my workshops and immersion on the road around the UK, Europe and beyond.