Somatic Movement Meditations (SOMOME) are inquiries into the body, its organic movement and its nature as a creative entity. We have developed specific inquiries that relate to TANTSU exploring contact, containment, freedom and witnessing. The human has evolved to its present manifestation due to his inherent drive to explore the environment that surrounds him. Deep within, we are all pioneers, all explorers that seek the new. Hundreds of years ago, the “new” was considered to be undiscovered continents, mountains never climbed or oceans never crossed. Now that man has discovered much of his outer world, his curiosity has begun to turn inward again. As somatic explorers, we reverently explore new, uncharted internal landscapes that are in constant change. Our very nature is to move, to breathe, to fold in, to expand out, to be in a joyous inter-play with our environment. We do not “do” movement; essentially we “are” movement. How we orient and exchange with our environment shapes who we are. When life has left the body for some time the tissues remain, but almost immediately movement ceases. The heart no longer pulses, lungs collapse like sails in a doldrum, the body’s fluids stop flowing and grow stagnant. Life IS movement and movement informs.

Somatic Movement Meditations draw upon the primordial callings of pulsing, spiraling, expanding, enfolding organic gestures to re-ignite the inherent wisdom of the body and its inherent urge to create. The meditations invite us to become increasingly sensitive to our own “bio-system” and in touch with our internal movement and its manifestations. We learn to trust in our sensations, the bio-intelligence of our body as a systemic whole and the resonance of all of its collaborative parts. These internal inquiries enrich us physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. The commonality between both the SOMOME and TANTSU is the chosen action and then the willingness to relinquish that into non-action. Vitality infinite lives in the flux of action and stillness. Wisdom from the Tao Te Ching reminds us, “The Tao abides in non-action, yet nothing is left undone.” The intentional touch, or movement, or sound, or breath . . . whatever the moment’s practice/inquiry may be, has its own very unique function . . . to initiate waves of vibration, to gain access through the habitual, hardened patterned responses, to learn how to FEEL again. We shift from believing to sensing. The body and its senses are given back their responsibility as the primary sense organ. In this feeling, arises the opportunity to navigate between void and fullness, movement and stillness, action and non-action. As we ride these waves, either by ourselves or with a partner, we are set free from the redundancy of day to day rational activities and enter a nourishing dimension of trans-rational flow. With complete awareness, we explore a time of “being” free of functionality and open for intuition. We experientially learn that as consciousness pulses and flows through our body, it’s tissues become saturated with fluid. Movement becomes less and less about survival or performance and more and more about trust, intercommunication and pleasure. A flourishing system is in a bath of pleasure. Pleasure is a vital nutrient for the bodymind. Its benefits have been subdued, repressed, distorted and even demonized by our Western culture. Western education and upbringing has placed unbalanced emphasis on rational thought processes and the dissociative, mechanical movement that comes from that place. Pleasure is not about “excess”, it is instead a deep intimate acceptance of joy and its ecstatic kinesthetic experience in our systems. In fact, etymological roots of the word “pleasure” are from the Latin, placare, which means, “to soothe, quiet, smooth and make even.” In old Norwegian language, the word for pleasure was flag, which literally meant “an open sea.” This “somatic joy” of pleasure returns us to the ocean that flows though our bodies and deepens our connection with our inner and outer environment. As we dive into a movement meditation or relax into a Tantsu exchange, we can be permeated with waves of pleasure between the two of us, throughout our entire bodies. True pleasure brings us to a place of deep acceptance and rest into who we are. It is not necessarily an “excitement” but instead a wide sensation of wellness that increases coherence, connection and communication. With an attitude of willingness to let go of all our ideas about what movement is . . . and simply become aware of our infinite potential, Somatic Movement Meditations invite us to become goalless explorers of pulsing awareness. This awareness lingers softly and forever in the space of nondoing. It is here, in this “no-place” that we are healed.

Somatic Movement Mediations for Tantsu open a process of expanding into greater perception and creativity. All are practiced with a partner. The movements that arise are natural and spontaneous and not a performance for the other.

Opening the Field is a wide and spacious recognition of the other. Both participants have the opportunity to allow their personal fields of energy to harmonize. The two partners sit comfortably in front of one another. With eyes closed, begin to sense each other’s breath and relax into this energetic bridge of shared presence. There is no intrusion. It is a simple “being with” the other, giving ample physical, mental, emotional and psychic space. Allow the breath to become full and radiant. Spontaneous inner movement that rides on the breath may begin to unfold. Be in allowance of what is arising. When communication/resonance is established, contact arises naturally and without intrusion to the receiving system. When you both have established an ease and trust, gently and slowly bring your hand towards your partner and make respectful contact with a part of their body (i.e. Shoulder, knee, arm). Allow the awareness of holding and receiving the hold to be sensed. Even if it is only a hand that has made contact with you, feel how the whole body is involved in this contact. Your partner then gently and slowly offers his contact to you. Receive this hold.Maintain, the holds you have established, then again offer yourself through contact with your other hand to another part of your partner’s body. Be here. Your partner offers his second hand to you. Abide in this non-invasive shared contact for sometime, then slowly, one hand at a time; each partner brings their hands back to their own bodies. Stay for as long as you wish in the space you have created though breath, contact and presence. At this point the meditation has finished, but the connection still resonates between the two partners.

In this meditation, one person chooses the role of “mover” while the other remains the “witness.” As the mover, you lay down in a comfortable position in front of your witness. Go within and maintain a peripheral awareness of your partner’s presence. Take some time and establish a shared resonance simply by “being” with one another and allowing your breathing to become spontaneous and relaxed. The witness is simply and fully present without intention. As you feel any spontaneous movement or sensation within your body, begin to follow its invitation. Ride and expand into what ever you feel. Slowing down and staying lightly connected to your breath may help you to sensitize to your body. Remember it is not a performance for the other. The witness remains in awareness of his partner’s presence and movement without judging or guiding. With respect for the timing of his partner, the witness listens deeply for the “invitation” to allow his hand to connect with the body of the mover. The touch is without influence, intention or imposition of his personality. The witness does not need to be recognized, he is simply there. The witness follows the movers experience with a light touch that serves as a sort of “umbilical” connection creating a spacious yet present containment. From this open containment, the mover may feel safer to explore and let her system express itself in innovative ways. The touch may be offered not only with the hand, but also with other parts of the witness’ body that may be appropriate in relation to the mover’s exploration. Periods of dynamic stillness may arise within the unfolding movement. Abide together in these “moments”, trusting in the vast non-doing and not knowing. Eventually, the meditation will be called to a close and the witness quietly withdraws his contact. Then mover and witness exchange roles.

In this meditation, one person chooses the role of “receiver” while the other becomes the “giver.” As the receiver, rest down in a fetal position in front of your partner. Be comfortable, use cushions and supports as you need. Close your eyes and go within, yet, for now maintain a peripheral awareness of your partner’s presence. Your partner, the giver, will move in from behind to support you in the Posterior Cradle. He will create a constant support at your base. Make sure that both of you are very comfortable. Take some time and establish a shared resonance simply by “being” with one another and allowing your breathing to become spontaneous and relaxed. When the giver senses an energetic invitation from the receiver, he gently places his forearms on the soft spots above the shoulder and below the hip. He contains you within this soft embrace and listens deeply to your body, breath and energy and follows your cues. Maintaining this contact of the forearms, the giver follows any movement that he perceives from the receiver or from himself. You, as receiver, have liberty to follow your movement within this cradle. The giver will follow what he perceives to arise, waves of vibration, rocking, movement of your body etc. These internal waves will lead to the observation of stillness as the giver slows his movement and simply contains you between his forearms. You rest deeply within this dynamic stillness and ride whatever sensations may arise. These waves of movement and stillness have different rhythms, different tonal feelings, each is a spontaneous learning process for your entire system, as well as that of the giver. As the Cradle Container meditation comes to a close, slowly the giver will remove his forearms from your body and move away from the cradle position. Exchange roles. Often this meditation is done in a Tantsu group, where the receiver will remain passive and relaxed and in a type of “round robin” rotation, a “new” giver will cradle you and experience this meditation with you. After several turns, receivers switch roles to givers. Doing the meditation several times is not a simple “repetition”, it is instead a rich spiral of new information that deepens and complexifies with each turn.

The Resonant Container Meditation is practiced like the Cradle Container Meditation but various sounds are used to activate the tissues of the body. Making sound creates vibrations, and these frequencies are carried through the receiver’s fluid system, penetrating into the tissues. These signals ignite innovative movement, which re-informs the body and encourages new neural connections. The Resonant Container is a potent meditation that complexifies the sensation of freedom within the containment of the cradle. The giver may make the sound for the recipient, or both may make sound together. Eventually, both will learn to trust and express the vibrations that they are feeling within their own bodies as spontaneous sound.

The Cosmic Container is the culmination of the above meditations practiced to this point. It is a somatic dialogue between the two partners. As a receiver, lie down in front of your partner and make yourself comfortable. At this point, your partner assumes the role of witness/participant and the two of you simply breathe together and sense each other. When both of you have tuned in to a shared resonance, your partner will surround you in lightly in the Posterior Cradle and hold you with his forearms. Sensing internal movement, riding on the breath, using sound are some of the ways that your Freedom of Movement exploration will evolve. Everything you have experienced in the previous Somatic Movement Meditations lend themselves to this one. You have the liberty to move spontaneously within the containment of the cradle and even to leave the cradle and explore around you. As this more ample exploration takes place, your partner participates in this “dance” with you. The waves of vibration between you both invite a somatic dialogue where no words are necessary to communicate. The practice now becomes one with cosmic origin. The mutual support is vast and fluid.

The above are from Tantsu a yoga of the Heart Copyright 2009 Harold Dull