I was quite excited when Stanley agreed to this interview. His book on the autonomic nervous system — including but not limited to the vagus nerve — includes detailed anatomy and self-help exercises and was easily the best $20 I've spent in a long time. I loved it.
Here, I ask Stanley questions about the notion of our "social nervous system," and some detail around his self-help exercises which can be, if they work for you, an astoundingly simple way to reorient your basic sense of orientation and safety. (And, if you go lightly and pay attention, as with anything, are probably at least worth a try.)
Love, LB
Show Notes / Links
Stanley's clinic and teaching schedule
Stephen Porges' "Safe Sound Protocol" — an auditory treatment for autism — training
Stanley's book, Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, on Amazon (affiliate link)
Join Lisa Elliott and I for a dive into the inner workings of someone who, in my experience, curates beautifully a space often known for its disembodiment and unkindness: a facebook forum.
Hers in the Vagus Study Group, linked below.
This is a great episode for anyone who curates space, whether teacher, facilitator and anyone who works with clients.
Enjoy. Love, LB + TBA
SHOW NOTES
The Vagus Study Group on facebook
"How I've Come to Think of the Vagus" (an expanded definition of the tenth cranial nerve; definitely lay-reader friendly)
Two articles on how to critically read research, for the layperson:
By listener requests, and my delight in the fulfillment, here's one of what may be a few led meditation / awareness / embodiment exercises.
Questions, feedback, requests: please do shoot me a line.
Love, LB
It used to be: good information was hard to find; good teachers and teachings were rare. The onus, in many ways, was on the teacher.
Now, of course, that’s still true in a certain respect. But also true now more than ever, I reckon in this age of near-infinite material being but a click away, is the importance of being a good student.
What makes a good student?
• You are willing to learn, and also willing to stop learning and practice what you’ve learned.
• You don’t think you know everything; you don’t think you know nothing.
• You’re willing to suspend belief for the sake of experiment, thought also you remain an adult, not handing over your discernment at the feet of a guru.
• You go through periods of introspection, taking the teachings in and treating your body-mind as a very precious temple. You also go through periods of expressivity and effort, inhabiting your body-mind as a hungry tiger inhabits the forest, fierce and unrelenting.
• You’re willing to try new teachers and teachings.
• You’re willing to dive deep into material, not stopping until you know, in your heart of hearts, that you understand what’s being taught (and not merely an ability to regurgitate, verbally or physically).
• You can take care of yourself and you’re also willing to bust your ass trying.
• You don’t seek confirmation; you seek guidance in confirming for yourself what’s true.
• You’re not an island. You’re part of an ecosystem.
You're a student. Beware anyone who isn’t.
Welcome back to Irene Lyon for our second chat on TBA. We pick up largely where we left off from our first interview (ep 17), namely into this question I had — and have — around okay, so we're aware of this trauma thing ... what do we do about it?
Wondrous, deep territory. Plus the pitfalls and joys of teaching online (newly on my mind as well).
Also, here's that 15-min neuroception exercise.
Love, LB. Get this, as always, on iTunes et al, or download direct here.
Gerald Pollack has spent more hours studying water and the nature of muscle contraction than you've spent doing just about anything. He's a very bright, kind and well-seasoned scientist with a lot to say about the current state of affairs in science.
We cover:
1. Water (particularly Jerry's work regarding water's "fourth phase")
2. The nature of science, and experiments
3. The nature of muscle contraction, and Jerry's work with water explaining contraction beyond the most-usually-cited actin/myosin model
4. The ways in which we use light as energy, through water and infrared
He's a gem. Enjoy.
Alexander Tsiaras is a modern-day Renaissance man who's been called the "Leonardo Da Vinci of the digital age." He's a scientist / artist behind a new look at human anatomy, and it's pretty revolutionary.
He's authored two books I adore — The Architecture of Man and Woman and From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds — and give away often.
That's how I found him, anyway. What unfolded was a conversation about the art and science of imaging the insides of a human being, even an embryo, and then so much about storytelling.
"Those running the healthcare industry of some of the shittiest storytellers out there." — AT
We have so many stats, and numbers and "should" in mainstream healthcare. We need, says Alexander and I am obliged to mostly agree after this talk, better storytelling, so that people are motivated to change.
For example, he's received stories from smokers who said they quit after seeing this image:
A thousand words, and more ...
Enjoy! <3 LB + TBA
Kate White is an expert in the autonomic nervous system, with heaps of experience — both intellectual and that kind of knowing that sits in your guts and is felt — in the world of being born, at first and again.
SHOW NOTES
Kate on the craniosacral podcast
Jill Miller and I range from yoga to biomechanics to humility and hubris to Jill's recent hip surgery, her old teachers and the beauty, pain and wisdom that can come from growing up. About halfway through, Jill shares a truth bomb — sprung from the question "if you could go back and had 5 minutes with your 20-year-old self, what would you say?" — that is SO beautiful, powerful, poignant.
Are less-embodied movement practices good gateways into a deeper practice, or are they doing more harm than good? Are all movement practices really created equal, or are some better than others? Is what you're doing working? What matters about a yoga posture? Should you practice yin yoga or weightlifting or contact improv or ... ?
Just a few of the deep questions, of many gems, from the chat with this show's guest, Mark Walsh.
Mark is an embodiment facilitator who's worked in war zones, in board rooms and yoga studios. And he is, I think, a sharp sword who is doing some really good work in hacking away old, stagnant beliefs from their roots.
It's about being in the world — political, if you will — and not about isolating "the body" from our lived experienced, which very much includes one another.
Thanks, Mark. Hope you enjoy, y'all.
Here's the Embodied Yoga Principles video playlist on YouTube.
Mark's e-book Centring: Why Mindfulness Alone Isn't Enough.
Tom Myers returns to The Body Awake for our third interview. And like the other two but with new territory, Tom's experience and wisdom that came through this chat were really good nutrition for me, and now hopefully for you too.
Tom and I talk, among other things, about:
It's a good one.
Listen in on the TBA website or find The Body Awake on iTunes, Stitcher, etc.
Links for this show: Tom's "Anatomy 101 For Yoga Teachers and Students" / TBA listeners use discount code TMYERS100 to save $100 off tuition
Housekeeping
💛 a new home for my writing: the written word right here at TBA
💛 notes on my physical training, and follow up from the 50K race
💛 the trajectory of the show, both big picture and a list of future interviewees! weeeeeeee!
Links
What a joy to get to chat with Brooke Thomas, whose latest project, the Liberated Body podcast, may be familiar to some listeners here. Brooke and I talk about the subject/object paradox of both having and being a body, using felt sense as a navigation to begin and end projects, and a whole host of other topics we might camp under something like "embodied spirituality." Or maybe "spiritual embodiment." Whatever we call it, I think Brooke is a joy to listen to! Hope you enjoy <3 LB @ TBA
"Posture" is such a loaded word for so many of us. It often evokes a sense of not "doing it right" —> lazy shoulders, computer slouch, etc. This kind of thinking might be useful in some circumstances, but in many people it just adds another layer of guilt — and yes, tension — onto an already tense situation.
I love how Ruthie breaks down the infinitely expansive terrain of "inhabit your body" into little bite sized nuggets. She does it in her book Stack Your Bones, and with us on the show.
I so enjoyed this one, and hope you do too :)
We're back! Here's a 20-min intro to Season 2 of The Body Awake.
So lovely to be back with you; thanks for being here.
This episode — in honor of wrapping up Season 1 of The Body Awake — the tables turn on your host and Liam gets interviewed. It's a peek behind the scenes, both of the show and of the heartmind of its host.
I hope you enjoy, as always, and see you back in the autumn for Season 2 of TBA 💛
This episode On iTunes /// Download Direct
SHOW NOTES
STAY IN TOUCH : follow my writing on facebook or on my writing page
Some of my poetry, online
My article "Fascia, Fluids, Nervous System: Past, Present, Future"
Sam Harris interviews Yuval Harari
* and for those who track this, the quote I mentioned at the beginning belongs to Dwight D. Eisenhower: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."
Since the show's earliest inception, I knew I wanted to interview Lauren for The Body Awake. When the time was right, I asked, so glad she agreed. Lauren was my main teacher in helping me understand the many layers and types of fluids, bone rhythms and subtleties of working with a body in my care.
She's a rare gem.
We talk about so much ... transmission of information, concurrence of multiple views emerging simultaneously, how to answer the "what's the best treatment here?" question without being too general and without being flippant.
And for the last 20 minutes, she reads poetry and I cry.
So, so enjoyed this talk. I hope you do too. Love, LB
SHOW NOTES
Crafted Touch, Lauren's bodywork and teaching homepage.
Integrative Pain Management, in which Lauren and her husband, Richard, co-author a chapter.
"Too often we have the industrialized, mechanical model applied to a body. It's too reductive for something that's really a streaming ..."
We're so blessed to have Susan Harper as our guest for this episode. I met Susan several years ago as her student in a weekend workshop, and was very affected by the material, and so impressed with her as a facilitator.
I've been wanting to have this conversation for a long time.
We talk about ...
- "functional" beyond human function
- some "how to" instruction on helping yourself and others open up perceptual possibilities in movement, bodywork or any kind of dedicated awareness
- the beauty and potential of vibrant language
- the body as a summation of trillions of tiny verbs, of processes
... and more :)
Enjoy!
SHOW NOTE
Susan's website: Continuum Montage
An anatomy lesson with an immediate application, if you want to look for it, around earlier / deeper barriers.
We look briefly at the 3 primary embryological layers and their respective tissues and functions, some of the anatomical layering of the body, and from there how we can work with that information, especially for those wanting to know their bodies in a deeper way.
I mean that both energetically, but also just in a straight up anatomical sense.
We cover:
- layers of all-pervasive anatomical tissue
- layers of the "energetic body" (present in different traditions in different ways)
- a brief tour of embryological development, how those processes express in the adult body, and correlations to ayurveda's map of the doshas
- what "fluid alignment" or "electrical alignment" might look like
- plus some updates of what's up and coming with Embodied Anatomy
CORRECTION: at 8:30 I mention the 3 layers covering the brain and spinal cord — dura mater, meninges and pia mater. I misspoke and said they are collectively called the dura. They are collectively called the meninges. (And only the dura mater is called the dura for short.)
SHOW NOTES
The "First Barrier Yoga" video: https://youtu.be/hLN3N1iZHK0
Radiolab: search for "The Primitive Streak"
James Hamblin, MD, is a writer and senior editor at The Atlantic magazine. His writing and videos have been featured in The New York Times, Politico, NPR, BBC, The Guardian, Elle, Mother Jones, and New York, among others. Time named him among the 140 people to follow on Twitter, Greatist named him among the most influential people in health media, and BuzzFeed called him "the most delightful MD ever."
I reached out to him because I'd read his book, If Our Bodies Could Talk, and enjoyed it a ton, much more than I thought I was going to! I was drawn in by his writing, and that he's not only an intelligent guy, but has a good sense of humility and insight both ... a potent mix.
We talk gluten, statins, multivitamins and eggs. Also research and implicit biases, promises and expectations and their relation to health outcomes, knowing what we don't know, and the bodymind as one integrated whole.
Here's our conversation.
SHOW NOTES
James' book, If Our Bodies Could Talk (I've read it, and loved it)
The Atlantic's page of James' writings
The Louis CK skit I mentioned early in the interview, about the 1st-world horrors of waiting on a runway
By popular demand, and my own great interest, Tom Myers returns to The Body Awake for a second interview.
In this second round — see episode 5 for the first — we cover:
SHOW NOTES
Anatomy Trains, Tom's main website
In vivo videos from French hand surgeon Jean-Claude Guimberteau
Somatic Experiencing is, in some ways, just like it sounds: a direct experiencing of the body and its sensations. Where the magic of this work comes in is experiencing layers of sensation and reaction that have been long covered up — perhaps early life trauma. What can follow from "digesting" this childhood trauma can be monumental in one's now-adult life.
(And there is even research — brought to life in like this Scientific American article, and this one in Nature revealing how trauma that happened well before you were born could be impacting your life now.)
Irene Lyon is a practitioner of SE, and a thinker and healer regarding helping people unwind old trauma patterns. She was a well of insight for me in this talk. I hope you enjoy; you can check Irene's work out via her link below.
SHOW NOTES
Irene's website, including resources, teaching dates and online programs
Amanda Ford's blog: Movement Muse
Wikipedia article on Polyvagal Theory (the dorsal/ventral vagul, which is of course just two branches but are contained within this theory of how works this branch of the Autonomic Nervous System)
Here's the breakdown for my first, signed-up-on-a-whim 50 kilometer mountain run training plan:
*** This should be fun. (If it's not, it's time to modify accordingly.) ***
*** I want this to increase my overall vitality, mobility, strength and tissue hydration. (Decreasing some or all of those is a common strategy, however unknowingly employed, on service of achieving training goals.) ***
1. Train to run in a way where force translates the easiest way possible through my hips. (This is a deep, deep world for me, relevant and apparent in weightlifting, downward dog, tango, capoeira, running, sitting, meditation, to name a few.)
2. Via these "training regimes" — all subject to change: capoeira (twice a week), some kind of structured partner dance (once a week), strength training (1 - 4 times a week, depending on my energy levels), yoga (daily), and running twice a week: one hill interval, metabolic conditioning type run; and one longer run.
3. Continue to noodle around, beyond everything above, as per my interest level.
4. When running: run-walk cycling as per what feels like elastic capacity of my tissues. When I feel like I'm starting to thud, or losing my resilient form, I'll walk til I regain it.
I am really curious to see how this training philosophy plays out in such an athletic environment! I'll keep you posted :)
Thanks for being here, LB
Donna Martin came highly recommended to me from several Body Awake listeners. She's deeply trained, and trains others, in the realm of Hakomi, an approach to psychotherapy that's rooted in mindfulness and body awareness.
In this interview, Donna and I dive into what felt like, for me, the heart of connecting with another human being.
The first 23 seconds of the show gives you a taste of that.
Enjoy, and do keep your recommendations coming; thank you!
SHOW NOTES
Donna's retreat on Hawai'i, June 2017
"Whole-Hearted Embodiment," a retreat at Hollyhock, BC in May 2017.
Books mentioned on air (unlinked, but of course any of these available by searching Amazon)
The Brain's Way of Healing and The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
Mindsight by Daniel Siegel
Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson
Start Where You Are by Pema Chödrön