Somatic Primer Podcast

Don Hanlon Johnson is a professor at CIIS in San Francisco and the founder of the first graduate degree program in Somatics. He is the author of a body of literature on the intersections among bodily experience, the natural world, spirituality, social justice, and health. Don Hanlon Johnson  began his training with Dr. Ida Rolf and joined Thomas Hanna as a contributing editor of his journal Somati...

Wasentha Young is a lifelong practitioner of Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation. She is a founding board member of the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors. Wasentha was a student of Grandmaster William CC Chen. Master Young received formal training in Buddhist and Taoist meditation respectfully from Trungpa Rinpoche and Gia-Fu Feng in addition to achieving a masters degree in Transpersonal...

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Jean-Louis Rodrigue is a movement director, acting coach, and senior teacher of the Alexander Technique. For over 40 years, he has worked professionally in Los Angeles and New York in theatre, film, television, and digital media; his unique approach to character movement and improving the levels of performance has brought international recognition. Click here to get a...

Yogi Sivadas was born into the traditional Ayurvedic and Yoga practices of Kerala. As a teenager, he left home to continue his quest for deeper knowledge, traveling throughout India and the neighboring countries.  After more than twelve years of exploring throughout India gaining spiritual wisdom he founded the Kailash Tribal School of Yoga and Holistic Healing at Mcleodganj in 2000. Through the K...

Alexandra holds a BFA/Dance (University of MI), MFA/Dance (University of WI at Milwaukee), and CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) in Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals (LIMS). She is on faculty at Princeton University, Rutgers University, and The Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies, and guest teaches nationally and internationally. To find out more about Alexandra please vis...

This Week's Episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast: Ven. Robina Courtin Ordained since the late 1970s, Ven. Robina has worked full time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s FPMT. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her...

On this episode I had the pleasure to speak with taiji teacher Robert Chuckrow. He has studied  (Taiji),  (Qigong),under masters such as Cheng Man-ch’ing, William C.C. Chen, Elaine Summers. He has written four books on T’ai Chi: The Tai Chi Book, Tai Chi Walking, Tai Chi Dynamics, and Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments. https://www.chuckrowtaichi.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@dsfgnk4/videos I’d like...

Sam F.S. Chin is the co-founder of the art I Liq Chuan / Zhong Xin Dao system. Master Sam Chin was profoundly influenced by Buddhist meditation. Combining mindfulness and awareness with the traditional martial art his father had taught him Master Chin developed what would become I Liq Chuan. I Liq Chuan is the art of cultivating consciousness based on Tai Chi and Chan (Zen) principles of non-asser...

Lama Losang (Dr. David Bole) is a fully ordained monk, he completed his traditional three-year retreat in 2004. Lama Losang is also an acupuncture physician, a Tai Chi teacher, and holds a Ph. D. in Psychology. He teaches wellness and Buddhism around the country. He has recently published a book titled, The Golden Eight-Petaled Lotus, Book One: Wisdom & Compassion. For more information about L...

Cyndi Lee began teaching meditation 30 years ago with the blessing of her root guru, the great Tibetan master, Gelek Rinpoche. Cyndi is known for integrating yoga asana and Tibetan Buddhism.  From 1998-2012, she founded and ran the renowned OM yoga Center. OM yoga Center was the first NYC studio to offer Buddhist meditation classes.  Cyndi is the author of several books including: Yoga Body Buddha...

My guest this week is Embodiment teacher Will Johnson. Will Johnson has been a Buddhist practitioner and Rolfer for more than forty years.  He and his wife live in Costa Rica,  where they have created the Hollow Bamboo Retreat Center. Will has written several books including Breathing Through the Whole Body:  The Buddha’s Instructions on Integrating Mind, Body, and Breath. To find out more about W...

James Nestor is an author and journalist His  book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was an international bestseller. James is currently hosting breathing workshops and he is working on a new book. To find out more about James please visit https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/ Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show. If you would like to become a supporting member please visit ht...

In this weeks episode I had the pleasure to sit down with Matteo Pistono. Matteo Pistono is a writer, meditation teacher, and conscious breathing guide. His new book is Breathe How You Want to Feel: Your Breathing Tool Kit for Better Health. Matteo has authored numerous books including Meditation: Coming To Know Your Mind, Fearless in Tibet and In The Shadow of the Buddha. He teaches conscious bre...

In this weeks episode, I had a conversation with Tsering Dorje. Tsering studied Buddhism in both monastic and academic settings for the past twenty years. He translates ancient Hatha and Vajrayana texts. His focus is on  the body-oriented yogas  in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Tsering has a Newsletter on substack where he posts his translations. Below is the link to his substack if you’d like to fi...

In this week's episode, I had a conversation with my friend and breath coach Mike Maher. Mike is a breath work instructor, and researcher. Mike is the founder of YouTube’s Number One Breathwork channel –TAKE A DEEP BREATH, and the host of the Breathwork Podcast ,The Breathcast. Mike trains people online with his popular breath-work program  Functional Breathing Essentials and he’s just starte...

In this weeks episode, I had the pleasure to speak with Michael Sheehy. Michael Sheehy is a meditation researcher and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a Research Assistant Professor and Director of Research at the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. Michael studied extensively in Asia, including three years training in a Buddhist monastery in the nomadic Golok region of...

Willa Baker has a doctorate from Harvard University. She is the Founder and director of  The Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA, and its retreat center in the mountains of, NH. She is a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Tibetan Buddhist Kagyu lineage .  Willa lived as a monastic for twelve years  and has also completed two three-year retreats. Willa is author of several books including...

Drew Leder a professor of Western and Eastern Philosophy at Loyola University Maryland.  Dr. Leder's work focuses on the embodied experience. He asks us to reconsider the Cartesian mind-body dualism that underlies much of contemporary Western medicine, and proposes a more holistic, yet rigorous, alternative. He has written several books on these topics including The Absent Body , and his late...

In this weeks episode, I speak with Joseph Alter. Joseph S. Alter is the Director of the Asian Studies Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the editor of The Journal of Asian Studies (2021 – 2025).  His research is on environmental health, the globalization of Asian medical knowledge and the cultural history of Yoga’s development in India. In the discuss...

My guest today, is Veronica Rottman. Veronica has a somatics and dance background. She studied Somatic Experiencing with Peter Levine as well as Somatic Attachment Therapy. Her passion is in Birth Work where she teaches a speciality Yoga for the pelvic floor, + prenatal/postnatal yoga) Listeners can find about more about her and her work at Waking Womb where she teaches classes and workshops. To f...

Welcome to season 3 of the Somatic Primer Podcast. In this week's episode, I speak with Stuart Olson. Stuart is the founder, of Sanctuary of Tao. he is an author and translator of over thirty works on Taoist Philosophy, Taijiquan, Qigong, and Taoist internal practices. We discuss his translation of the Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic: The Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity, and Immortality. T...

Georges Dreyfus is  Professor of Religion at Williams College, Massachusetts. His focus is in the fields of Indian Buddhist philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cognitive processes.  At the age of 20, Dreyfus left his native home of Switzerland and backpacked across Eastern Europe through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. He traveled to Dharamsala where he first encountered Tibetan...

In this episode, I speak with Dr. James Mallinson about his time living in India living with the sadhus, meeting his guru, and his pioneering research on the history of yoga. Dr. James Mallinson is  is a professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford. He was previously a Reader in Indology and Yoga Studies at SOAS University of London. His research focuses on the history and current traditional...

My guest today is Rick Olderman. Rick is a sports and orthopedic physical therapist, Hanna somatic practitioner and author. Rick has spent years developing his approach for treating chronic pain. Rick has written a series of books called “Fixing you” and his most recent book "Solving the Pain Puzzle" to help people with chronic pain and injuries.  Rick is also is the host of the podcast...

In this episode Tim Cartmell returns to discuss his book Xing Yi Nei Gong: Xing Yi Health Maintenance and Internal Strength Development .  Tim explains the basic principals of Nei Gong and how to apply them. We discuss the similarities of Nei Gong, the Alexander Technique and how these ideas can benefit people in athletics and daily life. Application for Somatic Restructuring Lessons https://somat...