Somatic Primer Podcast

Jason Birch is a scholar of medieval Hatha yoga and a founding member of SOAS's Centre for Yoga Studies Jason  is a senior research fellow for the ‘Light on Hatha Yoga’ project.  He is well known for his important paper on the meaning of haṭha in early Haṭhayoga, which has reshaped our understanding of the origins of this term by locating it within Buddhist literature. He is the co-founder of...

Professor of Anthropology, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford Elisabeth Hsu's research contributes to the fields of medical anthropology and ethnobotany; language and text critical studies; and the history of science, technology and medicine in China and beyond. It concern...

Alex Scrimgeour is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist based in London, UK. He has over twenty years experience as a practitioner of qigong and meditation. He  Received a BSc. in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Diploma in Tuina (Chinese Massage Therapy) from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. Alex completed clinical internships in Vietnam's largest teaching hospital, the...

Esther Gokhale  studied biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and, later, acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong crusade to vanquish back pain. Her studies at the Aplomb® Institute in Paris and years of research in Brazil, India, Portugal and elsewhere...

Bryson Newell is the host of The Somatic Primer Podcast. The platform is a continuing education program that uses his experience in meditation and the somatic arts as the basis for the show. The show explores various approaches and understanding of the body-mind complex. Bryson has studied and taught various systems of meditation, Neigong, and Somatics. Additionally he completed retreats for the T...

Shifu Yan Lei was born in 1973 to a traditional family in the Xin Jiang province of China. He began his martial arts life at the age of fourteen when he travelled to the other side of China to train in the Shaolin Temple in Henan province. His Master, the Shaolin Abbot, Shi Yong Xin gave him the name Lei – meaning thunder – and he became a 34th generation fighting disciple. When he was eighteen he...

John Loupos, is the owner of the Jade Forest Kung Fu/ Tai Chi training facility and the Pain and Mobility Clinic in Ma. He has been studying martial arts since 1966. His  martial arts training includes; Okinawan Karate and Praying Mantis styles of Kung Fu, As well as Yang style Tai Chi, Ba Gua,and qigong practices.  He is a Certified Hanna Somatic Educator and a member of the Board of Directors fo...

Conor Heffernan is professor of Physical Culture and Sport studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on health and body cultures in Ireland, Europe and Indian bodybuilders in the early 20th century. Outside of academia, Conor is a regular contributor to health and fitness websites as well as his own history of fitness website Physical Culture Study. Books: The Histo...

David Robert Loy is a retired professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the San bo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He  is one of the founding members of the new Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado.  Davids essays and books have been translated into many languages. His articles appear regularly in the pages of major journals and Buddhist magazines including Tricycle...

Dr. Wendi Weimar is a biomechanics professor and the Director of the Sport Biomechanics Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University.  Dr. Weimar's research is focused on the function of the lower extremity with specific interest in gait dynamics. She has worked with professional athletes, and Olympians. She  consults with collegiate and several professional sports teams in th...

Frank Zane has won all of bodybuilding’s major titles including Mr. Olympia (3 Times), Mr. Universe (3 Times), Mr. World and Mr America. Frank is one of the leading experts on bodybuilding and active aging. He has been named as one of the “Top 10 Legends of Bodybuilding” and also was awarded “The Best Physique of All Time” by Muscle and Fitness Magazine. Frank is considered by many to be an exempl...

James Earls is a writer, lecturer, and bodyworker, specializing in Myofascial Release and Structural Integration. He specializes in blending movement with manual therapy creating a new functional approach to bodywork. James’  first started practicing bodywork over 25 years ago. He has studied with Thomas Myers, Art Riggs, and Gary Gray. James worked alongside Tom Myers to co-author “Fascial Releas...

Thomas Kasulis is a professor emeritus of comparative studies and University Distinguished Scholar at The Ohio State University, Kasulis has taught and lectured around the world, having established himself as a foremost interpreter of Japanese thought and culture. He has written numerous books and scholarly articles on Japanese religious thought and western philosophy, including Zen Action/Zen Per...

Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming (楊俊敏博士) has a M.S. in Physics from Tamkang College in Taipei Xian and a  Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He started his Gongfu (Kung Fu) training at the age of fifteen under the Shaolin White Crane (Bai He) Master Cheng, Gin Gsao (曾金灶). In thirteen years of study (1961-1974) under Master Cheng, Dr. Yang became an expert in the White Crane style...

Conor Heffernan is professor of Physical Culture and Sport studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on health and body cultures in Ireland, Europe and Indian bodybuilders in the early 20th century. Conor is currently working on a book detailing the rise of Indian club swinging in the nineteenth century and its global spread. Outside of academia, Conor is a regular...

David Anderson is the Director of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute at San Francisco State University. He is Formerly a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at SF State. His research centers on understanding how motor skills are acquired, how to promote the development of motor skills, and how motor activity influences psychological functioning. David is an Active Fellow in the N...

Leigh Ankrum CNMT, CSST is a Functional Bodywork practitioner and teacher. In 2016 she founded the Ankrum Institute in  Tulsa Oklahoma.  After decades of training around the world in various modalities , she used her experience to create  one comprehensive, system. She integrates Osteopathic Manipulation, Lymphatic Massage, Visceral Manipulation, Myofascial Release (Rolfing), Neuro-Muscular Therap...

Geoffrey Samuel is Emeritus Professor in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He is former joint editor of the journal Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity and director of the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) International Research Network. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of religion in Tibetan societies, the historical development and...

Geoffrey Samuel is Emeritus Professor in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He is former joint editor of the journal Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity and director of the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) International Research Network. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of religion in Tibetan societies, the historical development and...

Kelly Lynch is a former professional dancer and physical theatre artist based out of Montreal (1991-2005). Kelly Jean Lynch (formerly Mullan) is presently a PhD student in Dance Studies at York University. Her Master thesis is from Skidmore College, The Art and Science of Somatics: Theory, History and Scientific Foundations, has been downloaded over 6,000 times. Kelly’s research has also focused o...

David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT is an Allied Health Member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He serves as the Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at UPMC’s Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a Board Certified Structural Integrator, Anatomy Trains Structural Integrator,  Frederick Stretch Therapist, Fasc...

Nick Matiasz is the Scientific Program Director for the Center for Contemplative Research in North America. Nick received his Ph. D. in medical informatics from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied causal reasoning in neuroscience. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Tufts University, where he performed interdisciplinary research in psychology and c...

Roger Jahnke, O.M.D. is a doctor of Classical Chinese Medicine with thirty years of clinical practice. He is the Founder and Director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, and serves as a consultant to hospitals, social service agencies, and corporations in Complementary and Integrative Medicine. He has authored several books including  The Healer Within and his most recent book, The He...

Susan Lowell de Solórzano shares her understanding of biotensegrity as developed over years of direct study with the concept's originator, Stephen M. Levin, MD, and makes biotensegrity accessible through experiential activities and exercises. Susan Lowell de Solórzano has an MA, Human Development & Education with a focus on kinesthetic learning, she is certified as a Level III T'ai C...

Jeando is a master Alexander teacher and historian. He translated all of Alexanders books into French. While working on these translations Jeando discovered that Alexander had studied the Delsarte method.  Jeando focused on this early work and created his own version of the Alexander Technique called the Initial Alexander Technique. In this episode we discuss: What is the Alexander Technique Why t...