Body, Root & Soul
"A TREE STANDS STRONG NOT BY IT'S FRUITS OR BRANCHES, BUT BY THE DEPTH OF IT'S ROOTS" 

"When we begin to inhabit the body as our primary way of sensing, feeling and knowing the world, we find that we as humans are in a state of intimate RELATIONSHIP and CONNECTION with ALL that is"

Reginald Ray

 

Embodiment, movement and the body have been Shannon's lifelong passions. She began guiding others in movement in 2001. She is a life long student of the body and the embodied healing arts. Her practice includes movement medicine, various somatic based practices, somatic meditation, LifeArt Process® , breath work, nervous system rebalancing, expressive arts and creative process, dance, Gyrotonic, Pilates, and alignment somatic based yoga. She views Pilates on a much deeper level than most. She sees it as we are learning to not just engage these deeper postural muscles, but learning to INHABIT these deeper layers of ourselves. We learn to inhabit and LIVE in our bodies, fully. Tuning in to ourselves, is the practice. LISTENING, REMEMBERING, FEELING and SENSING. That is the language of the body. The language of Pilates and Yoga is PRESENCE. This is what the body teaches us. And of course,  the art SLOWING down and learning to unfold into ourselves and open up to our own mythic stories that lie within.

 

Shannon teaches the true Pilates method which takes practice to learn, but once learned your body moves and functions very differently. The body learns to support itself from the inside out. While gaining inner strength and the use of these deep intrinsic postural muscles, all movement in daily life is improved. We learn to inhabit our bodies more fully, which brings us more into our bodies and into the present moment.

She has helped professional athletes, dancers as well as people with disabilities or injuries, pre/post surgery clients, pre/post natal and those moving through transitions as well as those dealing with anxiety and ptsd. She has many offerings and trades, and one of her specialties is working with people with scoliosis; helping them design a home practice using traction methods, alignment based yoga with focus on breathing, alongside the strength training of the Pilates method.

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Learning these somatic practices allows us to move through whatever life is throwing our way as we have gained an invaluable resource as an ally, OUR BODY. Shannon fully believes that healing is possible, balance is possible, our body wants this all the time, to move back into a state of homeostasis, balance and healing is what our body KNOWS. 

 

Embodiment is learning the language that our body is speaking to us all the time, tuning in and attuning, just as a mother does to her newly born child. Recognizing its calls of distress and joy, learning its resonance. This is the subtle body.

 

The bodies language, SENSATION, is a language most of us were never taught, yet it is never too late to learn. It's essential. It is our lifeline. Our body has our back from the very beginning to the very end. Beginning to build a RELATIONSHIP with ourselves and OUR BODIES is building a practice, of connecting to ourselves, holding space for ourselves and being present with ourselves. Our movement practice can become an actual lifeline, a common thread moving through our lives, no matter what life throws at us, we can respond, sense and feel from a place of integrity, authenticity and presence. This is the gift of the body. 

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"Our bodies have a soul. Our bodies have a purpose. Our bodies are poetry and they are speaking to us all the time. That is how I see and PRACTICE Yoga. Learning to LISTEN and RECEIVE. Creating this space for our inner body to SHOW UP. The awakening of the INNER BODY. Its a prayer, a meeting, a joining of body/mind/soul, a uniting, an allowing. Taking a break from the constant outer noise, to tune in and connect to YOU."

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The importance of the inner body quite forgotten and disregarded in our culture, yet it is our livelihood, vital essence and actual life force. The more you create the space, the more you listen, the more of YOU will begin to show up. Remembrance. The more your body will guide you, as you learn this new language. The body IS a way of knowing. We think in our minds, but we KNOW in our bodies. Our body is a map, a compass, a history of our past and ancestry and we can learn to metabolize emotions, deal with stress and overactive nervous systems by practicing embodiment. Our body is unique. Our bodies are amazing. Our bodies need us. Your body needs you.

 

Specializing in sports performance, back care and scoliosis, while also improving posture, energy, and alignment for any individual. 

By working with Shannon, you’ll tap into your body’s natural inner strength by coming back into your true alignment. Alignment from the inside out. She is unique as a movement teacher, as she offers both Iyengar based Yoga and the Pilates method within sessions, as well as being able to offer guided meditation and restorative yoga working with those with PTSD, trauma and anxiety. Using the Pilates equipment as traction tools to give your spine and body space and length.

She also practices and offers sessions in embodied healing and creative process using the Tamalpa LifeArt process, a somatic movement therapy accredited technique.

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