Exploring Somatic Breathing
awareness, movement and meditation
Breathing isn’t something to get right.
It’s easy to think that there’s a correct way to breathe, or that we need to learn how to breathe properly. In Somatic Breathing, we approach it rather differently. We’re not working towards a particular way of breathing. Instead, we’re exploring many different possibilities so that we can notice how our own breath responds.
Exploring Somatic Breathing is a collection of guided sessions that help you increase your awareness of breath through changes in movement, position and rhythm, as well as through the use of imagery. Each offers another opportunity to experience your own breathing and discover more about it for yourself.
The sessions can be taken as a course, but also used individually as breathing and meditation practices – giving you different ways to spend time with your breath and notice what emerges.
9 VIDEOS
2¾ HOURS
LIFETIME ACCESS
£39
Inside the course
Exploring Somatic Breathing 1
Beginning lying on the floor, these four sessions introduce different ways of sensing and exploring your breathing.
Exploring Breath – 26 mins
Awareness – 33 mins
Back, Front & Sides – 26 mins
Exploring Somatic Breathing 2
Beginning seated before exploring other positions, these five sessions bring in further possibilities through rhythm, imagery and movement.
Seated Soma Scan – 13 mins
Exploring Breath and Rhythm – 17 mins
Using Imaginary Hands – 16 mins
Bending & Breathing – 23 mins
A practice you can make your own
You don’t need any previous experience of somatics, breathing practices or meditation. You might come to these sessions because you’re curious about your breathing, because you’ve been told you should breathe differently, or simply because you’d like some guided practices that give you time to slow down and pay attention to yourself.
These aren’t breathing exercises in the sense of learning a technique or training yourself to breathe in a particular way. Some sessions include movement, some use different positions, rhythm or imagery, and some are quieter explorations that can be used much like a breathing meditation.
You can follow the whole collection in order, or return to individual sessions according to what appeals to you at the time. They can also become part of a regular or daily breathing or meditation practice – perhaps something you return to in the morning, even before getting out of bed, giving yourself time to connect with your breathing, notice how you are and begin the day with awareness.
Although some explorations begin lying or seated on the floor, you’re encouraged to adapt positions and use whatever support you need.
Guided by David
David guides each of the sessions, with Amanda taking part in the explorations on screen.
His approach to breathing has developed through decades of teaching somatics, movement and awareness. He offers questions, movement, imagery and different possibilities to explore, with plenty of time to notice your own experience.
That curiosity runs throughout Exploring Somatic Breathing. There is no particular experience you need to have and no particular way your breathing needs to become.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this suitable for beginners?
Yes. You don’t need any previous experience of somatics, breathing practices or meditation. The sessions are guided throughout, with invitations to notice your own experience and adapt what you’re doing as you go.
Is this breathwork or a breathing technique?
Not in the way those terms are commonly used. You won’t be asked to practise forceful breathing, extended breath holds or train yourself to breathe according to a particular method.
Instead, the sessions use awareness, movement, position, rhythm and imagery to explore your own experience of breathing. You’re encouraged to let your breathing respond rather than trying to make it conform to a particular ideal.
Because the course doesn’t use the kinds of intensive breathing practices often associated with breathwork, it doesn’t come with the same kind of breathwork-specific contraindications. As with any movement or breathing exploration, you’re always encouraged to work within what feels appropriate for you, adapt or rest whenever you need to.
Do I need to follow the sessions in order?
We suggest following them in order the first time through, as the collection begins mainly on the floor before moving into seated and other positions. After that, you can return to whichever sessions appeal to you, in whatever order you like.
The two Soma Scans can also be used independently at any time.
Do I need to be able to lie or sit on the floor?
No. Some of the explorations were originally taught lying or seated on the floor, but you don’t need to reproduce a particular position. The lying explorations could just as easily be done in bed, which may make them particularly easy to include as part of a morning or evening practice.
You’re welcome to use cushions, blankets, a chair or other support, change position, make movements smaller, explore through imagination, or rest.
Can I use these as regular breathing or meditation practices?
Yes. Although you can experience the recordings as a course, they’re also designed to be returned to individually.
You might choose one as part of a regular breathing or meditation practice, use a Soma Scan when you’d like some time to turn your attention inward, or return to different sessions according to what interests you that day.
Is this course suitable for yoga, movement or somatic teachers?
Yes. The course isn’t specifically a teacher training, but teachers may find David’s way of approaching breathing useful to experience for themselves.
Rather than providing techniques or sequences to teach, the sessions offer examples of how questions, movement, imagery and attention can open up different possibilities for exploring breathing.
How long will I have access?
You’ll have lifetime access to the course, so there’s no deadline for completing it. You can take as much time as you like between sessions and return to the recordings whenever you want.
What happens after I purchase?
After purchasing, you’ll receive details by email giving you access to Exploring Somatic Breathing in our online course area. You can then watch the sessions online whenever it suits you.