What is Soulful Somatic Breathwork?

It's a 3 hour journey from cacao to hugs, beginning with a sharing circle to let each other arrive and to express intentions. Once we begin it is mostly laying down on a yoga mat with blankets with soothing soulful music to help you to relax and to let go. I'll guide a breath flow to bring your nervous system into parasympathetic coherence (all organs tuned and humming). I offer (optional) supportive touch to help you to relax and feel held and to bring you back to your body, back to your senses, home. The next breathflow will allow you to switch off your thoughts altogether, allowing your emotions, body-memory and sensations to be expressed - while the rider (mind) sleeps, the horse (body) instinctively walks itself home to sweet waters. We will share the first words about our experiences over fresh fruit before hugs and goodbyes. In the afterglow, give yourself to art, play, rest, nature, craft and poetry. Your sense-making mind will then have plenty to make sense of.

How does it work?

Breathwork is best understood as bodywork, and is sometimes referred to as ‘bottom-up’ processing. The ‘top-down’ approach engages thinking, narrative and rationality, whereas ‘bottom-up’ processing operates at the level of the body and in the realm of the unconscious. We often hold a lot of unexpressed emotion in our bodies without knowing it consciously. But even when the mind doesn't know, the body does. Given the opportunity, the body can speak and release emotion that might have been stuck for days or years. During this Breathwork session we'll be engaging the 90% of ourselves that is somatic and sub-rational (below the neck). People often experience an invitation to move through and shift physical and emotional pain through their bodies, giving them emotional release and increased emotional range and emotional flexibility. Breath-work is an ancient and effective way to know one’s self and to effect deep change.

What to Bring

warm comfy clothes, yoga mat, blanket, water bottle, journal

Assumption of Risk (and Adventure)

There are inherent risks associated with some forms of breathwork which you need to be know of and be willing to accept before participating in the breathwork session. In some cases you may need medical clearance from your GP or other appropriate medical professional. That said, there are ways that we can work together no matter the medical hurdle.

I've said as much in the Medical Questionnaire and Waiver https://waiver.fr/p-ktevx

What I want to emphasise is that life is inherently risky, change is inevitably both mortal and vital. I encourage seriousness and due caution as well as boldness and pioneering spirit. To be too cautious is not necessarily the surest, safest or most promising and vital path. Caution, from the Latin cavere "to be on one's guard". Guard is only warranted if you're taking a risk. So, risk and caution go hand in hand. That's true of anything living on this great planet hurtling through space, dangerously and propitiously close to a star. So yes, please fill out the form before the event and if there's anything we need to discuss I'll reach out.

Who is facilitating?

I’m Vas Clementine, a mystically inclined and well trained and practiced somatic trauma psychotherapist. I've spent three years running groups and 1:1 sessions with clients and their families suffering addiction, trauma, grief and relationship conflict. Prior to that I spent five years training primary and secondary teachers in the subtle art of creating sacred spaces for children, young adults and school communities to discover and develop their own spirituality within a multicultural context. Prior to that I spent ten years living in a modern monastic community, completing a bachelor and master of theology. I love creating open spaces for people to discover more of themselves, to connect more authentically and intimately with others and to not only heal but to find deeper longing and purpose for their lives. I have great empathy for the people I work with and I feel honoured to hold sacred space for you. I only offer the medicines that have worked for me, in this instance, soulful somatic breathwork.

I’m looking forward to attending supportively to your soul and soma in the session and in the days following.