#38 Ecosomatics |Connect to your body to connect to your world

Rise Leaders Radio

“When we connect to our own energy and life force, we're actually connecting to the big energy out there in the world…And this is the venue, the entry point into connecting with all the rest of life around us.” - Mark Mooney

Connect with your body, connect with the world

According to Mark Mooney, the embodied or self-actuated self includes a deep connection to all the rest of life on the planet. Achieving this requires an understanding of somatics and ecosomatics.

Somatics is a body-centered approach to learning and transformation; we learn through our body to reach our potential. Ecosomatics integrates deep ecology, which acknowledges the inherent value and interconnection of all living things. Tapping into our senses and sensations lays groundwork for both.

This week Mark explains how our bodies and our “ historical shaping” inform our strategies for navigating the world. He also explains how connecting with nature enhances our wellbeing - and how to connect with nature even when it’s not easily accessible.

Be fully in the experience of life

[15:36] “We might as well be in the experience of life as opposed to thinking of life. Joseph Campbell suggested that we're not looking for the secret of the meaning of life. He suggests that we're looking for the experience of life, which means experiencing all of our emotions fully. Being fully aware in the moment and to the things going on around me. [Then the] experience of life just gets better.”

Our shape suggests our mood

[22:15] “That's an interesting part about shaping. You look at people’s shape, a ‘resigned shape’ is one of the things that people can see the most: kind of collapsed - looks like there's a weight around the neck…it’s part of the defense of ‘let's make myself smaller.’ I'll bring my energy and I'll condense my musculature. I'll actually bring my head down. Now I'm going to be smaller.”

Connect to your senses to become present and alive

[50:21] “Cultivate your connection to your senses. Go for a walk (and nature is probably going to give you the easiest time to do this) and spend 10 minutes strictly in one sense…so I could walk slowly and just pay attention to what I hear. What's the furthest away thing I can hear? What's the closest thing? What's high pitch, what's low and bass? And just pay attention and listen to the quality of sound.”

[54:28] “It opens a world getting connected to our senses on this level, it opens a world that we're just not usually paying any attention to.”

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Mark Mooney:

[e-mail]

ecosomatic.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mooney-6116a49/

Strozzi Institute:

https://strozziinstitute.com/

Richard Strozzi-Heckler, PhD:

https://strozziinstitute.com/about-2/#richard-strozzi-heckler

Deep Ecology + George Sessions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_ecology#:~:text=Deep%20ecology%20is%20an%20environmental,in%20accordance%20with%20such%20ideas.

Arne Naess:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arne_N%C3%A6ss

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