Weaving together biology, living systems thinking, and somatic movement, these nine short essays will inspire somatic therapists, bodyworkers, and movement educators
Liz Koch, author of Core Awareness and The Psoas Book, seeks to dissolve the objectification of "body" in order to reconceptualize human beings as biologically intelligent, self-organizing, and self-healing. Specifically addressing educators and therapists, she delves into the conceptual framework of core by decolonizing the popular mechanistic thinking of psoas as muscle, inviting the reader on a journey toward reengaging with life's creative processes.
The book illuminates the limitations of the predominant paradigm of body and actively explores psoas as a vital, intelligent messenger that links us to an expansive network of profound possibilities. Employing biomorphic and embryonic paradigms, Koch redefines psoas as smart, expressive tissue that is both elemental and universal. Named after her popular exploratory workshops of the same name, Stalking Wild Psoas encourages all readers to nourish integrity and claim self-efficacy as creative and expressive individuals.
Author(s): Liz Koch
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 167
CONTENTS
Title Page
Praise for Stalking Wild Psoas
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Epigraph
Prologue
Essay One: Changing Our Language
The Biomechanical Perspective
The Bio-Intelligent Perspective
Incongruent Conversations
Shifting Paradigms
Different Language—Different Results
Embryological Expression
Awakening a New Language
Coming Together
Essay Two: Embryological Gesture
Becoming Form
Cellular Motility
Being Here and There
Out of the Void
Emerging Coherent
Essay Three: Biomorphic Expression
Universal Patterns
Shaping Water
The Field
Primary Perception
Awakening Potential
Essay Four: Your Fluid Midline
Unraveling Patterns
Oceanic Origins
Proprioceptive Communication
Undulating Wholeness
Primal Core
Fluid River
Gesturing Expression
Rebounding Strength
Innovating Health
Essay Five: Core Messenger
Bio-Intelligent Communicator
Core Messenger
Witnessing Another
Supporting Bio-Intelligence
Creating Space
Encouraging Integrity
Following Expression
Sensing Core Intelligence
Essay Six: Landing and Locating
Animal Body
Inhabiting Bone
Messaging Bone
Grounding Potential
Expressive Posture
Tracking
Facing
Embodying
Migrating
Coregulating
Being Mammal
Essay Seven: Becoming Integral
Containing
Being
Wandering
Sightings
Vacillating
Unraveling
Immersing
Essay Eight: Movement as Medicine
Continuum Movement
Biological Healing
Undulating Spirals
Entering the Mystery
Into the Dark
Dissolving Inhibitors
Restoring Rhythms
Innovating Layers
Essay Nine: Rewilding Your Psoas
Flourishing
Lying Fallow
The Biological Language of Play
Let the Wild Rumpus Begin10
The Snake Dream Turns to Play
Rewilding Psoas
Fertile Ground
Fresh Awakening
Feeling the Lure
Appendix: Falling-Catching Exploration
Step 1. Falling Partner
Step 2. Catching Partner
Step 3. Falling Partner
Step 4. Catching Partner
Step 5. Falling Partner
Step 6. Catching Partner
Table Manners: An Alternative
Endnotes
Changing Our Language
Embryological Gesture
Biomorphic Expression
Your Fluid Midline
Core Messenger
Landing and Locating
Becoming Integral
Movement as Medicine
Rewilding Your Psoas
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
Also By Liz Koch
About the Author
About North Atlantic Books
