Don Hanlon Johnson is a professor at CIIS in San Francisco and the founder of the first graduate degree program in Somatics. He is the author of a body of literature on the intersections among bodily experience, the natural world, spirituality, social justice, and health. Don Hanlon Johnson began his training with Dr. Ida Rolf and joined Thomas Han…

Wasentha Young is a lifelong practitioner of Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation. She is a founding board member of the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors. Wasentha was a student of Grandmaster William CC Chen. Master Young received formal training in Buddhist and Taoist meditation respectfully from Trungpa Rinpoche and Gia-Fu Feng in additi…

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Jean-Louis Rodrigue is a movement director, acting coach, and senior teacher of the Alexander Technique. For over 40 years, he has worked professionally in Los Angeles and New York in theatre, film, television, and digital media; his unique approach to character movement and improving the levels of performance has broug…

Yogi Sivadas was born into the traditional Ayurvedic and Yoga practices of Kerala. As a teenager, he left home to continue his quest for deeper knowledge, traveling throughout India and the neighboring countries. After more than twelve years of exploring throughout India gaining spiritual wisdom he founded the Kailash Tribal School of Yoga and Holi…

Alexandra holds a BFA/Dance (University of MI), MFA/Dance (University of WI at Milwaukee), and CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) in Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals (LIMS). She is on faculty at Princeton University, Rutgers University, and The Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies, and guest teaches nationally and internatio…

This Week's Episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast: Ven. Robina Courtin Ordained since the late 1970s, Ven. Robina has worked full time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s FPMT. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Projec…

On this episode I had the pleasure to speak with taiji teacher Robert Chuckrow. He has studied (Taiji), (Qigong),under masters such as Cheng Man-ch’ing, William C.C. Chen, Elaine Summers. He has written four books on T’ai Chi: The Tai Chi Book, Tai Chi Walking, Tai Chi Dynamics, and Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments. https://www.chuckrowtaichi.com/ …

Sam F.S. Chin is the co-founder of the art I Liq Chuan / Zhong Xin Dao system. Master Sam Chin was profoundly influenced by Buddhist meditation. Combining mindfulness and awareness with the traditional martial art his father had taught him Master Chin developed what would become I Liq Chuan. I Liq Chuan is the art of cultivating consciousness based…

Lama Losang (Dr. David Bole) is a fully ordained monk, he completed his traditional three-year retreat in 2004. Lama Losang is also an acupuncture physician, a Tai Chi teacher, and holds a Ph.D. in Psychology. He teaches wellness and Buddhism around the country. He has recently published a book titled, The Golden Eight-Petaled Lotus, Book One: Wisd…

Cyndi Lee began teaching meditation 30 years ago with the blessing of her root guru, the great Tibetan master, Gelek Rinpoche. Cyndi is known for integrating yoga asana and Tibetan Buddhism. From 1998-2012, she founded and ran the renowned OM yoga Center. OM yoga Center was the first NYC studio to offer Buddhist meditation classes. Cyndi is the aut…

My guest this week is Embodiment teacher Will Johnson. Will Johnson has been a Buddhist practitioner and Rolfer for more than forty years. He and his wife live in Costa Rica, where they have created the Hollow Bamboo Retreat Center. Will has written several books including Breathing Through the Whole Body: The Buddha’s Instructions on Integrating M…

James Nestor is an author and journalist His book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was an international bestseller. James is currently hosting breathing workshops and he is working on a new book. To find out more about James please visit https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/ Thank you to all the listeners who are supporting the show. If you would l…

In this weeks episode I had the pleasure to sit down with Matteo Pistono. Matteo Pistono is a writer, meditation teacher, and conscious breathing guide. His new book is Breathe How You Want to Feel: Your Breathing Tool Kit for Better Health. Matteo has authored numerous books including Meditation: Coming To Know Your Mind, Fearless in Tibet and In …

In this weeks episode, I had a conversation with Tsering Dorje. Tsering studied Buddhism in both monastic and academic settings for the past twenty years. He translates ancient Hatha and Vajrayana texts. His focus is on the body-oriented yogas in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Tsering has a Newsletter on substack where he posts his translations. Below…

In this week's episode, I had a conversation with my friend and breath coach Mike Maher. Mike is a breath work instructor, and researcher. Mike is the founder of YouTube’s Number One Breathwork channel –TAKE A DEEP BREATH, and the host of the Breathwork Podcast ,The Breathcast. Mike trains people online with his popular breath-work program Function…

In this weeks episode, I had the pleasure to speak with Michael Sheehy. Michael Sheehy is a meditation researcher and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a Research Assistant Professor and Director of Research at the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. Michael studied extensively in Asia, including three years training in a …

Willa Baker has a doctorate from Harvard University. She is the Founder and director of The Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA, and its retreat center in the mountains of, NH. She is a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Tibetan Buddhist Kagyu lineage . Willa lived as a monastic for twelve years and has also completed two three-year retre…

Drew Leder a professor of Western and Eastern Philosophy at Loyola University Maryland. Dr. Leder's work focuses on the embodied experience. He asks us to reconsider the Cartesian mind-body dualism that underlies much of contemporary Western medicine, and proposes a more holistic, yet rigorous, alternative. He has written several books on these top…

In this weeks episode, I speak with Joseph Alter. Joseph S. Alter is the Director of the Asian Studies Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the editor of The Journal of Asian Studies (2021 – 2025). His research is on environmental health, the globalization of Asian medical knowledge and the cultural histo…

My guest today, is Veronica Rottman. Veronica has a somatics and dance background. She studied Somatic Experiencing with Peter Levine as well as Somatic Attachment Therapy. Her passion is in Birth Work where she teaches a speciality Yoga for the pelvic floor, + prenatal/postnatal yoga) Listeners can find about more about her and her work at Waking …

Welcome to season 3 of the Somatic Primer Podcast. In this week's episode, I speak with Stuart Olson. Stuart is the founder, of Sanctuary of Tao. he is an author and translator of over thirty works on Taoist Philosophy, Taijiquan, Qigong, and Taoist internal practices. We discuss his translation of the Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic: The Taoist G…

Georges Dreyfus is Professor of Religion at Williams College, Massachusetts. His focus is in the fields of Indian Buddhist philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cognitive processes. At the age of 20, Dreyfus left his native home of Switzerland and backpacked across Eastern Europe through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. He traveled t…

In this episode, I speak with Dr. James Mallinson about his time living in India living with the sadhus, meeting his guru, and his pioneering research on the history of yoga. Dr. James Mallinson is is a professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford. He was previously a Reader in Indology and Yoga Studies at SOAS University of London. His resear…

My guest today is Rick Olderman. Rick is a sports and orthopedic physical therapist, Hanna somatic practitioner and author. Rick has spent years developing his approach for treating chronic pain. Rick has written a series of books called “Fixing you” and his most recent book "Solving the Pain Puzzle" to help people with chronic pain and injuries. R…

In this episode Tim Cartmell returns to discuss his book Xing Yi Nei Gong: Xing Yi Health Maintenance and Internal Strength Development. Tim explains the basic principals of Nei Gong and how to apply them. We discuss the similarities of Nei Gong, the Alexander Technique and how these ideas can benefit people in athletics and daily life. Application…

Jason Birch is a scholar of medieval Hatha yoga and a founding member of SOAS's Centre for Yoga Studies Jason is a senior research fellow for the ‘Light on Hatha Yoga’ project. He is well known for his important paper on the meaning of haṭha in early Haṭhayoga, which has reshaped our understanding of the origins of this term by locating it within B…

Professor of Anthropology, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford Elisabeth Hsu's research contributes to the fields of medical anthropology and ethnobotany; language and text critical studies; and the history of science, technology…

Alex Scrimgeour is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist based in London, UK. He has over twenty years experience as a practitioner of qigong and meditation. He Received a BSc. in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Diploma in Tuina (Chinese Massage Therapy) from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. Alex completed clinical internships …

Esther Gokhale studied biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and, later, acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong crusade to vanquish back pain. Her studies at the Aplomb® Institute in Paris and years of r…

Bryson Newell is the host of The Somatic Primer Podcast. The platform is a continuing education program that uses his experience in meditation and the somatic arts as the basis for the show. The show explores various approaches and understanding of the body-mind complex. Bryson has studied and taught various systems of meditation, Neigong, and Soma…

Shifu Yan Lei was born in 1973 to a traditional family in the Xin Jiang province of China. He began his martial arts life at the age of fourteen when he travelled to the other side of China to train in the Shaolin Temple in Henan province. His Master, the Shaolin Abbot, Shi Yong Xin gave him the name Lei – meaning thunder – and he became a 34th gen…

John Loupos, is the owner of the Jade Forest Kung Fu/ Tai Chi training facility and the Pain and Mobility Clinic in Ma. He has been studying martial arts since 1966. His martial arts training includes; Okinawan Karate and Praying Mantis styles of Kung Fu, As well as Yang style Tai Chi, Ba Gua,and qigong practices. He is a Certified Hanna Somatic Ed…

Conor Heffernan is professor of Physical Culture and Sport studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on health and body cultures in Ireland, Europe and Indian bodybuilders in the early 20th century. Outside of academia, Conor is a regular contributor to health and fitness websites as well as his own history of fitnes…

David Robert Loy is a retired professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the San bo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is one of the founding members of the new Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado. Davids essays and books have been translated into many languages. His articles appear regularly in the pages of major jou…

Dr. Wendi Weimar is a biomechanics professor and the Director of the Sport Biomechanics Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University. Dr. Weimar's research is focused on the function of the lower extremity with specific interest in gait dynamics. She has worked with professional athletes, and Olympians. She consults with collegiate …

Frank Zane has won all of bodybuilding’s major titles including Mr. Olympia (3 Times), Mr. Universe (3 Times), Mr. World and Mr America. Frank is one of the leading experts on bodybuilding and active aging. He has been named as one of the “Top 10 Legends of Bodybuilding” and also was awarded “The Best Physique of All Time” by Muscle and Fitness Mag…

James Earls is a writer, lecturer, and bodyworker, specializing in Myofascial Release and Structural Integration. He specializes in blending movement with manual therapy creating a new functional approach to bodywork. James’ first started practicing bodywork over 25 years ago. He has studied with Thomas Myers, Art Riggs, and Gary Gray. James worked…

Thomas Kasulis is a professor emeritus of comparative studies and University Distinguished Scholar at The Ohio State University, Kasulis has taught and lectured around the world, having established himself as a foremost interpreter of Japanese thought and culture. He has written numerous books and scholarly articles on Japanese religious thought an…

Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming (楊俊敏博士) has a M.S. in Physics from Tamkang College in Taipei Xian and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He started his Gongfu (Kung Fu) training at the age of fifteen under the Shaolin White Crane (Bai He) Master Cheng, Gin Gsao (曾金灶). In thirteen years of study (1961-1974) under Master Cheng, Dr. Yang b…

Conor Heffernan is professor of Physical Culture and Sport studies at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on health and body cultures in Ireland, Europe and Indian bodybuilders in the early 20th century. Conor is currently working on a book detailing the rise of Indian club swinging in the nineteenth century and its globa…

David Anderson is the Director of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute at San Francisco State University. He is Formerly a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at SF State. His research centers on understanding how motor skills are acquired, how to promote the development of motor skills, and how motor activity influences psychologic…

Leigh Ankrum CNMT, CSST is a Functional Bodywork practitioner and teacher. In 2016 she founded the Ankrum Institute in Tulsa Oklahoma. After decades of training around the world in various modalities , she used her experience to create one comprehensive, system. She integrates Osteopathic Manipulation, Lymphatic Massage, Visceral Manipulation, Myof…

Geoffrey Samuel is Emeritus Professor in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He is former joint editor of the journal Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity and director of the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) International Research Network. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of religion in…

Geoffrey Samuel is Emeritus Professor in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He is former joint editor of the journal Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity and director of the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) International Research Network. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of religion in…

Kelly Lynch is a former professional dancer and physical theatre artist based out of Montreal (1991-2005). Kelly Jean Lynch (formerly Mullan) is presently a PhD student in Dance Studies at York University. Her Master thesis is from Skidmore College, The Art and Science of Somatics: Theory, History and Scientific Foundations, has been downloaded ove…

David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT is an Allied Health Member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He serves as the Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at UPMC’s Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a Board Certified Structural Integrator, Anatomy Trains Structu…

Nick Matiasz is the Scientific Program Director for the Center for Contemplative Research in North America. Nick received his Ph.D. in medical informatics from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied causal reasoning in neuroscience. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Tufts University, where he perform…

Roger Jahnke, O.M.D. is a doctor of Classical Chinese Medicine with thirty years of clinical practice. He is the Founder and Director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, and serves as a consultant to hospitals, social service agencies, and corporations in Complementary and Integrative Medicine. He has authored several books including T…

Susan Lowell de Solórzano shares her understanding of biotensegrity as developed over years of direct study with the concept's originator, Stephen M. Levin, MD, and makes biotensegrity accessible through experiential activities and exercises. Susan Lowell de Solórzano has an MA, Human Development & Education with a focus on kinesthetic learning, sh…

Jeando is a master Alexander teacher and historian. He translated all of Alexanders books into French. While working on these translations Jeando discovered that Alexander had studied the Delsarte method. Jeando focused on this early work and created his own version of the Alexander Technique called the Initial Alexander Technique. In this episode …