Embark on a transformative journey into the realms of somatic movement, artistic expression, and self-discovery with Lillian Kemanis, a seasoned Somatic Movement Facilitator, therapist, and artist. In her exclusive MysticMag interview, Lillian shares profound insights into the essence of Somatic Care, her unique 1:1 sessions, the integration of Buddhist philosophy, and the intertwining threads of creativity within her practice. Join us as we unravel the layers of Lillian’s approach to healing, where the body becomes a canvas for self-expression, and movement becomes the language of the soul.
What does it mean to be a Somatic Movement Facilitator?
As a Somatic Movement Facilitator, I prioritize the body as the primary source of awareness. “Soma” translates to “living body,” emphasizing how we sense ourselves internally. In my role as a facilitator, I guide awareness to inner feelings and sensations within the body, encouraging clients to respond to their natural feelings and impulses through movement. My goal is to assist them in uncovering their genuine, authentic expression hidden beneath social and cultural conditioning. Movement serves as a potent tool to awaken sensation and broaden our understanding of our inner world through outward expression.
The foundation of any somatic practice lies in recognizing the body as the medium through which we experience life and derive meaning, making it an essential source of information and wisdom. Somatic practices employ various methods to connect awareness to felt sensations, including shifting attention, movement, touch, and sound. This approach to the body facilitates the conscious awareness of what was once unconscious. With a renewed understanding of our inner experiences, we can alter habitual patterns, address implicit and explicit traumas, and transform our perceptual experience.
Can you walk me through one of your 1:1 Somatic Care sessions?
My Somatic Care sessions aim to facilitate self-care and self-discovery, blending verbal and non-verbal processing. I guide my clients’ attention from the mind to the body, addressing the feelings and sensations present. Many of us get stuck in judgments and conclusions based on past experiences, overlooking the alive, present moment feelings in our bodies. This method can create new meaning from direct experience and helps process current feelings.
Our sessions commence with a dialogue where clients share their feelings, intentions, and challenges. I delve deeper by facilitating a slowdown in mental activity, dissecting any beliefs or stories, and tuning into the body to locate their inner experience.
We start at the surface of the conscious mind and then descend into the subconscious experience of the body. Guiding questions include: Where is this feeling located in your body? Can you describe the various sensations that make up this feeling? Does the feeling have a specific quality of movement, texture, tone, or color? How would this feeling move if given permission? We explore the feeling through physical movement, meeting the expressed need. The session concludes with reflective dialogue and any insights or tools I can offer. It’s incredible to witness the immediate transformation reported by clients, feeling clearer, grounded, and in touch with themselves after a Somatic Care session.
How do you implement ideas from Buddhist Philosophy into your practice?
Two central Buddhist concepts that significantly shape my work are interdependence and impermanence. In somatic practice, we perceive our bodies and psyches as interconnected components constituting the whole self-experience. Interdependence asserts that everything is profoundly connected, influencing the causes and conditions of our lives. The mind affects the body, and the body affects the mind; they cannot be separated. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, the Founder of Body-Mind Centering, eloquently illustrates how the mind influences the body: “The mind is like the wind, and the body is like the sand; to see how the wind is blowing, you can observe the sand.”
Similarly, our past experiences, the environments we inhabit, and the larger culture we belong to significantly shape how we develop our sense of self and well-being.
Moreover, change is inevitable. When we bring awareness to our present moment experience, we observe all phenomena in constant motion. Regardless of how small or subtle this movement may be, we recognize that our living experience is impermanent. This realization can be powerful, inviting us to deepen our embodied experience and commit ourselves to living a full life of health and happiness.
You are also an artist. What can you tell me about that part of your work?
My creative process informs everything I do. At times, I hesitate to label myself an “Artist,” as I lean more towards a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. However, mastery in a single art form has never been my primary motive. Art making is a way I make sense of my experiences and practice seeing beauty in the world. Engaging in art keeps my sense of playfulness, curiosity, wonder, and humor alive. Art provides the space for me to fully honor and express the depth of my emotional experience. Whether I’m dancing, writing, singing, acting, or fiddling with arts-and-crafts supplies, I’m bound to whip something together.
I believe art is less about what you make and more about how you see the world. Rick Rubin captures this sentiment well in his book “The Creative Act: a way of being,” stating, “Living life as an artist is a practice. You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not. It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it. It’s like saying, ‘I’m not good at being a monk.’ You are either living as a monk or you’re not.”
Creativity is increasingly central to my somatic work with clients and students. I assist others in removing blocks hindering their creative expression. I recently published a digital workbook titled “A Guide To Getting Out of Your Own Way: a comprehensive workbook for Creatives who self-sabotage.” This workbook aims to guide individuals through a self-inquiry process, delving into the deeper needs and feelings behind self-sabotaging behavior. It includes somatic-based meditation practices to directly transform subconscious mind patterns. My goal is to guide people on a transformative journey of self-discovery, empowering them to live their most authentic, creative, and embodied lives.
What can people expect from your workshops?
Participants can anticipate an immersive learning environment where they have the freedom to explore themselves within a compassionate and nonjudgmental space. In my workshops, there’s always an element of connecting with others through sharing experiences. Creating a positive community environment is crucial to me, fostering feelings of connection and safety among the group. My workshops also incorporate experiential embodied movement practices. Using verbal cues and music, I guide individuals into the depths of their living bodies through authentic movement. Students who attend my classes and workshops often express a sense of freedom, altered states of consciousness, deep relaxation, creative flow, and delightful playfulness.
To learn more about Lillian and her work, you can visit www.lilliankemanis.com
