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Passing 4 Normal podcast host, Sharon Weil, reflects upon lessons learned from this season’s interviews with somatic experts for navigating the unprecedented change and uncertainty of these coronavirus times. Harvesting the gems of their wisdom, she talks about how to find ground in a shifting scene by using our own inner-resources of breath, movement and felt-sense presence to transform illness, fear, and isolation into true connection and holistic wellbeing. sharonweilauthor.com

How can we stay the course of our lives when the course is drastically shifting due to coronavirus response? How do we wait for the unknown? Bonnie Gintis, osteopathic physician, Continuum somatic educator and author of Engaging the Movement of Life: Exploring Health and Embodiment, talks about how to find moment-to-moment stability in uncertainty, and how to maintain your good health through ongoing creative inquiry. bonniegintis.com

Volker Moritz, psychotherapist, sexologist, and Continuum somatic educator, talks about turning shelter into sanctuary by creating sacred space anywhere that we are. As we begin to emerge from our quarantine, how can we slow down—even as we are speeding back up—in order to retain connection with ourselves and the natural world that we are a part of?

Whether for raising your voice in protest and solidarity, or for finding expansive calm during social isolation, Linda Rabin, dance and movement pioneer, and Continuum somatic educator, talks about Leading from the Heart. It’s not just a metaphor; it’s a somatic practice that brings levity to the spaces around the heart, and a feeling of wellbeing so that our effective actions come from a sense of true connection and not from fear. Find out more about Linda here: www.lindarabin.com

Inside? Outside? Are you ready to go back out from your coronavirus shelter? Maybe not so, for some. Megan Bathory-Peeler, movement artist, bodywork therapist, and Continuum somatic educator, talks about the challenges of making the transition from inside to outside and what supports we need in order to carry a sense of spacious wellbeing out into the larger, face-paced world—now that we can.

Would you like to feel a sense of expansive freedom, movement, and interactive engagement even while sheltering at home? Rebecca Amis Lawson, psychotherapist, dance movement therapist, and Continuum somatic educator talks about how to use our perception of space and ground to help us locate and renew our relationships to ourselves, our environment, and to our sense of safety and wellbeing. The portals of our senses nourish our receptivity and provide inherent support that lifts us out of worry and future-fear into an immediate sense of presence anywhere and everywhere that we are. Find out more about Rebecca Lawson at HTTP://evolvingtherapies.com.

Some of us have fallen ill to COVID-19, or will. Bobbie Ellis, creator of Soma Yoga ™, Continuum somatic educator, and bodyworker, navigated the severe symptoms of the virus to recovery. She shares the body-based practices of breath and sense awareness tracking that navigated her healing.

The coronavirus quarantine has put us all on pause. Marcella Bottero, fitness expert, biodynamic craniosacral therapist, and Continuum somatic educator talks about how we can create a rich and fertile pause within the pause, discovering our own personal resiliency and the possibility of rediscovering ourselves.

Can we reframe our worldview from the primacy of the individual to one that includes all species and living elementals in thriving balance? Sabine Mead, somatic movement artist, teacher, and practitioner, shows us how to create an intimate relationship between our own inner landscape and the ones we live in through our felt-sense experience and the way we use language. Feeling our larger unity becomes the perfect medicine for soothing, regulating, trust, and hopeful repurposing. For more information about Sabine, visit: resonantbody.com.

Whether for movement or meditation, there’s no better time than now to begin or refine a personal practice for being with yourself while you must distance from others. Priscilla Stanton Auchincloss and Beth Pettengill Riley, authors of A Moving Inquiry, The Art of Personal Practice, show you how to create the time, space, and interest to begin enjoyable daily explorations of your own inner landscape. Bringing your practiced attention to the nuanced movement of your breath and body prepares you to better meet our ever-changing world with more resource and ease.

How can we stay healthy in the time of pandemic when there’s limited medical care available? Emma Destrubé, acupuncturist, herbalists and somatic therapist offers the perspective of traditional chinese medicine, informed by nature’s processes, as to how we can best nourish our health and become empowered agents of our own well-being, right now.

Creating a reciprocal relationship with the seen and unseen world can provide us with a rich sense of connection that enhances our sense of safety and belonging. Visual artist and somatic educator, Suzanne Wright Crain uses play theory and the imaginal realms in her art, in her teaching, and in her life. She looks and listens for cues that can become guidance for greater health and wellbeing, and encourage lightheartedness, even in times of stress and uncertainty. thecosmicbody.com

Anxiety and panic can grip the body in response to uncertainty and fear, real or imagined. It causes sleeplessness, a racing heart, and tight breathing. Kim Brodey, midwife, musician, and Continuum somatic educator, talks about how to use our own breath and movement to meet the panic response where it resides in the body, and eventually, how to return to a sense of balance and calm.

In troubled times, turn to beauty in order to refresh your emotions, spirit and soul. Elaine Colandrea, movement artist, somatic Continuum educator, and artistic director of Watermark Arts, talks about how receiving beauty, natural beauty and art can give us the kind of pleasure that can be potent medicine for these unsettled times. About Elaine: Elaine is a movement artist, Continuum teacher, somatic educator, and bodyworker. Elaine’s primary interests have always been the transformational aspects of moving, sounding and breathing, the connection with the natural world and a belief that an artful, embodied presence creates a more humane society. Based in the Hudson Valley of New York where she maintains a studio shared with other somatic explorers, Elaine also teaches regularly in Italy and has been an invited presenter at ISMETA, the Omega Institute, and Shantigar Foundation. Elaine has a M.A.in dance from Columbia University (1982) and was certified as a massage therapist by the Muscular Therapy Institute (1988.) Her clients and students, as well as health challenges, have also served as teachers. Elaine’s personal artistic and educational goals include: Peaceful, cultural revolution through embodied artistry Supporting the experience of wholeness Incorporating an understanding of interconnection with nature Exploring unitive experiences Dance reviewer Linda Diamond in 2012 called Elaine, “a wizard of new dance forms.” Kate Goldsmith, Northern Dutchess News, and Creative Living wrote in July 2012, “Elaine Colandrea is an alchemist and her medium is the human body.” Elaine is now directing Watermark Arts, an endeavor featuring somatically inspired arts, learning forums, and community engagement.

When you don’t have access to therapeutic touch, using your own touch can build immunity, and can create calm and healing. Emma Destrubé, acupuncturist, herbalist and somatic therapist, tells us how to use acupressure points and self-soothing touch to take care of our own health, wellbeing, and sense of connection. Find out more at emmadestrube.com Emma Destrubé is a board-certified, licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and is a registered somatic movement therapist/educator. Emma approaches her work with the belief that change is always possible, and that given the right context, support, and nourishment, every body has the potential to thrive. After studying at McGill University in Montreal, she relocated to Los Angeles to study somatic movement, including Continuum, Body-Mind Centering, and Taoist meditation and internal cultivation practices. She apprenticed under Emilie Conrad, somatic visionary and pioneer of the internal movement practice Continuum. As a Continuum teacher, Emma offers classes and workshops around the world, and integrates this work into her treatment strategy where applicable. Emma's immersive dedication to the path of internal cultivation led her to study Chinese medicine at Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, where she graduated summa cum laude with concentrations in classical acupuncture and Korean Nei-Jing style. Emma has practiced acupuncture at the Venice Family Clinic Integrative Medicine Chronic Pain Program, at Being Alive HIV/AIDS Clinic, at the Healthy Athletes Center at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. Emma works and teaches internationally, and regularly offers in-depth healing intensives, workshops, and home visits in Los Angeles, CA, and runs a private practice in Midtown Atlanta, GA, Five Rivers Holistic. Outside of the acupuncture and movement studios, Emma is a writer and visual artist, and enjoys time in nature.

Frightened by the uncertainty of pandemic events? Susan Harper, somatic educator and founder of Continuum Montage speaks about how to create a tender relationship with our fears that, at the same time, opens us to new possibilities of vision and wholeness. Our breath and movement are the indicators and portals for returning to balance beneath the usual habits of orientation that have been so disrupted. Visit Susan at HTTP://Continuummmontage.com 
 Susan Harper is a Continuum teacher, a heart-soul-counselor, creative instigator, and inspired teacher of perceptual and movement inquiry. Susan has the ability through personal demonstration of sounds, breaths, and movement to transmit a primal and spiritual fluidity that inspires participation resulting in embodied innovative discoveries. Her students call her a moving storyteller, a dream weaver, one who opens portals into the vast space of creativity, which is available in all human beings. Susan joined Emilie Conrad, founder, in 1975 to study, and eventually became a partner in developing the organization and work of Continuum.  
 In 1977, Susan and Michael Stearns founded Continuum Montage as a record label to produce Michael's music and host her seminars. Today, Susan Harper offers Continuum Montage events, which include Continuum Workshops, Body of Relating Trainings, Body of Perception Training, and Living Dreams seminars. 
 In 1992, as a part of the 18th Street Arts Complex, Susan designed Continuum Studio, providing a creative gathering place for community. 
 In the early 90s Susan expanded the reach of Continuum to Japan, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. She leads seminars at Esalen Institute. She has led dozens of river trips throughout the western U.S, Alaska, and Mexico. She has led Quest trips in Thailand, Tibet, Bali, and Borneo — honoring the gifts of each culture, people, and place in resonant exchange.

In this time of uncertainty, learning to listen to your own inner knowing can be the best antidote to fear. Rachel Lang, intuitive astrologer and healer, talks about how to develop and trust your intuitive voice as a guide for connecting with your heart, your soul and your inner knowing.

Your Breathing is the First Line of Support for Your Health with Robert Litman Self-care starts with your own breath. Learn from breathing expert, Robert Litman, simple techniques and important information about how to use your breathing as your first line of support for your health and anti-viral protection in the time of the Coronavirus. About Robert: Robert Litman has guided clients and students in the use of movement, breath, and sound as a tool for personal growth, restoring healthy breathing rhythms, structural alignment, and efficient body mechanics. He founded The Breathable Body in 2003. He co-developed the Wellsprings Practitioner Program with Emilie Conrad, founder of Continuum Movement and co-taught with her for 18 years. Robert has been a faculty member and head of the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology and Movement Education at the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts Massage School. He teaches the Buteyko Breathing Technique, helping people with disorders such as asthma, anxiety, allergies, panic attacks, snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, digestive disorders, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue to control their symptoms and reduce their medications. He was a preceptor at the University Of Arizona School Of Integrative Medicine teaching the Buteyko Breathing Technique to visiting doctors for Doctor Andrew Weil for 5 years. Robert has an advanced certification in The Duggan-French Approach – Somatic Pattern Recognition, which has provided him with hands-on skills to help guide clients’ movement and breath education awareness processes.-Graduate Certification as a Breathing Behavior Analyst. Robert now makes his home on Vashon Island, WA, continuing to offer private sessions and classes in movement and breathing. He regularly leads classes and workshops worldwide www.thebreathablebody.com

Feeling stressed, upended or afraid? Dr. Amber Gray, somatic psychotherapist, dance therapist and Continuum teacher offers insight and practical exercises to find peace, calm and a sense of personal connection from fears triggered by the uncertainty and isolation in these time of the coronavirus pandemic Amber Elizabeth Gray Amber is a licensed mental health professional and psychotherapist, board-certified dance movement therapist, authorized Continuum Movement teacher and public health professional with extensive experience in clinical service provision, program development and management (including evaluation) and training. Amber has worked clinically with survivors of organized violence, torture, war and combat-related trauma, ritual abuse, domestic violence, and community violence for over twenty years. She has worked in program development and management with survivors of human rights abuses for almost thirty years. Amber is trained in Somatic Psychology, Dance Movement Therapy, Contemplative Practice, and Authentic Movement. She also has training in Ecopsychology, Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Trauma-Focused CBT, Parent-Child Psychotherapy, Mindfulness-based Therapies, Yoga, Life Impressions Bodywork, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, and she is an Authorized Continuum teacher. She teaches and provides training to professionals and paraprofessionals who work with survivors of extreme interpersonal and social trauma worldwide who wish to integrate somatic, movement, mindfulness and creative arts based therapies into their work. She also works with governmental and non governmental organizations responding to disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies to develop and sustain staff care programs for their teams.

Susan Harper, founder of Continuum Montage, creates experiential contexts for perception and movement awareness, and creative expression. Susan and Sharon discuss how to engage the world as if for the first time through “eyes of wonder”, and how to find the safety required to take the risks involved in meeting the unknown. Continuummontage.com