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Defining Ecosomatics
What makes a somatic movement practice “ecosomatic”? Is it simply transposing your movement practice from indoors to outdoors? Is it visualizing and internalizing the elements of life within the body, or is it reliant upon the actual presence of the natural environment?And how does an ecosomatic perspective differ from a somatic perspective: what are the salient elements inherent in the actual practice?
Here are some varied definitions of Ecosomatics – check them out and see what resonates with your experience. And add your own definition to this compilation as we continue to grow the breadth and depth of this focus.playGROUND: Body and Technology in the Landscape by Nala Walla (2009)
Ecosomatics by Satu Palokangas (2012)
What is Ecosomatics? by Victoria Marie (2021)
What is EcoSomatics? by Raffaele Rufo (2021)
Embodying Eco-Consciousness: Somatics, Aesthetic Practices & Social Action (2021)
This is where I want to spend time soaking in various perspectives on ecosomatics… and I hope to have time to do that this weekend. I am also very interested in the fact that indigenous cultures from all over the world at some point in history (and many currently still) honor(ed) the integral connection between our human bodies and the bodies of the natural world – including the Earth itself/herself/himself/themselves. In my view, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a gorgeous resource to learn about “indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants” (the subtitle of her book). I also adore David Abram’s Spell of the Sensuous: Language and Perception in a More-than-Human World. Although he is a philosopher, he is grounded in phenomenological (sensory-based) inquiry and could qualify as a somatic explorer, in my opinion. Ecosomatics seems to be a contemporary re-membering of our deep connections to the land (and water and air and fire). I look forward to more discussion/interaction about this rich topic! Thank you! (Elisabeth Osgood-Campbell)
Yes, 2 wonderful resources to contemplate – Kimmerer and Abrams.
I am very fond of Andreas Weber and his work as well. In fact, in this short essay, he acknowledges both of them!
The weaving of the past into the present – and how we can actively participate with place through many lenses – is very exciting to me.
I’ve been thinking recently about the CHIPKO, or “tree-huggers” movement that started in the Himalyas, and how historically prescient they were. These women literally put their bodies on the line to defend the forest, and the fact that they were female meant that they were not as likely to be beaten or attacked by government forces.
If you have never heard about it, you can start here: https://thenonviolenceproject.wisc.edu/2022/04/18/the-chipko-movement-treehuggers-of-india/#:~:text=The%20Chipko%20Movement%20adhered%20to,and%20resources%20of%20rural%20India.
Modern day scholars might look at it as a feminist movement, but for those who started it, it’s essence was non-violence. It was of course not a somatic practice, but rather a profound acknowledgement of the unity between the livelihood of an entire village and the forest on which that village depended.
Just thinking out loud!
Clare, this is wonderful. I followed the link, and then continued to the page from the photographer Pamela Singh, who wrote this:
“This is how I came upon the Chipko movement of the Himalayas that took place in the early 90’s. Chipko literally means to embrace or to hug. I previously had an idea of the spiritual protection of forests and animals by villagers in northern India as I had been in areas where the first Chipko movement had taken place in a village called Khejarli in 1730 AD in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. In this instance, the villagers of the Bishnoi community led by Amrita Devi had sacrificed their lives while protecting green khejri trees considered sacred by the community by hugging them.”
The photographs are very touching! https://www.sepiaeye.com/pamela-singh-chipko-tree-huggers-of-the-himalayas
Thanks for starting this conversation! I might define ecosomatics for different contexts. One might be for personal healing/connection/becoming. Experiencing self as nature, bringing in the elements of water, earth, air, fire and how these might shift our movement or state of being to connect with them.
Another could be for experiencing interconnection with one’s immediate environment. Grounding into a specific place to explore and play and be influenced by the trees, or river or grass. To grow in appreciation and understanding of human as not central to this place, but simply a part of
Another might be to really question, how have I become tamed by colonial/capitalist/patriarchal systems? How am I disconnected from my mammalian self, who lives in a particular environment, with feelings and desires?
And big picture, how might I engage with destruction of nature and other predicaments in the world as an embodied self?
Hi Constance,
Thanks for weighing in on this! The categories you have delineated are very similar to those in the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices “Embodying Eco-Consciousness: Somatics, Aesthetic Practices & Social Action”, Vol 13, Dec 2021. This introductory article gives an overview: link here
I am hoping to curate a series of conversations exploring all of the dimensions you indicated. Is there a particular focus in all of those that you might want to develop more?
Jamie
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