Somas in the World
Indu Vashist
Presentation:
Our somas are dynamic records of our experiences. Systems of oppression—racism, sexism, poverty, and other social injustices create deeply ingrained patterns of tension and trauma that are stored within us. Oppression is a bodily experience before it is a cognitive one. In this workshop we will investigate how societal trauma creates habitual patterns of tension in our somas.
Building on the ideas of Resmaa Menakem, Staci Haines, and Gail Parker, we will explore how social and political forces shape our physical form and mental processes. Grounded in the principles of Hanna Somatics, this workshop will expand our understanding of the causation of our deeply held patterns, allowing us to reclaim our bodies from systemic oppression by harnessing the brain’s innate capacity for neuroplasticity.
Indu Vashist is a graduate of the Novato Institute's 3-year Clinical Somatic Education program and a seasoned yoga teacher. She has worked in Theatre of the Oppressed with the Madras-based Marapachchi Collective from 2010 to present. She was the Executive Director of the South Asian Visual Arts Centre from 2013-2026. She believes true care requires clarity. Rather than tiptoeing around issues, she uses a direct, focused approach to get real results.
Somatic Movement + Yoga + Rest Practices
induvashist.com
Presentation
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HSE Learning Community
Presenters and Attendees Wanted
The Hanna Somatic Education Learning Community is a monthly group that will be hosted by the AHSE Education Committee. This group’s mission is to cultivate our members’ continued learning and deepen our community’s connection. All AHSE members would be most welcome to attend. Together, we’d benefit Hanna Somatics as a discipline, while supporting the common growth of our clients, the general public, and ourselves as Hanna Somatic Educators.
In this online group, AHSE members are invited to volunteer to teach a topic of their choice focused on Hanna Somatic Education. Each presentation would be 15 to 30 minutes in length. You’d have the valuable opportunity to practice your presentation skills and your HSE colleagues could process your chosen topic together. You certainly don’t need to be an expert on the topic. You’d inspire the group to learn from each other through their questions and discussion.
The presenter can get a recording of their own presentation that they can present to their clients, post on social media, upload to YouTube, or use to write an article. If the content is cleared by the AHSE Education Committee, your recording can be archived in the Members section of the AHSE website.
Suggested presentation topics:
o Anatomy
o Kinesiology
o Neuroscience
o Somatic movements / Techniques
o Diagnosis - somatic interpretations and possible solutions
o A case study (With permission to share)- problems and solutions
o Translating and incorporating HSE into other disciplines.
o Other HSE-related topics…
The group meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 9:30 am PDT/PST, 12:30 pm EDT/EST, 5:30 pm BST/GMT, for 60-90 minutes.
We’ll need monthly presenters, so if you’d be interested in being a future presenter, Please submit a paragraph describing your topic to the AHSE Education Committee. Let us know if you have any questions about being a presenter.