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  • Published: 15 July 2012
  • ISBN: 9781583944172
  • Imprint: North Atlantic
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 408
  • RRP: $49.99

Awakening Somatic Intelligence

The Art and Practice of Embodied Mindfulness



“A detailed operating manual for healing pain and awakening embodied joy” through body-oriented Somatic Learning practices that incorporate mindfulness, breathing, and more (Rick Hanson, author of Buddha’s Brain)
 
Awakening Somatic Intelligence offers a guide to Somatic Learning, an innovative body-oriented approach that incorporates mindfulness, visualization, breathing exercises, postures, and stretches. Developed by author, psychotherapist, and award-winning songwriter and poet Risa Kaparo, PhD, Somatic Learning is based on leading-edge research demonstrating the power of the mind to activate physiological, mental, and emotional healing. Kaparo has successfully used her approach with patients suffering from chronic pain, high blood pressure, and mood disorders including depression and anxiety.
 
Recounting her own struggle with chronic pain, Kaparo begins with a moving description of her journey from crippling pain to renewed health and aliveness. Kaparo introduces the concepts and characteristics of Somatic Learning, a method that grew out of her personal healing experience. Incorporating the latest brain research in mindfulness and neuroplasticity, the book presents breathing exercises; postures and stretches for morning and bedtime; instructions for integrating mindfulness practice into one's daily life; and ways of deepening the practice through touch and caring interaction with others. Enhanced with over 100 detailed instructional photos and illustrations, the book includes inspiring case stories and the author's own expressive poetry that illuminate the healing power of this practice.

  • Published: 15 July 2012
  • ISBN: 9781583944172
  • Imprint: North Atlantic
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 408
  • RRP: $49.99

Praise for Awakening Somatic Intelligence

"Dr. Kaparo has a genius for both the body and its language. With the nurturing guidance of a great therapist, she offers a detailed operating manual for healing pain and awakening embodied joy." —Rick Hanson, PhD, best-selling author of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom “Risa Kaparo opens doors to a magical realm where we joyfully discover how small shifts in our awareness can have enormous impact in our relationship to aging and pain. This breakthrough book does for somatic intelligence what Daniel Goleman’s book did for emotional intelligence. It offers practical methods that will benefit all readers because they make us feel more alive and attuned to what extraordinary beings we are.” —David Surrenda, PhD, CEO of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, founder of John F. Kennedy University’s Graduate School of Holistic Studies, and coauthor of Retooling on the Run: Real Change for Leaders with No Time   “Dr. Kaparo has gone further than anyone in tapping into the intelligence of mindful awareness and discovering how this informs the functioning of each person’s unique bodymind. Her newfound knowledge allows us to effortlessly retrace the pathways that lead to optimal physical, emotional, and spiritual health.” —Peter Fenner, PhD, founder of Timeless Wisdom and author of Radiant Mind: Awakening Unconditioned Awareness   “This book represents the forefront of mindfulness, psychology, neuroplasticity, body awareness, and self-healing integrated into practices that anyone—from novices to seasoned practitioners—will enjoy and deeply benefit from.” —Shakti Gawain, author of Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life “All of us find ourselves confronted with the tension between having a body and being some-body. We have to meet the challenge of integrating these two ways of relating to our body. Dr. Kaparo’s book can help us accomplish this integration and reap the fruits of mind-body wholeness. For this help she deserves sincere gratitude.” —David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk, cofounder of gratefulness.org, and author of Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness   “If all of Dr. Kaparo’s research and experience led to nothing more than expansion of your spine, the implications for your health would be enormous. Chiropractors should take huge notice. Her work, developed from her own personal healing journey, helps you experience the oneness of your body and spirit. Awakening to this essential truth can lead to a personal transformation in healing and conscious awareness.” —Robert Jay Rowen, MD, editor in chief, Second Opinion Newsletter   “Dr. Kaparo’s passion for awakening and how that relates to the human nervous system has revealed many practical applications for all those who are exploring this new horizon. The inclusion of sensations and somatic intelligence assists in allowing the conversation between our older brain and the cortex to come into alignment, which allows for the embodiment of awakening. Her work and expression of what she has discovered in her journey resonates with the latest research that is helping so many. May her contribution benefit all beings.” —Isaac Shapiro, author of Outbreak of Peace, It Happens by Itself, and Burning Questions   “This book is a precious gift to those who are open to healing and transformation. It is also the fruition of many years of work filled with Dr. Kaparo’s dedication and heart. I pray that it reaches and helps many people.” —Anam Thubten Rimpoche, author of No Self No Problem