Recently I came across a DW documentary about the latest scientific findings about why (well-meaning, pleasant) touch has such a crucial impact on our physical, emotional and mental health.
Touch is something that is very present in my life and work because of my knowledge of fascia and its links to our nervous system, so I was thrilled to come across the documentary. Massage being one of the skills I use in my private sessions, and one of the first ways I connected to other bodies as a child I get a ‘front seat’ on how healing well-meaning, informed touch can be on a physical fascia layer, but also in terms of our emotions and mind . (Have a look here for more info on my bodywork offers). It’s also something the near absence of which I knew would have a great impact on people due to lockdowns and restrictions.
That motivated me to include more touch in classes and trainings, either direct touch or using movements to create pleasant contact with the ground underneath, and to get in touch with parts of our beings that often get missed out in the more linear kinds of movement classes, be they yoga, pilates or many forms of dance.

I highly encourage you to watch the documentary to understand the role touch can play in keeping us healthy, both individually, but also societally. The documentary makes it easy to understand for everyone.
I know many of us are still finding their way post lockdown, figuring out how to negotiate being out and about, and around people. Once you have watched this documentary you might want to consider finding ways to incorporate more safe, consensual touch by people you can trust, and of course touch within your practice.

Or if you need guidance regarding self-touch (purely non sexual, but that doesn’t mean it can’t feel good), then I recommend my Tuesday morning, my two Thursday evening classes, and my Saturday morning class, the details of which you can find on my schedule.

There is a reason why in so many languages touch is something that is both a physical experience, but also something that can be felt physically even though no actual contact has been made. We are touched by the words or actions of someone, or touched by a scene or a moment, and that experience is very real within our bodies. Touch is a way of reaching into our depths, of moving us deeply in all of our humanity.

TOUCH IS POWERFUL, and touch should be treated as part of our practices of nourishment.

Over the next few weeks we will be exploring, touching on the lower back and the pelvis, both areas that feel the impact of what happens to us and what we do (or don’t do) with our bodies.
It will be very touching without a doubt, offering us the opportunity to grow in our capacity to feel, but also to be rooted within ourselves at a very deep and internal level.

I look forward to see you in class, and touch and be touched by this magical humanity that we all are.

As always, please be in touch directly, if you have questions, or if I can support you.

Much love,
Valerie