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In 2004 I moved to Ottawa, Ontario and within a year, I herniated a disc in my lower back slipping on stairs. Initially I was ok but a few days later the disc herniated and for about 12 hours, I could not stand. I eventually saw a chiropractor and he adjusted my spine to relieve the pain and correct the herniation. The X-rays he took showed my L4 and L5 vertebrae were so dangerously close together, the chiropractor said surgery was a possibility. He asked, “What are you doing for fitness and wellbeing?” I told him about Somatic Movement but I don’t think he knew what it was. I distinctly remember him saying “Whatever it is, keep doing it because it has saved you from surgery.” Hearing that, I dedicated myself even more to my Somatic practice.
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It was events like this that woke me up to how important Somatic Movement was and how it could be a way for me to pursue my passion of teaching. I took training in both Yoga and Somatics and within a few years, was teaching Somatic Movement and loving every moment.
At seven years old, I was in a car accident that caused severe facial injuries, spinal trauma and the development of scoliosis in my spine. The trauma of the accident caused the upper and lower spines to twist into an S curve. Over the next 15 years, I walked around with this scoliosis, completely unaware I had it. It’s important to remember that Somatic Movement is not a quick fix. It took a lot of time to re-learn how to move certain muscles and how to speak to my body in a different way. The more I practiced and got better acquainted with my body, the more my muscles began to lengthen and relax. From my late 20’s through my 40’s using Somatic Movement and Chiropractic adjustments, I taught my muscles and spine to re-align and corrected the scoliosis. I no longer have any residual effects from that accident in my spine.
Meet Richard
Clinical Somatics Educator
Posture & Alignment Specialist
Teaching is my life passion and I’ve had many incredible teaching adventures in Canada, Germany, the US and Japan. I’ve also been injured a lot. From the age of 5 to the present, I’ve broken and fractured bones, had facial and spinal trauma, and a herniated disc along with all kinds of muscle pain.
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Somatic Movement/Clinical Somatics give me the chance to combine my love of teaching with an innovative way of re-educating our brains, muscles and nervous systems. Through Somatic Movement, I have learned how to re-pattern my brain to muscle connection, gained a greater understanding of my nervous system, developed a sense of ease in my body and the awareness of when I’m aligned and when I’m not. This knowledge has helped me recover from injuries faster, avoid potential surgeries and shortened my rehab time.
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That’s why I’m so passionate to share Somatic Movement with you, so you too can learn to re-pattern your brain/muscles, soothe your nervous system and develop greater awareness of your body and muscles. What follows are stories of how severe injuries could have seriously affected my health but did not because of my work with Somatic Movement.
Over the next ten years, whenever I’ve twisted an ankle, injured a muscle or fell/slipped on ice, thanks to teaching my muscles to relax & reset, my recovery time was always much shorter. When you injure a muscle, your brain tells the muscles around or near that area to contract and protect the injured area. Once the injured area has healed, the muscles that were protecting it stay contracted.
When you realize how your body’s protecting, you know how to release that protective holding and help the tight muscles release. This is what you’ll learn with Somatics; you’ll learn how to adjust and ease the muscle tension and misalignment in your body. Often what’s needed are subtle adjustments that require practice to change.
Your brain is just like a computer; it’s always learning every moment of every day. The more you teach the nervous system to relax and to release tight muscles, the more comfortable your muscles and nervous system become. It’s as if you’re reconditioning a new normal for your body. I can tell you the learning never stops, you’ll always discover a new level of comfort as you practice and that’s what’s exciting.
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Think of 1 positive habit you have. What is it? Think of your muscles in the same way as that habit. Your muscles learn over time to hold and contract in certain patterns or habits. With Somatic Movement, you create new muscle habits that support, align and provide you with comfort and ease in your body.
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Many of my clients/students sit or stand for work and most of them are in front of computers. Their biggest complaint? Tension in their upper back, shoulders, low back and hips. Working at a computer is a dysfunctional process because of the way it negatively impacts your spinal alignment and the quality of your muscles. If you sit for a living or have experienced an injury or body trauma, Somatic Movement can show you to realign your muscles and bring greater comfort to your body and mind.
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Come join the party and let me introduce you to the magic of Somatic Movement!
