Georges Dreyfus is  Professor of Religion at Williams College, Massachusetts. His focus is in the fields of Tibetology and Buddology, with a particular interest in Indian Buddhist philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cognitive processes. 

At the age of 20, Dreyfus left his native home of Switzerland and backpacked across Eastern Europe through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. He traveled to Dharamsala where he first encountered Tibetan Buddhism. Captivated by its philosophy, he entered a monastery and began the studies that lasted for 15 years. In 1985 he would be the first Westerner to receive the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest available within the Tibetan scholastic tradition.

He is author of several books including, The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, and Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations.

Dr. Dreyfus and Bryson discuss:

• His journey from Switzerland to India
• How he came to be a Buddhist monk
• The daily life of a Buddhist monk
• The Philosophy of Conscious in Buddhism
• Meeting the Dalai Lama
• The Path of Meditation vs. Scholarship
• Tibetan Debating System
• and much more...

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. Thank you for listening!

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This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Tim Cartmell. Tim  has over 30 years of experience in martial arts including Kung Fu San Su, Xing Yi Quan , Ba Gua Zhang, Tai Ji Quan, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Tim is the author of the best selling book "Effortless Combat Throws," and "Passing the Guard." He is the translator of the several books including  "The Method of Chinese Wrestling" and "Chin Na Fa: Traditional Chinese Submission Grappling." 

He teaches full time in Huntington Beach CA, where he has combined the stand-up fighting of Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taijiquan with the ground work of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to create his Shen Wu curriculum.

Tim and Bryson discuss:

• History and development of health concepts and traditional marital arts in China
• Tim's studies in China 
• Biomechanics in the martial arts and the similarities to Western Somatic practices
• Traditional approaches to teaching and studying different disciplines
• The interconnectedness of meditation and somatic practices 

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Tim at http://www.shenwu.com/index.html. Thank you for listening!

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Eleanor Criswell is emeritus professor of psychology and former chair of the psychology department, Sonoma State University. Founding director of the Humanistic Psychology Institute, she is editor of Somatics Magazine, the magazine-journal of the mind-body arts and sciences, and director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training. Her books include Biofeedback and Somatics: Toward Personal Evolution, How Yoga Works: An Introduction to Somatic Yoga, and she is editor of Cram's Introduction to Surface Electromyography. She is past president and board member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, president of the Somatics Society.  She is the originator of Somatic Yoga and Equine Hanna Somatics. Her research interests include biofeedback/neurofeedback, psychophysiology, yoga, mind-body practices, somatics, and meditation.

To find out more about Dr. Criswell's work please visit, somaticsed.com

Dr. Criswell and Bryson discuss:

• The life of Thomas Hanna
• Hanna's introduction to the Feldenkrais Method and working with Moshe
• How he developed Somatic Education
• Dr. Criswell's interest in Embodiment
• What is Somatic Awareness
• How to live an embodied life

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This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Alfons Grabher.

Alfons Grabher is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner from Vienna, Austria. His Youtube channel "Improving ability” ranked #1 on Feedspot’s Top 20 Feldenkrais Youtube Channels in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. He is author of several books including "My Feldenkrais Book”, a workbook with movement lessons.

Alfons and Bryson discuss:

• How Alfons discovered the Feldenkrais Technique
• Advantages & Disadvantages of online learning
• Methodology of the Technique
• Internal focus during the practice
• Experiences on the Training Course
• Spontaneity & Curiosity

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This episode of the Somatic Primer Podcast features Vivien Schapera. Vivien is an Alexander Technique teacher and teacher trainer.  In 1993, Vivien and her husband, Neil, founded Alexander Technique of Cincinnati, a school for training Alexander Teachers, and in 1999, Vivien founded FourWinds Academy for the Healing Arts & Sciences. Vivien teaches workshops in all her subjects from coast to coast in the USA, in London, UK, and in Cape Town, South Africa.

Vivien and Bryson discuss

• Growing up in South Africa
• How she discovered the Alexander Technique 
• Her fascinating journey from Cape Town, to London, and finally building her school for training Alexander Teachers in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Key ideas of the technique, such as the "Means - Whereby" and her insights into these practices
• How the Alexander Technique compares to other somatic practices
• and much more.

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast  for more engaging conversations. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. You can find out more about Vivien at schapera.com and on our website somaticprimer.com. Thank you!

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