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Des Lawton has been a practising martial artist for over thirty years. He was a close student of Master Joseph Bell who is a direct lineage descendant of Master Wang Jiu Mei.

Des is now the Principal Instructor of the San Bao Martial Arts School . He  teaches Taiji and Taijiquan classes in and around the Glasgow area and has developed a diploma course in Healing Qigong. He teachies both for Community Education projects and within resource groups for people with learning difficulties and special needs.

In this episode we discuss:
His background in the healing arts
What is qi and why it matters
We try to define some of the esoteric language in the internal arts
How to approach and learn the internal arts

You can find out more about Des and take his online classes at https://sanbaoschool.co.uk

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Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama & the people of Tibet. A close friend of the Dalai Lama’s for over 50 years, he is a leading world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, passionate activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, skilled translator of Buddhist texts, and inspiring writer of popular Buddhist books.

He met the H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1962. After learning Tibetan and studying Buddhism he decided to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk and was the first Westerner to be ordained by the Dalai Lama. After living as a monk for several years He returned to Harvard to finish his PhD.

In this episode we discuss:
His time as a monk in India
Meeting the Dalai Lama
Somatic Practices in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Yoga
Environmental issues and how modern society is disconnected from nature

 Vajra Yoga Course  begins  October 22,  - January 28, at Menla Retreat Center https://thusmenla.org/p/vajra-yoga-fall-immersion-online-only

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Sam Cutler is an Honors Graduate in Contemporary History  and a qualified teacher  from the University of Cambridge. Cutler worked for Blackhill Enterprises as stage manager and master of ceremonies on a series of 1960s gigs in the U.K. and Europe with such artists, as Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, and The Rolling Stones. In 1969, he acted as master of ceremonies at the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park London. Following the Hyde Park show, Cutler was asked to be the personal road manager to The Rolling Stones during their 1969 Tour of America.

Following that tour Cutler was befriended by Jerry Garcia and so stayed in the U.S.  and was subsequently hired by the Grateful Dead as their tour manager and agent. Cutler organized the Grateful Dead's appearances at a number of memorable events including: the 1970 Festival Express Tour of Canada, The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen  and the 1972 European Tour of the Grateful Dead, the results of which can be heard on the Dead's triple live album Europe '72. Throughout his rock and roll career, Cutler was around and was agent for some of the largest rock and roll shows in history. Sam wrote a book commemorating his time with the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead titled You Can't Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and other Wonderful Reprobates.  Sam now lives a more contemplative life in Australia practicing dharma. 

In this Episode we discuss:

• Sams early interest in Buddhism
• Metta and non-violence
• His daily  Buddhist practice
• The Grateful Dead's interest in Buddhism
• Kindness as a daily practice 

For more information & upcoming courses please visit https://somaticprimer.com  Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.

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Livia Kohn is an emeritus professor of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University, specializing in studies of Daoism. She graduated from Bonn University, Germany, in 1980. She then spent six years at Kyoto University in Japan, before she joined Boston University as Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies in 1988.  She is a long term practitioner of Taiji qua and medittiaton. Her specialty is the study of the Daoism and Chinese long life practices. She has written and edited 35 books and over 100 articles.

She retired from active teaching in 2006 but continues to write books, serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies, and manages Three Pines Press, the Western voice of Daoism . She leads Daoist qigong and Core Health workshops worldwide, and is the lead organizer of a series of major international conferences on Daoism: 

In this episode we discuss

• Her background in Daoism
• History of Daoyin, Tai Chi and Qigong
• The Shaolin temple
• Buddhist influences on Daoism
• Western Somatics and Chinese healing practices

   Three Pines Press link https://threepinespress.com

If you enjoyed the show please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Please visit https://somaticprimer.com Thanks for listening!

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Jeffrey Hopkins is Professor Emeritus of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia where he taught Tibetan Buddhist Studies and Tibetan language for thirty-two years from 1973. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1963, trained for five years at firewood acres Buddhist Monastery  in New Jersey with Geshe wangyal. He received a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. He served as His Holiness the Dalai Lama's chief interpreter for ten years. 

He Founded the largest academic program of Tibetan buddhist studies at the University of Virginia. He served as Director of the Center for South Asian Studies for twelve years. He has published thirty-nine books in a total of twenty-two languages, as well as twenty-three articles.

His most prominent books are the trilogy Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism; Reflections on Reality: The Three Natures and Non-Natures in the Mind-Only School; and Absorption in No External World: 170 Issues in Mind-Only Buddhism.

In this episode we discuss

• Dr. Hopkins upbringing and background in buddhism
• His travels and early meditations of sky gazing
• Living at Freewood acres and studying with Geshe Wangyal
• Living and studying in India
• Meeting H.H. Dalai Lama
• Tonglen and compassion meditation 

If you enjoyed the show please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Those of you interested in studying with me or taking private somatic lessons please visit  https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/

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This is Part Two of my interview with Dr. Bennett.

In this episode we discuss:

Hanna Somatics & Tai Chi
Hanna Somatics & Feldenkrais Method
Forceful & gentle application of Somatics
Importance of a daily practice
and much more...

If you'd like to find out more about Brad's work and read his article "The Somatic Work of of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi & Kinesiology" please visit his website at https://www.westeastsomatics.com

You can find out more about me and my classes at https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/

If you enjoy the episode please consider giving us five stars on the Apple Podcast App. Thanks for listening.

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BRADFORD C. BENNETT, PHD
Dr. Bennett’s  formal somatic education began in 1985 when he began studying Tai Chi with Hubert H. Lui. For the next ten years Mr. Lui helped Dr. Bennett become both more relaxed and more biomechanically sound in movement.  He continued to explore methodologies to improve neuromuscular control and studied with several teachers including; Yochanon Rywerant, Ruthy Alon, Llana Rubenfeld, Charlotte Selver, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Dean Juhan, Gaby Yaron, and Giora Pinkas. Following a knee injury a Feldenkrais teacher referred him to Thomas Hanna. One session with Dr. Hanna convinced Dr. Bennett that Dr. Hanna was doing something quite unique and in 1990 he participated in Dr. Hanna’s first and only training in what he called Hanna Somatic Education. Dr. Bennett later became a Charter Member of the Association for Hanna Somatic Education®. 

In 1993 Dr. Bennett left his position at as a Senior Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center to focus on somatic education. He was soon recruited to teach at Sonoma State University and then San Francisco State University in the Dept. of Kinesiology. During these studies Dr. Bennett continued studying with H. H. Lui, combining his insights from the Western “somatic education” with his Tai Chi practice. 

In this episode we discuss:

• His background in Somatics
• Meeting Thomas Hanna
• Hanna Somatic Training Course
• Similarities of Somatics & Tai chi Chuan
  
  If you'd like to find out more about Brad's work and read his article "The Somatic Work of of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi & Kinesiology" https://www.westeastsomatics.com
  
  

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Dr. Patricia Huston, MD, CCFP, MPH has a dual academic appointment at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and the School of Epidemiology and Public Health.  She has worked as a family physician, a public health physician and a scientific editor.  She has attended meetings at the World Health Organization as an Expert Advisor, been on multiple national and international committees, and was the President of the international Council of Science Editors. She has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, on topics such as the care of the elderly, preventive cardiology, research and publication ethics, and the social determinants of health. Her most recent research interests are the health benefits of Tai Chi and the emerging science on fascia.

Dr. Huston's latest article, A Sedentary and Unhealthy Lifestyle Fuels Chronic Disease Progression by Changing Interstitial Cell Behaviour: A Network Analysis

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.904107/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Physiology&id=904107

In this episode we discuss

• Dr. Huston's background in medicine
• Her practice and  interest in Vipassana meditation
• Public Health Policy & Education
• Inflammation & the microenvironment of fascia
• Treating inflammation with stillness practices
• The many benefits of Tai Chi Chuan

Remember to subscribe to the Somatic Primer Podcast for more engaging conversations. For information on our classes please visit https://somaticprimer.com/study-at-vidya-method/ where you will find links to all our courses. Please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show. Thank you for listening.

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Tom Waldron is a manual therapist, pilates instructor, Franklin Method Educator and specialist in exercise rehab. He sees and works with clients in both London and Portsmouth, UK. 

Tom has helped rehabilitate with top athletes from injury in fields such as golf, running and students from the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet School. He also teaches nationally and internationally for educational companies in the health and fitness industry. Teaching biomechanical assessments for Biomechanics Education to other educators and embodied anatomy/function with the Franklin Method.

In this episode we discuss:

• Toms background in movement and movement education
• What is the Franklin Method
• Visualization as a vehicle for movement and change
• Franklin method and Embodiment 
• Somatic Experiencing and anatomy
• Authentic teaching

I was not familiar wit the Franklin Method so I was delighted to sit down with Tom to learn more. Tom is a passionate teacher with an interesting perspective on movement. To find out more about his work please visit https://www.tomwaldronmovementtherapy.co.uk. If you enjoy this episode please give us a Five star review on Apple Podcasts as it allows us to reach more listeners. Thanks.
I hope you enjoy the episode. 

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Alexander Berzin began his study of Buddhism in 1962 at Rutgers and then Princeton University, and received his PhD in 1972 from Harvard University.Inspired by the process through which Buddhism was transmitted from one Asian civilization to another his focus has been on bridging traditional Buddhist and modern Western cultures.

Dr. Berzin was resident in India for 29 years, first as a Fulbright Scholar and then with the Translation Bureau, which he helped to found, at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives in Dharamsala. While in India, he furthered his studies with masters from all four Tibetan Buddhist traditions; however, his main teachers have been His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, and Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Practicing under their supervision, he completed the major meditation retreats of the Gelug tradition.

For nine years, he was the principal interpreter for Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, accompanying him on his foreign tours and training under him to be a Buddhist teacher.  He has served as occasional interpreter for H.H. the Dalai Lama and has organized several international projects for him. 

Dr. Berzin has published 17 books, including Taking the Kalachakra Initiation, and The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra. At the end of 1998, Dr. Berzin returned to the West and created the “Berzin Archives”. There, with the encouragement of H. H. the Dalai Lama, he set out to make this material freely available to the world on the Internet, in as many languages as possible.

In this episode Dr. Berzin shares:

• How he first was introduced to Buddhism
• His days at University
• His first trip and traveled in India and Nepal
• Core ideas of Buddhist philosophy 
• Buddhism is a living tradition
• How to approach dharma study
  
  This was a very special episode. We are very fortune to have Dr. Berzin on the show and share his fantastic journey and teachings with us. I hope you enjoy the show.
  
  To find out more please visit https://studybuddhism.com
  If you enjoy the program please give us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. Thanks!

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