Today's conversation is with Pedro Prado.

Pedro Prado, PhD, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been instructing Rolfing® SI for over 30 years. He is a member of the Advanced and Movement Faculties of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute®, as well as a Somatic Experiencing Instructor for the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. He is a clinical psychologist and a former professor of Somatic Psychology. His signature approach to the work, to which he has devoted his clinical practice and research, explores the bridges among the Structural, Functional and Psychobiological perspectives. Since having become a Rolfer in 1981, Pedro has introduced Rolfing® and nurtured practitioner communities in his native Brazil and elsewhere in the world. He has taught throughout the US, Latin America, Europe, Japan, South Africa and Australia.

In our conversation today we talked about Pedro’s history and how he came to Rolfing, how Rolfing came to Brazil, his experiences and work in the academic and clinical world, the importance of collective inquiry, exploring new concepts and teaching strategies, the importance of philosophy and science in the field of embodiment and much more. This was another one of those talks that just flew by and it felt like we just barely scratched the surface. Hopefully we will be in more conversations together as Pedro is a beautiful soul with a wealth of information and lived experiences.

You can learn more about Pedro and his library at https://pedroprado.com.br/

If you are enjoying and getting something out of these talks, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com and RolfingInBoston.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Dr Joel Bennett

Joel Bennett, Ph.D., is President and Founder of Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems (OWLS), a consulting firm specializing in evidence-based wellness technologies to promote organizational health and employee well-being. Dr. Bennett first delivered stress management programming in 1985, and OWLS programs have since reached nearly 250,000 workers across the United States and abroad, including training over 1,000 facilitators and coaches. He is a primary developer of “Team Awareness” and “Team Resilience,” evidence-based culture of health programs recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Surgeon General as effective in reducing employee behavioral risks. Team Awareness/Resilience have been adopted by the U.S. National Guard as one of their flagship prevention programs.  They have been used by municipalities, hospitals, restaurants, electrician training centers, small businesses, Native American tribal government, in rural settings, and in Italy and South Africa.

In 2022, Dr. Bennett was acknowledged with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the National Wellness Institute and, internationally, with the "Positive Leadership Award" from the Positive Leadership Institute. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Philosophy from the State University of New York (Purchase) and his MA and PhD in Psychology from the University of Texas-Austin. Dr. Bennett has authored/co-authored seven books, including "Raw Coping Power," "Heart-Centered Leadership," and "Your Best Self at Work," and his Google Scholar page provides links to over 30 peer-reviewed scientific studies. He was previously on the board of the Academy of Management’s “Spirituality and Religion Interest Group (MSR)” and the Board of Directors for the National Wellness Institute. He provides keynote speaking and continues to train coaches and facilitators in team (culture of health) and resilience workshops.

Continuing in the theme of our last episode, today's conversation is in a little different of a flow structure than the previous norm. Dr Joel and I just got off and running, as if we were two friends catching up. I originally had planned to talk more about him and his history but the conversation was just so smooth and in the flow that we didn’t get time for that. I am hoping to have him on again for a prequel of sorts.

In our conversation today we discussed different body therapeutic modalities, the nature of Andrew's practice, the importance of presence and mindfulness, the concept of safety in bodywork and massage, personal growth and self-awareness, and the concept of open-mindedness.

You can learn more about Dr Joel at presencequest.life and www.organizationalwellness.com

If you are enjoying and getting something out of these talks, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and RolfingInBoston.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Serge Prengel

Serge Prengel is a therapist who has been exploring creative approaches to mindfulness in therapy and in everyday life. He invites you to join his explorations at ActivePause.com

Today's conversation is in a little different of a flow structure than usual. I have been wanting to try this style out for a while and will be giving it a shot here. I welcome your feedback about whether it’s working for you or not and why so.

In our conversation today Serge and I explored various topics such as mindfulness, the creative process, attunement, and the role of silence in our podcast. They stressed the importance of vulnerability, active pause, and the value of silence in connection. At the end of our talk we had a rather long pause of silence which I have edited it for your listening pleasure. You will hear us talk about the pause, you just won’t have to have a few minutes of silence to sit through.

You can learn more about Serge at ActivePause.com

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Alright Touching Into Presence listeners, today is a different kind of show. Today will be Andrew and Nikki in a conversation about Nikki’s Closure of the show for now.  We talk about how our lives have changed since Nikki first came on as co-host and why the closure seems right for now.  We talk about what may be coming down the line for this show and more.  It was an emotional conversation for me as I’ve really enjoyed the dynamic the two of us have had over these 3 years and there is an unknown and different future on the horizon.  I am grateful for Nikki and how she has shown up over these 3 years and I am glad to have made a good friend in her from this.    I look forward to seeing where her path takes her.  I am also excited for some future plans of this show.  In some ways, this closure episode will lead beautifully into those.  So with that, let’s have a listen to the talk.

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's Conversation is with Carl Rabke

Carl is a Somatic Naturalist, Embodiment teacher, and a tender of soul and living culture. For the last 25 years, he has practiced and taught where the streams of somatics,  soul-work, and a deep love of this living Earth meet. He is a Feldenkrais and Structural Integration practitioner, and loves to support people in returning to, and remembering our natural, inherent intelligence in movement, meditation, ritual, song, rhythm and community. He also hosts the Embodiment Matters Podcast with his beloved wife, Erin. You can find out more about him at https://embodimentmatters.com/about-carl/

In today’s talk we speak about the importance of movement in structural integration, the role of somatics in releasing patterns of holding or trauma, the potential of technology to reduce our sensory experience, the impact of technology on society and human attention, the role of emotions in physical responses, animism and the potential of connecting with nature for personal growth and healing.

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's Conversation is with Jeffrey Burch.

A Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Jeffrey has extensively studied and integrated into his Hands-On Therapies both Cranial Manipulation and Visceral Manipulation. He has developed groundbreaking new joint mobilization methods.Jeffrey Burch received a BA in biology from the University of Oregon in 1975, after which he trained at The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® in Boulder, Colorado, receiving his Certification as a Rolfer in 1977.He first practiced Rolfing® Structural Integration in London, and later in Seattle and Honolulu before returning to his native Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. At the time he was in London there were only a half dozen Rolfers in Europe. He accepted invitations to Rolf groups of people in Oslo, Stockholm, Trondheim, and Tehran. He now lives in Eugene Oregon offers continuing education classes. Jeffrey Burch received his Rolfing Advanced Certification in 1990, after which he again began studying at the University of Oregon where he received a second BA in Psychology in 1993 and a Master of Science in Counseling in 1995.

In today's conversation we spoke about some of the Rolfing 10 series history, its relevance today,  Jeff’s development of assessment methods from Barral’s to his own, the release of his new book, his upcoming classes, working with bone, working with different schools and in different cultures, a way of working with intuition and more..

Find out more about Jeff from his website http://www.jeffreyburch.com

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Don Hanlon Johnson

Don is no stranger to the embodied and somatic work, he’s been involved in this field since long before many of us have been born. Now in his 90’s he has been involved with so many of the pioneers and lineage holders of this field. A blurp written by Don about himself reads, “As I move into my twilight years, I am aware that the seeds that brought forth my current work were planted over half a century ago when I had my first post in teaching philosophy at what is now Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles while participating with Carl Rogers in his research project on the efficacy of student-centered learning in the school system of the Immaculate Heart sisters from kindergarten through their university. That intersection of Rogerian humanistic psychology with the experiential tradition of Socratic and Husserlian philosophy, my long history of meditation, and my first visits to the newly born Esalen Institute, gradually shaped a comprehensive approach to the education of therapists and healers, bringing together the cutting-edge theoretical, with relevant experiential dimensions, and the intellectual aspects of developing an embodied consciousness. After studying and practicing the work of Ida Rolf, I founded the first masters degree program in Somatic Psychology and succeeded in having it authorized by license-granting state boards. I was a professor in that program for some 30 years. I am now teaching in newly launched Somatics emphasis in the doctoral program of Integral and Transpersonal Psychologies. My website has more detailed information."

This was really a dream come true for me. Don was one of the people I had in mind to talk with when I created this podcast. Further proof that with hard work and diligence, dreams can come true. And they can be even more rewarding than imagined.

Todays talk ran the gamut of Rolfing history, phenomenology and other topics of which Don is an experienced and knowledgeable sage of. Instead of my usual forewords, let’s just hop into this exciting and informative talk.

To learn more about Don please visit https://donhanlonjohnson.com/

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com and http://rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at http://nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Michael Shea

Michael is one of the preeminent educators and authors in the fields of somatic psychology, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. He leads seminars throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Dr. Shea received his master’s degree in Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and a doctorate in Somatic Psychology at The Union Institute. In 1986, he was certified as one of the first Full Instructors of CranioSacral Therapy by the Upledger Institute.

Dr. Shea has been a Florida Licensed Massage Therapist since 1976, and was an Advanced Rolfer for 20 years. He is a founding member of the International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings and the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge task force (MTBOK).

Dr. Shea brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to teaching health and healing, with a teaching style grounded in a spiritual practice of developing compassion with the use of manual therapy.

He is a formal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and past apprentice with a medicine man on the Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Because of the influence of the Dalai Lama, Dr. Shea’s clinical focus is on treating infants and children with neurological problems and developmental delays. This also includes teaching clinical skills for adults that carry pre and perinatal trauma.

In today's conversation we spoke about body shame, myths and outdatedness of BMI, contemplative practice of eating, interoceptive awareness and it’s importance, repairing relationships, sovereignty, and a ton more. It’s always great to be in conversations with Michael and we hear from so many of you how much you enjoy these talks.

You can find Michael's book The Biodynamics of the Immune System: Balancing the Energies of the Body with the Cosmos here https://www.amazon.com/Biodynamics-Immune-System-Balancing-Energies/dp/1644115255/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=andrewrosen08-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=2cdba1d04b455978d20c55c689844aa8&camp=1789&creative=9325%22

You can learn more about Michael at www.SheaHeart.com

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Suzanne Picard.

Suzanne Picard is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and Rolfing Movement Therapist, in practice since 1992. Over the past 30 years she has deepened her studies with several styles of movement modalities, cranial sacral therapies and osteopathic inspired trainings in the nuero, vascular and visceral systems. She has been a faculty member of the Rolf Institute since 1996, at various times being chair of the Rolfing Movement and the Foundations of Somatic Practice Departments. She is a practicing visual artist with an MFA is sculpture. Suzanne cultivates the technical and the art of her manual therapy.

In today's conversation we spoke about a many topics related to Embodiment, Rolf Movement, Suzanne and her practice and a bunch more. This was one of those talks that was so easy and fun while also being incredibly informative. Like old friends catching up, we were bouncing around many interrelated topics and we are sure you will enjoy and get a lot out of this one.

To learn more about Suzanne please visit http://www.suzannepicard.com

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com and http://rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at http://nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Andrea Olsen.

Andrea Olsen, performer, author, and educator, is a Professor Emerita of Dance at Middlebury College, and a certified instructor of Holden QiGong and Embodyoga. She is author of a quartet of books on embodiment: Bodystories: A Guide to Experiential Anatomy, Body and Earth: An Experiential Guide, The Place of Dance: A Somatic Guide to Dancing and Dance Making with colleague Caryn McHose, and Moving Between Worlds: A Guide to Embodied Living and Communicating, along with numerous articles and chapters in anthologies_._  Recent projects include continuing the Body and Earth: Seven Web-Based Somatic Excursions film project with Scotty Hardwig and Caryn McHose (http://body-earth.org) and performing “Awakening Grace: Six Somatic Tools”.

In today's conversation we spoke about a wide gamut of topics including how Andrea came to be the powerhouse that she is, we discuss the creative and artistic processes, her books and the importance they have on a global spectrum, being an educator, embodiment, non-verbal communication, the release of her new book, and as always so much more. We hope to have her on again and explore even more topics along the spectrum of being a living, breathing embodied being.

To learn more about Andrea please visit https://andrea-olsen.com/

You can find her books everywhere books can be found, be it your local independent bookstore or here on amazon https://amzn.to/3TWjN40

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at http://andrewrosenstock.com and http://rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at http://nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g