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Somatic Movement, Mythology, & the Quest of Meaning in Life with Marialuisa Diaz de Leon Z, MA, RSME/T, REAT

The practice of somatic movement awakens the archetypal energy throughout the different parts of the body, which allows us to tap into our individual, collective and more-than-human wisdom. Somatic movement, mythology, archetypal psychology, and expressive arts support us in connecting our life story with a grand timeless narrative, and see our own life as a unique and necessary expression of the collective cosmology; revealing the meaning of our existence.

In this interview, my host and ISMETA colleague, Gayatri Schriefer, and I discuss my work through Mythic Life and address the following points:

  • Myths are embodied ritual narratives, somatic movement helps to free and unpack the individual and collective archetypes.
  • Personal meaning is discovered through embodying the feminine principle, which encompasses the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth; and not solely through the rational mind.
  • The motif of ‘descent’ is present in many myths: somatic movement guides our awareness to descend into the body so we can experience and explore who we are and what our purpose is.

Contact: mythiclifecenter@gmail.com mythiclife.net

This interview is part of the Somatic Movement Summit a free online event. For more information, please visit https://somaticmovementsummit.com. This recording is a copyright of The Shift Network. All rights reserved.

Pathways into the Heart of a Meaningful Life

During this interview, you will learn & experience:

  • What somatic movement is and how it can be a path to inner freedom.
  • The role of myths and archetypes in finding meaning in life.
  • What can get in the way of being who we truly are.
  • How the expressive arts practice can help overcome obstacles on the path into inner freedom.
  • Why the heart is central to finding inner freedom.
  • A powerful guided somatic contemplation to listen to our heart’s wisdom, inspired by the Sumerian Goddess Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld.

This interview was part of the Finding Inner Freedom event created and hosted by Julia Koki Kyambi (www.juliakokikyambi.com) and aired in November 11, 2022.

Listen here

READ & REFLECT

WHEN PERFECTIONISM STRIKES

Breathe in, breathe out, 

Feel your sit bones,

sense your spine extending upward,

and sway it gently from side to side.

Place the palms of your hands 

anywhere in your body where you feel anxiety bubbling up. 

Place the palms of your hands 

anywhere in your body where you feel support.

Allow your attention to flow between those two places,

make room for something new to emerge, 

–no matter how small, subtle and imperceptible is.

Linger in the stillness,

and then;

get up

shake it up.

Be willing to make mistakes.

You can always come back home to your source,

to the inner mountain of your being.

Marialuisa